Eltville
Encyclopedia
Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis
Rheingau-Taunus is a Kreis in the west of Hesse, Germany. Neighboring districts are Limburg-Weilburg, Hochtaunuskreis, Main-Taunus, district-free Wiesbaden, Mainz-Bingen, Rhein-Lahn.-Geography:...
in 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 :*...
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. It is located on the German Half-Timbered House Road (Fachwerkstraße).
Eltville is the biggest town in the Rheingau
Rheingau
The Rheingau is the hill country on the north side of the Rhine River between Wiesbaden and Lorch near Frankfurt, reaching from the western Taunus to the Rhine. It lies in the state of Hesse and is part of the Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis administrative district...
. It bears the nicknames Weinstadt, Sektstadt, Rosenstadt and since 2006 also Gutenbergstadt. Some of Germany's most famous vineyard
Vineyard
A vineyard is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice...
s (Steinberg, Rauenthaler Baiken, Erbacher Marcobrunn) are found within Eltville's municipal limits.
Location
Eltville, which belongs culturally to the RheingauRheingau
The Rheingau is the hill country on the north side of the Rhine River between Wiesbaden and Lorch near Frankfurt, reaching from the western Taunus to the Rhine. It lies in the state of Hesse and is part of the Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis administrative district...
region, lies on the River Rhine, 12 km westsouthwest of Wiesbaden
Wiesbaden
Wiesbaden is a city in southwest Germany and the capital of the federal state of Hesse. It has about 275,400 inhabitants, plus approximately 10,000 United States citizens...
.
Neighbouring communities
Eltville borders in the north on the communities of SchlangenbadSchlangenbad
Schlangenbad is a community in the Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis in the Regierungsbezirk of Darmstadt in Hesse, Germany.- Location :The community, which is a health resort , lies above sea level in a sheltered location on a valley slope on the southern slope of the Taunus from Wiesbaden, from Eltville...
and Kiedrich
Kiedrich
Kiedrich is a community in the Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis in the Regierungsbezirk of Darmstadt in Hesse, Germany.- Location :The community lies in the Rheingau on the south slope of the Taunus, some 2 km north of the town of Eltville am Rhein and 3 km from the banks of the Rhine.- Neighbouring...
, in the east on the district-free city of Wiesbaden
Wiesbaden
Wiesbaden is a city in southwest Germany and the capital of the federal state of Hesse. It has about 275,400 inhabitants, plus approximately 10,000 United States citizens...
and the community of Walluf
Walluf
Walluf is a community in the Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis in the Regierungsbezirk of Darmstadt in Hesse, Germany. With 5,581 residents in its 6.74 square kilometer area, it is the most densely populated community in the Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis.- Location :...
, in the south – separated by the Rhine – on the communities of Budenheim
Budenheim
Budenheim is a municipality in the Mainz-Bingen district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Unlike other municipalities in Mainz-Bingen, it does not belong to any Verbandsgemeinde.- Location :...
und Heidesheim
Heidesheim am Rhein
Heidesheim am Rhein is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Mainz-Bingen district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Verbandsgemeinde of Heidesheim am Rhein, which also includes the...
and the town of Ingelheim
Ingelheim am Rhein
Ingelheim am Rhein is a town in the Mainz-Bingen district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany on the Rhine’s west bank. The town calls itself the Rotweinstadt and since 1996 it has been Mainz-Bingen’s district seat....
(all three in Mainz-Bingen
Mainz-Bingen
Mainz-Bingen is a district in the east of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Neighboring districts are Rheingau-Taunus, the district-free cities Wiesbaden and Mainz, the districts Groß-Gerau, Alzey-Worms, Bad Kreuznach, Rhein-Hunsrück.-History:During the French occupation under Napoleon the district...
in Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate is one of the 16 states of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has an area of and about four million inhabitants. The capital is Mainz. English speakers also commonly refer to the state by its German name, Rheinland-Pfalz ....
) and in the west on the town of Oestrich-Winkel
Oestrich-Winkel
Oestrich-Winkel is a town in the Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis in the Regierungsbezirk of Darmstadt in Hesse, Germany.- Location :This is a young town with roughly 12,000 inhabitants, having come into being in 1972 through the merger of the self-governing communities of Mittelheim, Oestrich and Winkel;...
.
Constituent communities
Eltville’s Stadtteile, besides the main town, also called Eltville, are ErbachErbach, Rheingau
Erbach is a Stadtteil in Eltville am Rhein, Hesse, Germany. It lies within the Rheingau wine region.- Famous people :* Princess Marianne of the Netherlands lived in Schloss Reinhartshausen from 1855 to 1883....
