Breuberg
Encyclopedia
Breuberg is a town in the Odenwaldkreis
(district) in Hesse
, Germany
, 28 km east of Darmstadt
, and 20 km southwest of Aschaffenburg
.
(Darmstadt-Dieburg
) and the community of Mömlingen
, in the east on the town of Obernburg am Main (both in Miltenberg district
in Bavaria
), in the south on the community of Lützelbach
and in the west on the community of Höchst
.
The town council consists of nine members: the mayor Frank Matiaske (SPD) and eight town councillors (5 SPD and 3 BWG).
The council has formed four boards and one commission:
At the Bundestag
elections in 2005, Breuberg had the strongest showing for the SPD
in constituency 188 (Odenwald).
On 2 July 1975, with permission from the Hessian Minister of the Interior, approval was given for the town of Breuberg in the Odenwaldkreis and the Regierungsbezirk
of Darmstadt
to bear the above-described arms
, which had been borne by the former town of Neustadt before it merged with the communities of Hainstadt, Sandbach and Wald-Amorbach on 1 October 1971.
It can further be said that the sword stands for the market court’s jurisdiction or the holding of market rights in the former town of Neustadt. The rose is taken from the arms borne by the House of Wertheim, and the star from those borne by the House of Erbach. Neustadt’s arms bore a rose with a red centre.
Around 1200 the bailiwick was taken over by the Lords of Lützelbach, who thereupon called themselves Lords (Herren von) of Breuberg. In 1323 already, the male family line of the house of Breuberg died out with Eberhard III. of Breuberg.
From the 14th century, the castle was expanded many times, making it today a journey through the building styles of the last 850 years. In 1446, Count Wilhelm of Wertheim
sold Count Philipp the Elder of Katzenelnbogen
his share of the castle for 2400 Gulden. The castle may have been damaged but was never destroyed, and was always used, thus explaining its good condition. Today the building belongs to the State of Hesse and serves as a youth hostel and a museum
.
which has been turned into a climbing
facility by the Odenwälder Kletterfreunde (“Odenwald Climbing Friends”). There is also a climbing path secured by wire cables. The Odenwald Climbing Friends take care of the paths. The quarry also lies in the DAV’s (Deutsche Alpenverein e. V. – a mountain climbing club) Darmstadt
Section feeder area.
sculpture
s by sculptors Peter Hörr, Sabine Wagner, Isolde Stapp, Karin Ebert, Marianne Wagner, Paul August Wagner and Heinz Mack can be seen on the Mümling riverside flats.
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 east of Darmstadt
Darmstadt
Darmstadt is a city in the Bundesland of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Rhine Main Area.The sandy soils in the Darmstadt area, ill-suited for agriculture in times before industrial fertilisation, prevented any larger settlement from developing, until the city became the seat...
, and 20 km southwest of Aschaffenburg
Aschaffenburg
Aschaffenburg is a city in northwest Bavaria, Germany. The town of Aschaffenburg is not considered part of the district of Aschaffenburg, but is the administrative seat.Aschaffenburg is known as the Tor zum Spessart or "gate to the Spessart"...
.
Neighbouring communities
Breuberg borders in the north on the town of Groß-UmstadtGroß-Umstadt
Groß-Umstadt is a town in the district of Darmstadt-Dieburg in the Bundesland of Hesse in Germany. It is near Darmstadt and Frankfurt on the northern border of the Odenwald and is on the edge of the Frankfurt Rhein-Main Region. The highest point of the town is the Heidelberg .The population is...
(Darmstadt-Dieburg
Darmstadt-Dieburg
Darmstadt-Dieburg is a Kreis in the south of Hesse, Germany. Neighboring districts are Offenbach, Aschaffenburg, Miltenberg, Odenwaldkreis, Bergstraße, Groß-Gerau, and the district-free city of Darmstadt, which it surrounds.-History:...
