Hattgenstein

Hattgenstein is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Birkenfeld district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Birkenfeld, whose seat is in the like-named town.GeographyLocationThe municipality lies at the edge of the Schwarzwälder Hochwald in the Hunsrück, and 72.2% of the municipal area is wooded. There is a widespread misconception that Hattgenstein, with its average elevation of 534 m above sea level, is the highest place in Rhineland-Palatinate, but this is not true. There are a few places, such as Stein-Neukirch in the High Westerwald and Nürburg in the Eifel, that are higher.Neighbouring municipalitiesTo the northeast lies Schwollen, and to the south, Oberhambach.Constituent communitiesAlso belonging to Hattgenstein are the outlying homesteads of Helmhof, Waldfriede and Zur Zimmerei.PoliticsMunicipal councilThe council is made up of 6 council members, who were elected by majority vote at the municipal election held on 7 June 2009, and the honorary mayor as chairman.