The municipality lies at the edge of the Schwarzwälder Hochwald (forest) in the Hunsrück, and 72.2% of the municipal area is wooded. There is a widespread misconception that Hattgenstein, with its average elevation of 534 m above sea level, is the highest place in Rhineland-Palatinate, but this is not true. There are a few places, such as Stein-Neukirch in the High Westerwald and Nürburg in the Eifel, that are higher.[3]
Also belonging to Hattgenstein are the outlying homesteads of Helmhof, Waldfriede and Zur Zimmerei.[4]
Politics
Municipal council
The council is made up of 6 council members, who were elected by majority vote at the municipal election held on 7 June 2009, and the honorary mayor as chairman.[5]
Mayor
Hattgenstein's mayor is Udo Laube, re-elected in 2019.[1]
Coat of arms
The municipality's arms might in English heraldic language be described thus: Over a base countercompony gules and argent, gules on a mount vert the Hattgenstein Glockenhaus argent with timber framing sable and doors and windows of the field.
Culture and sightseeing
Buildings
From the 28-metre-high lookout tower, a view of the Hunsrück countryside is possibleThe 1762 built Glockenhaus
The following are listed buildings or sites in Rhineland-Palatinate’s Directory of Cultural Monuments:[6]
Am Brunnen 2 – Quereinhaus (a combination residential and commercial house divided for these two purposes down the middle, perpendicularly to the street), partly timber-frame, partly slated, late 18th or early 19th century
Am Brunnen 4 – former winepress house, timber-frame building
Flurstraße 3 – Quereinhaus, partly timber-frame, possibly from the earlier half of the 19th century
