Bensheim () is a town in the
Bergstraße district in southern
Hessen
Hesse (, , ) or Hessia (, ; german: Hessen ), officially the State of Hessen (german: links=no, Land Hessen), is a state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt. Two other major historic cities are Darm ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
. Bensheim lies on the
Bergstraße and at the edge of the
Odenwald
The Odenwald () is a low mountain range in the German states of Hesse, Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg.
Location
The Odenwald is located between the Upper Rhine Plain with the Bergstraße and the ''Hessisches Ried'' (the northeastern section ...
mountains while at the same time having an open view over the
Rhine
), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source1_coordinates=
, source1_elevation =
, source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein
, source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source2_coordinates=
, so ...
plain. With about 40,000 inhabitants (2016), it is the district's biggest town.
Geography
Location
The town lies at the eastern edge of the
Rhine rift
The Upper Rhine Plain, Rhine Rift Valley or Upper Rhine Graben (German: ''Oberrheinische Tiefebene'', ''Oberrheinisches Tiefland'' or ''Oberrheingraben'', French: ''Vallée du Rhin'') is a major rift, about and on average , between Basel in the s ...
on the slopes of the western
Odenwald
The Odenwald () is a low mountain range in the German states of Hesse, Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg.
Location
The Odenwald is located between the Upper Rhine Plain with the Bergstraße and the ''Hessisches Ried'' (the northeastern section ...
on the
Bergstraße. The nearest major cities are
Darmstadt
Darmstadt () is a city in the States of Germany, state of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Frankfurt Rhine Main Area, Rhine-Main-Area (Frankfurt Metropolitan Region). Darmstadt has around 160,000 inhabitants, making it th ...
(some to the north),
Heidelberg
Heidelberg (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: ''Heidlberg'') is a city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914 ...
(some to the south),
Worms Worms may refer to:
*Worm, an invertebrate animal with a tube-like body and no limbs
Places
*Worms, Germany
Worms () is a city in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, situated on the Upper Rhine about south-southwest of Frankfurt am Main. It had ...
(some to the west) and
Mannheim
Mannheim (; Palatine German: or ), officially the University City of Mannheim (german: Universitätsstadt Mannheim), is the second-largest city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg after the state capital of Stuttgart, and Germany's 2 ...
(some to the southwest). The district seat of
Heppenheim
Heppenheim (Bergstraße) is the seat of Bergstraße district in Hesse, Germany, lying on the Bergstraße on the edge of the Odenwald. It is best known for being the birthplace of 4-time Formula One World Champion Sebastian Vettel.
Geography ...
lies roughly to the south.
The Lauter flows through Bensheim, coming from the Lauter valley from the east, which after it passes through Bensheim is known as the Winkelbach. In the south of town runs the Meerbach, also coming from the Odenwald (but from the Zell valley). Mostly channelled underground and only coming above ground at the western edge of town is the ''Neuer Graben'', or “New Channel”, which branches off the Lauter.
Neighbouring communities
Bensheim borders in the north on the town of
Zwingenberg and the communities of
Alsbach-Hähnlein und
Seeheim-Jugenheim
Seeheim-Jugenheim is a municipality in the Darmstadt-Dieburg district in Hesse, Germany. It has a population of approximately 17,000.
Seeheim-Jugenheim consists of seven villages:
*Balkhausen (population 693)
*Jugenheim (population 4,448)
*Malch ...
(both in
Darmstadt-Dieburg
Darmstadt-Dieburg is a Kreis (Districts of Germany, district) in the south of Hesse, Germany. Neighboring districts are Offenbach (district), Offenbach, Aschaffenburg (district), Aschaffenburg, Miltenberg (district), Miltenberg, Odenwaldkreis, Berg ...
), in the east on the community of
Lautertal, in the south on the town of
Heppenheim
Heppenheim (Bergstraße) is the seat of Bergstraße district in Hesse, Germany, lying on the Bergstraße on the edge of the Odenwald. It is best known for being the birthplace of 4-time Formula One World Champion Sebastian Vettel.
Geography ...
and in the west on the town of
Lorsch
Lorsch is a town in the Bergstraße district in Hessen, Germany, 60 km south of Frankfurt. Lorsch is well known for the Lorsch Abbey, which has been named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
Geography
Location
Lorsch lies about 5 km wes ...
and the community of
Einhausen.
