Gerach
Encyclopedia
Gerach is a community in the Upper Franconia
n district of Bamberg
and a member of the administrative community (Verwaltungsgemeinschaft) of Baunach. It lies in the Naturpark Haßberge (nature park) roughly 20 km north of Bamberg
and roughly 10 km south of Ebern
.
n rule when Secularization
came in 1803. With the border adjustments made in 1810, it passed to the Grand Duchy of Würzburg, with which it once again passed to Bavaria in 1814, this time for good.
The community council is made up of 12 members, listed here by party or voter community affiliation, and also with the number of seats that each holds:
s, amounted to €506,000 of which business taxes (net) amounted to €173,000.
The municipal arms recall the noble family of Rotenhan (which means “Red Cock” rather than the golden one seen in the arms), the village’s owners from the 15th to 18th century. At the same time, the cock
is also Saint Vitus’s faunal emblem, and it is to him that the local Catholic
church is consecrated.
Kirche Sankt Vitus is said to be one of Franconia
’s oldest churches and parts of it date from the 12th century. A relief
on the church door shows the martyr
Vitus praying in a kettle of hot oil. In the church square is found a warriors’ memorial.
When touring the village, one can see historic timber-frame
houses, stone field crosses and Felsenkeller (“cliff cellars”) in the sandstone
hill. In the outlying centre of Mauschendorf stands the Zur Jägersruh inn
, which is protected as a monument, and which is one of the district’s oldest inns.
Gerach took part successfully many times in the contest Unser Dorf soll schöner werden (“Our village ought to become lovelier”).
Upper Franconia
Upper Franconia is a Regierungsbezirk of the state of Bavaria, southern Germany. It forms part of the historically significant region of Franconia , all now part of the German Federal State of Bayern .With more than 200 independent breweries which brew...
n district of Bamberg
Bamberg (district)
Bamberg Land is a district in Bavaria, Germany. It surrounds but does not include the town of Bamberg. The district is bounded by the districts of Lichtenfels, Bayreuth, Forchheim, Erlangen-Höchstadt, Neustadt -Bad Windsheim, Kitzingen, Schweinfurt and Haßberge.- History :The history of the...
and a member of the administrative community (Verwaltungsgemeinschaft) of Baunach. It lies in the Naturpark Haßberge (nature park) roughly 20 km north of Bamberg
Bamberg
Bamberg is a city in Bavaria, Germany. It is located in Upper Franconia on the river Regnitz, close to its confluence with the river Main. Bamberg is one of the few cities in Germany that was not destroyed by World War II bombings because of a nearby Artillery Factory that prevented planes from...
and roughly 10 km south of Ebern
Ebern
Ebern is a town in the Haßberge district, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated 22 km southwest of Coburg and 23 km northwest of Bamberg.The population of Ebern is about 8,000 people. Its mayor is Robert Herrmann....
.
History
Gerach had its first documentary mention on 10 March 1396, although the settlement is believed to be considerably older. Through many sales and donations, Gerach passed through many hands over the following centuries, belonging for a while to the Lords of Schaumburg, and those of Rotenhan. In 1750, the community passed to the Prince-Bishopric of Bamberg. As a part of the High Monastery at Bamberg, Gerach fell under BavariaBavaria
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...
n rule when Secularization
Secularization
Secularization is the transformation of a society from close identification with religious values and institutions toward non-religious values and secular institutions...
came in 1803. With the border adjustments made in 1810, it passed to the Grand Duchy of Würzburg, with which it once again passed to Bavaria in 1814, this time for good.
Politics
The mayor is Gunther Stegner (CSU).The community council is made up of 12 members, listed here by party or voter community affiliation, and also with the number of seats that each holds:
- CSUChristian Social Union of BavariaThe Christian Social Union in Bavaria is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It operates only in the state of Bavaria, while its sister party, the Christian Democratic Union , operates in the other 15 states of Germany...
5 - UWG 4
- SPDSocial Democratic Party of GermanyThe Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
3
Municipal taxes
In 1999, municipal tax revenue, converted to euroEuro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
s, amounted to €506,000 of which business taxes (net) amounted to €173,000.
Coat of arms
Gerach’s arms might heraldically be described thus: Party per pale sable and argent, sable a cock sinister Or, argent a bend sinister wavy gules above which a mullet gules.The municipal arms recall the noble family of Rotenhan (which means “Red Cock” rather than the golden one seen in the arms), the village’s owners from the 15th to 18th century. At the same time, the cock
Rooster
A rooster, also known as a cockerel, cock or chanticleer, is a male chicken with the female being called a hen. Immature male chickens of less than a year's age are called cockerels...
is also Saint Vitus’s faunal emblem, and it is to him that the local Catholic
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
church is consecrated.
Sightseeing
The Late RomanesqueRomanesque architecture
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
Kirche Sankt Vitus is said to be one of Franconia
Franconia
Franconia is a region of Germany comprising the northern parts of the modern state of Bavaria, a small part of southern Thuringia, and a region in northeastern Baden-Württemberg called Tauberfranken...
’s oldest churches and parts of it date from the 12th century. A relief
Relief
Relief is a sculptural technique. The term relief is from the Latin verb levo, to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is thus to give the impression that the sculpted material has been raised above the background plane...
on the church door shows the martyr
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
Vitus praying in a kettle of hot oil. In the church square is found a warriors’ memorial.
When touring the village, one can see historic 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, stone field crosses and Felsenkeller (“cliff cellars”) in the sandstone
Sandstone
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,...
hill. In the outlying centre of Mauschendorf stands the Zur Jägersruh inn
INN
InterNetNews is a Usenet news server package, originally released by Rich Salz in 1991, and presented at the Summer 1992 USENIX conference in San Antonio, Texas...
, which is protected as a monument, and which is one of the district’s oldest inns.
Gerach took part successfully many times in the contest Unser Dorf soll schöner werden (“Our village ought to become lovelier”).
Population development
| Year | Inhabitants | Year | Inhabitants |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 796 | 1996 | 1,000 |
| 1970 | 905 | 1997 | 1,007 |
| 1987 | 927 | 1998 | 998 |
| 1989 | 962 | 1999 | 1,019 |
| 1991 | 957 | 2000 | 1,018 |
| 1993 | 965 | 2001 | 1,014 |
| 1994 | 955 | 2002 | 1,000 |
| 1995 | 967 | 2003 | 1,010 |
External links
- Bell peals from Gerach (Bayerischer Rundfunk)
- Community’s website