Laufach
Encyclopedia
Laufach is a community in the Aschaffenburg district
in the Regierungsbezirk
of Lower Franconia
(Unterfranken) in Bavaria
, Germany
.
. Laufach lies in the heart of the Vorspessart
(range) and stretches through its outlying centre of Hain into the High Spessart. The community’s elevation ranges from 170 to 500 m above sea level
.
from Saints Peter’s and Alexander’s Monastery in Aschaffenburg. Laufach’s name came from the stream on which it was built. Over the years, the community’s name has changed many times, from Laufache in 1182, to Loifahe in 1191, to Loupha in 1348, to Lauffach around 1528 and 1624 before settling on Laufach in the early 19th century.
The Laufach valley was settled under the protection of the Counts of Rieneck, who already held the Vogtei (position of Vogt
) from the Archbishopric of Mainz
and the collegiate church
in Aschaffenburg. On the Rieneck free court in 1380 – where Schöffen (roughly “lay jurists”) from Laufach were specifically mentioned – sat settlers as free citizens.
In the mid 14th century, glass
makers were brought into service in the High Spessart with special incentives. Since they had to leave the forest from Martinmas (11 November) until Easter
, they sought winter dwellings in Hain and Laufach. Many of these workers settled down here owing to family ties. Already by 1469, there was a mine near the “Weyber” Palace (Schloss „Weyber“, Weyberhöfe). In “Unserer lieber Frauen Teil”, presumably part of the “Liebesgrund” (“Love Ground”), copper was mined. After the Thirty Years' War
, ores were mined and smelted.
In the mid 18th century, in the area of today’s sporting ground, a hammermill was built. The building of a railway in the years 1850 to 1854 had a very positive effect on the community’s industrial development. With the railway station, an important transport link with Aschaffenburg and the whole Lower Main was brought into being. In the course of time, the ironworks became a self-contained industry in which both the mining and the processing were done, yielding a finished product.
Even trades and crafts were important to Laufach quite early on. From earlier craft businesses grew highly productive operations.
In 1866, shortly after the Austro-Prussian War
broke out, the Engagements near Frohnhofen between Prussia
and troops of the German Confederation
took place.
In 1984, the community of Laufach celebrated 900 years of existence. On this occasion, local clubs helped bring about many different events and a memorable and unique festive week.
The longtime residents’ industry and newcomers’ determination burst from the old community core and led to thoroughly new residential areas being built.
Frohnhofen and the outlying centre of Hain thus developed themselves into purely residential areas in which the greater share of the inhabitants earned their income in the industrial and commercial businesses in Laufach, Aschaffenburg and the surrounding area. Laufach’s economy underwent a shift from agriculture to industry.
To further foster commercial-industrial growth, the Laufach-Ost commercial area was developed, covering an eight-hectare area between Laufach and Hain. Another such area was developed in 2001 on a four-hectare area between Laufach and Frohnhofen.
church in the community core. Once, until 1184, people living in the Laufach valley had to go to the Aschaffenburg Mother of God Parish for church services, then from 1184 to 1250 to Bessenbach, and then from 1250 to 1810 to Sailauf.
On 28 November 1810, Laufach, together with Hain, was raised to a double parish. In 1812, a bigger church was built, which then stood on the Kirchberg (“Church Mountain”) until 1962.
In 1964, on the same spot, a new church building was consecrated to Saint Thomas More
.
In 1995, Saint Peter’s Evangelical Church (Petruskirche) celebrated its 90th birthday.
began in 1618, Laufach was a village with 76 Unterthanen (a word that usually means “subjects” in German
, but in this case it means “men or families”) – all together 300 inhabitants. After the disastrous war, according to a description of properties from 1651, there were 12 men and 33 “hearth places” (houses). Through an energetic promotional effort by the Elector of Mainz, the depopulated Spessart was newly settled with soldiers, craftsmen and foreigners. The old family names had disappeared and new ones made their appearance. In 1668, Laufach had 72 households and 105 inhabitants.
