Gau-Odernheim
Encyclopedia
Gau-Odernheim is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality
belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde
, a kind of collective municipality – in the Alzey-Worms
district in Rhineland-Palatinate
, Germany
.
, whose seat is in Alzey
.
Gau-Odernheim lies on the little river Selz
, which snakes its way along the Petersberg (mountain). The nearest towns are Alzey
(8 km) with both the district and Verbandsgemeinde seats, and Wörrstadt
(12 km). The state
capital Mainz
, 30 km away, can be reached easily on the Autobahn A 63
. As a winegrowing centre, Gau-Odernheim lies in Germany’s biggest winegrowing district and in the middle of the Rheinhessen
(Rhenish Hesse) wine region. Because it is near the Frankfurt Rhine Main Region, the municipality is also a bedroom community and therefore has many new development areas and new citizens.
, Biebelnheim
, Framersheim
, Hillesheim
and Dittelsheim-Heßloch
.
were transferred to the local church in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Mainz.
In 1268, the vast holdings owned by the Lords of Bolanden between the Donnersberg
and the Rhine were shared out among offspring, among whom an open feud later broke out, which claimed some participants’ lives. At the battlefield near Ottenheim, as Gau-Odernheim was then known, at the boundary of the divided land, a so-called stone Sühnekreuz (“atonement cross”) was put up. In the Middle Ages
, though, nobody wanted to have anything to do with an atonement cross; such a place was shunned and was eerie. Thus, the Ottenkreuz was eventually forgotten. Under the earth, bushes and thorny hedges it lay until those seeking it unearthed it at last. Until 2008, it could be seen on the right side of the road from Gau-Odernheim to Hillesheim; however, after a number of attempts had been made to steal the Ottenkreuz, it was secured, and beginning in 2010, those wishing to see it will be able to do so at the Gau-Odernheim town hall.
In 1286, Rudolf von Habsburg
, the King of the Romans
, granted Gau-Odernheim Imperial
town freedoms. The master craftsman Erhart Falckener, who was known for his Late Gothic church furnishings, lived in Gau-Odernheim, according to a signature on a work from 1510. It is believed that he and his fellow craftsmen would have found ample work to do here, as on 1 August 1479, the whole village, but for six houses, burnt down. Sometime before 1731, the local lordship had passed to the Sturmfeder von Oppenweiler lordly family. Winegrowing was already being done in 850 on the Petersberg’s south slopes.
When the railway was built in 1896, Odernheim had its name changed to Gau-Odernheim to avoid any confusion with Odernheim am Glan
.
Gau-Odernheim was an early Rhenish-Hessian National Socialist hotbed. In 1938, the municipality prided itself in “having been the first place in Rhenish Hesse in which Adolf Hitler
’s idea had already gained a foothold in the years 1923 and 1924, and wherefrom it was spread into the nearer and further environs”. As early as half a year before the Machtergreifung
, the municipality made Adolf Hitler an honorary citizen.
Since 7 June 1969, the outlying centre of Gau-Köngernheim has been part of the municipality.
. Other forms of the name over the ages were Chuningernheim (1190), Kungernheim (1268), Kongernheim (1323) and Konigernheim (1464). To distinguish it from the other Köngernheim
that lay just under 11 km away, it was called Bös-Köngernheim. In 1896 Gau-Köngernheim acquired its current name, the reason being that both municipalities were on the same railway line, which was dedicated that same year.
The municipal election held on 7 June 2009 yielded the following results:
might be described thus: Or a king’s head and chest affronty couped gules crowned of the same and crined argent, conjoined to the shoulders wings elevated sable.
The king’s head and chest with wings are already seen in the municipality’s oldest seal, dating from 1286. The charge
remained essentially unchanged until the 17th century when it was replaced with the Imperial eagle, but in 1698, the old composition was restored, albeit this time with a female figure as a supporter behind the escutcheon, no longer seen in the current arms, which have been borne since 1961.
Although the coat of arms seen in this article shows the king with black hair (“crined sable”), the blazon given here indicates silver hair (“crined argent”). The arms shown on the municipality’s own website, and at Heraldry of the World, show the king with silver hair.
, Meurthe-et-Moselle
, France
Pulnoy lies near Nancy.
s north of the Alps
. For blossoming time in late April, the local conservation group stages the Wildtulpenfest (“Wild Tulip Festival”) each year on their Natur-Erlebnis-Platz (“Nature Adventure Square”).
