Fürth, Hesse
Encyclopedia
Fürth is a community and a state-recognized recreational resort (Erholungsort) in the Bergstraße district
in Hesse
, Germany
.
Geo-Naturpark Bergstraße-Odenwald on the Weschnitz, a small river that empties into Rhine near Biblis
. Fürth is the northernmost and highest community in the Weschnitz valley, which stretches southwestwards to Weinheim
.
and the community of Reichelsheim
, in the east on the community of Mossautal
(both in the Odenwaldkreis
), in the southeast on the community of Grasellenbach
, in the south on the community of Rimbach and in the west on the town of Heppenheim.
, a notably cooler climate prevails than on the neighbouring Bergstraße. In the winter months, this is often clearly shown in the higher snowfall in Fürth. On the other hand, the community is also favoured by the weather owing to its sheltered location, and is often spared storms.
to the Benedictine
monastery of the Lorsch Abbey
, founded in 764. In the course of the monastery’s being raised to Imperial
Abbey, answerable only to the Pope
, and no longer within the grasp of the bishoprics of Mainz
and Worms
, the Emperor donated to the monastery the domain of Heppenheim in 773, which comprised the greater part of today’s Bergstraße district
and great parts of the Odenwaldkreis
.
In the border description from 773, Fürth is not mentioned, but the Welinehouc (Wahlenhügel, now known as the Kahlberg) near today’s constituent community of Weschnitz is. Furthermore, Arezgreften (Erzgruben in modern German
, meaning “ore pits”) on the Erzberg near Weschnitz are discussed. In connection with this donation, there arose border disputes between the Lorsch Abbey and the Bishopric of Worms, which in 795 led to the convening of an arbitral tribunal
on the Kahlberg near Weschnitz, an old gathering place and court site not far from today’s Walburgiskapelle (chapel). The tribunal handed down a new border description which now named the most important places within the Mark Heppenheim, namely Furte (Fürth), Rintbach, Morlenbach
, Birkenowa
, Winenheim
, Hepenheim, Besinsheim
, Urbach (Auerbach), Lauresham
and Bisestat
. The first documentary mention of the name Fürth, therefore, fell in the year 795. The name Fürth may well refer to the former ford
(Furt in German) once found here.
A “Description of the Huben and Crops of the Estate of Fürth” (curiam Furde) – a Hube being a plot of land big enough to feed one household, similar to a hide
in the word’s original meaning – from 1023 shows the development that was brought about by this donation and the subsequent clearing and reclamation of the land by Lorsch monks: Fürth was spoken of as principalis curia, or the “first estate”, or Fürstenhof. Thus, Fürth was Lorsch’s most important administrative and fiscal centre in the Odenwald. There followed a precise statement of the crops of the lands in the various centres. Besides Fürth itself, these are the places named in connection with this: Kolmbach, Nieder-Brombach, Fahrenbach, Krumbach, Ober-Brombach, Weschnitz, Alt(en)lechtern and Kröckelbach (in ascending order of size of Huben) as holdings subject to interest, further Steinbach as a holding subject to tithing and Erlenbach as a holding subject to meadowland tithing. In Fürth itself, Weschnitz and Fahrenbach a mill
is mentioned. Further, owing to incoming crops it was suggested that the corresponding handicraft products be available: 12 bolts (Bahnen) of fine shirt linen, 8 barrels, 8 measuring instrument
s, 1 mortar, 40 serving dishes, in the one year a pan, in the other a kettle.
In 1895, the Weschnitztalbahn (railway) was opened, linking Fürth with Weinheim.
might be described thus: Argent a cross fitchy gules, thereupon a letter F argent.
The cross fitchy (that is, with a point on the bottom arm; called a Nagelkreuz [“nailcross”] or a Fußspitzkreuz [“foot point cross”] in German
) recalls the Lorsch Abbey
’s former landlordship. The lowercase F in Antiqua script was already borne in an earlier court coat of arms from 1626. The arms were approved in 1926.
style. It is marked on the west façade by an open-air staircase (the statues, however, are new). The belltower is in the Romanesque Revival
style and dates from 1866–68. The expansion on the south side was carried out in 1960–61.
