Note: The town of Wetzlar is located on the Lahn River, north of Frankfurt. It serves as the capital of the Lahn-Dill district. Its history goes back to 897, and it was an important medieval center. It went to Prussia in 1815. It is noted as the home of Goethe, who was a lawyer here and here met the young woman immortalized as Lotte in his book of 1774. Industry in Wetzlar underwent rapid development in the years since 1862 when it became the meeting point of two railroads. It is famous for the manufacture of optical instruments and ironware. In 1977 it was merged with the city of Giessen to become the new city of Lahn, but this proved to be very unpopular, and the merger was reversed two years later. The 2004 estimated population was 52,700.
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