Selters, Rhineland-Palatinate

Selters is a town in the Westerwaldkreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Selters is the seat of the Verbandsgemeinde of Selters, a kind of collective municipality.

Selters
Town
Coat of arms
Location of Selters within Westerwaldkreis district
Selters Selters
Coordinates: 50°31′56″N 7°45′26″E
Country	Germany
State	Rhineland-Palatinate
District	Westerwaldkreis
Municipal assoc.	Selters (Westerwald)
Government
• Mayor (2019–24)	Rolf Jung
Area
• Total	8.71 km2 (3.36 sq mi)
Elevation	248 m (814 ft)
Population  (2022-12-31)
• Total	2,937
• Density	340/km2 (870/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes	56242
Dialling codes	02626
Vehicle registration	WW
Website	www.stadt-selters-westerwald.de

Geography

The city is located in the Westerwald between Koblenz and Siegen, roughly 12 km northwest of Montabaur, and 25 km northeast of Koblenz.

History

In 1194/1198, Selters had its first documentary mention as Saltres. On 9 November 1938, the synagogue was burnt down. In October 1939, Selters was “Jew-free”. Only the Jewish graveyard on the Wacht still bears witness to the Jews’ history in Selters. On 15 October 2000, the then community of Selters, by decision of the Ministry of the Interior and Sport, was granted town rights.

Religion

Catholic Church

The Roman Catholic parish of Saint Boniface has existed only since the late 19th century. In 1892, the parish’s own church was consecrated, which was built in neo-Gothic style. In November 1965, owing to the church building’s unsoundness, it was torn down, and on the land a new, modern church was built. Beneath this church is found the parish centre with meeting and event rooms. In the parish church, the relics of Saint Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows are kept and worshipped. Particular stress is the devotion to church music and youth work. Many musical groups busy themselves, without pay, in the parish and enrich church services with their musical pieces. Since August 2009, the priest Marcus W. Fischer has headed the parish.

Evangelical Church

The Evangelical parish in Selters has owned its own church since 1842. This building’s side wings also housed the Selters elementary school until 1958. The same rooms are now used by the town administration. In 1850, the Evangelical parish got its first pastor. In 1963, a kindergarten and a parish centre were dedicated. Since 2006, Mr. Wehrmann has been the one responsible for leading the parish.

Politics

The town council is made up of 22 council members, as well as the honorary and presiding mayor (Ortsbürgermeister), who were elected in a municipal election on 13 June 2004.

Apportionment of seats on town council:

	SPD	CDU	BLS	Total
2004	5	10	7	22 seats

Economy and infrastructure

The town lies west of Bundesstraße 8, leading from Limburg an der Lahn to Siegburg. Selters also lies right near the Autobahnen A 3 (Cologne–Frankfurt) and A 48 (to Koblenz). The nearest InterCityExpress stop is the railway station at Montabaur on the Cologne-Frankfurt high-speed rail line.

Notable people

• John Peter Altgeld (1847–1902), served as the 20th Governor of Illinois from 1893-1897.
• Maria Friedrich-Boerger (1959), Foreign Service Officer

Sources

Landjuden in Selters/Westerwald. In: Nassauische Annalen, Bd. 108. Wiesbaden 1997, S. 169-183. Erinnern für die Zukunft. 60 Jahre nach der Befreiung von der Nazi-Herrschaft im Westerwald