Detailed description
Daaden, first mentioned in a document in 1219, owes its development to the mineral resources in the area, which for centuries provided people with wages and bread and led to the emergence of an important mining industry. Today, Daaden invites its guests to go in search of traces, to explore the numerous sights or simply to have a good time with their hosts in the Daadener Land.
Ore and iron
The iron ore deposits in Daadener Land were already being utilised by the Celts around 400 BC, as evidenced by finds of smelting furnaces from the La Tène period. Mining and smelting also took place in the Middle Ages, as documented by the mention of a smelter in nearby Schutzbach in 1370.
There were several copper and iron smelters in the Daaden district, which processed ores from the immediate vicinity. The most important mine, the Füsseberg mine in the Biersdorf district, was first mentioned at the beginning of the 18th century. It was one of numerous iron ore mines in the region that supplied spar ironstone for the ironworks.
With the construction of the Daadetal railway from Betzdorf in 1884/1885, the industrial boom of the coal and steel industry and thus prosperity came to Daaden. And the end of the Siegerland ore mining industry was also here:
In 1965, the Füsseberg mine, with a depth of over 1000 metres and a total output of around 18 million tonnes of ore, was one of the last to be closed in the mining district.
You can experience the evidence of mining and metallurgy on the Daaden mining trail, which also starts here at the Alte Post. The local history museum also houses an exhibition on the mining history of the region, among many other topics. Worth seeing!
The Protestant church, built between 1722 and 1724 by Julius Rothweil, is one of the most beautiful Baroque creations in the Westerwald and, with its 1200 seats, is also one of the largest churches in the Rhineland. The lower part of its tower dates back to its predecessor church built in the 12th century in Romanesque style. Today's organ, built in 1908 by the organ builder Röver from near Quedlinburg/Harz, is one of the few completely preserved romantic-pneumatic organs and therefore a special gem. You can discover much more on a guided tour of the church and perhaps also find out what the ‘Hahnenglern’ are all about.
The Old Post Office, once the seat of the Count of Sayn's Oberamtmann Nikolaus Wolfgang Sinolt, called von Schütz, was built in 1671. It housed the post office from 1854 to 1930. Extensively renovated in 1979/80 and integrated into the adjoining town house, it is now home to the Daaden local history museum and the archive of the Daadener Land local history working group.
There are numerous other historical buildings in the centre of Daaden, such as the tithe barn, which was built in 1603 in Siegerland and rebuilt in Daaden in 1658. Many of these are signposted and can be explored on a tour, which is also available to download as a Gpx track.
The surrounding area
If you would like to explore the area surrounding Daaden, you will also find plenty to see:
The Trödelsteine, around two kilometres north-east of Emmerzhausen, are a rock formation consisting of several basalt cliffs and an underlying field of columns and blocks of basalt, from which you have a wonderful view of the Siegerland region.
Steinches Mühle is located above Daaden at the fork in the road to Derschen. Around 1610, it was already a saynish ban mill for the inhabitants of Derschen, Mauden and Emmerzhausen. Now privately owned, it is a real gem with its lovingly restored thatched roof. The old village centre of Niederdreisbach with its half-timbered houses is just as worth seeing as the troll flower meadow at Höllenkopf, a 40-hectare nature reserve above Emmerzhausen with the largest troll flower population in the region.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
Brief description
Old mining town with typical half-timbered houses and one of the most beautiful baroque churches in the Westerwald.
Contact and directions
Bahnhofstraße 4
57567 Daaden