Until Napoleonic times, Laufach belonged to Electoral Mainz
. From 1803 to 1810 it belonged to the Principality of Aschaffenburg
, then passing until 1813 to the Grand Duchy of Frankfurt
. Since 1814, Laufach has been on Bavarian soil. At that time, Laufach and Frohnhofen counted all together 115 houses with 161 households and 1,451 inhabitants. The inflow of those driven from their homelands
by the Second World War brought the population up to 2,552 in 1950. In 1967 there were more than 3,000 inhabitants in Laufach, among them 56 foreigners. With municipal reform in 1978 and the attendant amalgamation of the community of Hain im Spessart, the population rose to 4,545 all told, 2,995 from Laufach, 687 from Frohnhofen and 863 from Hain. In mid 2001, 5,267 persons were living in Laufach, among them 580 foreigners from 42 different nations.
(as at municipal election held on 2 March 2008)
might be described thus: Gules a sprig of three oakleaves Or, in base a sledge and a cross-peen hammer in saltire argent.
The oakleaves shown in the arms refer to Laufach’s location in the Spessart, which is rich in oaks. The crossed tools in the base are symbolic of the old iron mines and ironworks.
The arms were conferred on 19 September 1969.
The former community of Hain once bore its own arms.
26, by rail (Laufach station on the Aschaffenburg-Würzburg line, served by the Regionalbahn
) and on the nearby A 3.
Aschaffenburg (district)
Aschaffenburg is a district in Bavaria, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Darmstadt-Dieburg, Offenbach, Main-Kinzig , the districts Main-Spessart and Miltenberg, and the town of Aschaffenburg....
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 Lower Franconia
Lower Franconia
Lower Franconia is one of the three administrative regions of Franconia in Bavaria , Germany ....
(Unterfranken) 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...
, 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 northwest Bavaria east of AschaffenburgAschaffenburg
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"...
. Laufach lies in the heart of the Vorspessart
Spessart
The Spessart is a low mountain range in northwestern Bavaria and southern Hesse, Germany. It is bordered on three sides by the Main River. The two most important towns located at the foot of the Spessart are Aschaffenburg and Würzburg....
(range) and stretches through its outlying centre of Hain into the High Spessart. The community’s elevation ranges from 170 to 500 m above sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
.
Constituent communities
Laufach’s Ortsteile are Frohnhofen (898 inhabitants), Hain (1177 inhabitants) and Laufach (3204 inhabitants).History
In 1084, Laufach, which was originally known as Laufahe, had its first documentary mention in an obituaryObituary
An obituary is a news article that reports the recent death of a person, typically along with an account of the person's life and information about the upcoming funeral. In large cities and larger newspapers, obituaries are written only for people considered significant...
from Saints Peter’s and Alexander’s Monastery in Aschaffenburg. Laufach’s name came from the stream on which it was built. Over the years, the community’s name has changed many times, from Laufache in 1182, to Loifahe in 1191, to Loupha in 1348, to Lauffach around 1528 and 1624 before settling on Laufach in the early 19th century.
The Laufach valley was settled under the protection of the Counts of Rieneck, who already held the Vogtei (position of Vogt
Vogt
A Vogt ; plural Vögte; Dutch voogd; Danish foged; ; ultimately from Latin [ad]vocatus) in the Holy Roman Empire was the German title of a reeve or advocate, an overlord exerting guardianship or military protection as well as secular justice...
) from the Archbishopric of Mainz
Archbishopric of Mainz
The Archbishopric of Mainz or Electorate of Mainz was an influential ecclesiastic and secular prince-bishopric in the Holy Roman Empire between 780–82 and 1802. In the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy, the Archbishop of Mainz was the primas Germaniae, the substitute of the Pope north of the Alps...
and the collegiate church
Collegiate church
In Christianity, a collegiate church is a church where the daily office of worship is maintained by a college of canons; a non-monastic, or "secular" community of clergy, organised as a self-governing corporate body, which may be presided over by a dean or provost...
in Aschaffenburg. On the Rieneck free court in 1380 – where Schöffen (roughly “lay jurists”) from Laufach were specifically mentioned – sat settlers as free citizens.
