Beerfelden
Encyclopedia
Beerfelden is a town in the Odenwald
in the Odenwaldkreis
(district) in Hesse
, Germany
, 28 km northeast of Heidelberg
. The region around Beerfelden has for touristic
reasons been dubbed the Beerfelder Land.
at elevations from 330 to 540 m. Towards the south stretches the narrow, wooded Gammelsbach Valley, in which are found the Freienstein castle ruins, down to the Neckar
.
The Beerfelder Land is a tourist region that lies between Beerfelden, the communities of Rothenberg
, Sensbachtal
and Hesseneck
in the Geo-Naturpark Bergstraße-Odenwald and which is one of the Odenwald’s most richly forested areas. The Beerfelder Land lies at elevations from 200 to 555 m above sea level
. Within it is the 626 m-high Katzenbuckel near Waldkatzenbach, which is part of a chain of heights running north-south.
To the east stands the Krähberg hunting castle (Jagdschloss) that once belonged to the Counts of Erbach-Fürstenau, under which runs a railway tunnel, the Krähbergtunnel, which was at the time of its building one of Germany’s longest at 3.1 km (elevation: 348 m).
and the town of Erbach, in the east on the communities of Hesseneck
and Sensbachtal
, in the south on the town of Eberbach
(Rhein-Neckar-Kreis
in Baden-Württemberg
) and the community of Rothenberg
and in the west on the community of Wald-Michelbach
(Kreis Bergstraße
).
as early as the 10th century. It had its first documentary mention under the name Burrifelden in 1032 in the Lorsch codex
.
In 1328, Beerfelden (whose name was then spelt Baurenfelden) was granted town rights.
In 1806, in the course of the Reichsdeputationshauptschluss, the town passed from the County of Erbach to Hesse.
On 29 April 1810, almost the whole town burnt down. The Grand Duke of Darmstadt and the Count of Erbach-Fürstenau saw to the relief efforts. The Hessian Brandassekuratorionskasse paid out 172,802 Gulden for reconstruction.
Early Modern France Since 1966, the outlying centre of Olfen has been fostering a partnership with the community of Trévignin
in the French
department of Savoie
.
s, one municipal and the other Evangelical
. There is furthermore a comprehensive school
in the main town, named Oberzent-Schule.
. They were built in 1597 to replace the simple wooden gallows. The last hanging
here took place in 1804 when, it is said, a Gypsy woman was put to death, apparently after she stole a chicken and two loaves of bread for her sick child.
The spot was supposedly chosen for its lovely setting, in the hope that the condemned prisoner’s punishment would thereby seem all the worse. It might also have been chosen for the chilling effect that the sight of the hanged criminal would have. There are also the iron bands that hold the six-metre-tall red sandstone posts together. These were replaced long ago. Allegedly, they were torn out in 1814 by some Cossacks who were camping here so that they could shoe their horses. Around the gallows stand seven linden
s that serve as a reminder of the old “Thing
’s” jurisdiction. There stood a so-called Zentlinde (“tithe linden”), before which sentences were passed. The tree is said to have stood at the town’s current outskirts, but no trace of it remains today.
Beerfelden also has the Zwölf-Röhren-Brunnen (“Twelve-Pipe Spring”), the source of the river Mümling. It was built in 1810.
area with a ski
run and cross-country skiing
trails, which are often not groomed, but are nonetheless gridlocked. When the snowfalls come in winter, the winter sport area is opened. On the only ski run can be found one of the Odenwald’s few skilifts. It is 450 m long and reaches 540 m above sea level. Moreover, there are a smaller lift on the slope’s lower reaches, a snowmaking facility, floodlights and a snow grooming vehicle. The heights have a state-championship-standard snowboarding
and downhill run.
45, which runs in a great bend round the town. In the outlying centre of Hetzbach is a railway station on the Odenwaldbahn (railway; RMV Line 65).