. Moreover there are a car dealer in the community, four food markets and two butcher shops. One of these butcher shops was cited in 2004 by the magazine Der Feinschmecker as “2004’s best butcher”. In 2006, the Fleischwurst
made at the very same butcher shop was chosen by the Zentralgenossenschaft des Deutschen Fleischergewerbes (“Central Coöperative of the German Butcher’s Trade”) as one of the four best in all Germany.
Also resident in Gau-Odernheim is the three-time winner of the Rhineland-Palatinate
state
government’s multimedia contest in 2001, 2002 and 2005/2006 for, among other things, a school administration system for Alzey-Worms district schools and a canteen supervision programme for all-day schools.
can be reached after a 4.5 km drive to the Biebelnheim
interchange
, and also the Alzey
interchange on the A 61
is only 6 km from Gau-Odernheim. The A 63 links Gau-Odernheim with Mainz
and Kaiserslautern
. Ludwigshafen and the Rhine-Neckar area can be reached over the A 61. Towards the north, the A 61 is a link to Koblenz
, Mönchengladbach
and the Netherlands
.
On the other hand, Gau-Odernheim no longer has any railway link, but all buses that run from Mainz
or Worms
to Alzey
stop in Gau-Odernheim, that is to say, the bus links can be called acceptable. Over a former stretch of railway track in Gau-Odernheim’s municipal area in 2005, a local road bypass was built. The four roundabout
s thereby created have led to Gau-Odernheim now sometimes being called jokingly Gau-Kreiselheim, Kreisel being one word in German
for “roundabout”.
Municipalities of Germany
Municipalities are the lowest level of territorial division in Germany. This may be the fourth level of territorial division in Germany, apart from those states which include Regierungsbezirke , where municipalities then become the fifth level.-Overview:With more than 3,400,000 inhabitants, the...
belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde
Verbandsgemeinde
A Verbandsgemeinde is an administrative unit in the German Bundesländer of Rhineland-Palatinate and Saxony-Anhalt.-Rhineland-Palatinate:...
, a kind of collective municipality – in the Alzey-Worms
Alzey-Worms
Alzey-Worms is a district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is bounded by the district Groß-Gerau , the city of Worms and the districts of Bad Dürkheim, Donnersbergkreis, Bad Kreuznach and Mainz-Bingen.- History :...
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 ....
, 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 municipality lies in Rhenish Hesse and belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Alzey-LandAlzey-Land
Alzey-Land is a Verbandsgemeinde in the district Alzey-Worms, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is located around the town Alzey, which is the seat of Alzey-Land, but not part of the Verbandsgemeinde....
, whose seat is in Alzey
Alzey
Alzey is a Verband-free town – one belonging to no Verbandsgemeinde – in the Alzey-Worms district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the fourth-largest town in Rhenish Hesse, after Mainz, Worms, and Bingen....
.
Gau-Odernheim lies on the little river Selz
Selz
The Selz is a river in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, a left tributary to the Rhine. It flows through the biggest German wine region, which is called Rheinhessen....
, which snakes its way along the Petersberg (mountain). The nearest towns are Alzey
Alzey
Alzey is a Verband-free town – one belonging to no Verbandsgemeinde – in the Alzey-Worms district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the fourth-largest town in Rhenish Hesse, after Mainz, Worms, and Bingen....
(8 km) with both the district and Verbandsgemeinde seats, and Wörrstadt
Wörrstadt
Wörrstadt is a town in the Alzey-Worms district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.- Location :The town lies in Rhenish Hesse on the northwest edge of the Upper Rhine Plain...
(12 km). The state
States of Germany
Germany is made up of sixteen which are partly sovereign constituent states of the Federal Republic of Germany. Land literally translates as "country", and constitutionally speaking, they are constituent countries...
capital 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...
, 30 km away, can be reached easily on the Autobahn A 63
Bundesautobahn 63
is an autobahn in southwestern Germany. It connects the Mainz area to Kaiserslautern and the A 6 and is therefore an important connection between the Rhine/Main and the Saar areas...
. As a winegrowing centre, Gau-Odernheim lies in Germany’s biggest winegrowing district and in the middle of the Rheinhessen
Rheinhessen (wine region)
Rheinhessen is the largest of 13 German wine regions for quality wines with under cultivation in 2008. Named for the traditional region of Rhenish Hesse, it lies on the left bank of the River Rhine between Worms and Bingen in the federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate...
