Solms 5498045 219499718 2008-06-15T14:56:30Z Lightbot 7178666 Units/dates/other <div style="float: right; width: 310px; margin-left: 1em;"> {{Infobox Ort in Deutschland |Art = Stadt |Wappen = Wappen Solms.png |lat_deg = 50 |lat_min = 32 |lat_sec = 23 |lon_deg = 08 |lon_min = 24 |lon_sec = 26 |Lageplan = Lahn-Dill-Kreis Solms.png |Bundesland = Hessen |Regierungsbezirk = Gießen |Landkreis = Lahn-Dill-Kreis |Höhe = 144 |Fläche = 34.05 |Einwohner = 13693 |Stand = 2006-12-31 |PLZ = 35606 |Vorwahl = 06442 |Kfz = LDK |Gemeindeschlüssel = 06 5 32 021 |Straße = Oberndorferstraße 20 |Website = [http://www.solms.de/ www.solms.de] |Bürgermeister = Jörg Ludwig (FWG) }} {{Infobox Former Country |native_name = ''Grafschaft Solms'' |conventional_long_name = County of Solms |common_name = Solms | |continent = Europe |region = Central Europe |country = Germany |era = Middle Ages |status = Vassal |empire = Holy Roman Empire |government_type = Principality | |year_start = 1129 |year_end = 1258 | |event_start = <!--- Default: "Established" ---> |date_start = <!--- Optional: Date of establishment, as [[1 January]], [[1801]]---> |event_end = Partitioned to [[Solms-Braunfels|S-Braunfels]]<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;and [[Solms-Burg-Solms|S-Burg-Solms]] |date_end = &nbsp;<br>1258 | |p1 = Duchy of Franconia |image_p1 = [[Image:Frankenrechen.svg|20px|Duchy of Franconia]] |s1 = Solms-Braunfels |image_s1 = [[Image:Wappen Solms.png|20px|Solms]] |s2 = Solms-Burg-Solms |image_s2 = [[Image:Wappen Solms.png|20px|Solms]] | |capital = Solms | |footnotes = Full style: Count of Solms, Lord of [[Münzenberg]], [[Wildenfels]] and [[Sonnenwalde]] }} {{Infobox Former Country |native_name = ''Grafschaft Solms-Burg-Solms'' |conventional_long_name = County of Solms: Town of Solms |common_name = Solms-Burg-Solms | |continent = Europe |region = Central Europe |country = Germany |era = Middle Ages |status = Vassal |empire = Holy Roman Empire |government_type = Principality | |year_start = 1258 |year_end = 1415 | |event_start = Partitioned from [[County of Solms|Solms]] |date_start = <!--- Optional: Date of establishment, as [[1 January]], [[1801]]---> |event_end = Annexed to [[Solms-Braunfels|S-Braunfels]] |date_end = <!--- Optional: Date of disestablishment ---> | |p1 = County of Solms |image_p1 = [[Image:Wappen Solms.png|20px|Solms]] |s1 = Solms-Braunfels |image_s1 = [[Image:Wappen Solms.png|20px|Solms]] | |capital = Solms | |footnotes = <!--- Accepts wikilinks ---> }} </div> '''Solms''' is a town west of [[Wetzlar]] in the [[Lahn-Dill-Kreis]], [[Hesse]], [[Germany]]. In the constituent community of Burgsolms once stood the ancestral [[castle]] of the Counts and Princes of Solms, whose main lines were Solms-Braunfels, with their seat in [[Braunfels]], and Solms-Hohensolms-Lich, with their seat in [[Lich, Germany|Lich]]. == Geography == === Location === Solms lies right in the [[Lahn]] valley and is nestled between the foothills of both the [[Taunus]] and [[Westerwald]] at heights from 140 to 400&nbsp;m above [[sea level]]. It is about 7&nbsp;km west of [[Wetzlar]] and 30&nbsp;km northeast of [[Limburg an der Lahn]]. === Neighbouring communities === Solms borders in the north on the community of [[Ehringshausen]] and the town of [[Aßlar]], in the east on the town of [[Wetzlar]], in the south on the community of [[Schöffengrund]], and in the west on the town of [[Leun]] (all in the Lahn-Dill-Kreis). === Constituent communities === The town consists of the following centres: * Albshausen * Burgsolms * Niederbiel * Oberbiel * Oberndorf == History == Solms had its first documentary mention in 788 in a donation document from the Lorsch Monastery. The villages that nowadays