Mömlingen
Encyclopedia
Mömlingen is a municipality
in the Miltenberg district
in the Regierungsbezirk
of Lower Franconia
(Unterfranken) in Bavaria
, Germany
.
on the Bavaria-Hesse
boundary in the charming Mümling valley. Bordering on Mömlingen are the Bavarian district of Aschaffenburg
in the north, and in the west the two Hessian districts of Darmstadt-Dieburg
and Odenwaldkreis
.
and sporadic finds, some of which go back to the Stone Age
. From Roman
times come parts of so-called Jupiter Column
s (or Jupitergigantensäulen in German
) and other worship stones. They show, together with the many traces of Roman country houses (villae rusticae
) in the heights all around Mömlingen, the extent of the once mighty Roman Empire
, which only a few kilometres away to the east held its frontier at the “Wet Limes
”, namely the Main.
settlement beginning in the 6th century in what is now the heart of the community is witnessed by an extensive row grave field unearthed by archaeologists west of the village. Besides the many graves with scanty or missing grave goods
, graves with extraordinarily rich appointments were discovered, such as a Mainz gold coin and remnants of silk
, leading to the conclusion that there was a stately noble class among the villagers. These nobles could well have driven the Frankish taking of the land on royal orders.
Abbey at Fulda
issued sometime between 802 and 817 (Abbot Ratgar’s time in office). Compared to many neighbouring communities, this is a very early first documentary mention.
To early Frankish times can be dated the establishment of the first church in Mömlingen. Bearing witness to this is what is said to be the typically Frankish custom of consecrating the old parish church to Saint Martin of Tours
.
, many ecclesiastical institutions and members of the upper and middle nobility are known who had holdings in the municipal area, imposed taxes and held sundry rights. In 1024, Emperor Heinrich II
donated the County of Stockstadt, within which lay Mömlingen, to the Imperial
Abbey at Fulda
. In 1278, the place passed with the County of Bachgau to Electoral Mainz
. The circumstances of Mömlingen’s belonging politically (until 1803) to the Electoral Mainz tithing region of the Bachgau while village jurisdiction, extensive landholdings and further traditional entitlements were held by the lords at the nearby Breuberg Castle led to neverending disputes between the territorial overlords of Mainz and Breuberg.
, members of a, probably, lower noble family named “von Mimling” (among other spellings) began cropping up in documents, mostly as clergymen and tithe counts. Historical research leaves no doubt that the forebears of the famous painter Hans Memling
, born about 1435 in Seligenstadt
, came from Mömlingen. His works can now be found hanging in the world’s most famous painting galleries.
. The great countrywide wave of Plague that swept across the land in 1348 may already have thoroughly decimated the inhabitants, but the little settlement finally died in the early 16th century when the last few inhabitants moved to Mömlingen, likely under the effects of war. Mömlingen’s municipal area thereby grew considerably. Even neighbouring Hainstadt gained land area by the small village’s death.
, as holders of the lordship of Breuberg, were taxing 62 farms. Hence, Mömlingen was quite a grand place. Grave effects on Mömlingen’s development were brought by the Thirty Years' War
(1618–1648). Plague, sacking and pillaging harried the people, leaving only a few survivors by 1650. Many longtime families had been taken away by this dreadful war. Soon after the war ended, many new names come forth from the archives. Newcomers arrived mainly from the South Tyrol, France and the Netherlands.
The Thirty Years’ War also thwarted the building of a new local church. Only in 1774-1777 could the plan be realized. The old parish church built in the Baroque
style is said to be the community’s landmark.
’s once vast holdings. In 1803 it passed to the newly formed Principality of Aschaffenburg
, with which it passed in 1814 (by 1810 it had become a department of the Grand Duchy of Frankfurt) to Bavaria.
Today the community of Mömlingen, which since the Second World War has undergone great growth through building, presents itself as a lower centre
that has at its disposal a colourful pallet of not-for-profit institutions, and whose scenically charming location is treasured by many visitors.
(as at municipal election held on 2 March 2008)
might be described thus: Gules, a wheel spoked of six argent between in chief three roses of the second seeded Or in bar arched, in base two mullets of six of the second.
Although the example in this article does not show it clearly, the German blazon clearly states that the roses are to be “seeded Or”, that is, with golden centres (“Rosen mit goldenen Butzen”).
The six-spoked wheel, the so-called Wheel of Mainz
, comes from the arms borne by the Archbishopric of Mainz
, to which the community belonged until the Old Empire’s
downfall in 1803. The heraldic roses are drawn from the arms once borne by the Counts of Wertheim, and the mullets (star-shapes) are from those once borne by the Schenken (roughly, “stewards” or “bearers”) of Erbach.
The arms have been borne since 1955.