) and the community of Mömlingen
Mömlingen
Mömlingen is a municipality in the Miltenberg district in the Regierungsbezirk of Lower Franconia in Bavaria, Germany.- Location :...
, in the east on the town of Obernburg am Main (both in Miltenberg district
Miltenberg (district)
Miltenberg is an administrative district in Bavaria, Germany. It is bounded by the city of Aschaffenburg, the districts of Aschaffenburg and Main-Spessart, and the states of Baden-Württemberg and Hesse .-History:During the Middle Ages there was continuous...
in Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
), in the south on the community of Lützelbach
Lützelbach
-Location:The community lies in the northern Odenwald on the Hesse-Bavaria boundary in a richly wooded setting.-Neighbouring communities:Lützelbach borders in the north on the town of Breuberg and the town of Obernburg, in the east on the towns of Wörth am Main and Klingenberg , in the south on the...
and in the west on the community of Höchst
Höchst im Odenwald
Höchst im Odenwald is a community in the Odenwaldkreis in Hesse, Germany.-Location:Höchst lies 25 km east of Darmstadt, in the northern Odenwald at elevations between 175 and 400 m....
.
Constituent communities
The town is made up of the centres of Hainstadt, Neustadt, Rai-Breitenbach, Sandbach (the town’s administrative seat), Rosenbach and Wald-Amorbach.Politics
The municipal election held on 26 March 2006 yielded the following results:| Parties and voter communities | % 2006 |
Seats 2006 |
% 2001 |
Seats 2001 |
|
| 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... |
67.7 | 21 | 63.5 | 20 |
| BWG | Breuberger Wähler Gemeinschaft | 32.3 | 10 | 36.5 | 11 |
| Total | 100.0 | 31 | 100.0 | 31 | |
| Voter turnout in % | 50.0 | 58.1 | |||
Town council
The chief councillor (Stadtverordnetenvorsteherin) is Cornelia Fürpahs-Zipp (SPD).The town council consists of nine members: the mayor Frank Matiaske (SPD) and eight town councillors (5 SPD and 3 BWG).
The council has formed four boards and one commission:
- Main and Financial Board (8 members – 5 SPD and 3 BWG)
- Building and Transport Board (8 members – 5 SPD and 3 BWG)
- Environment and Agriculture Board (8 members – 5 SPD and 3 BWG)
- Board for Social Matters and Clubs (8 members – 5 SPD and 3 BWG)
- Culture Commission (put together from factional representatives, town council, citizens and the administration)
At the Bundestag
Bundestag
The Bundestag is a federal legislative body in Germany. In practice Germany is governed by a bicameral legislature, of which the Bundestag serves as the lower house and the Bundesrat the upper house. The Bundestag is established by the German Basic Law of 1949, as the successor to the earlier...
elections in 2005, Breuberg had the strongest showing for the SPD
Social Democratic Party of Germany
The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
in constituency 188 (Odenwald).
Coat of arms
The escutcheon is parted by an upright silver sword with a golden grip. On the dexter side (armsbearer’s right, viewer’s left) in blue is a silver heraldic rose with a golden centre, and on the sinister side (armsbearer’s left, viewer’s right) in red is a silver six-pointed star.On 2 July 1975, with permission from the Hessian Minister of the Interior, approval was given for the town of Breuberg in the Odenwaldkreis and the Regierungsbezirk
Regierungsbezirk
In Germany, a Government District, in German: Regierungsbezirk – is a subdivision of certain federal states .They are above the Kreise, Landkreise, and kreisfreie Städte...
of Darmstadt
Darmstadt (region)
Darmstadt is one of the three Regierungsbezirke of Hesse, Germany, located in the south of the state.- External links :*...
to bear the above-described arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
, which had been borne by the former town of Neustadt before it merged with the communities of Hainstadt, Sandbach and Wald-Amorbach on 1 October 1971.
