Lahntal

The municipality of Lahntal is found in the Marburg-Biedenkopf district in northwest Middle Hesse, Germany. Lahntal lies on the upper Lahn about 83 km north of Frankfurt am Main and about 7 km northwest of Marburg. In the north, it borders on the town of Wetter, in the east on the community of Cölbe, in the south on Marburg, and in the west on the community of Dautphetal. West of the community rises the 498 m-high Rimberg. Brungershausen Caldern Göttingen Goßfelden Kernbach Sarnau Sterzhausen (last municipal election: 26 March 2006) Lahntal's civic coat of arms might be described thus: In gules an inescutcheon showing the shield of the Teutonic Knights (in argent a cross sable), laid over a fess wavy argent; behind the inescutcheon tilted dexter and turned sinister an abbess's staff Or with velum argent; spangled with seven trefoils, three above the fess and four below. The coat of arms was adopted as part of the municipal reform in Hesse, and the wavy fess represents the community's namesake river. The clovers represent the seven constituent communities within Lahntal's bounds; moreover, the abbess's staff stands for Caldern, where there was once a convent, and the Teutonic Knights' shield stands for Goßfelden, which lies south of the river Lahn. Stara Kiszewa, Poland Sussargues, France Lahntal has been partnered since 6 April 1986 with the community of Sussargues, which lies in the department of Hérault in southern France, right near Montpellier (about 17 km) and the Mediterranean Sea. Lahntal and Sussargues lie about 1 050 km apart. Between the Polish community of Stara Kiszewa and Lahntal, a community partnership was ceremoniously sealed in Poland on 10 January 2005. The underwriting of the intercommunal deal in Lahntal took place on 26 May 2006. Stara Kiszewa has about 6,200 inhabitants in some 20 centres, some quite small, and is in the powiat of Kościerzyna, about 80 km south of Gdańsk and 80 km west of Malbork in the tourist region of Kashubia. Rimberg Tower near Caldern Defensive church tower in Sterzhausen from the 12th or 13th century.