Langen

Langen is a city in Hesse that is mainly known as the seat of some important federal authorities, including the German air traffic control and the Paul Ehrlich Institute. In Langen there is also the 27-storey Alpha high-rise, the tallest residential building in Hesse - Frankfurt's impressive skyscrapers are all office buildings or other nonresidential buildings.

Understand
In 2018, it had a population of about 38,000 people. Langen is the headquarters of DFS (Deutsche Flugsicherung), which is responsible for air traffic control in Germany. It is also the home of the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut.

History
The earliest community here may have arisen about AD 500 or 600, settled by Frankish migrants. Langen had its first documentary mention in 834 in a donation document from King Ludwig II to the Lorsch Abbey under the name Langungon.

In 1414, the village burnt down in the midst of a dispute between the city of Frankfurt and the then owners of Langen, the Archbishop of Trier, Werner von Falkenstein. When the Lords of Falkenstein saw their male line come to an end in 1418, the County of Isenburg inherited the lordship over Langen. Surviving from the Middle Ages are, among other things remains of the fortifications with the spitzer Turm and the stumpfer Turm ("Sharp Tower" and "Blunt Tower") from Falkenstein times (1336), and from the Renaissance the Vierröhrenbrunnen ("Four-Pipe Spring") from 1553.

In 1600, Langen, along with the whole Amt of Kelsterbach was sold by the Counts of Isenburg to the Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt. Langen has belonged to Hesse since then.

After the First World War, Langen was occupied by French troops until 1930. In 1959, the first new town development, Oberlinden, was built.

By plane
Frankfurt Egelsbach Airport, Germany's busiest general aviation airport, lies in the neighbouring community of Egelsbach some 3 km away, while Germany's busiest airport, Frankfurt Airport, is found about 10 km from Langen.



By train
Regional trains connecting with Frankfurt and Darmstadt.

By car
Langen is linked to the north-south Autobahnen A5 (Junction 24, Langen/Mörfelden interchange in the town's west) and A661 (Langen interchange in the east). Both interchanges are linked by the east-west Bundesstraße 486, which at the same time also forms the Langen north bypass. This new link also connects the industrial area in the northwest, in which are found, among other things, Federal authorities. Along Bundesstraße 486 towards the west, after about 15 km, drivers reach the Rüsselsheimer Dreieck ("Rüsselsheim Triangle"), where the A 60 towards Mainz branches off the A67 (Darmstadt-Mönchhof).

Running across the municipal area is also the former Bundesstraße 3 from Frankfurt am Main to Darmstadt.

Go next

 * Mörfelden
 * Erzhausen
 * Dreieich