Dillenburg

Dillenburg is a town in the federal state of Hesse, Germany. It sits on the Dill river in the Dill valley, north of the Siegerland and near the border with North Rhine-Westphalia. The town is part of the Lahn-Dill-Kreis and lies in a hilly, forested region that combines agricultural communities with small industrial enterprises. The historic center features a well-preserved late medieval to early modern street layout and timber-framed houses.

Dillenburg developed around Schloss Dillenburg, a fortress whose site dates to the medieval period. It became the seat of the Counts of Nassau-Dillenburg and later the Nassau family’s seat in the region. In the 16th century, Count John VI of Nassau-Dillenburg oversaw major expansion, and in 1533 his son William I, Prince of Orange, later known as William the Silent, was born there. Today Schloss Dillenburg houses a museum complex devoted to the Nassau dynasty and early Dutch history, while the town preserves the castle’s influence on local culture.

Today Dillenburg has a mixed economy with small manufacturing, retail, and service sectors, along with public administration and education. It is connected by rail on the Siegen–Giessen line and is accessible by road via regional highways. The surrounding countryside offers hiking and cycling routes, and the town serves as a regional center for the Dill valley.

Notable associated figures include William I of Orange, born in Dillenburg in 1533, whose birthplace and the castle link the town to Dutch and European history.