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...
in the Miltenberg district
Miltenberg (district)
Miltenberg is an administrative district in Bavaria, Germany. It is bounded by the city of Aschaffenburg, the districts of Aschaffenburg and Main-Spessart, and the states of Baden-Württemberg and Hesse .-History:During the Middle Ages there was continuous...
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
Mömlingen, which styles itself “Gateway to the Odenwald”, lies framed by wooded heights of the northern 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...
on the Bavaria-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...
boundary in the charming Mümling valley. Bordering on Mömlingen are the Bavarian district of Aschaffenburg
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 north, and in the west the two Hessian districts of Darmstadt-Dieburg
Darmstadt-Dieburg
Darmstadt-Dieburg is a Kreis in the south of Hesse, Germany. Neighboring districts are Offenbach, Aschaffenburg, Miltenberg, Odenwaldkreis, Bergstraße, Groß-Gerau, and the district-free city of Darmstadt, which it surrounds.-History:...
and 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:...
.
Celts and Romans
Witnessing a prehistoric human presence are many barrowsTumulus
A tumulus is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds, Hügelgrab or kurgans, and can be found throughout much of the world. A tumulus composed largely or entirely of stones is usually referred to as a cairn...
and sporadic finds, some of which go back to the Stone Age
Stone Age
The Stone Age is a broad prehistoric period, lasting about 2.5 million years , during which humans and their predecessor species in the genus Homo, as well as the earlier partly contemporary genera Australopithecus and Paranthropus, widely used exclusively stone as their hard material in the...
. From Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
times come parts of so-called Jupiter Column
Jupiter Column
A Jupiter Column is an archaeological monument belonging to a type widespread in Roman Germania. Such pillars express the religious beliefs of their time. They were erected in the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD, mostly near Roman settlements or villas in the Germanic provinces...
s (or Jupitergigantensäulen 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....
) and other worship stones. They show, together with the many traces of Roman country houses (villae rusticae
Villa rustica
Villa rustica was the term used by the ancient Romans to denote a villa set in the open countryside, often as the hub of a large agricultural estate . The adjective rusticum was used to distinguish it from an urban or resort villa...
) in the heights all around Mömlingen, the extent of the once mighty Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
, which only a few kilometres away to the east held its frontier at the “Wet Limes
Limes Germanicus
The Limes Germanicus was a line of frontier fortifications that bounded the ancient Roman provinces of Germania Inferior, Germania Superior and Raetia, dividing the Roman Empire and the unsubdued Germanic tribes from the years 83 to about 260 AD...
”, namely the Main.
Frankish settlement
An early FrankishFranks
The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
settlement beginning in the 6th century in what is now the heart of the community is witnessed by an extensive row grave field unearthed by archaeologists west of the village. Besides the many graves with scanty or missing grave goods
Grave goods
Grave goods, in archaeology and anthropology, are the items buried along with the body.They are usually personal possessions, supplies to smooth the deceased's journey into the afterlife or offerings to the gods. Grave goods are a type of votive deposit...
, graves with extraordinarily rich appointments were discovered, such as a Mainz gold coin and remnants of silk
Silk
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The best-known type of silk is obtained from the cocoons of the larvae of the mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori reared in captivity...
, leading to the conclusion that there was a stately noble class among the villagers. These nobles could well have driven the Frankish taking of the land on royal orders.
First documentary mention
The settlement itself crops up in written records as Miminingen in a document from the ImperialHoly 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 at Fulda
Fulda
Fulda is a city in Hesse, Germany; it is located on the river Fulda and is the administrative seat of the Fulda district .- Early Middle Ages :...
issued sometime between 802 and 817 (Abbot Ratgar’s time in office). Compared to many neighbouring communities, this is a very early first documentary mention.
To early Frankish times can be dated the establishment of the first church in Mömlingen. Bearing witness to this is what is said to be the typically Frankish custom of consecrating the old parish church to Saint Martin of Tours
Martin of Tours
Martin of Tours was a Bishop of Tours whose shrine became a famous stopping-point for pilgrims on the road to Santiago de Compostela. Around his name much legendary material accrued, and he has become one of the most familiar and recognizable Christian saints...
.
Church and nobility – Mainz and Breuberg
From the Middle AgesMiddle 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...
, many ecclesiastical institutions and members of the upper and middle nobility are known who had holdings in the municipal area, imposed taxes and held sundry rights. In 1024, Emperor Heinrich II
Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor
Henry II , also referred to as Saint Henry, Obl.S.B., was the fifth and last Holy Roman Emperor of the Ottonian dynasty, from his coronation in Rome in 1014 until his death a decade later. He was crowned King of the Germans in 1002 and King of Italy in 1004...
donated the County of Stockstadt, within which lay Mömlingen, to the 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 at Fulda
Fulda
Fulda is a city in Hesse, Germany; it is located on the river Fulda and is the administrative seat of the Fulda district .- Early Middle Ages :...
. In 1278, the place passed with the County of Bachgau 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...