It can further be said that the sword stands for the market court’s jurisdiction or the holding of market rights in the former town of Neustadt. The rose is taken from the arms borne by the House of Wertheim, and the star from those borne by the House of Erbach. Neustadt’s arms bore a rose with a red centre.
Sightseeing
Breuberg Castle
The Breuberg Castle Burg Breuberg is among Germany’s best preserved castles. The so-called Kernburg (“core castle”) arose at the beginning of the 13th century and was founded by the imperial abbey of Fulda in order to protect its Odenwald estates.Around 1200 the bailiwick was taken over by the Lords of Lützelbach, who thereupon called themselves Lords (Herren von) of Breuberg. In 1323 already, the male family line of the house of Breuberg died out with Eberhard III. of Breuberg.
From the 14th century, the castle was expanded many times, making it today a journey through the building styles of the last 850 years. In 1446, Count Wilhelm of Wertheim
Wertheim
Wertheim may refer to:* Wertheim vacuum cleaner, a brand of vacuum cleaner* Wertheim am Main, Baden-Württemberg, Germany* Wertheim , a chain of German department stores...
sold Count Philipp the Elder of Katzenelnbogen
Katzenelnbogen
Katzenelnbogen is the name of a castle and small city in the district of Rhein-Lahn-Kreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Katzenelnbogen is the seat of the Verbandsgemeinde Katzenelnbogen.-History:...
his share of the castle for 2400 Gulden. The castle may have been damaged but was never destroyed, and was always used, thus explaining its good condition. Today the building belongs to the State of Hesse and serves as a youth hostel and a museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
.
Quarry with climbing path
In the outlying centre of Hainstadt in the Mümling valley is a quarryQuarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
which has been turned into a climbing
Climbing
Climbing is the activity of using one's hands and feet to ascend a steep object. It is done both for recreation and professionally, as part of activities such as maintenance of a structure, or military operations.Climbing activities include:* Bouldering: Ascending boulders or small...
facility by the Odenwälder Kletterfreunde (“Odenwald Climbing Friends”). There is also a climbing path secured by wire cables. The Odenwald Climbing Friends take care of the paths. The quarry also lies in the DAV’s (Deutsche Alpenverein e. V. – a mountain climbing club) Darmstadt
Darmstadt
Darmstadt is a city in the Bundesland of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Rhine Main Area.The sandy soils in the Darmstadt area, ill-suited for agriculture in times before industrial fertilisation, prevented any larger settlement from developing, until the city became the seat...
Section feeder area.
Sculpture park
SandstoneSandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
sculpture
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
s by sculptors Peter Hörr, Sabine Wagner, Isolde Stapp, Karin Ebert, Marianne Wagner, Paul August Wagner and Heinz Mack can be seen on the Mümling riverside flats.
- STONE AND WOOD (so called even in GermanGerman languageGerman is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
) – Each year, sculptors work for one week for the Breuberg sculpture park. The civic foundation arranges for a broad cultural programme.
Further reading
- Winfried Wackerfuß (publisher and editor): Das Zinsbuch der Herrschaft Breuberg von 1426. Breuberg-Bund, Breuberg-Neustadt 2004. ISBN 3-922903-08-8
- Winfried Wackerfuß: Kultur-, Wirtschafts- und Sozialgeschichte des Odenwaldes im 15. Jahrhundert. Die ältesten Rechnungen für die Grafen von Wertheim in der Herrschaft Breuberg (1409 - 1484). Breuberg-Bund, Breuberg-Neustadt 1991. ISBN 3-922903-04-5
- Winfried Wackerfuß (publisher): Burg Breuberg im Odenwald. Breuberg-Bund, Breuberg-Neustadt 1979.
- Wolfram Becher und Alfred F. Wolfert: Die Stuckdecke im Rittersaal des Johann Casimir-Baus auf Burg Breuberg. Breuberg-Bund, Neustadt im Odenwald 1979.