Mossautal
Encyclopedia
Mossautal in the Odenwald
is a community and a state-recognized health resort in the Odenwaldkreis
(district) in Hesse
, Germany
.
.
The Nibelungenstraße (Bundesstraße
47) touches Mossautal in the north and the Siegfriedstraße (Bundesstraße 460) runs through the community in the south. The surrounding countryside is also used as a holiday destination in the UNESCO
Geo-Naturpark Bergstraße-Odenwald on the Marbach Reservoir
, the Odenwald’s biggest body of standing water.
Mossautal is well known as a textbook example of a Waldhufendorf
("forest village").
and the town of Michelstadt
, in the east on the town of Erbach, in the south on the town of Beerfelden
(all in the Odenwaldkreis), and in the west on the communities of Wald-Michelbach
, Grasellenbach
and Fürth (all three in the Bergstraße district).
might heraldically be described thus: Party per saltire, above gules a Hiberno-Scottish cross (called an Iroschottenkreuz in the German
blazon) argent, below gules a Maltese cross
argent, dexter and sinister argent a mullet of six gules.
in the form of holiday homes, conference hotels and guesthouses
. There are also a brewery
and a dairy
on hand. Furthermore, fish farming
earns some income. The main industry is now, as it has always been, agriculture
and forestry
.
Odenwald
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...
is a community and a state-recognized health resort 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:...
(district) 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 at elevations of between 300 and 500 m above sea levelSea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
.
The Nibelungenstraße (Bundesstraße
Bundesstraße
Bundesstraße , abbreviated B, is the denotation for German and Austrian national highways.-Germany:...
47) touches Mossautal in the north and the Siegfriedstraße (Bundesstraße 460) runs through the community in the south. The surrounding countryside is also used as a holiday destination in the UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
Geo-Naturpark Bergstraße-Odenwald on the Marbach Reservoir
Reservoir
A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
, the Odenwald’s biggest body of standing water.
Mossautal is well known as a textbook example of a Waldhufendorf
Waldhufendorf
The Waldhufendorf is a form of rural settlement established in areas of forest clearing with the farms arranged in a series along a road or stream, like beads on a chain...
("forest village").
Neighbouring communities
Mossautal borders in the north on the community of ReichelsheimReichelsheim (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....
and the town of Michelstadt
Michelstadt
Michelstadt in the Odenwald is a town in the Odenwaldkreis in southern Hesse, Germany between Darmstadt and Heidelberg.- Location :Michelstadt is the biggest town in the Odenwaldkreis and borders on the district seat of Erbach....
, in the east on the town of Erbach, in the south on the town of Beerfelden
Beerfelden
Beerfelden is a town in the Odenwald in the Odenwaldkreis in Hesse, Germany, 28 km northeast of Heidelberg. The region around Beerfelden has for touristic reasons been dubbed the Beerfelder Land.-Location:...
(all in the Odenwaldkreis), and in the west on the communities of Wald-Michelbach
Wald-Michelbach
Wald-Michelbach is a community in the Bergstraße district in Hesse, Germany.Through Wald-Michelbach runs the now disused Überwaldbahn .-Hardberg:...
, 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...
and Fürth (all three in the Bergstraße district).
Constituent communities
Mossautal’s Ortsteile are Güttersbach, Hiltersklingen, Hüttenthal, Ober-Mossau and Unter-Mossau (the community’s administrative seat).Politics
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 | 29.8 | 4 | 22.0 | 3 |
| 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... |
23.3 | 4 | 33.1 | 5 |
| ÜWG | Überparteiliche Wählergemeinschaft Mossautal | 46.8 | 7 | 44.9 | 7 |
| Total | 100.0 | 15 | 100.0 | 15 | |
| Voter turnout in % | 58.5 | 67.3 | |||
Mayor
At the mayoral election on 25 April 2004, the independent Willi Keil, who has been in the mayor’s office since 1986, was reëlected unopposed with 97.2% 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 heraldically be described thus: Party per saltire, above gules a Hiberno-Scottish cross (called an Iroschottenkreuz in the 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....
blazon) argent, below gules a Maltese cross
Maltese cross
The Maltese cross, also known as the Amalfi cross, is identified as the symbol of an order of Christian warriors known as the Knights Hospitaller or Knights of Malta and through them came to be identified with the Mediterranean island of Malta and is one of the National symbols of Malta...
argent, dexter and sinister argent a mullet of six gules.
Sightseeing
- Marbach Reservoir
- Johanniterkirche in Ober-Mossau (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...
, founded by the Order of Saint John) - Quellkirche in Güttersbach (“springSpring (hydrosphere)A spring—also known as a rising or resurgence—is a component of the hydrosphere. Specifically, it is any natural situation where water flows to the surface of the earth from underground...
church”) - Siegfriedsbrunnen/Lindelbrunnen in Hüttenthal (spring)
Regular events
- IVV – Volkswanderung (“people’s hike”); each year on the first weekend in April
- Countryfest der Greenhorns; each year on 1 May at the leisure facility in Hiltersklingen
- Günter-Ihrig-Gedächtnisturnier; each year at Corpus ChristiCorpus Christi (feast)Corpus Christi is a Latin Rite solemnity, now designated the solemnity of The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ . It is also celebrated in some Anglican, Lutheran and Old Catholic Churches. Like Trinity Sunday and the Solemnity of Christ the King, it does not commemorate a particular event in...
on the sporting field in Hiltersklingen a football tournament for amateur teams is held. - Schmucker Open-Air; each year on the last weekend in July an open-air festival is held at the Schmucker Private Brewery’s premises.
- Volkslauf Güttersbach; each year on the first weekend in August there is a “public walk” for everybody, with two different courses.
- Hiltersklinger Quetschekerwe; each year on the third weekend in August a church consecration festival is held at the leisure facility in Hiltersklingen.
- Hof- und Dreschfest; each year on the third weekend in August there is a “farm and threshing festival” at Miedtke Farm in Hüttenthal.
- Landerleben; every three years in September the community of Mossautal presents its businesses. There are also various leisure activities.
Economy
The community’s livelihood comes from, for example, tourismTourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
in the form of holiday homes, conference hotels and guesthouses
Boarding house
A boarding house, is a house in which lodgers rent one or more rooms for one or more nights, and sometimes for extended periods of weeks, months and years. The common parts of the house are maintained, and some services, such as laundry and cleaning, may be supplied. They normally provide "bed...
. There are also a brewery
Brewery
A brewery is a dedicated building for the making of beer, though beer can be made at home, and has been for much of beer's history. A company which makes beer is called either a brewery or a brewing company....
and a dairy
Dairy
A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting of animal milk—mostly from cows or goats, but also from buffalo, sheep, horses or camels —for human consumption. A dairy is typically located on a dedicated dairy farm or section of a multi-purpose farm that is concerned...
on hand. Furthermore, fish farming
Fish farming
Fish farming is the principal form of aquaculture, while other methods may fall under mariculture. Fish farming involves raising fish commercially in tanks or enclosures, usually for food. A facility that releases young fish into the wild for recreational fishing or to supplement a species'...
earns some income. The main industry is now, as it has always been, agriculture
Agriculture
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...
and forestry
Forestry
Forestry is the interdisciplinary profession embracing the science, art, and craft of creating, managing, using, and conserving forests and associated resources in a sustainable manner to meet desired goals, needs, and values for human benefit. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands...
.