Thüngen
Encyclopedia
Thüngen is a market community in the Main-Spessart district
in the Regierungsbezirk
of Lower Franconia
(Unterfranken) in Bavaria
, Germany
and a member of the Verwaltungsgemeinschaft (Administrative Community) of Zellingen.
and 30 km west of Schweinfurt
, in the north of the Main Triangle (Maindreieck) on the river Wern.
The community has only the Gemarkung (traditional rural cadastral area) of Thüngen.
The placename Thüngen comes from the word Thing
(also seen in Old English þing in the same sense, namely “assembly”). A þing ' onMouseout='HidePop("55855")' href="/topics/English_language">Modern English
thing) or a Ding (Modern High German
) was the name for Volksversammlungen (roughly, “folkmoots”) and assizes held under old Germanic
law
. Thüngen’s origins therefore point to a place where such gatherings were held. This explanation for the community’s name’s origin is disputed, however, with alternate explanations positing a Celtic
or Roman
source for older forms of the name such as Thungidi or Tungede.
Until about 1200, the community’s lords were the Counts of Henneberg
. After they died out, the lordship was taken over by a knightly noble family who later named themselves “von Thüngen” after the place. Thüngen’s history is tightly bound with this noble family.
In 1366, a Thüngen townsman was named in a document for the first time, and in 1419 the first village order was decreed. In 1465, Thüngen was raised to town, which allowed its fortification with walls and towers as well as a town constitution. Guilds could be introduced and weekly markets held. From 1551, with lordly approval, the Reformation
was definitively introduced, which led to considerable contention between the denominations over the next few centuries, especially in the wake of the Thirty Years' War
, which left part of the village in the hands of the Prince-Bishop of Würzburg (administered by the Juliusspital, a hospital foundation that still exists now). A rural Jewish
community arose in the 16th century.
On 28 June 1814, in connection with the Napoleonic Wars
, Thüngen was awarded to the Kingdom of Bavaria
. In 1825, the guilds had to be shut down. Officially, town rights were never revoked. In 1846, the Schlossbrauerei Thüngen (brewery
), still in business today, was founded by Wilhelm, Wolfgang and Hanskarl von Thüngen. Once the Werntalbahn (railway) was finished in 1879, the first train ran through Thüngen on 16 April.
In the presence of Prince Ludwig III of Bavaria
, on 18 May 1892, the Ludwigslinde was planted at the Planplatz.
In 1923, the association Bayern und Reich (“Bavaria and Empire”) staged an event in Thüngen at which owing to arguments with inhabitants, a worker was killed. Of the 152 Jewish inhabitants still in the community in 1933, many had emigrated by 1940. Nevertheless, at least 50 Thüngen inhabitants were deported and murdered.
Since 1978, the market communities of Thüngen and Zellingen
, and the communities of Himmelstadt
and Retzstadt
have formed the Verwaltungsgemeinschaft (Administrative Community) of Zellingen.
On the Marktgemeinderat (“market community council”) since May 2008 have been:
Freie Wähler:
Klaus Enzmann (1. BGM), Anja Morgenstern (3. BGM), Dieter Beutel, Thomas Ammersbach, Wolfgang Heß, Walter Lippert, Günter Morgenstern, Simone Hohmann
SPD
:
Richard Steigerwald (Second Mayor), Lorenz Strifsky, Gerd Kunitzky
CSU
:
Hubert Schömig, Christiane von Thüngen
Municipal taxes in 1999 amounted to €619,000 (converted), of which net business taxes amounted to €54,000.
might be described thus: Gules a cogwheel spoked of six argent between two ears of grain palewise with stalks turned to base Or, in a chief embattled of two merlons and one embrasure of the second a fess paly wavy of seven of the third and first.
The partition
in the escutcheon is meant to resemble battlements (two merlons and, in the middle, one embrasure), which represents the local castle, which is the community’s landmark. In the chief (the band of a different tincture
on top) are the family arms of the Barons of Thüngen, Lutz Line. Underneath is a cogwheel as a symbol of local industry, and thereby also business, between two ears of grain as a symbol of local agriculture.
style and expanded in the 19th century), in both of which live families of the Barons of Thüngen. South of this is found the "Alter Stock", a remnant of an early mediaeval
castle complex. The "Burgsinner Schloss" west of the main street (and likewise from the 16th century) serves mainly economic ends (estate administration, castle brewery
).
Saint George’s Evangelical
Church in the community core was destroyed in the Thirty Years' War
and, owing to the Catholic Juliusspital’s ownership entitlements, could not be built again until the 19th century. At the Planplatz (square) stands the town hall from the Gründerzeit
.
