Greifenstein is a community in the Lahn-Dill-Kreis in Hesse, Germany. Its administrative seat is Beilstein. Greifenstein covers 67.43 km² on the eastern slope of the Westerwald range. Its name comes from the castle of the same name in the constituent community of the same name, where the German Bell Museum (Deutsches Glockenmuseum) is to be found, with about 50 bells showing the development of bell pouring.
Greifenstein borders in the northwest on the community of Driedorf, in the north on the town of Herborn and the community of Sinn, in the east on the community of Ehringshausen, in the south on the town of Leun (all in the Lahn-Dill-Kreis) and the community of Löhnberg, and in the southwest on the community of Mengerskirchen (both in Limburg-Weilburg).
The community was founded as part of Hesse’s municipal reforms in 1977 from the following centres (with population figures as at 31 December 2004):
total: 7409 inhabitants
Allendorf had its first documentary mention in 774. In the…