(Rhenish Hesse) wine region. Because it is near the Frankfurt Rhine Main Region, the municipality is also a bedroom community and therefore has many new development areas and new citizens.
Neighbouring municipalities
Gau-Odernheim’s neighbours are BechtolsheimBechtolsheim
Bechtolsheim is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Alzey-Worms district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
, Biebelnheim
Biebelnheim
Biebelnheim is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Alzey-Worms district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.- Location :...
, Framersheim
Framersheim
Framersheim is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Alzey-Worms district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.- Location :The municipality lies in Rhenish Hesse...
, Hillesheim
Hillesheim, Mainz-Bingen
Hillesheim is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Mainz-Bingen district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.- Geography :...
and Dittelsheim-Heßloch
Dittelsheim-Heßloch
Dittelsheim-Heßloch is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Alzey-Worms district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.- Location :...
.
Constituent communities
Gau-Odernheim has a main centre with the outlying centre (Ortsteil) of Gau-KöngernheimHistory
In the ninth century the relics of Rufus of MetzRufus of Metz
Rufus of Metz was, according to some sources, bishop of Metz for 29 years. He has been made a Catholic saint with his feast day on November 7.In the ninth century his relics were transferred to Gau-Odernheim in Rhenish Hesse, Diocese of Mainz....
were transferred to the local church in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Mainz.
In 1268, the vast holdings owned by the Lords of Bolanden between the Donnersberg
Donnersberg
For the Czech mountain, see MilešovkaThe Donnersberg is the highest peak of the Palatinate region of Germany. The mountain lies between the towns of Rockenhausen en Kirchheimbolanden, in the Donnersbergkreis district, which is named after the mountain. The highway A63 runs along the southern edge...
and the Rhine were shared out among offspring, among whom an open feud later broke out, which claimed some participants’ lives. At the battlefield near Ottenheim, as Gau-Odernheim was then known, at the boundary of the divided land, a so-called stone Sühnekreuz (“atonement cross”) was put up. In the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
, though, nobody wanted to have anything to do with an atonement cross; such a place was shunned and was eerie. Thus, the Ottenkreuz was eventually forgotten. Under the earth, bushes and thorny hedges it lay until those seeking it unearthed it at last. Until 2008, it could be seen on the right side of the road from Gau-Odernheim to Hillesheim; however, after a number of attempts had been made to steal the Ottenkreuz, it was secured, and beginning in 2010, those wishing to see it will be able to do so at the Gau-Odernheim town hall.
In 1286, Rudolf von Habsburg
Rudolph I of Germany
Rudolph I was King of the Romans from 1273 until his death. He played a vital role in raising the Habsburg dynasty to a leading position among the Imperial feudal dynasties...
, the King of the Romans
King of the Romans
King of the Romans was the title used by the ruler of the Holy Roman Empire following his election to the office by the princes of the Kingdom of Germany...
, granted Gau-Odernheim 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...
town freedoms. The master craftsman Erhart Falckener, who was known for his Late Gothic church furnishings, lived in Gau-Odernheim, according to a signature on a work from 1510. It is believed that he and his fellow craftsmen would have found ample work to do here, as on 1 August 1479, the whole village, but for six houses, burnt down. Sometime before 1731, the local lordship had passed to the Sturmfeder von Oppenweiler lordly family. Winegrowing was already being done in 850 on the Petersberg’s south slopes.
When the railway was built in 1896, Odernheim had its name changed to Gau-Odernheim to avoid any confusion with Odernheim am Glan
Odernheim am Glan
Odernheim am Glan is a municipality in the district of Bad Kreuznach in Rhineland-Palatinate, in western Germany. It is a village of 1,900 people. The physical setting of Odernheim is quite picturesque. It is situated on the river Glan amid rolling hills and vineyards. Nearby towns include...
.
Gau-Odernheim was an early Rhenish-Hessian National Socialist hotbed. In 1938, the municipality prided itself in “having been the first place in Rhenish Hesse in which 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...
’s idea had already gained a foothold in the years 1923 and 1924, and wherefrom it was spread into the nearer and further environs”. As early as half a year before the Machtergreifung
Machtergreifung
Machtergreifung is a German word meaning "seizure of power". It is normally used specifically to refer to the Nazi takeover of power in the democratic Weimar Republic on 30 January 1933, the day Hitler was sworn in as Chancellor of Germany, turning it into the Nazi German dictatorship.-Term:The...