On the river Wern is found an historic weir
, as well as the Waaghäuschen (“Little Weighing House” – a former livestock weighing building).
The former synagogue
was damaged in 1938, and it has now been converted into a house. In November 2007 a memorial plaque was affixed to it.
this was 0. In other areas, 37 workers on the social welfare contribution rolls were employed, and 541 such workers worked from home. There were 0 processing businesses. Two businesses were in construction, and furthermore, in 1999, there were 16 agricultural operations with a working area of 911 ha, with the Barons’ estate alone accounting for more than 300 ha of this.
26. On the heights of the inn Schwarzer Adler (“Black Eagle”), Staatsstraße (State Road) 2437 meets Bundesstraße 27 towards Würzburg on the B 26.
The electrified
Werntalbahn (railway) is now only used for goods transport. The railway station is now a private dwelling.
Local public transport comes in the form of OVF (Omnibusverkehr Franken – “Franconia Omnibus Transport”) buses going towards Karlstadt/Gemünden or Schweinfurt and to Würzburg.
association was taken as an example in a Stern
article about Edmund Stoiber
’s resignation from his offices of Minister-President
and party chairman.
Main-Spessart
Main-Spessart is a district in Bavaria, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Bad Kissingen, Schweinfurt and Würzburg, the state of Baden-Württemberg , the districts of Miltenberg and Aschaffenburg, and the state of Hesse .-History:The district was established in 1972 by merging the former...
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...
and a member of the Verwaltungsgemeinschaft (Administrative Community) of Zellingen.
Location
Thüngen lies in the Würzburg Region, 25 km north of WürzburgWürzburg
Würzburg is a city in the region of Franconia which lies in the northern tip of Bavaria, Germany. Located at the Main River, it is the capital of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. The regional dialect is Franconian....
and 30 km west of Schweinfurt
Schweinfurt
Schweinfurt is a city in the Lower Franconia region of Bavaria in Germany on the right bank of the canalized Main, which is here spanned by several bridges, 27 km northeast of Würzburg.- History :...
, in the north of the Main Triangle (Maindreieck) on the river Wern.
The community has only the Gemarkung (traditional rural cadastral area) of Thüngen.
History
On 19 April 788, Thüngen had its first documentary mention. In the Codex Eberhardi, it says:... Manto comes et frater eius Megingoz tradiderunt sancto Bonifacio bona sua in his locis: Isinhusen, Wanchei, Heselere, Tungede, Binizfelt, Hoholtesheim, Steti, Bucheled ...
The placename Thüngen comes from the word Thing
Thing (assembly)
A thing was the governing assembly in Germanic and introduced into some Celtic societies, made up of the free people of the community and presided by lawspeakers, meeting in a place called a thingstead...
(also seen in Old English þing in the same sense, namely “assembly”). A þing ' onMouseout='HidePop("55855")' href="/topics/English_language">Modern English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
thing) or a Ding (Modern High 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....
) was the name for Volksversammlungen (roughly, “folkmoots”) and assizes held under old Germanic
Germanic peoples
The Germanic peoples are an Indo-European ethno-linguistic group of Northern European origin, identified by their use of the Indo-European Germanic languages which diversified out of Proto-Germanic during the Pre-Roman Iron Age.Originating about 1800 BCE from the Corded Ware Culture on the North...
law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
. Thüngen’s origins therefore point to a place where such gatherings were held. This explanation for the community’s name’s origin is disputed, however, with alternate explanations positing a Celtic
Celtic languages
The Celtic languages are descended from Proto-Celtic, or "Common Celtic"; a branch of the greater Indo-European language family...
or 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....
source for older forms of the name such as Thungidi or Tungede.
Until about 1200, the community’s lords were the Counts of Henneberg
House of Henneberg
-Origins:The distant origins of this family are speculative yet seem to originate in the Rhine Valley, east of modern-day France. Charibert, a nobleman in Neustria is the earliest recorded ancestor of the family, dating before 636. Five generations pass between Charibert and the next descendant...
. After they died out, the lordship was taken over by a knightly noble family who later named themselves “von Thüngen” after the place. Thüngen’s history is tightly bound with this noble family.
In 1366, a Thüngen townsman was named in a document for the first time, and in 1419 the first village order was decreed. In 1465, Thüngen was raised to town, which allowed its fortification with walls and towers as well as a town constitution. Guilds could be introduced and weekly markets held. From 1551, with lordly approval, the Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
was definitively introduced, which led to considerable contention between the denominations over the next few centuries, especially in the wake of 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....
, which left part of the village in the hands of the Prince-Bishop of Würzburg (administered by the Juliusspital, a hospital foundation that still exists now). A rural Jewish
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
community arose in the 16th century.
