Runkel

Runkel is a town on the Lahn River in Limburg-Weilburg district in Hesse, Germany.

Geography

Location

Runkel lies in the Lahn Valley on both sides of the river between the Westerwald and the Taunus, some eight kilometres east of Limburg.

Neighbouring communities

Runkel borders in the north on the community of Beselich and the town of Weilburg, in the east on the communities of Weinbach and Villmar and in the south and west on the town of Limburg.

Constituent communities

The town consists of 9 Stadtteile.

History

The town’s first documentary mention came in 1159 in an enfeoffment document in which a nobleman named Siegfried von Runkel had his name appear as a witness. It is believed that this Siegfried was the one who built Runkel Castle. In 1191 Siegfried married a countess of Katzenelnbogen. This high noble family forced Dietrich of Runkel to open his castles Runkel and Dehrn. No later than 1230, the castle had a chapel, thereby giving Runkel its first church building. In 1288, after years of family disputes, the Lords of Runkel and those of Westerburg sundered into two lines. In 1440, building work began on the Lahn bridge, but owing to the rift between the Runkels and the Westerburgs, the work took until 1448. In 1447 Count Philipp of Katzenelnbogen was the liege lord.

Runkel (state)

Runkel was a German county during the Middle Ages. It held a territory extending from the Lahn river at the town of Runkel northwards past Schupbach. To the south of this territory was the County of Limburg (which passed to the Archbishopric of Trier in the early 15th century), the County of Hadamar to the northwest, and the County of Weilburg to the west (both of which belonged to the Counts and Dukes of Nassau). Also part of the County was an exclave located to the east of Villmar. It was bordered by the County of Limburg to the south and west, and Weilburg to the northeast.

Runkel became a County in 1219. It was inherited by the Counts of Wied in 1521. With the partition of that County in 1698, it passed to the Counts of Wied-Runkel. Wied-Runkel was mediatised to the Dukes of Nassau-Weilburg in 1806.

Counts of Runkel (1219–1521)

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