Geography

Neckarelz is in northern Baden-Württemberg, between the Odenwald

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...

 and Kraichgau

Kraichgau

The Kraichgau is a hilly region in Baden-Württemberg, southwestern Germany. It is bordered by the Odenwald and the Neckar to the North, the Black Forest to the South, and the Upper Rhine Plain to the West. To the east, its boundary is considered to be the Stromberg, the Hardt, and the...

, at the confluence of the Neckar

Neckar

The Neckar is a long river, mainly flowing through the southwestern state of Baden-Württemberg, but also a short section through Hesse, in Germany. The Neckar is a major right tributary of the River Rhine...

 and Elz

Elz (Neckar)

The Elz is a small river in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, a right tributary of the Neckar. It rises in the Odenwald. The Elz flows through Mudau, Limbach and Mosbach before reaching the Neckar in Neckarelz, a borough of Mosbach. Its length is 34 kilometres....

 rivers. On the other side of the Neckar, are the towns of Hochhausen and Obrigheim

Obrigheim

Obrigheim is a town in the district of Neckar-Odenwald-Kreis, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany....

. Next to Neckarelz, is the suburb of Diedesheim.

History

The town was part of the Electoral Palatinate from around 1362. From 1944 to 1945, there was a Nazi concentration camp in Neckarelz, with the prisoners barracked in the school. The factory in Obrigheim which produced bomber engines used nearly ten thousand prisoners, of whom about half came from the concentration camp. In April 1945, 900 of them were rescued.

Religion

Until World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, Neckarelz was almost completely Protestant. After the arrival of Catholic

Catholic

The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...

 refugees, a new church was built.

Coat of arms

This depicts the rhombuses of the Electoral Palatinate at the top and a fish below.

Education

Neckarelz has several kindergartens, a primary school (named after Clemens Brentano

Clemens Brentano

Clemens Brentano, or Klemens Brentano was a German poet and novelist.-Overview:He was born in Ehrenbreitstein, near Koblenz, Germany. His sister was Bettina von Arnim, Goethe's correspondent. His father's family was of Italian descent. He studied in Halle and Jena, afterwards residing at...

), and a grammar and Hauptschule

Hauptschule

A 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...

, (both named after Auguste Pattberg).

Transport

Neckarelz has a train station, connecting to the Neckar Valley Railway

Neckar Valley Railway

The Neckar Valley Railway, or Neckar Valley Main Line is a railway line from Heidelberg via Eberbach and Mosbach to Bad Friedrichshall-Jagstfeld in southwestern Germany...

 and the line to Osterburken, and a harbour.