, Hattenheim
Hattenheim
Hattenheim is a Stadtteil in Eltville am Rhein, Hesse, Germany. It lies within the Rheingau wine region.- Points of interest :* Burg Hattenheim* Eberbach Abbey * Schloss Reichartshausen* Steinberg, Kloster Eberbach...
, Martinsthal and Rauenthal.
History
The earliest traces of humans settling here go back to the New Stone Age. There has been continuous habitation since the late 4th century. Eltville had its first documentary mention in Vita Bardonis (“Bardo’s Life”) from 1058, a biography of Archbishop Bardo of Mainz. In 1329, the archiepiscopal castle and the town wall around Eltville were built. On 23 August 1332, Emperor Louis the BavarianLouis IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Louis IV , called the Bavarian, of the house of Wittelsbach, was the King of Germany from 1314, the King of Italy from 1327 and the Holy Roman Emperor from 1328....
granted Eltville town rights. With the granting of town rights, Eltville ended up being a pawn in the then ongoing dispute between the Emperor and the Pope. Archbishop Baldwin, one of Emperor Louis’s followers and administrator of the Mainz monastery, was the one who asked for Eltville to be raised to town. From 1347 to 1480, Eltville was the residence of the Archbishops of Mainz. From Dietrich Schenk von Erbach
Dietrich Schenk von Erbach
Dietrich Schenk von Erbach was the Archbishop of Mainz from 1434 until 1459.Theodoric was a son of Arch-Cupbearer Eberhard VI of Erbach. He was a cathedral member of Mainz when on 6 July 1434 he was elected its archbishop. Theodoric was confirmed by Pope Eugene IV on 20 October...
, Archbishop of Mainz (1434–1459), the outlying centre of Erbach presumably got its name.
Town council
| Parties and voter communities | % 2006 |
Seats 2006 |
% 2001 |
Seats 2001 |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CDU | Christian Democratic Union Christian Democratic Union (Germany) The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum... |
44.0 | 16 | 45.5 | 17 |
| SPD | Social Democratic Party Social Democratic Party of Germany The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany... |
30.1 | 11 | 29.2 | 11 |
| GREENS | Bündnis 90/Die Grünen Alliance '90/The Greens Alliance '90/The Greens is a green political party in Germany, formed from the merger of the German Green Party and Alliance 90 in 1993. Its leaders are Claudia Roth and Cem Özdemir... |
9.8 | 4 | 10.7 | 4 |
| FDP | Free Democratic Party Free Democratic Party (Germany) The Free Democratic Party , abbreviated to FDP, is a centre-right classical liberal political party in Germany. It is led by Philipp Rösler and currently serves as the junior coalition partner to the Union in the German federal government... |
5.0 | 2 | 5.2 | 2 |
| BL | Bürgerliste | 7.0 | 3 | 5.4 | 2 |
| REP | The Republicans | 4.1 | 1 | – | – |
| WOK | Wählergemeinschaft Opitz-Kaldenberg | – | – | 4.0 | 1 |
| Total | 100.0 | 37 | 100.0 | 37 | |
| Voter turnout in % | 54.4 | 51.3 | |||
Town partnerships
The town of Eltville am Rhein maintains partnerships with these places:- MontrichardMontrichardMontrichard is a town and commune in the Loir-et-Cher département, in France.-Geography:The town lies on the north bank of the Cher river. south of Blois, west of Vierzon and east of Tours...
, Loir-et-CherLoir-et-CherLoir-et-Cher is a département in north-central France named after the rivers Loir and Cher.-History:Loir-et-Cher is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from parts of the former provinces of Orléanais and...
, France - ArzensArzensArzens is a commune in the Aude department in southern France.-Population:...
, AudeAudeAude is a department in south-central France named after the river Aude. The local council also calls the department "Cathar Country".Aude is also a frequent feminine French given name in Francophone countries, deriving initially from Aude or Oda, a wife of Bertrand, Duke of Aquitaine, and mother...
, France - Passignano sul TrasimenoPassignano sul TrasimenoPassignano sul Trasimeno is a comune in the Province of Perugia in the Italian region Umbria, located about 20 km northwest of Perugia....
, PerugiaProvince of PerugiaThe Province of Perugia is the larger of the two provinces in the Umbria region of Italy, comprising two-thirds of both the area and population of the region. Its capital is the city of Perugia...
, UmbriaUmbriaUmbria is a region of modern central Italy. It is one of the smallest Italian regions and the only peninsular region that is landlocked.Its capital is Perugia.Assisi and Norcia are historical towns associated with St. Francis of Assisi, and St...