In the mid 14th century, glass
Glass
Glass is an amorphous solid material. Glasses are typically brittle and optically transparent.The most familiar type of glass, used for centuries in windows and drinking vessels, is soda-lime glass, composed of about 75% silica plus Na2O, CaO, and several minor additives...
makers were brought into service in the High Spessart with special incentives. Since they had to leave the forest from Martinmas (11 November) until Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
, they sought winter dwellings in Hain and Laufach. Many of these workers settled down here owing to family ties. Already by 1469, there was a mine near the “Weyber” Palace (Schloss „Weyber“, Weyberhöfe). In “Unserer lieber Frauen Teil”, presumably part of the “Liebesgrund” (“Love Ground”), copper was mined. After the Thirty Years' War
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
, ores were mined and smelted.
In the mid 18th century, in the area of today’s sporting ground, a hammermill was built. The building of a railway in the years 1850 to 1854 had a very positive effect on the community’s industrial development. With the railway station, an important transport link with Aschaffenburg and the whole Lower Main was brought into being. In the course of time, the ironworks became a self-contained industry in which both the mining and the processing were done, yielding a finished product.
Even trades and crafts were important to Laufach quite early on. From earlier craft businesses grew highly productive operations.
In 1866, shortly after the Austro-Prussian War
Austro-Prussian War
The Austro-Prussian War was a war fought in 1866 between the German Confederation under the leadership of the Austrian Empire and its German allies on one side and the Kingdom of Prussia with its German allies and Italy on the...
broke out, the Engagements near Frohnhofen between Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
and troops of the German Confederation
German Confederation
The German Confederation was the loose association of Central European states created by the Congress of Vienna in 1815 to coordinate the economies of separate German-speaking countries. It acted as a buffer between the powerful states of Austria and Prussia...
took place.
In 1984, the community of Laufach celebrated 900 years of existence. On this occasion, local clubs helped bring about many different events and a memorable and unique festive week.
The longtime residents’ industry and newcomers’ determination burst from the old community core and led to thoroughly new residential areas being built.
Frohnhofen and the outlying centre of Hain thus developed themselves into purely residential areas in which the greater share of the inhabitants earned their income in the industrial and commercial businesses in Laufach, Aschaffenburg and the surrounding area. Laufach’s economy underwent a shift from agriculture to industry.
To further foster commercial-industrial growth, the Laufach-Ost commercial area was developed, covering an eight-hectare area between Laufach and Hain. Another such area was developed in 2001 on a four-hectare area between Laufach and Frohnhofen.
Religion
There are a Catholic church and an EvangelicalEvangelical Church in Germany
The 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 the community core. Once, until 1184, people living in the Laufach valley had to go to the Aschaffenburg Mother of God Parish for church services, then from 1184 to 1250 to Bessenbach, and then from 1250 to 1810 to Sailauf.
On 28 November 1810, Laufach, together with Hain, was raised to a double parish. In 1812, a bigger church was built, which then stood on the Kirchberg (“Church Mountain”) until 1962.
In 1964, on the same spot, a new church building was consecrated to Saint Thomas More
Thomas More
Sir Thomas More , also known by Catholics as Saint Thomas More, was an English lawyer, social philosopher, author, statesman and noted Renaissance humanist. He was an important councillor to Henry VIII of England and, for three years toward the end of his life, Lord Chancellor...
.
In 1995, Saint Peter’s Evangelical Church (Petruskirche) celebrated its 90th birthday.
Population development
Before the Thirty Years' WarThirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
began in 1618, Laufach was a village with 76 Unterthanen (a word that usually means “subjects” 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....
, but in this case it means “men or families”) – all together 300 inhabitants. After the disastrous war, according to a description of properties from 1651, there were 12 men and 33 “hearth places” (houses). Through an energetic promotional effort by the Elector of Mainz, the depopulated Spessart was newly settled with soldiers, craftsmen and foreigners. The old family names had disappeared and new ones made their appearance. In 1668, Laufach had 72 households and 105 inhabitants.
Until Napoleonic times, Laufach belonged to Electoral Mainz
Archbishopric of Mainz
The Archbishopric of Mainz or Electorate of Mainz was an influential ecclesiastic and secular prince-bishopric in the Holy Roman Empire between 780–82 and 1802. In the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy, the Archbishop of Mainz was the primas Germaniae, the substitute of the Pope north of the Alps...