Timber-frame
houses from the 18th and early 19th centuries enrich the townscape. A further highlight is the artistic path in the Steinbach meadows, which a few years ago was furnished with wonderful stone figures by distinguished artists.
Also worth seeing is the Bergtierpark (“Mountain Animal Park”), to be found in the constituent community of Erlenbach. It has on show mountain creatures from five parts of the Earth and is open the year round.
Standing as an extensive art gallery is the Kunstwanderweg (“artistic path”) from Fürth to Lindenfels, built in 2007 and beginning at the town hall
trains to Weinheim.
Paul-Joseph-Schule in Erlenbach lost this name in 1973 when it merged with the school in Rimbach-Mitlechtern. It was named after the former teacher Paul Joseph, notwithstanding that in the time of National Socialism, he had been known as a fervent Adolf Hitler
stalwart and Party member. There is also an integrated comprehensive school
, the Heinrich-Böll-Schule
with some 900 students.
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...
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...
.
Location
The community lies in the UNESCOUNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
Geo-Naturpark Bergstraße-Odenwald on the Weschnitz, a small river that empties into Rhine near Biblis
Biblis
Biblis is a community in the Bergstraße district in southern Hesse, Germany.- Location :The community lies in the Rhine rift west of the Odenwald between Darmstadt to the north and Mannheim to the south; it also lies north of Bürstadt...
. Fürth is the northernmost and highest community in the Weschnitz valley, which stretches southwestwards to Weinheim
Weinheim
Weinheim is a town in the north west of the state of Baden-Württemberg in Germany with 43 000 inhabitants, approximately 15 km north of Heidelberg and 10 km northeast of Mannheim. Together with these cities, it makes up the Rhine-Neckar triangle...
.
Neighbouring communities
Fürth borders in the north on the town of LindenfelsLindenfels
Lindenfels is a town in the Bergstraße district in Hesse, Germany.- Location :The climatic spa, also known as the “Pearl of the Odenwald”, lies in the Odenwald in southern Hesse and is nestled in a mountain landscape with a great deal of woodland....
and the community of Reichelsheim
Reichelsheim (Odenwald)
Reichelsheim is a community in the Odenwaldkreis in Hesse, Germany.-Location:Reichelsheim lies in the middle Odenwald at elevations between 200 and 538 m in the middle of the Geo-Naturpark Bergstraße-Odenwald....
, in the east on the community of Mossautal
Mossautal
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....
(both 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:...
), in the southeast on the community of Grasellenbach
Grasellenbach
Grasellenbach is a community in the Bergstraße district in southern Hesse, Germany.-Location:The community lies in the Odenwald and the UNESCO Geo-Naturpark Bergstraße-Odenwald at elevations between 420 and 580 m above sea level...
, in the south on the community of Rimbach and in the west on the town of Heppenheim.
Constituent communities
Fürth’s eleven Ortsteile are Brombach, Ellenbach, Erlenbach, Fahrenbach, Kröckelbach, Krumbach, Linnenbach, Lörzenbach, Seidenbach, Steinbach and Weschnitz.Climate
In Fürth, 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...
, a notably cooler climate prevails than on the neighbouring Bergstraße. In the winter months, this is often clearly shown in the higher snowfall in Fürth. On the other hand, the community is also favoured by the weather owing to its sheltered location, and is often spared storms.
History
Fürth had its first documentary mention in connection with a donation by CharlemagneCharlemagne
Charlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800...
to the Benedictine
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
monastery of the Lorsch Abbey
Lorsch 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...
, founded in 764. In the course of the monastery’s being raised to Imperial
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
Abbey, answerable only to the Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
, and no longer within the grasp of the bishoprics of Mainz
Mainz
Mainz 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...
and Worms
Worms, Germany
Worms is a city in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, on the Rhine River. At the end of 2004, it had 85,829 inhabitants.Established by the Celts, who called it Borbetomagus, Worms today remains embattled with the cities Trier and Cologne over the title of "Oldest City in Germany." Worms is the only...
, the Emperor donated to the monastery the domain of Heppenheim in 773, which comprised the greater part of today’s Bergstraße district
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...
and great parts of 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:...
.
In the border description from 773, Fürth is not mentioned, but the Welinehouc (Wahlenhügel, now known as the Kahlberg) near today’s constituent community of Weschnitz is. Furthermore, Arezgreften (Erzgruben in modern German
German language
German 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....