The railway connection from Hetzbach to Beerfelden, opened in 1904, was closed in 1954. It was run in its time by the Süddeutsche Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft (SEG, “South German Railway Company”).
Odenwald
The Odenwald is a low mountain range in Hesse, Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg in Germany.- Location :The Odenwald lies between the Upper Rhine Rift Valley with the Bergstraße and the Hessisches Ried in the west, the Main and the Bauland in the east, the Hanau-Seligenstadt Basin – a subbasin of...
in the Odenwaldkreis
Odenwaldkreis
The Odenwaldkreis is a Kreis in the south of Hesse, Germany. Neighboring districts are Darmstadt-Dieburg, Miltenberg,Neckar-Odenwald-Kreis, Rhein-Neckar-Kreis and Kreis Bergstraße. Odenwaldkreis belongs to the Rhine Neckar Area.-History:...
(district) in Hesse
Hesse
Hesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, 28 km northeast of Heidelberg
Heidelberg
-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...
. The region around Beerfelden has for touristic
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
reasons been dubbed the Beerfelder Land.
Location
Beerfelden lies in the OdenwaldOdenwald
The Odenwald is a low mountain range in Hesse, Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg in Germany.- Location :The Odenwald lies between the Upper Rhine Rift Valley with the Bergstraße and the Hessisches Ried in the west, the Main and the Bauland in the east, the Hanau-Seligenstadt Basin – a subbasin of...
at elevations from 330 to 540 m. Towards the south stretches the narrow, wooded Gammelsbach Valley, in which are found the Freienstein castle ruins, down to the Neckar
Neckar
The Neckar is a long river, mainly flowing through the southwestern state of Baden-Württemberg, but also a short section through Hesse, in Germany. The Neckar is a major right tributary of the River Rhine...
.
The Beerfelder Land is a tourist region that lies between Beerfelden, the communities of Rothenberg
Rothenberg
Rothenberg is a community in the Odenwaldkreis in Hesse, Germany.-Location:Rothenberg lies at elevations between 200 and 500 m in the southern Odenwald in the Geo-Naturpark Bergstraße-Odenwald, 7 km north of Hirschhorn on the Neckar...
, Sensbachtal
Sensbachtal
-Location:Sensbachtal lies in the southern Odenwald and the Geo-Naturpark Bergstraße-Odenwald at elevations of between 300 and 550 m, 10 km away from Eberbach on the Neckar.-Neighbouring communities:...
and Hesseneck
Hesseneck
Hesseneck is a community in the Odenwaldkreis in Hesse, Germany. With only just under 700 inhabitants, Hesseneck is Hesse’s smallest self-governing community.-Location:...
in the Geo-Naturpark Bergstraße-Odenwald and which is one of the Odenwald’s most richly forested areas. The Beerfelder Land lies at elevations from 200 to 555 m above sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
. Within it is the 626 m-high Katzenbuckel near Waldkatzenbach, which is part of a chain of heights running north-south.
To the east stands the Krähberg hunting castle (Jagdschloss) that once belonged to the Counts of Erbach-Fürstenau, under which runs a railway tunnel, the Krähbergtunnel, which was at the time of its building one of Germany’s longest at 3.1 km (elevation: 348 m).
Neighbouring communities
Beerfelden borders in the north on the community of MossautalMossautal
Mossautal in the Odenwald is a community and a state-recognized health resort in the Odenwaldkreis in Hesse, Germany.-Location:The community lies at elevations of between 300 and 500 m above sea level....
and the town of Erbach, in the east on the communities of Hesseneck
Hesseneck
Hesseneck is a community in the Odenwaldkreis in Hesse, Germany. With only just under 700 inhabitants, Hesseneck is Hesse’s smallest self-governing community.-Location:...
and Sensbachtal
Sensbachtal
-Location:Sensbachtal lies in the southern Odenwald and the Geo-Naturpark Bergstraße-Odenwald at elevations of between 300 and 550 m, 10 km away from Eberbach on the Neckar.-Neighbouring communities:...