, the municipality made Adolf Hitler an honorary citizen.
Since 7 June 1969, the outlying centre of Gau-Köngernheim has been part of the municipality.
Gau-Köngernheim
Gau-Köngernheim had its first documentary mention in the 9th century in a donation of cropland in Cuningeroheim in 804 to Lorsch AbbeyLorsch 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...
. Other forms of the name over the ages were Chuningernheim (1190), Kungernheim (1268), Kongernheim (1323) and Konigernheim (1464). To distinguish it from the other Köngernheim
Köngernheim
Köngernheim is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Mainz-Bingen district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.-Location:...
that lay just under 11 km away, it was called Bös-Köngernheim. In 1896 Gau-Köngernheim acquired its current name, the reason being that both municipalities were on the same railway line, which was dedicated that same year.
Municipal council
The council is made up of 20 council members, who were elected at the municipal election held on 7 June 2009, and the honorary mayor as chairman.The municipal election held on 7 June 2009 yielded the following results:
| SPD Social Democratic Party of Germany The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany... |
CDU | FWG Free Voters Free Voters is a German concept in which an association of persons participates in an election without having the status of a registered political party. Usually it is a locally organized group of voters in the form of a registered association . In most cases, Free Voters are active only at the... |
Total | |
| 2009 | 12 | - | 8 | 20 seats |
| 2004 | 11 | 4 | 5 | 20 seats |
Mayors
- Heinrich Ritter (NSDAP) 1929–1933
- …
- Karl Heinz Merker (SPD) (1984–2004)
- Bernd Westphal (SPD) (2004–present)
Coat of arms
The municipality’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: Or a king’s head and chest affronty couped gules crowned of the same and crined argent, conjoined to the shoulders wings elevated sable.
The king’s head and chest with wings are already seen in the municipality’s oldest seal, dating from 1286. The charge
Charge (heraldry)
In heraldry, a charge is any emblem or device occupying the field of an escutcheon . This may be a geometric design or a symbolic representation of a person, animal, plant, object or other device...
remained essentially unchanged until the 17th century when it was replaced with the Imperial eagle, but in 1698, the old composition was restored, albeit this time with a female figure as a supporter behind the escutcheon, no longer seen in the current arms, which have been borne since 1961.
Although the coat of arms seen in this article shows the king with black hair (“crined sable”), the blazon given here indicates silver hair (“crined argent”). The arms shown on the municipality’s own website, and at Heraldry of the World, show the king with silver hair.
Town partnerships
PulnoyPulnoy
Pulnoy is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France....
, Meurthe-et-Moselle
Meurthe-et-Moselle
Meurthe-et-Moselle is a department in the Lorraine region of France, named after the Meurthe and Moselle rivers.- History :Meurthe-et-Moselle was created in 1871 at the end of the Franco-Prussian War from the parts of the former departments of Moselle and Meurthe which remained French...
, France
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...
Pulnoy lies near Nancy.
Music
- Blasorchester 1985 e.V Gau-Odernheim (wind orchestra)
- Männergesangverein „Eintracht“ 1842/1920 e.V. (men’s singing club)
Buildings
- The Stadtschreiberhaus (“Town Clerk’s House”) is one of the loveliest and best preserved 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...
houses in Gau-Odernheim’s old centre. - The GothicGothic architectureGothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
Gau-Odernheim SimultaneousSimultaneumA shared church, or Simultankirche, Simultaneum or, more fully, simultaneum mixtum, a term first coined in 16th century Germany, is a church in which public worship is conducted by adherents of two or more religious groups. Such churches became common in Europe in the wake of the Reformation...
Church (Simultankirche Gau-Odernheim) is walled off into two parts – one Catholic and the other 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...
. The Evangelical parish uses the main nave whereas the Catholics hold their services in the chancel. The Catholic part is called Saint Rufus’s Church (St. Rufus Kirche – after Rufus of MetzRufus of MetzRufus of Metz was, according to some sources, bishop of Metz for 29 years. He has been made a Catholic saint with his feast day on November 7.In the ninth century his relics were transferred to Gau-Odernheim in Rhenish Hesse, Diocese of Mainz....
), and the Evangelical part is known as ehemalige Stadtkirche (“former town church”). - The Gasthaus „Zur Krone“ – an inn – is likewise a well preserved timber-frame house. It graces the Gau-Odernheimer Untermarkt (“Lower Market”). Up until only a few years ago, it was still possible to book guestrooms here. The times when it was once a real inn, though, are long gone.