, meaning “ore pits”) on the Erzberg near Weschnitz are discussed. In connection with this donation, there arose border disputes between the Lorsch Abbey and the Bishopric of Worms, which in 795 led to the convening of an arbitral tribunal
Arbitral tribunal
An arbitral tribunal is a panel of one or more adjudicators which is convened and sits to resolve a dispute by way of arbitration. The tribunal may consist of a sole arbitrator, or there may be two or more arbitrators, which might include either a chairman or an umpire...
on the Kahlberg near Weschnitz, an old gathering place and court site not far from today’s Walburgiskapelle (chapel). The tribunal handed down a new border description which now named the most important places within the Mark Heppenheim, namely Furte (Fürth), Rintbach, Morlenbach
Mörlenbach
Mörlenbach is a community in the Bergstraße district in southern Hesse, Germany.-Location:The community lies in the Odenwald some 25 km north of Heidelberg and about 30 km northeast of Mannheim, as well as lying 8 km southeast of Heppenheim...
, Birkenowa
Birkenau (Odenwald)
Birkenau in the Odenwald is a community in the Bergstraße district in southern Hesse, Germany. Its nickname is Das Dorf der Sonnenuhren – “The Sundial Village”.-Location:...
, Winenheim
Weinheim
Weinheim is a town in the north west of the state of Baden-Württemberg in Germany with 43 000 inhabitants, approximately 15 km north of Heidelberg and 10 km northeast of Mannheim. Together with these cities, it makes up the Rhine-Neckar triangle...
, Hepenheim, Besinsheim
Bensheim
Bensheim is a town in the Bergstraße district in southern Hesse, Germany. Bensheim lies on the Bergstraße and at the edge of the Odenwald mountains while at the same time having an open view over the Rhine plain...
, Urbach (Auerbach), Lauresham
Lorsch
Lorsch is a town in the Bergstraße district in Hesse, Germany, 60 km south of Frankfurt. Lorsch is well known for the Lorsch Abbey, which has been named a World Heritage Site.-Location:...
and Bisestat
Bürstadt
Bürstadt is a town in the Bergstraße district in southern Hesse, Germany, 7 km east of Worms, and 17 km north of Mannheim.-Location:Bürstadt lies in the Rhine rift between the Rhine and the Odenwald, and thereby in the Hessisches Ried....
. The first documentary mention of the name Fürth, therefore, fell in the year 795. The name Fürth may well refer to the former ford
Ford (crossing)
A ford is a shallow place with good footing where a river or stream may be crossed by wading or in a vehicle. A ford is mostly a natural phenomenon, in contrast to a low water crossing, which is an artificial bridge that allows crossing a river or stream when water is low.The names of many towns...
(Furt in German) once found here.
A “Description of the Huben and Crops of the Estate of Fürth” (curiam Furde) – a Hube being a plot of land big enough to feed one household, similar to a hide
Hide (unit)
The hide was originally an amount of land sufficient to support a household, but later in Anglo-Saxon England became a unit used in assessing land for liability to "geld", or land tax. The geld would be collected at a stated rate per hide...
in the word’s original meaning – from 1023 shows the development that was brought about by this donation and the subsequent clearing and reclamation of the land by Lorsch monks: Fürth was spoken of as principalis curia, or the “first estate”, or Fürstenhof. Thus, Fürth was Lorsch’s most important administrative and fiscal centre in the Odenwald. There followed a precise statement of the crops of the lands in the various centres. Besides Fürth itself, these are the places named in connection with this: Kolmbach, Nieder-Brombach, Fahrenbach, Krumbach, Ober-Brombach, Weschnitz, Alt(en)lechtern and Kröckelbach (in ascending order of size of Huben) as holdings subject to interest, further Steinbach as a holding subject to tithing and Erlenbach as a holding subject to meadowland tithing. In Fürth itself, Weschnitz and Fahrenbach a mill
Gristmill
The terms gristmill or grist mill can refer either to a building in which grain is ground into flour, or to the grinding mechanism itself.- Early history :...
is mentioned. Further, owing to incoming crops it was suggested that the corresponding handicraft products be available: 12 bolts (Bahnen) of fine shirt linen, 8 barrels, 8 measuring instrument
Measuring instrument
In the physical sciences, quality assurance, and engineering, measurement is the activity of obtaining and comparing physical quantities of real-world objects and events. Established standard objects and events are used as units, and the process of measurement gives a number relating the item...
s, 1 mortar, 40 serving dishes, in the one year a pan, in the other a kettle.