, in the south on the town of Eberbach
Eberbach (Baden)
Eberbach is a town in Germany, in northern Baden-Württemberg, located 33 km east of Heidelberg. It belongs to the Rhein-Neckar-Kreis. Its sister city is Ephrata, United States.- Location :...
(Rhein-Neckar-Kreis
Rhein-Neckar-Kreis
Rhein-Neckar-Kreis is a district in the northwest of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Neighboring districts are Bergstraße, Odenwaldkreis, Neckar-Odenwald, Heilbronn, Karlsruhe, district-free Speyer, the Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis, and district-free Mannheim and Heidelberg.-History:The district was created in...
in Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...
) and the community of Rothenberg
Rothenberg
Rothenberg is a community in the Odenwaldkreis in Hesse, Germany.-Location:Rothenberg lies at elevations between 200 and 500 m in the southern Odenwald in the Geo-Naturpark Bergstraße-Odenwald, 7 km north of Hirschhorn on the Neckar...
and in the west on the community of Wald-Michelbach
Wald-Michelbach
Wald-Michelbach is a community in the Bergstraße district in Hesse, Germany.Through Wald-Michelbach runs the now disused Überwaldbahn .-Hardberg:...
(Kreis Bergstraße
Kreis Bergstraße
Bergstraße is a Kreis in the south of Hesse, Germany. Neighboring districts are Groß-Gerau, Darmstadt-Dieburg, Odenwaldkreis, Rhein-Neckar-Kreis, the urban district Mannheim, the Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis, and the urban district of Worms...
).
Constituent communities
Beerfelden’s Ortsteile are Olfen, Airlenbach, Beerfelden, Etzean, Falken-Gesäß, Gammelsbach and Hetzbach.History
Beerfelden was enfeoffed to the Lorsch MonasteryLorsch Abbey
The Abbey of Lorsch is a former Imperial Abbey in Lorsch, Germany, about 10 km east of Worms, one of the most renowned monasteries of the Carolingian Empire. Even in its ruined state, its remains are among the most important pre-Romanesque–Carolingian style buildings in Germany...
as early as the 10th century. It had its first documentary mention under the name Burrifelden in 1032 in the Lorsch codex
Lorsch codex
The Lorsch Codex is an important historical document created between about 1175 to 1195 AD in the Monastery of Saint Nazarius in Lorsch, Germany. It consists of 460 pages in large format containing more than 3800 entries...
.
In 1328, Beerfelden (whose name was then spelt Baurenfelden) was granted town rights.
In 1806, in the course of the Reichsdeputationshauptschluss, the town passed from the County of Erbach to Hesse.
On 29 April 1810, almost the whole town burnt down. The Grand Duke of Darmstadt and the Count of Erbach-Fürstenau saw to the relief efforts. The Hessian Brandassekuratorionskasse paid out 172,802 Gulden for reconstruction.
Politics
The municipal election held on 26 March 2006 yielded the following results:| Parties and voter communities | % 2006 |
Seats 2006 |
% 2001 |
Seats 2001 |
|
| CDU | Christian Democratic Union of Germany | 16.4 | 4 | 14.3 | 4 |
| SPD | Social Democratic Party of Germany Social Democratic Party of Germany The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany... |
51.4 | 13 | 50.5 | 16 |
| GREENS | Bündnis 90/Die Grünen | 5.6 | 1 | 6.1 | 2 |
| ÜWG | Überparteiliche Wählergemeinschaft Beerfelden | 26.6 | 7 | 29.1 | 9 |
| Total | 100.0 | 25 | 100.0 | 31 | |
| Voter turnout in % | 62.9 | 64.3 | |||
Town partnerships
Early Modern France Since 1966, the outlying centre of Olfen has been fostering a partnership with the community of TrévigninTrévignin
Trévignin is a commune in the Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.-External links:*...
in the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
department of Savoie
Savoie
Savoie is a French department located in the Rhône-Alpes region in the French Alps.Together with the Haute-Savoie, Savoie is one of the two departments of the historic region of Savoy that was annexed by France on June 14, 1860, following the signature of the Treaty of Turin on March 24, 1860...
