| Basic Information | |
| Area: | 75,76km² |
| Population: | 52.800 (January 2005) |
| Population density: | 700 residents/km² |
| Elevation: | 148 m above sea level |
| Postal codes: | 35576 - 35583 |
| Area code: | 06441 |
| Latitude and Longitude: | 50°34′N 08°30′E / 50.567°N 8.500°E |
| License plate prefix: | LDK |
| Organisation: | 12 Bezirke (boroughs), 8 Stadtteile (districts) |
| Website: | www.wetzlar.de |
| Politics | |
|---|---|
| Mayor: | Wolfram Dette (SPD) |
Wetzlar is a city in the federal state (Bundesland) of Hesse in Germany, capital of the Lahn-Dill district. Located at 8° 30' E, 50° 34' N, there are as of 2002 approx. 54,000 inhabitants. The city is situated on the Lahn river. It has connections with the towns of Avignon, France, Siena, Italy and Colchester, UK.
The history of the city goes back to 897. After becoming the meeting point of two railroads in 1862, development of industry in Wetzlar took a major leap forward. Wetzlar in particular became known for its optical industries: cameras and other photographics equipment from Leitz (now Leica), binoculars from Hensoldt, and microscopes from Leitz, Buderus and Seibert. The city was a center of metallurgical industry and iron mining.
Wetzlar existed as a free Imperial city from 1197 until 1803 and was passed to Prussia in 1815. It was also the site of the supreme court of the Holy Roman Empire for over 300 years. Goethe served as a lawyer in the city
In 1977 Wetzlar was merged with the neighboring city Gießen to form the new city Lahn, however this attempt to reorganize the administration was very unpopular and was reverted in 1979.
Notable architechtural features include the Eisenplatz and the steep grades and claustrophobic street layout of a medieval town. The sandstone romanesque cathedral dates from the 12th century. On the outskirts of town exist the ruins of several masonry towers arranged along the river.
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