- The Petersberghalle was built in 1990 as a multipurpose hall.
- Other noteworthy buildings are the old castle tower and the old school building.
Gau-Köngernheim
In the Nachrichtliche Verzeichnis der Kulturdenkmäler Rheinland-Pfalz für den Landkreis Alzey-Worms, in which the state lists the district’s cultural monuments, the following monuments can be found in Gau-Köngernheim:- 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, a BaroqueBaroque architectureBaroque 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...
quarrystone one-room church, possibly 18th century, rooted in earlier times. - Churchtower from 1828.
- In the churchyard, gravestones from the GründerzeitGründerzeit' refers to the economic phase in 19th century Germany and Austria before the great stock market crash of 1873. At this time in Central Europe the age of industrialisation was taking place, whose beginnings were found in the 1840s...
, the latter half of the 19th century. - Former Evangelical rectory, one-storey building with hipped Mansard roof from 1770.
Natural monuments
In the vineyards on the Lieberg in Gau-Odernheim can be found the greatest assemblage of wild tulipTulip
The tulip is a perennial, bulbous plant with showy flowers in the genus Tulipa, which comprises 109 species and belongs to the family Liliaceae. The genus's native range extends from as far west as Southern Europe, North Africa, Anatolia, and Iran to the Northwest of China. The tulip's centre of...
s north of the Alps
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
. For blossoming time in late April, the local conservation group stages the Wildtulpenfest (“Wild Tulip Festival”) each year on their Natur-Erlebnis-Platz (“Nature Adventure Square”).
Economy and infrastructure
The municipality is mainly characterized by winegrowing and agricultureAgriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
. Moreover there are a car dealer in the community, four food markets and two butcher shops. One of these butcher shops was cited in 2004 by the magazine Der Feinschmecker as “2004’s best butcher”. In 2006, the Fleischwurst
Bologna sausage
Bologna sausage is an American sausage derived from and definitely not similar to the Italian mortadella . It is commonly called boloney, baloney or, more formally, bologna...
made at the very same butcher shop was chosen by the Zentralgenossenschaft des Deutschen Fleischergewerbes (“Central Coöperative of the German Butcher’s Trade”) as one of the four best in all Germany.
Also resident in Gau-Odernheim is the three-time winner of the 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 ....
state
States of Germany
Germany is made up of sixteen which are partly sovereign constituent states of the Federal Republic of Germany. Land literally translates as "country", and constitutionally speaking, they are constituent countries...
government’s multimedia contest in 2001, 2002 and 2005/2006 for, among other things, a school administration system for Alzey-Worms district schools and a canteen supervision programme for all-day schools.
Transport
For a place of its size, the transport links to Gau-Odernheim can be described as very good. The Autobahn A 63Bundesautobahn 63
is an autobahn in southwestern Germany. It connects the Mainz area to Kaiserslautern and the A 6 and is therefore an important connection between the Rhine/Main and the Saar areas...
can be reached after a 4.5 km drive to the Biebelnheim
Biebelnheim
Biebelnheim is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Alzey-Worms district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.- Location :...
interchange
Interchange (road)
In the field of road transport, an interchange is a road junction that typically uses grade separation, and one or more ramps, to permit traffic on at least one highway to pass through the junction without directly crossing any other traffic stream. It differs from a standard intersection, at which...
, and also the Alzey
Alzey
Alzey is a Verband-free town – one belonging to no Verbandsgemeinde – in the Alzey-Worms district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the fourth-largest town in Rhenish Hesse, after Mainz, Worms, and Bingen....
interchange on the A 61
Bundesautobahn 61
is an autobahn in Germany that connects the border to the Netherlands near Venlo in the northwest to the interchange with A 6 near Hockenheim. In 1965, this required a re-design of the Hockenheimring....
is only 6 km from Gau-Odernheim. The A 63 links Gau-Odernheim with 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 Kaiserslautern
Kaiserslautern
Kaiserslautern is a city in southwest Germany, located in the Bundesland of Rhineland-Palatinate at the edge of the Palatinate forest . The historic centre dates to the 9th century. It is from Paris, from Frankfurt am Main, and from Luxembourg.Kaiserslautern is home to 99,469 people...
. Ludwigshafen and the Rhine-Neckar area can be reached over the A 61. Towards the north, the A 61 is a link to 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...