. From 1803 to 1810 it belonged to the Principality of Aschaffenburg
Principality of Aschaffenburg
The Principality of Aschaffenburg was a principality of the Holy Roman Empire and the Confederation of the Rhine from 1803–10. Its capital was Aschaffenburg....
, then passing until 1813 to the Grand Duchy of Frankfurt
Grand Duchy of Frankfurt
The Grand Duchy of Frankfurt was a German satellite state of Napoleonic creation. It came into existence in 1810 through the combination of the former territories of the Archbishops of Mainz along with the Free Imperial City of Frankfurt itself....
. Since 1814, Laufach has been on Bavarian soil. At that time, Laufach and Frohnhofen counted all together 115 houses with 161 households and 1,451 inhabitants. The inflow of those driven from their homelands
Heimatvertriebene
Heimatvertriebene are those around 12 million ethnic Germans who fled or were expelled after World War II from parts of Germany annexed by Poland and Russia, and from other countries, who found refuge in both West and East Germany, and Austria...
by the Second World War brought the population up to 2,552 in 1950. In 1967 there were more than 3,000 inhabitants in Laufach, among them 56 foreigners. With municipal reform in 1978 and the attendant amalgamation of the community of Hain im Spessart, the population rose to 4,545 all told, 2,995 from Laufach, 687 from Frohnhofen and 863 from Hain. In mid 2001, 5,267 persons were living in Laufach, among them 580 foreigners from 42 different nations.
Community council
The council is made up of 20 council members, counting the fulltime mayor, Valentin Weber (Freie Wähler).| CSU Christian Social Union of Bavaria The 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... |
SPD Social Democratic Party of Germany The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany... |
Freie Wähler | Total | |
| 2008 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 20 seats |
(as at municipal election held on 2 March 2008)
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: Gules a sprig of three oakleaves Or, in base a sledge and a cross-peen hammer in saltire argent.
The oakleaves shown in the arms refer to Laufach’s location in the Spessart, which is rich in oaks. The crossed tools in the base are symbolic of the old iron mines and ironworks.
The arms were conferred on 19 September 1969.
The former community of Hain once bore its own arms.
Transport
Laufach can be reached over BundesstraßeBundesstraße
Bundesstraße , abbreviated B, is the denotation for German and Austrian national highways.-Germany:...
26, by rail (Laufach station on the Aschaffenburg-Würzburg line, served by the Regionalbahn
RegionalBahn
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...
) and on the nearby A 3.
Public institutions
- South of the church, on the Laufachbach (stream), stands the town hall, built in 1956 and last renovated in 2002, next to the new Laufach fire station.
- The other fire stations in Frohnhofen and Hain were renovated in 1992 and 1995 with the fire brigade’s involvement. The three formerly independent fire stations in the community’s three centres, under a reorganization, joined together on 1 July 2004 under the new name Feuerwehr Gemeinde Laufach.
- In 1994 the newly established Kindergarten Hain as well as the building yard in the Laufach-Ost commercial area came into service.
- In 1999 a long-held wish of Laufach’s youth came true when a youth centre was established. This was, however, closed and is now used for other ends.
- In 2000 the Frohnhofen-Ost commercial area was developed as a “home-grown model”, where Laufach building interesrs could choose from among 43 reasonably priced building plots.
Institutions
- EPDA = European Plastic Distribution Association – In 2006 the European dealer in plastic products relocated the European Contact Office to Laufach-Frohnhofen. It is headed by Sabine Reinhold.
Education
- A combined school housing both a primary school and a 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...
serves youth from all three constituent communities. - In 1970, this school building was also furnished with an indoor swimming pool, which is open not only to students’ use but also to the general public’s. Recently it was renovated and the basin was given various extras.
- In 1985, Laufach got its long sought, modern school sport hall, which together with the outdoor sporting facilities may be used by other clubs outside school hours.
- After the community’s oldest gymnasium was torn down, another one was built between Laufach and the outlying centre of Frohnhofen, giving the community further sporting opportunities (among others bowling and badminton)