Nassau, Germany

Nassau
Coat of arms
Nassau
Location of Nassau within Rhein-Lahn-Kreis district
Coordinates: 50°18′57″N 7°48′08″E / 50.31583°N 7.80222°E / 50.31583; 7.80222Coordinates: 50°18′57″N 7°48′08″E / 50.31583°N 7.80222°E / 50.31583; 7.80222
Country	Germany
State	Rhineland-Palatinate
District	Rhein-Lahn-Kreis
Municipal assoc.	Nassau
Government
• Mayor	Udo Rau (CDU)
Area
• Total	17.51 km2 (6.76 sq mi)
Elevation	100 m (300 ft)
Population (2015-12-31)
• Total	4,594
• Density	260/km2 (680/sq mi)
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes	56377
Dialling codes	02604
Vehicle registration	EMS
Website	www.stadt-nassau.de

Nassau, a town located in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, lies in the valley of the Lahn River between the cities of Bad Ems and Limburg an der Lahn. Nassau is the seat of the Nassau district, and is part of the Nassau Nature Park. The town is on the German-Dutch holiday road, the Orange Route. As of 2002, it had a population of 5,209.

Nassau gave its name to the prominent royal House of Nassau and directly or indirectly to numerous geographical entities, including a sovereign state, the Duchy of Nassau, the Prussian province of Hesse-Nassau, the historical and geographical region Nassau, Nassau County, New York, and the capital city of Nassau, Bahamas.

The earliest known surviving mention of Nassau refers to the Villa Nassova estate of the Bishopric of Worms in a 915 deed. In 1348 the Emperor Charles IV granted Nassau town-privileges rights together with nearby Dausenau and Scheuern. Count Dudo-Heinrich of Laurenburg had the Nassau Castle built about 1100 and his descendants began to call themselves the Counts of Nassau. Count Adolf of Nassau served as the elected King of the Romans from 1292 until his death on 2 July 1298. The Counts of Nassau married into the line of the neighbouring Counts of Arnstein (Obernhof/Attenhausen), founders of the monastery at Arnstein. After the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, the town became part of the Duchy of Nassau.