, Mönchengladbach
Mönchengladbach
Mönchengladbach , formerly known as Münchengladbach, is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located west of the Rhine half way between Düsseldorf and the Dutch border....
and the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
.
On the other hand, Gau-Odernheim no longer has any railway link, but all buses that run from 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...
or 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...
to Alzey
Alzey
Alzey is a Verband-free town – one belonging to no Verbandsgemeinde – in the Alzey-Worms district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the fourth-largest town in Rhenish Hesse, after Mainz, Worms, and Bingen....
stop in Gau-Odernheim, that is to say, the bus links can be called acceptable. Over a former stretch of railway track in Gau-Odernheim’s municipal area in 2005, a local road bypass was built. The four roundabout
Roundabout
A roundabout is the name for a road junction in which traffic moves in one direction around a central island. The word dates from the early 20th century. Roundabouts are common in many countries around the world...
s thereby created have led to Gau-Odernheim now sometimes being called jokingly Gau-Kreiselheim, Kreisel being one word 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....
for “roundabout”.
Education
- Grundschule Gau-Odernheim (primary school)
- 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...
am Alten Schloss (formerly: Grund- und HauptschuleHauptschuleA Hauptschule is a secondary school in Germany and Austria, starting after 4 years of elementary schooling, which offers Lower Secondary Education according to the International Standard Classification of Education...
Gau-Odernheim)
Sons and daughters of the town
- Heinrich Ritter, first NSDAP mayor in the People’s State of Hesse, 1929, thereafter, among other things, the Chief Mayor of Mainz from 1942 to 1945.
- Jürgen StarkJürgen StarkJürgen Stark is a German economist who has been a member of the Executive Board of the European Central Bank from June 2006, but announced in September 2011 he would resign later that year...
(b. 31 May 1948), vice-president of Deutsche BundesbankDeutsche BundesbankThe Deutsche Bundesbank is the central bank of the Federal Republic of Germany and as such part of the European System of Central Banks . Due to its strength and former size, the Bundesbank is the most influential member of the ESCB. Both the Deutsche Bundesbank and the European Central Bank are... - Ernst Walter Görisch, Landrat of Alzey-Worms district
- Oliver Drexler, repeat combat sportCombat sportA Combat sport, also known as a Fighting sport, is a competitive contact sport where two combatants fight against each other using certain rules of engagement , typically with the aim of simulating parts of real hand to hand combat...
world champion - Kathrin Paukner, Rhenish-Hessian Wine Princess 2006/2007
Famous people associated with the municipality
- Jobst II Reuber (1542–1607) owner of the Odernheim estate, jurist and Electoral Palatinate chancellor
Other
In the local dialect, Gau-Odernheim is called Orem, with a long O and unstressed E (ˈoːʁəm).Further reading
- Die Geschichte von Gau-Odernheim. Hrsg. von der Gemeinde Gau-Odernheim. 5 Bde. Krach, Mainz 1954ff.
- Bd 1. H. Gredy: Geschichte der ehemaligen freien Reichsstadt „Odernheim“. Mit e. Ansicht von Odernheim nach Merian u.d. alten städt. Siegeln. Aus mehreren 100 bisher unbekannten Urkunden u. Schriftstücken u. einigen bekannten zsgest. Krach, Mainz 1954.
- Bd 2. Christoph Einsfeld, Adam Reck, Heinrich Mildenberger: Die Geschichte von Gau-Odernheim. Bilderbd. und Ergänzungen über die letzten 100 Jahre. Krach, Mainz 1957.
- Bd 3. Ernst Mayer: Die Geschichte von Gau-Odernheim 1957–1984. Gau-Odernheim 1985.
- Bd 4. Ernst Mayer: Bildband Gau-Odernheim. Gau-Odernheim 1986.
- Bd 5. Heinz-Jürgen Boller, Ernst Mayer: Die Geschichte von Gau-Odernheim 1985 bis 2005. Gau-Odernheim 2006.
- Helmut Schmahl: Das Simultaneum in Gau-Odernheim vom 17. bis zum 19. Jahrhundert. In: Mitteilungsblatt zur rheinhessischen Landeskunde. NF 6. Themenheft Gau-Odernheim. Alzey 6.2004, S.17-23.
- Jürgen Kaiser, Uwe Dettmer (Fotos): Simultankirche Gau-Odernheim. Kunstführer. Bd 2498. Schnell und Steiner, Regensburg 2002. ISBN 3-7954-6406-4