Welcome
Welcome to the website of the registered association Nanzenbach! Das Dorf.
According to our motto “Being aware of our traditions and yet open-minded about the new”, on this website you can find information about the work of our association, our village, as well as current information about the ongoing “village development process”.
With 1,424 ha Nanzenbach is the largest and with 1,129 inhabitants at the same time the smallest part of the town of Dillenburg. It is situated in the Lahn-Dill-Kreis (district).
A characteristic of Nanzenbach is its main street. Being nearly totally destroyed in the year 1772, Nanzenbach was re-erected according to the plans of the master builder Terlinden.
Nanzenbach is beautifully situated in-between two ridges in the valley of the Nanzenbach brook in the middle of the Schelder Wald (Schelder forest). Visitors get an impressive view on the surrounding hills and mountains.
We wish you a pleasant stay on our website and look forward to welcoming you soon in our beautiful village.
History
Unfortunately, the origin of Nanzenbach as well as the one of its name is still uncertain. In 1255, Nanzenbach is mentioned for the first time in an official document. However, archaeological excavations of the year 1951 suggest that there must have been human settlements here at the time of the Nativity.
Nanzenbach was famous for its copper resources. Already in 1464, copper works were operated here. Due to good conditions in Nanzenbach, the village already consisted of 51 households in 1608. Because of the Thirty Year’s War of 1618-1648, this number decreased to 37.
The year 1772 was a terrible one for Nanzenbach and its inhabitants. The Big Fire of 19th August destroyed 76 homes and 124 other buildings. Only the chapel and one further small and unoccupied building escaped the fire.
By the help of the neighbouring communities, Nanzenbach was re-erected according to the plans of the master builder Terlinden. In these plans, the master builder paid a lot of attention to minimizing the danger of a new big fire. Thus, the first floors of the new buildings were made of solid rocks. Furthermore, slate was used for the roofs instead of straw.
In 1866, Nanzenbach became an independent community. Although there were only few opportunities to earn money outside agriculture, no major migration could be observed.
On 1st April 1972, Nanzenbach gave up its independence and suburbanised to Dillenburg.
Our Vision for 2025
Nanzenbach is an attractive place to live for all generations. With the help of the “village development process/program”, we have not only been able to sustain the exiting offers but to create new ones. The kindergarten and the primary school stayed in Nanzenbach and therefore the village is especially interesting for young families with children. Attractive play areas as well as the versatile facilities at the new-build “Pulverich” complete these offers. They are a great gain for children and teenagers. In combination with the neighbouring “exercise area” for elderly people, we have created an active meeting point for the inhabitants of Nanzenbach as well as our guests.
The close-by community centre offers more space and opportunities for additional usages. Here, we have created the missing meeting place that is home for a bistro, a room for teenagers, exhibition space for local (historical) items and a small library. Furthermore, a multifunctional room has been created. It is used for office hours of the citizen centre, a part-time doctor’s office and much more.
The fire fighters also benefited from the renovation and extension and now have more modern and better suiting rooms at their disposal.
With the support of the “village development process/program”, we have been able to renovate and sell or let some unoccupied houses. Not only because of the many discussions on the “village development process/program”, have we been able to improve the internal and external perception of our village. Young families stay in Nanzenbach and raise their children here. We have even had some migration to Nanzenbach. The high-performance telecommunication infrastructure, we realised very early and all by ourselves does play an important role here as well.
A bicycle path connects us with Dillenburg. So, we are less dependent on our own car or the public bus service to use the offers of the town.
We have been able to improve the traffic security inside Nanzenbach by traffic calming facilities. Beautiful green areas, renovated fountains as well as the recreated village square represent home and identity for us and contribute to our quality of life.
In addition to that, we have been able to sustain our local dialect. Because of the created meeting places, there is more exchange among the inhabitants of our village. This has supported our community and has helped us to sustain our own character.
The awareness of our traditions combined with our open-mindedness for new developments is also appreciated by tourists that pass Nanzenbach on one of the hiking trails. The appealing image of Nanzenbach, the welcoming meeting places and last not least the hospitality of the inhabitants invite to stay for a while – either in the bistro or the mobile snack-bar along the hiking trails that the inhabitants manage on their own.