Hahnenbach

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Hahnenbach is a small municipality in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is part of the Bad Kreuznach district and belongs to the collective municipality Kirner Land, whose seat is in Kirn. Hahnenbach is officially recognized as a tourism community.

Geography
The village lies on the Hahnenbach brook, which flows into the Nahe near Kirn. It is northwest of Kirn and borders the neighboring Birkenfeld district. Its neighbors are Hennweiler, Oberhausen bei Kirn, Kirn, Bergen, Griebelschied and Sonnschied. Hahnenbach comes very close to Bruschied but does not touch it.

History and name
The name Hahnenbach may come from a Frankish forename once used by local nobility. In the Middle Ages, the village was ruled by the Lords of Stein and later became part of the Lordship and Amt of Wartenstein. Over the centuries, control passed to different noble families. Castle Wartenstein was destroyed in 1688 during a war and rebuilt later. From 1798 to 1814, during French rule, Hahnenbach was part of Kirn’s Mairie in the Arrondissement of Simmern. After the Congress of Vienna, it became part of Prussia and eventually joined the current Kreis (district) of Kreuznach. Since 1969–1970, it has been part of the Verbandsgemeinde Kirn-Land. A glassworks opened in 1957, boosting the population with many workers from Thuringia.

Population
As of December 31, 2023, the population was 532 people. In 2013, there were 528 residents living in Hahnenbach, with a mix of Evangelical, Catholic, Orthodox and other or no religious affiliation.

Religion
Most residents are Evangelical. The Evangelical church building is a six-sided Baroque Revival structure from 1948–1949. There is also a Catholic chapel built in 1933. The Evangelical church belongs to the Hennweiler-Oberhausen parish, while the Catholic chapel is connected to the Kirn Saint Pancras parish in the Trier diocese.

Politics and administration
The municipal council has 12 members, plus the honorary mayor who acts as chairman. The mayor is Mathias Vier (term 2019–2024). The coat of arms features a black lion on gold and a blue cock’s head above a blue wavy bar, symbolizing the Lords of Wartenstein and the village’s name (Hahnenbach).

Sites and transport
Hahnenbach has several culturally important buildings listed in the regional monuments directory. The B41 federal road runs to the south of the village, and Kirn’s Nahe Valley railway station (Bingen–Saarbrücken) serves the area.