.
Education
There are two primary schools in Beerfelden, one in the main town and another in the outlying centre of Gammelsbach. Moreover, the main town is also home to two kindergartenKindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
s, one municipal and the other Evangelical
Evangelical Church in Germany
The Evangelical Church in Germany is a federation of 22 Lutheran, Unified and Reformed Protestant regional church bodies in Germany. The EKD is not a church in a theological understanding because of the denominational differences. However, the member churches share full pulpit and altar...
. There is furthermore a comprehensive school
Comprehensive school
A comprehensive school is a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. This is in contrast to the selective school system, where admission is restricted on the basis of a selection criteria. The term is commonly used in relation to the United...
in the main town, named Oberzent-Schule.
Culture and sightseeing
Buildings
Beerfelden has Germany’s only completely preserved gallowsGallows
A gallows is a frame, typically wooden, used for execution by hanging, or by means to torture before execution, as was used when being hanged, drawn and quartered...
. They were built in 1597 to replace the simple wooden gallows. The last hanging
Hanging
Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
here took place in 1804 when, it is said, a Gypsy woman was put to death, apparently after she stole a chicken and two loaves of bread for her sick child.
The spot was supposedly chosen for its lovely setting, in the hope that the condemned prisoner’s punishment would thereby seem all the worse. It might also have been chosen for the chilling effect that the sight of the hanged criminal would have. There are also the iron bands that hold the six-metre-tall red sandstone posts together. These were replaced long ago. Allegedly, they were torn out in 1814 by some Cossacks who were camping here so that they could shoe their horses. Around the gallows stand seven linden
Tilia
Tilia is a genus of about 30 species of trees native throughout most of the temperate Northern Hemisphere. The greatest species diversity is found in Asia, and the genus also occurs in Europe and eastern North America, but not western North America...
s that serve as a reminder of the old “Thing
Thing (assembly)
A thing was the governing assembly in Germanic and introduced into some Celtic societies, made up of the free people of the community and presided by lawspeakers, meeting in a place called a thingstead...
’s” jurisdiction. There stood a so-called Zentlinde (“tithe linden”), before which sentences were passed. The tree is said to have stood at the town’s current outskirts, but no trace of it remains today.
Beerfelden also has the Zwölf-Röhren-Brunnen (“Twelve-Pipe Spring”), the source of the river Mümling. It was built in 1810.
Nature
- ”Fat Oak near Airlenbach” (Dicke Eiche bei Airlenbach) – a dead pedunculate oakPedunculate OakQuercus robur is commonly known as the Pedunculate Oak or English oak. It is native to most of Europe, and to Anatolia to the Caucasus, and also to parts of North Africa.-Taxonomy:Q...
tree trunk measuring 8.3 m in circumference one metre above the ground.
Regular events
- The Beerfelder Pferde-, Fohlen- und Zuchtviehmarkt (“Beerfelden Horse, Foal and Breeding Cattle Market”) has taken place every year on the second weekend in July. The traditional livestockLivestockLivestock refers to one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food, fiber and labor. The term "livestock" as used in this article does not include poultry or farmed fish; however the inclusion of these, especially poultry, within the meaning...
market on Monday is Hesse’s biggest breeding cattle show. One of the market’s other highlights is the riding and jumping tournament. - The Beerfelder Kerwe (church consecration festival) takes place yearly on the first weekend in October. It has been staged since 2006 at the Markt- und Sportgelände (“Market and Sport Grounds”) in Beerfelden.
- On 3 October in the carpark at the Zwölf-Röhren-Brunnen, the Beerfelder Herbstmarkt (autumn market) is held. The exhibitors at this market are business owners and clubs from the Beerfelder Land.
