History of Neunkirchen
On 1st January 1969 the independent villages Neunkirchen, Salchendorf, Altenseelbach, Struthütten, Zeppenfeld and Wiederstein were merged to the municipality Neunkirchen.
Early History
The iron-ore deposits already attracted people a.D.. Dig-places and melting furnaces are evidence of the early celtic settlement. Basalt-pits at the "Hohenseelbachskopf" and the "Druidenstein" were important celtic ritual sites. In 400 a.D. celts were abandoned by the Teutons, who began to settle in this area around 800 a.D..
Neunkirchen was first recognized in a document from August 23rd 1288. The aristocracies "Seelbach" had built a castle on the "Hohenseelbachskopf" in 1350 a.D., which was destroyed by the arcbishop of Trier.
Double Rule
From 14th century, the adjacent lordships Nassau and Sayn shared the dominion of the "Freier Grund". This kind of dominion did not appear very often, because the subjects of both lordships were allocated in the villages. After the Vienna Congress in 1816 "Freier Grund" was affiliated to District Siegen-Wittgenstein.