Usingen

Usingen lies on the Usa in the Taunus north of Frankfurt. The counts of Nassau acquired the surrounding territory as a pledge in 1326 and permanently in 1405. A castle and walls protected the small town, where weaving was among the local crafts.

After the Nassau-Saarbrücken lands were divided in 1659, Count Walrad received Usingen and made it his residence. The Thirty Years' War and fires had damaged the town; under Walrad, Huguenots settled there and a new quarter was built. The Nassau-Usingen princes resided in the castle until 1744.