- At Ascension, in honour of the Zwölf-Röhren-Brunnen, the Beerfelder Brunnenfest (“Beerfelden SpringSpring (hydrosphere)A spring—also known as a rising or resurgence—is a component of the hydrosphere. Specifically, it is any natural situation where water flows to the surface of the earth from underground...
Festival”) takes place. Shops are open on this day and there are displays by various businesses, traditional arts and craftsArts and craftsArts and crafts comprise a whole host of activities and hobbies that are related to making things with one's hands and skill. These can be sub-divided into handicrafts or "traditional crafts" and "the rest"...
and a great flea marketFlea marketA flea market or swap meet is a type of bazaar where inexpensive or secondhand goods are sold or bartered. It may be indoors, such as in a warehouse or school gymnasium; or it may be outdoors, such as in a field or under a tent...
. The Spring Festival runs through the town’s streets. The Metzkeil (a street) forms the market’s midpoint and is also the town’s.
Sons and daughters of the town
- Christian Heinrich Braun (1847–1911), German surgeonSurgeonIn medicine, a surgeon is a specialist in surgery. Surgery is a broad category of invasive medical treatment that involves the cutting of a body, whether human or animal, for a specific reason such as the removal of diseased tissue or to repair a tear or breakage...
- Jan Holschuh (1909–2000), German sculptor
- Emil FuchsEmil FuchsEmil Fuchs was a German theologian.A religious socialist, Fuchs was one of the first Lutheran pastors to join the Social Democratic Party of Germany. As a devoted pacifist, he later joined the Religious Society of Friends...
(1874–1971), German theologian - Monroe DeVos (1954 to present), German-American, Olympic Envoy for Liechtenstein at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta
People connected with the town
- Horst Schnur (b. 1942), Odenwaldkreis District Administrator, has lived in Beerfelden since 1969.
- Michael Reuter (b. 1948), Member of Odenwaldkreis Landtag, has lived in Beerfelden since 2003.
- Jennifer Lang, Selected as Team Member Representative from Germany for McDonald's at 2012 London Olympic Games.
Tourism
Near Beerfelden, on the Sensbacher Höhe (heights) is a winter sportWinter sport
A winter sport is a sport which is played on snow or ice. Most such sports are variations of skiing, ice skating and sledding. Traditionally such sports were only played in cold areas during winter, but artificial snow and ice allow more flexibility...
area with a ski
Alpine skiing
Alpine skiing is the sport of sliding down snow-covered hills on skis with fixed-heel bindings. Alpine skiing can be contrasted with skiing using free-heel bindings: Ski mountaineering and nordic skiing – such as cross-country; ski jumping; and Telemark. In competitive alpine skiing races four...
run and cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing is a winter sport in which participants propel themselves across snow-covered terrain using skis and poles...
trails, which are often not groomed, but are nonetheless gridlocked. When the snowfalls come in winter, the winter sport area is opened. On the only ski run can be found one of the Odenwald’s few skilifts. It is 450 m long and reaches 540 m above sea level. Moreover, there are a smaller lift on the slope’s lower reaches, a snowmaking facility, floodlights and a snow grooming vehicle. The heights have a state-championship-standard snowboarding
Snowboarding
Snowboarding is a sport that involves descending a slope that is covered with snow on a snowboard attached to a rider's feet using a special boot set onto mounted binding. The development of snowboarding was inspired by skateboarding, sledding, surfing and skiing. It was developed in the U.S.A...
and downhill run.
Transport
Beerfelden lies on BundesstraßeBundesstraße
Bundesstraße , abbreviated B, is the denotation for German and Austrian national highways.-Germany:...
45, which runs in a great bend round the town. In the outlying centre of Hetzbach is a railway station on the Odenwaldbahn (railway; RMV Line 65).
The railway connection from Hetzbach to Beerfelden, opened in 1904, was closed in 1954. It was run in its time by the Süddeutsche Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft (SEG, “South German Railway Company”).