On 28 June 1814, in connection with the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
, Thüngen was awarded to the Kingdom of Bavaria
Kingdom of Bavaria
The Kingdom of Bavaria was a German state that existed from 1806 to 1918. The Bavarian Elector Maximilian IV Joseph of the House of Wittelsbach became the first King of Bavaria in 1806 as Maximilian I Joseph. The monarchy would remain held by the Wittelsbachs until the kingdom's dissolution in 1918...
. In 1825, the guilds had to be shut down. Officially, town rights were never revoked. In 1846, the Schlossbrauerei Thüngen (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....
), still in business today, was founded by Wilhelm, Wolfgang and Hanskarl von Thüngen. Once the Werntalbahn (railway) was finished in 1879, the first train ran through Thüngen on 16 April.
In the presence of Prince Ludwig III of Bavaria
Ludwig III of Bavaria
Ludwig III , was the last King of Bavaria, reigning from 1913 to 1918.-Early life:...
, on 18 May 1892, the Ludwigslinde was planted at the Planplatz.
In 1923, the association Bayern und Reich (“Bavaria and Empire”) staged an event in Thüngen at which owing to arguments with inhabitants, a worker was killed. Of the 152 Jewish inhabitants still in the community in 1933, many had emigrated by 1940. Nevertheless, at least 50 Thüngen inhabitants were deported and murdered.
Since 1978, the market communities of Thüngen and Zellingen
Zellingen
Zellingen is a market community in the Main-Spessart district in the Regierungsbezirk of Lower Franconia in Bavaria, Germany and the seat of the Verwaltungsgemeinschaft of Zellingen.- Location :...
, and the communities of Himmelstadt
Himmelstadt
Himmelstadt is a community in the Main-Spessart district in the Regierungsbezirk of Lower Franconia in Bavaria, Germany and a member of the Verwaltungsgemeinschaft of Zellingen....
and Retzstadt
Retzstadt
Retzstadt is a community in the Main-Spessart district in the Regierungsbezirk of Lower Franconia in Bavaria, Germany and a member of the Verwaltungsgemeinschaft of Zellingen.- Location :...
have formed the Verwaltungsgemeinschaft (Administrative Community) of Zellingen.
Population development
Within town limits, 1,336 inhabitants were counted in 1970, 1,341 in 1987 and in 2006 1,375.Community council
The mayor is Klaus Enzmann (Freie Wähler). He succeeded Armin Weber (Bürgerliche Mitte) in 2002. In 2008 he was confirmed in office.On the Marktgemeinderat (“market community council”) since May 2008 have been:
Freie Wähler:
Klaus Enzmann (1. BGM), Anja Morgenstern (3. BGM), Dieter Beutel, Thomas Ammersbach, Wolfgang Heß, Walter Lippert, Günter Morgenstern, Simone Hohmann
SPD
Social Democratic Party of Germany
The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
:
Richard Steigerwald (Second Mayor), Lorenz Strifsky, Gerd Kunitzky
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...
:
Hubert Schömig, Christiane von Thüngen
Municipal taxes in 1999 amounted to €619,000 (converted), of which net business taxes amounted to €54,000.
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 cogwheel spoked of six argent between two ears of grain palewise with stalks turned to base Or, in a chief embattled of two merlons and one embrasure of the second a fess paly wavy of seven of the third and first.
The partition
Division of the field
In heraldry, the field of a shield can be divided into more than one area of different tinctures, usually following the lines of one of the ordinaries and carrying its name...
in the escutcheon is meant to resemble battlements (two merlons and, in the middle, one embrasure), which represents the local castle, which is the community’s landmark. In the chief (the band of a different tincture
Tincture (heraldry)
In heraldry, tinctures are the colours used to emblazon a coat of arms. These can be divided into several categories including light tinctures called metals, dark tinctures called colours, nonstandard colours called stains, furs, and "proper". A charge tinctured proper is coloured as it would be...
on top) are the family arms of the Barons of Thüngen, Lutz Line. Underneath is a cogwheel as a symbol of local industry, and thereby also business, between two ears of grain as a symbol of local agriculture.
Sightseeing
East of the main street is found, in a somewhat overgrown park, the "Burgschloss" (49.94221°N 9.85726°E), an old residential castle from the 16th century, onto which is built the "Spitalschloss" (“Hospital Castle”, likewise from the 16th century, but converted to Gothic RevivalGothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
style and expanded in the 19th century), in both of which live families of the Barons of Thüngen. South of this is found the "Alter Stock", a remnant of an early mediaeval
Middle 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...
castle complex. The "Burgsinner Schloss" west of the main street (and likewise from the 16th century) serves mainly economic ends (estate administration, castle 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....
).
