Hausbay

Hausbay is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis (district) in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Emmelshausen, whose seat is in the like-named town. It is also the location of a large wind farm featuring currently the world's highest wind energy tower.GeographyLocationThe municipality lies in the Hunsrück between Emmelshausen (8 km) and Kastellaun (10 km). The Autobahn A 61 (3 km) and Bundesstraße 327 (2 km) are also nearby. Hausbay lies at the forks of two streams, the Lingerhahner Bach and the Kelsiter Bach, whose combined flow is known thereafter as the Baybach.HistoryIn 1275, Hausbay had its first documentary mention. The name is believed to go back to a single house that once stood on the Baybach. In the Middle Ages, the village was shared by two lordships. One half belonged to the Gallenscheider Gericht (“Gallenscheid Court”), and thereby as of 1314 to the Electorate of Trier, while the other half belonged to the County of Katzenelnbogen. Beginning in 1794, Hausbay lay under French rule. In 1815 it was assigned to the Kingdom of Prussia at the Congress of Vienna. Since 1946, it has been part of the then newly founded state of Rhineland-Palatinate.