Idar-Oberstein

Idar-Oberstein
Town
Schloss Oberstein, castle on the hills above Oberstein
Coat of arms
Location of Idar-Oberstein within Birkenfeld district
Idar-Oberstein Show map of Germany Idar-Oberstein Show map of Rhineland-Palatinate
Coordinates: 49°42′41″N 7°18′47″E / 49.71139°N 7.31306°E / 49.71139; 7.31306
Country	Germany
State	Rhineland-Palatinate
District	Birkenfeld
Government
• Lord mayor (2023–31)	Frank Frühauf[1] (CDU)
Area
• Total	91.56 km2 (35.35 sq mi)
Elevation	300 m (1,000 ft)
Population  (2022-12-31)[2]
• Total	28,851
• Density	320/km2 (820/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes	55743
Dialling codes	06781, 06784
Vehicle registration	BIR
Website	www.idar-oberstein.de

Idar-Oberstein (German: [ˌiːdaːɐ̯ˈʔoːbɐˌʃtaɪ̯n] ^ⓘ) is a town in the Birkenfeld district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. As a Große kreisangehörige Stadt (large city belonging to a district), it assumes some of the responsibilities that for smaller municipalities in the district are assumed by the district administration. Today's town of Idar-Oberstein is the product of two rounds of administrative reform, one in 1933 and the other in 1969, which saw many municipalities amalgamated into one. The various Stadtteile have, however, retained their original identities, which, aside from the somewhat more urban character encountered in Idar and Oberstein, tend to hark back to each centre's history as a rural village. Idar-Oberstein is known as a gemstone town, and also as a garrison town. It is also the largest town in the Hunsrück.