, Italy
Buildings
- Electoral castle from the 14th century
- Remains of town fortifications
- timber-frameTimber framingTimber framing , or half-timbering, also called in North America "post-and-beam" construction, is the method of creating structures using heavy squared off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden pegs . It is commonplace in large barns...
from the 16th and 18th centuries - Eberbach Cistercian monasteryMonasteryMonastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
- Clos of the Steinberg, Germany’s best known clos (small, enclosed vineyardVineyardA vineyard is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice...
) - Schloss Reinhartshausen (palace)
- St. Peter’s and Paul’s parish church from the 14th century
- Pfarrkirche St. Markus (“St. Mark’s parish church”) in Erbach from the 15th century and the EvangelicalEvangelical Church in GermanyThe 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...
church in Erbach from the 19th century. - Kulturkirche Martinsthal (“culture church”)
- Crass Castle
Regular events
- Gutenberg-Winter in Eltville – each year in January and February
- Rheingauer Schlemmerwoche (“Gluttons’ Week”) and Days of Open Wine Cellars with many wine samplings – late April/early May
- Rosentage in Eltville (“Rose Days”) – each year on the first weekend in June
- Erdbeerfest in Erbach (“Strawberry Festival”) – each year in mid-June
- Sektfest Eltville – each year on the first weekend in July
- Martinsthaler Weinfest – always on the second weekend in July
- Rheingau Musik FestivalRheingau Musik FestivalThe Rheingau Musik Festival is an international summer music festival in Germany, founded in 1987. It is mostly for classical music, but includes other genres...
– International Music Festival, in summer - Rauenthaler Weinfest – on the second or third weekend in August
- Burghofspiele – in summer
- Kappeskerb/Weinlesefest in Eltville (kermis/wine harvest festival) – each year on the last weekend in October
- Rheingau Pokal ("cup" in taekwondo, fighting) – each year in mid-November
- Musikalischer Winter in Eltville – each year on each Thursday from mid-November to late April
- Christmas Market in the Old Town – on the second weekend in December.
Economy and tourism
Eltville is touristically developed and well known for its wineWine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
and sekt production, which can be sampled at many wineries and Straußwirtschaften (seasonal wine shops). Of particular importance is the Vinothek, which brings together every leading estate’s wines so that wine lovers can compare the products. It is the only local Vinothek in the Rheingau and one of few in Germany. Eltville is the headquarters of MM-Sektkellerei (which today belongs to Rotkäppchen-Sekt), Hessische Staatsweingüter Kloster Eberbach (“Hessian State Wine Estates of Eberbach Monastery”), and Sektmanufaktur Schloss Vaux, as well as the biggest industrial employer in the Rheingau, Jean Müller GmbH Elektrotechnische Fabrik. Eltville is one of Germany’s ten Rosenstädte (“Rose Towns”).
Transport
Eltville lies on BundesstraßeBundesstraße
Bundesstraße , abbreviated B, is the denotation for German and Austrian national highways.-Germany:...
42, which towards the east is built like an Autobahn and near Walluf seamlessly joins the A 66
Bundesautobahn 66
is an autobahn in southwestern Germany. It connects the Taunus to Fulda, passing close to Frankfurt am Main. The first part of the autobahn between Wiesbaden and the Nordwestkreuz Frankfurt, was opened as early as 1934, then called the Rhein-Main-Schnellweg. It became an autobahn in 1965.The...
. The town also lies on the Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
– Wiesbaden
Wiesbaden
Wiesbaden is a city in southwest Germany and the capital of the federal state of Hesse. It has about 275,400 inhabitants, plus approximately 10,000 United States citizens...
– Eltville – Koblenz
Koblenz
Koblenz is a German city situated on both banks of the Rhine at its confluence with the Moselle, where the Deutsches Eck and its monument are situated.As Koblenz was one of the military posts established by Drusus about 8 BC, the...
railway line and belongs to the Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund
Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund
The Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund is an organised transport network in the German state of Hesse, centred around the city of Frankfurt am Main. Its head office is located in Hofheim im Taunus...
. On the Rhine’s bank are several landing stages for, among others, the Köln-Düsseldorfer Rheinschiffahrt, a well known Rhine passenger ship concern.