form the town of Solms belonged for centuries to the County of Solms, until this was dissolved in 1806. After a short while being part of the Duchy of Nassau, they passed to [[Prussia]] in 1815. As part of Hesse's municipal reforms, the communities of Albshausen and Oberbiel voluntarily merged on [[1 July]] [[1971]] to form ''Bielhausen'', while Burgsolms and Oberndorf did the same to form ''Solms''. By state law, these two new communities were amalgamated with Niederbiel on [[1 January]] [[1977]] to make the new greater community of Solms, which in 1978 was granted town rights. A new residential area has been being built on the western edge of Oberbiel since the 1990s. == Politics == === Town council === The municipal elections in 2001 yielded the following results: {| class="wikitable" ! scope="col" | Party ! scope="col" | Seats |- ! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Freie Wählergruppe (FWG) | style="text-align: right; padding-right: 1em;" | 13 |- ! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | [[Social Democratic Party of Germany|Social Democratic Party (SPD)]] | style="text-align: right; padding-right: 1em;" | 11 |- ! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | [[Christian Democratic Union (Germany)|Christian Democratic Union (CDU)]] | style="text-align: right; padding-right: 1em;" | 8 |- ! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | [[Free Democratic Party (Germany)|Free Democratic Party (FDP)]] | style="text-align: right; padding-right: 1em;" | 2 |- ! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | [[Alliance '90/The Greens|Greens]] | style="text-align: right; padding-right: 1em;" | 2 |} <small>Note: FWG is a citizens' coalition.</small> === Town of Solms Youth Council === Since 2002 there has been a ''Town of Solms Youth Council'' serving as the town's official board representing youth's interests and needs. It is elected every two years by children and youths who either live in the town or go to the [[comprehensive school]]. === Partnerships === The town of Solms maintains partnerships with the following places: * {{flagicon|Austria}} [[Liezen]], [[Styria]], [[Austria]] * {{flagicon|France}} [[La Grand-Combe]], [[Gard]], [[France]] * {{flagicon|Germany}} [[Schmiedefeld am Rennsteig]], [[Thuringia]], [[Germany]] == Economy and infrastructure == The town is headquarters to the firm [[Leica|Leica Camera AG]] which currently employs about 1,300 people worldwide. Oberbiel is also home to two commercial-industrial areas. A shipping company has set up shop at the newer one, while the older one, on an island in the river Lahn, was established in the early 20th century. It was originally home to a [[brad (fastener)|brad]] factory, a [[wireworks]] and a [[ball bearing]] factory. == Sightseeing == * ''Kloster Altenberg'' (Altenberg Monastery) of the blessed Gertrud von Altenberg, [[Elisabeth of Hungary|Saint Elisabeth's]] daughter (Oberbiel) * "Grube Fortuna" Visitors' Mine (Oberbiel) * Jewish Cemetery (Burgsolms) * Burgsolms Youth Centre (Stadionstraße 26), as well as youth areas in all constituent communities ==References== * {{de}} == External links == * [http://www.grube-fortuna.de ''Grube Fortuna'' homepage] * {{dmoz |World/Deutsch/Regional/Europa/Deutschland/Hessen/Landkreise/Lahn-Dill-Kreis/Städte_und_Gemeinden/Solms| Solms}} * [http://pages.prodigy.net/ptheroff/gotha/solms.html Genealogy of the Solms family] * [http://www.solms-delta.co.za/main/familyhistory.html Family tree of Solms of South Africa] {{Towns and municipalities in Lahn-Dill-Kreis}} [[Category:Youth councils]] [[de:Solms]] [[eo:Solms]] [[fr:Solms]] [[it:Solms]] [[nl:Solms]] [[pl:Solms]] [[ro:Solms]] [[ru:Зольмс]] [[vo:Solms]]