Elbingen is an Ortsgemeinde – a community belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde – in the Westerwaldkreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.
The community lies in the Westerwald between Montabaur and Westerburg. Surrounded by a well cared-for and charming landscape, Elbingen lies in the middle of a wooded area with many hiking and cycling trails. The community belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Wallmerod, a kind of collective municipality.
In 1383, Elbingen had its first documentary mention as Elmennyngen and once lay in the area of the Niederlahngau, the lordly domain of the Counts of Nassau. The name can be traced to the ancient name Alaman, leading to the conclusion that there was an earlier Germanic settlement here. Only later did the name Elbingen come to be associated with the Elb, the important Westerwald river that runs through the municipal area. In a document from 1383, Friedrich von Elmennyngen is named; however, no coat of arms from this middle-noble family has been handed down….