. The circumstances of Mömlingen’s belonging politically (until 1803) to the Electoral Mainz tithing region of the Bachgau while village jurisdiction, extensive landholdings and further traditional entitlements were held by the lords at the nearby Breuberg Castle led to neverending disputes between the territorial overlords of Mainz and Breuberg.
Lords of Mimling – Hans Memling
In the Late Middle AgesMiddle 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...
, members of a, probably, lower noble family named “von Mimling” (among other spellings) began cropping up in documents, mostly as clergymen and tithe counts. Historical research leaves no doubt that the forebears of the famous painter Hans Memling
Hans Memling
Hans Memling was a German-born Early Netherlandish painter.-Life and works:Born in Seligenstadt, near Frankfurt in the Middle Rhein region, it is believed that Memling served his apprenticeship at Mainz or Cologne, and later worked in the Netherlands under Rogier van der Weyden...
, born about 1435 in Seligenstadt
Seligenstadt
Seligenstadt is a town in the Offenbach district in the Regierungsbezirk of Darmstadt in Hesse, Germany. Seligenstadt is one of Germany’s oldest towns and was already of great importance in Carolingian times.-Location:...
, came from Mömlingen. His works can now be found hanging in the world’s most famous painting galleries.
Hausen hinter der Sonne
South of Mömlingen, on the north slope of the Buchberg, once stood the village of Hausen hinter der Sonne (the affix meaning “Behind the Sun”), belonging to the Bishopric of BambergBamberg
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...
. The great countrywide wave of Plague that swept across the land in 1348 may already have thoroughly decimated the inhabitants, but the little settlement finally died in the early 16th century when the last few inhabitants moved to Mömlingen, likely under the effects of war. Mömlingen’s municipal area thereby grew considerably. Even neighbouring Hainstadt gained land area by the small village’s death.
Thirty Years’ War and its aftermath
Information about Mömlingen’s size in the Late Middle Ages can be drawn from an interest register from 1426. At this time, the Counts of WertheimWertheim
Wertheim may refer to:* Wertheim vacuum cleaner, a brand of vacuum cleaner* Wertheim am Main, Baden-Württemberg, Germany* Wertheim , a chain of German department stores...
, as holders of the lordship of Breuberg, were taxing 62 farms. Hence, Mömlingen was quite a grand place. Grave effects on Mömlingen’s development were brought by 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....
(1618–1648). Plague, sacking and pillaging harried the people, leaving only a few survivors by 1650. Many longtime families had been taken away by this dreadful war. Soon after the war ended, many new names come forth from the archives. Newcomers arrived mainly from the South Tyrol, France and the Netherlands.
The Thirty Years’ War also thwarted the building of a new local church. Only in 1774-1777 could the plan be realized. The old parish church built in the Baroque
Baroque 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 is said to be the community’s landmark.
Mömlingen passes to Bavaria
With the onset of the 19th century, an epoch that had lasted more than 600 years came to an end when Mömlingen ceased to be part of Electoral MainzArchbishopric 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...
’s once vast holdings. In 1803 it passed to the newly formed 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....
, with which it passed in 1814 (by 1810 it had become a department of the Grand Duchy of Frankfurt) to Bavaria.
Today the community of Mömlingen, which since the Second World War has undergone great growth through building, presents itself as a lower centre
Central Place Theory
Central place theory is a geographical theory that seeks to explain the number, size and location of human settlements in an urban system. The theory was created by the German geographer Walter Christaller, who asserted that settlements simply functioned as 'central places' providing services to...
that has at its disposal a colourful pallet of not-for-profit institutions, and whose scenically charming location is treasured by many visitors.
Community council
The council is made up of 20 council members, not counting the mayor, with seats apportioned thus:- 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...
11 seats - SPDSocial Democratic Party of GermanyThe Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
2 seats - FW 7 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 wheel spoked of six argent between in chief three roses of the second seeded Or in bar arched, in base two mullets of six of the second.
Although the example in this article does not show it clearly, the German blazon clearly states that the roses are to be “seeded Or”, that is, with golden centres (“Rosen mit goldenen Butzen”).
The six-spoked wheel, the so-called Wheel of Mainz
Wheel of Mainz
thumb|150px|version until 1992thumb|150px|version from 1992 - 2008thumb|150px|version from 2008The Wheel of Mainz or Mainzer Rad, in German, was the coat of arms of the Archbishopric of Mainz and thus also of the Electorate of Mainz , in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It consists of a silver wheel...
, comes from the arms borne by 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...
, to which the community belonged until the Old Empire’s
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...
downfall in 1803. The heraldic roses are drawn from the arms once borne by the Counts of Wertheim, and the mullets (star-shapes) are from those once borne by the Schenken (roughly, “stewards” or “bearers”) of Erbach.
The arms have been borne since 1955.
Buildings
- The old parish church, St. Martin, a Baroque church, built in the years 1774 to 1777