Usingen

Usingen is a small town in the Hochtaunuskreis in Hessen, Germany. Until 1972, this residential and school town was the seat of the former district of Usingen.

Geography

Location

Usingen an der Usa lies about 35 km north of Frankfurt am Main and 50 km northeast of Wiesbaden in the Taunus, putting it on the edge of the Frankfurt Rhein-Main Region.

The town core is about 300 m above sea level. The highest elevation in the main town of Usingen is the Hohe Berg ("High Mountain"), 414 m above sea level.

Neighbouring communities

Usingen borders in the north on the town of Butzbach, in the east on the communities of Ober-Mörlen (both in Wetteraukreis) and Wehrheim, in the south on the town of Neu-Anspach and the community of Schmitten, and in the west on the communities of Weilrod and Grävenwiesbach.

Constituent communities

The town has seven centres named Usingen, Eschbach, Kransberg, Merzhausen, Michelbach, Wernborn and Wilhelmsdorf.

History

Usingen (Latin Osinga), which in Frankish times likely existed as a fortified stopping place at an old crossroads, was first mentioned in the Codex Eberhardi, a manuscript from the Fulda monastery, and it is generally accepted that references made to the town go back to between 754 and 802. Archaeological proof of a settlement on the modern town's site back in Carolingian times has yet to be unearthed, although, not far from town, the remains of a Carolingian courtyard were once dug up. The possibility therefore exists that today's Usingen might not lie on the same spot as it once did, having relocated at some time in the past. More investigation will be needed before this is ascertained.