In 1895, the Weschnitztalbahn (railway) was opened, linking Fürth with Weinheim.
Community council
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 | 50.4 | 16 | 53.9 | 20 |
| FWG | Freie Wähler Gemeinschaft | 23.9 | 7 | – | – |
| 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... |
21.0 | 7 | 27.1 | 10 |
| GREENS | Bündnis 90/Die Grünen | 4.6 | 1 | – | – |
| FW-UPW | Freie Wähler - Unabhängige parteilose Wählergemeinschaft | – | – | 19.0 | 7 |
| Total | 100.0 | 31 | 100.0 | 37 | |
| Voter turnout in % | 49.1 | 57.1 | |||
Mayor
The mayor is chosen in a direct election for a term of six years. Since 7 September 2008, the mayor has been Volker Oehlenschläger (CDU). He received 54.8% of the vote.Coat of arms
The community’s armsCoat 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...
might be described thus: Argent a cross fitchy gules, thereupon a letter F argent.
The cross fitchy (that is, with a point on the bottom arm; called a Nagelkreuz [“nailcross”] or a Fußspitzkreuz [“foot point cross”] in German
German language
German 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....
) recalls the Lorsch Abbey
Lorsch 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...
’s former landlordship. The lowercase F in Antiqua script was already borne in an earlier court coat of arms from 1626. The arms were approved in 1926.
Buildings
Saint John the Baptist’s Parish Church (Pfarrkirche St. Johannes d.T. ) was newly built in 1752 as a one-room church with a quire that is three-sided on the outside and in plain BaroqueBaroque architecture
Baroque architecture is a term used to describe the building style of the Baroque era, begun in late sixteenth century Italy, that took the Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical and theatrical fashion, often to express the triumph of the Catholic Church and...
style. It is marked on the west façade by an open-air staircase (the statues, however, are new). The belltower is in the Romanesque Revival
Romanesque Revival architecture
Romanesque Revival is a style of building employed beginning in the mid 19th century inspired by the 11th and 12th century Romanesque architecture...
style and dates from 1866–68. The expansion on the south side was carried out in 1960–61.
Timber-frame
Timber framing
Timber 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...
houses from the 18th and early 19th centuries enrich the townscape. A further highlight is the artistic path in the Steinbach meadows, which a few years ago was furnished with wonderful stone figures by distinguished artists.
Also worth seeing is the Bergtierpark (“Mountain Animal Park”), to be found in the constituent community of Erlenbach. It has on show mountain creatures from five parts of the Earth and is open the year round.
Standing as an extensive art gallery is the Kunstwanderweg (“artistic path”) from Fürth to Lindenfels, built in 2007 and beginning at the town hall
Transport
Fürth railway station is the end of the Weschnitztalbahn, over which there are half-hourly RegionalbahnRegionalBahn
The Regionalbahn is a type of local passenger train in Germany.-Service:Regionalbahn trains usually call at all stations on a given line, with the exception of RB trains within S-Bahn networks, these may only call at selected stations...
trains to Weinheim.
Education
Fürth has two primary schools, the Müller-Guttenbrunn-Schule and the Schule am Katzenberg in the constituent community of Erlenbach. The former elementary schoolElementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
Paul-Joseph-Schule in Erlenbach lost this name in 1973 when it merged with the school in Rimbach-Mitlechtern. It was named after the former teacher Paul Joseph, notwithstanding that in the time of National Socialism, he had been known as a fervent Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
stalwart and Party member. There is also an integrated 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...
, the Heinrich-Böll-Schule
Heinrich Böll
Heinrich Theodor Böll was one of Germany's foremost post-World War II writers. Böll was awarded the Georg Büchner Prize in 1967 and the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1972.- Biography :...
with some 900 students.
Further reading
- Theodor Loehrke: Principalis curia in Furden. Chronik von Fürth im Odenwald. Verlag Alois Singer, Lorsch 1970.