Education
- Freiherr-vom-Stein-Schule (primary school in the main town)
- Gutenberg-Schule (RealschuleRealschuleThe Realschule is a type of secondary school in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein. It has also existed in Croatia , Denmark , Sweden , Hungary and in the Russian Empire .-History:The Realschule was an outgrowth of the rationalism and empiricism of the seventeenth and...
in the main town) - GymnasiumGymnasium (school)A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
Eltville (in the main town) - Sonnenblumenschule (primary school in Erbach)
- Waldbachschule (primary school in Hattenheim)
- Otfried-Preußler-Schule (primary school in Rauenthal)
- Mediathek Eltville (public municipal library)
Famous people
- Johannes Gutenberg was named on 17 January 1465 a courtly nobleman by the Archbishop and Elector Adolph II of NassauAdolph II of NassauAdolph II of Nassau-Wiesbaden-Idstein was Archbishop of Mainz from 1461 until 1475.Adolph was a son of Count Adolph II of Nassau-Wiesbaden-Idstein....
, who at the time resided in the Electoral castle at Eltville. Presumably under Gutenberg’s guidance, the Brothers Bechtermünz founded a small printing shop. This published in 1467 the Vocabularius ex quo, a LatinLatinLatin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
dictionary. In this workshop, Thomas AquinasThomas AquinasThomas Aquinas, O.P. , also Thomas of Aquin or Aquino, was an Italian Dominican priest of the Catholic Church, and an immensely influential philosopher and theologian in the tradition of scholasticism, known as Doctor Angelicus, Doctor Communis, or Doctor Universalis...
’s Summa de articulis fidei (1472) was also reprinted. This made Eltville one of the cradle towns of book printing. In the castle tower, a memorial recalls Gutenberg. Gutenberg’s brother, Friele Gensfleisch, lived in Eltville from 1434 until his death in 1447. The Gensfleisch-Haus still stands today right next to the castle. - Gebeno von Eberbach, clergyman
- Julius KochJulius KochJulius Koch , also known as Le Geant Constantin, was one of thirteen people in medical history who have surpassed eight feet in height. He was a victim of the malady eunuchoidal-infantile gigantism...
(b. 28 February 1912 in FrankfurtFrankfurtFrankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
; d. 2 July 1991 in Eltville), German drink researcher, oenologist and food chemist. - Georg Herber (1763–1833 in Eltville), for many years President of the second chamber of The Estates of Duchy of Nassau
Sons and daughters of the town
- Michael Apitz (1965– ), graphic and comic strip artist
- Franz Josef JungFranz Josef JungFranz Josef Jung is a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union . He became Federal Minister of Defence in the Grand coalition cabinet of Angela Merkel on 22 November 2005...
(1949– ), German politician (CDU) and Federal Minister of Defence in the first Merkel cabinet - Augustinus Kilian (1856–1930 in Limburg an der LahnLimburg an der LahnLimburg an der Lahn is the district seat of Limburg-Weilburg in Hesse, Germany.-Location:Limburg lies in western Hesse between the Taunus and the Westerwald on the river Lahn....
) was from 1913 until his death in 1930 Roman Catholic Bishop of the Bishopric of Limburg an der Lahn. - Heinrich Köppler (1925–1980), German politician (CDU), candidate at the Landtag election in North Rhine-WestphaliaNorth Rhine-WestphaliaNorth Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...
, 1980. - Wilhelm KreisWilhelm KreisWilhelm Kreis was a prominent German architect and professor of architecture, active through four political systems in German history: the Wilhelmine era, the Weimar Republic, the Third Reich, and the foundation of the Federal Republic.Kreis was born in Eltville am Rhein in Hesse-Nassau...
(1873–1955), architect - Eduard Kremer (1881–1948), politician
- Ernst Freiherr Langwerth von Simmern (1865–1942), German diplomat, ambassador in Madrid and Imperial commissar for the occupied Rhenish areas in Koblenz
- Ferdinand Wilhelm Emil Roth (1853–1924), historical researcher
- Andreas SchollAndreas SchollAndreas Scholl is a German countertenor, a male classical singer in the alto vocal range. He is noted as a specialist in Baroque music.-Childhood:...
(born 1967), countertenorCountertenorA countertenor is a male singing voice whose vocal range is equivalent to that of a contralto, mezzo-soprano, or a soprano, usually through use of falsetto, or far more rarely than normal, modal voice. A pre-pubescent male who has this ability is called a treble... - Bernhard Schott (1748–1809), music publisher, founded the music publishing house Schott MusicSchott MusicSchott Music is one of the oldest German music publishers. It is also one of the largest music publishing houses in Europe and is currently the second oldest music publishing house. The company headquarters of Schott Music was founded by Bernhard Schott in Mainz, Germany in 1770.Established in...
in MainzMainzMainz under the Holy Roman Empire, and previously was a Roman fort city which commanded the west bank of the Rhine and formed part of the northernmost frontier of the Roman Empire...
in 1770