View source for Leun

{{Infobox German place
|type              = Stadt
|image_coa         = Wappen Leun.png
|coordinates       = {{coord|50|33|N|08|22|E|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
|image_plan        = Lahn-Dill-Kreis Leun.png
|state             = Hessen
|region            = Gießen
|district          = Lahn-Dill-Kreis
|elevation         = 155
|area              = 28.66
|postal_code       = 35638
|area_code         = 06473
|licence           = LDK
|Gemeindeschlüssel = 06 5 32 016
|website           = [http://www.leun.de www.leun.de]
|mayor             = Björn Hartmann<ref>{{cite web|url=https://statistik.hessen.de/sites/statistik.hessen.de/files/2022-10/direktwahlen_09_2022_10102022.xlsx|title=Ergebnisse der letzten Direktwahl aller hessischen Landkreise und Gemeinden|language=de|date=5 September 2022|publisher=[[Hessisches Statistisches Landesamt]]|format=XLS}}</ref>
|leader_term       = 2017&ndash;23
|party             = CDU
}}
'''Leun''' is a small town in the [[Lahn-Dill-Kreis]] in [[Hesse]], Germany.
==Geography==
===Location===
Leun lies some 10&nbsp;km west of [[Wetzlar]] between the foothills of the northern [[Taunus]] and the [[Westerwald]] in the [[Lahn]] valley, at a height of 150 to 330&nbsp;m above [[sea level]].
===Neighbouring communities===
Leun borders in the north on the communities of [[Greifenstein]] and [[Ehringshausen]], in the east on the town of [[Solms]], in the south on the town of [[Braunfels]] (all in the Lahn-Dill-Kreis) and in the west on the community of [[Löhnberg]] ([[Limburg-Weilburg]]).
===Constituent communities===
The town consists of the five centres of Biskirchen, Bissenberg, Lahnbahnhof, Leun and Stockhausen.
==History==
Leun had its first documentary mention in 771. Building a stone [[bridge]] in the late 15th century and being granted market rights helped the village's economic growth, which in 1664 resulted in town rights being granted.
As part of Hesse's municipal reform, the new, bigger town of Leun came into being when the main town of Leun and the other aforesaid communities voluntarily joined together on 1 January 1972.
==Politics==
===Town council===
The municipal elections on 6 March 2016 yielded the following results:
{| class="wikitable"
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Social Democratic Party of Germany|SPD]] || 8 seats
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Christian Democratic Union (Germany)|CDU]] || 8 seats
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | FWG || 3 seats
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Alliance '90/The Greens|Greens]] || 3 seats
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | [[National Democratic Party of Germany|NPD]] || 3 seats
|}
<small>Note: FWG is a citizens' coalition.</small>
==Partnerships==
The town of Leun maintains partnerships with the following places:
* {{Flagicon|France}} [[Feytiat]] in the département of [[Haute-Vienne]] since 1980
* {{Flagicon|Germany}} [[Rastenberg]], [[Thuringia]] since 1990
==Sightseeing==
[[Image:Leun 016.jpg|thumb|Evangelical Church in Leun seen from the Dollberg]]
===Evangelical Church===
In the historic main town of Leun stands the Evangelical Church, whose exact building date is unknown. The mighty "defensive" tower and the main nave are [[Romanesque architecture|Romanesque]], whereas the [[sanctuary]]'s and [[transept]]'s origins are early and late [[Gothic architecture|Gothic]] respectively.
Within the church is an old and, in terms of [[art history]], meaningful, wooden [[pulpit]] with panelling showing [[Southwest Asia]]n motifs. In the transept stands the [[organ (music)|organ]] built in 1808 by the brothers [[Philipp Heinrich Bürgy|Philipp Heinrich]] and [[Johann Georg Bürgy]]. It has 13 [[Organ stop|stops]] on one [[manual (music)|manual]] keyboard, and a [[Pedal clavier|pedalboard]]. In the tower hang three [[church bell|bell]]s, none of which comes from the bellmaker's that originally did business in the town.
Up from the church lies the [[graveyard]] in which can be found remains of the old town wall and the old Upper Gate.
===Historic town core===
The town core still has a few stately [[Timber framing|timber-frame]] houses that bear witness to the town's bygone wealth. In one is housed the town museum. The best known among them is the ''Erkerhaus'' ("Bay Window House") on Limburger Straße, which nowadays is counted among the town's landmarks. At the great [[Baroque]] porch into the yard, the remains of the former ''Junkernhof'' (see [[Junker]]) can be recognized, seat of the family Mohr, with a still preserved manor house. Also worth seeing are the old mill and the old Latin school.
===Biskirchen===
In the constituent community of Biskirchen are the ruins of the old ''Bischofskirche'' (Bishop's Church), and a well house housing the healing [[spring (hydrology)|spring]] that appears here.
===Natural monuments===
In the northern forest is the ''Leuner Burg'', but although "Burg" means "castle", it is actually a former [[quarry]] which is now considered a natural monument.
==Sport==
Leun is where the regular [[tennis]] tournament called the Leun Open is held.
==Transport==
[[Image:Bundesstraße 49 number.svg|25px|left]] Leun lies on Federal Highway (''Bundesstraße'') 49.
[[Image:Bundesautobahn 45 number.svg|25px|left]] To the north, by way of [[Ehringshausen]], is an interchange with the [[Autobahn]] [[Bundesautobahn 45|A 45]].
Within Leun's municipal area are found two [[railway station]]s, [[Leun/Braunfels station|Leun/Braunfels]] (in the constituent community of Lahnbahnhof) and Stockhausen on the [[Lahntal railway]] (''Lahntalbahn'') running from [[Gießen]] through [[Limburg an der Lahn|Limburg]] to [[Koblenz]].
==Notable residents==
* [[Harald Turner]] (1891–1947), German Nazi SS commander executed for war crimes
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
*[http://www.leun.de Leun]
{{Towns and municipalities in Lahn-Dill-Kreis}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Lahn-Dill-Kreis]]