Wetzlar
| Wetzlar | ||
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The old town and the old Lahnbridge
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 Wetzlar
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Location of Wetzlar within Lahn-Dill-Kreis district
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| Coordinates: 50°34′N 8°30′E / 50.567°N 8.500°ECoordinates: 50°34′N 8°30′E / 50.567°N 8.500°E | ||
| Country | Germany | |
| State | Hesse | |
| Admin. region | Gießen | |
| District | Lahn-Dill-Kreis | |
| Government | ||
| • Lord Mayor | Wolfram Dette (FDP) | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 75.67 km2 (29.22 sq mi) | |
| Population (2015-12-31) | ||
| • Total | 51,649 | |
| • Density | 680/km2 (1,800/sq mi) | |
| Time zone | CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) | |
| Postal codes | 35576–35586 | |
| Dialling codes | 06441, 0641, 06446 | |
| Vehicle registration | WZ, (LDK) | |
| Website | wetzlar.de | |
| Imperial City of Wetzlar | ||||||||||
| Reichsstadt Wetzlar | ||||||||||
| Free Imperial City of the Holy Roman Empire | ||||||||||
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| Capital | Wetzlar | |||||||||
| Government | Republic | |||||||||
| Historical era | Middle Ages | |||||||||
| • | Settlements established | 5th century BC | ||||||||
| • | Gained Reichsfreiheit | approx 12th century 12th century | ||||||||
| • | Reichskammergericht moved to Wetzlar | 1689 | ||||||||
| • | Mediatised to Archbishop of Regensburg | 1803 1803 | ||||||||
| • | Granted to Prussia | 1815 | ||||||||
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The city of Wetzlar, located in the state of Hesse, Germany, is a former Free imperial city that owed much of its fame to being the seat of the Imperial Supreme Court (Reichskammergericht) of the Holy Roman Empire. Located at 8° 30′ E, 50° 34′ N, Wetzlar straddles the river Lahn and is on the German Timber-Frame Road which passes mile upon mile of half-timbered houses. Historically, the city has acted as the hub of the Lahn-Dill-Kreis on the north edge of the Taunus. The city is known for its ancient town and its medieval cathedral.
Notable architectural features include the Eisenmarkt and the steep gradients and tightly packed street layout of a medieval town. The sandstone cathedral of St. Mary was commenced in the 12th century as a Romanesque building. In the later Middle Ages the construction was continued under a master plan in Gothic style. The church was never finished, as one steeple still remains uncompleted. The cathedral suffered heavy damage in the Second World War from aerial bombing, but was restored in the 1950s. On the outskirts of town the ruins of several stone towers are to be found, situated along the river.
In 1975, the town hosted the 15th Hessentag state festival, and in 2012 the 62nd.
Wetzlar lies in the Lahn-Dill area in Middle Hesse on the river Lahn, not far downstream from where it changes direction from south to west in the heights near the mouth of the Dill. The town lies at a point that divides the low Hessian mountain ranges: south of the Lahn lies the Taunus; north of the Lahn and west of the Dill the Westerwald begins; north of the Lahn and east of the Dill the Rothaargebirge begin. The highest point within town limits is the Stoppelberg at 401 m above sea level.
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Wikipedia