Saint George’s Evangelical
Evangelical 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 was destroyed in 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....
and, owing to the Catholic Juliusspital’s ownership entitlements, could not be built again until the 19th century. At the Planplatz (square) stands the town hall from the Gründerzeit
Gründerzeit
' refers to the economic phase in 19th century Germany and Austria before the great stock market crash of 1873. At this time in Central Europe the age of industrialisation was taking place, whose beginnings were found in the 1840s...
.
On the river Wern is found an historic weir
Weir
A weir is a small overflow dam used to alter the flow characteristics of a river or stream. In most cases weirs take the form of a barrier across the river that causes water to pool behind the structure , but allows water to flow over the top...
, as well as the Waaghäuschen (“Little Weighing House” – a former livestock weighing building).
The former synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
was damaged in 1938, and it has now been converted into a house. In November 2007 a memorial plaque was affixed to it.
Economy and infrastructure
According to official statistics, there were 363 workers on the social welfare contribution rolls working in producing businesses in 1998. In trade and transportTransport
Transport or transportation is the movement of people, cattle, animals and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, rail, road, water, cable, pipeline, and space. The field can be divided into infrastructure, vehicles, and operations...
this was 0. In other areas, 37 workers on the social welfare contribution rolls were employed, and 541 such workers worked from home. There were 0 processing businesses. Two businesses were in construction, and furthermore, in 1999, there were 16 agricultural operations with a working area of 911 ha, with the Barons’ estate alone accounting for more than 300 ha of this.
Established businesses
- SchmitterGroup: auto supplier
- Ammersbach GmbH: construction technology
- Hugo Kämpf GmbH & Co. KG: lumber mill; the wood for the das Holz für die Frauenkirche in DresdenDresden FrauenkircheThe Dresden Frauenkirche is a Lutheran church in Dresden, eastern Germany.Built in the 18th century, the church was destroyed in the firebombing of Dresden during World War II. It has been reconstructed as a landmark symbol of reconciliation between former warring enemies...
is from this mill - HERBERT BIRNBAUM Brotformenfabrik & Bäckereitechnik, Wolfgang Birnbaum E.K.: since 1847, breadmoulds made from rattan/wood and plastic (world market leader), as well as various bakery equipment and special machines. Export share 60% worldwide (roughly 45/55 Europe/world).
- Trachten-Benkert: costume tailoring and country house fashions
- KRESS-BAU GmbH: building firm
- Herzog von Franken (the former castle brewery)
- Fluri-Plast GmbH: plastics processing
- team eyedesign: advertising agency
Transport
Thüngen is crossed by BundesstraßeBundesstraße
Bundesstraße , abbreviated B, is the denotation for German and Austrian national highways.-Germany:...
26. On the heights of the inn Schwarzer Adler (“Black Eagle”), Staatsstraße (State Road) 2437 meets Bundesstraße 27 towards Würzburg on the B 26.
The electrified
Railway electrification system
A railway electrification system supplies electrical energy to railway locomotives and multiple units as well as trams so that they can operate without having an on-board prime mover. There are several different electrification systems in use throughout the world...
Werntalbahn (railway) is now only used for goods transport. The railway station is now a private dwelling.
Local public transport comes in the form of OVF (Omnibusverkehr Franken – “Franconia Omnibus Transport”) buses going towards Karlstadt/Gemünden or Schweinfurt and to Würzburg.
Education
As of 1999 the following institutions existed in Thüngen:- KindergartenKindergartenA kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
s: 50 place with 46 children - Primary schools: 1 with 14 teachers and 224 pupils
Other
In 2007, the local CSUChristian 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...
association was taken as an example in a Stern
Stern (magazine)
Stern is a weekly news magazine published in Germany. It was founded in 1948 by Henri Nannen, and is currently published by Gruner + Jahr, a subsidiary of Bertelsmann. In the first quarter of 2006, its print run was 1.019 million copies and it reached 7.84 million readers according to...
article about Edmund Stoiber
Edmund Stoiber
Edmund Rüdiger Stoiber is a German politician, former minister-president of the state of Bavaria and former chairman of the Christian Social Union...
’s resignation from his offices of Minister-President
Minister-President
A minister-president is the head of government in a number of European countries or subnational governments, in which a parliamentary or semi-presidential system of government prevails, who presides over the council of ministers...
and party chairman.
Further reading
- Fritz Kugler: Thüngener Heimatbuch, Markt Thüngen 1988, keine ISBN
- Hannskarl Frhr. von Thüngen: Das Haus Thüngen 788 - 1988. Geschichte eines fränkischen Adelsgeschlechts. Echter Verlag, Würzburg 1988, ISBN 3-429-01162-0.