Constituent communities
![Bensheim highlighted-map](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0e/Bensheim_highlighted-map.png)
Bensheim is roughly subdivided thus:
* The main town east of the
railway
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
line (old town and outskirts) with many modern town expansion developments (for example the neighbourhoods of Brunnenweg, Metzendorf, Griesel, Meerbach and Hemsberg);
* The ''Weststadt'' (“West Town”) west of the railway line (for example the neighbourhoods of Port Arthur, Marokko, Leibweh and Kappesgärten);
* The outlying centre of Auerbach to the north of the main town on the Bergstraße;
* The outlying centres of Hochstädten, Schönberg, Wilmshausen, Gronau and Zell in the nearer Odenwald valleys;
* The outlying centres of Langwaden, Fehlheim and Schwanheim in the ''Hessisches Ried'' (part of the Rhine rift in Hesse).
Climate
![Mandelbaumbluete in Bensheim](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/87/Mandelbaumbluete_in_Bensheim.jpg)
Bensheim is especially well known, like other places along the Bergstraße as well, for its particularly mild and sunny climate with roughly 2,000 hours of sunshine yearly and Germany's earliest onset of
spring
Spring(s) may refer to:
Common uses
* Spring (season)
Spring, also known as springtime, is one of the four temperate seasons, succeeding winter and preceding summer. There are various technical definitions of spring, but local usage of ...
. Under the Odenwald's protection,
kiwifruit
Kiwifruit (often shortened to kiwi in North American, British and continental European English) or Chinese gooseberry is the edible berry of several species of woody vine
A vine (Latin ''vīnea'' "grapevine", "vineyard", from ''vīnum'' ...
,
almond
The almond (''Prunus amygdalus'', syn. ''Prunus dulcis'') is a species of tree native to Iran and surrounding countries, including the Levant. The almond is also the name of the edible and widely cultivated seed of this tree. Within the genus ...
s,
fig
The fig is the edible fruit of ''Ficus carica'', a species of small tree in the flowering plant family Moraceae. Native to the Mediterranean and western Asia, it has been cultivated since ancient times and is now widely grown throughout the world ...
s and
peach
The peach (''Prunus persica'') is a deciduous tree first domesticated and cultivated in Zhejiang province of Eastern China. It bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics, most called peaches and others (the glossy-skinned, non-fu ...
es thrive here, giving the Bergstraße the nickname “Germany’s Riviera”.
The town of Bensheim fosters almond tree cultivation, to name one example, in people's front gardens. Each year in Bensheim, there is even a ''Blütenkönigin'' (“Blossom Queen”). She is put forth every year by the Bensheim Automobile Club and for decades has been Bensheim's hallmark both within the country and abroad.
History
Bensheim has grown out of a village that had its first documentary mention in the 8th century. In the 14th century, Bensheim was granted town rights. On 26 March 1945, much of the Old Town was destroyed by incendiary bombs.
Settlement history
The South Hesse area was settled quite early on. The many finds from
archaeological
Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...
digs stretch back to the time of the
Linear Pottery and
Corded Ware culture
The Corded Ware culture comprises a broad archaeological horizon of Europe between ca. 3000 BC – 2350 BC, thus from the late Neolithic, through the Copper Age, and ending in the early Bronze Age. Corded Ware culture encompassed a va ...
s (roughly 2500 to 1500 BC), peoples who raised crops and livestock.
Middle Ages
![St-Georg Bensheim Tuerme](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2a/St-Georg_Bensheim_Tuerme.jpg)
In 765, ''Basinsheim'' had its first documentary mention in the
Lorsch Abbey
Lorsch Abbey, otherwise the Imperial Abbey of Lorsch (german: Reichsabtei Lorsch; la, Laureshamense Monasterium or ''Laurissa''), is a former Imperial abbey in Lorsch, Germany, about east of Worms. It was one of the most renowned monasteries ...
’s ''
Codex Laureshamensis''. Its founding may go back to a knight named ''Basinus'', who received the rights to found a settlement.
The name changed from ''Basinsheim'' to ''Basinusheim'' and then to ''Besensheim'', finally becoming Bensheim. Noteworthy is that town rights were granted early on by Emperor
Otto I
Otto I (23 November 912 – 7 May 973), traditionally known as Otto the Great (german: Otto der Große, it, Ottone il Grande), was East Francia, East Frankish king from 936 and Holy Roman Emperor from 962 until his death in 973. He was the olde ...
on 5 March 956. It can be inferred from the document text that Otto I, on the occasion of his stay in
Frankfurt am Main
Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...
, with his wife Adelheid’s intervention, awarded the Lorsch Abbey’s oldest market privilege. The concept, called ''publicae mercationes'' in the original, indicates the community, where public buying and selling was allowed. It still cannot be assumed that this led to a regular yearly or weekly market. Great parts of the town were destroyed in the
siege
A siege is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition warfare, attrition, or a well-prepared assault. This derives from la, sedere, lit=to sit. Siege warfare is a form of constant, low-intensity con ...
of 1301 by King
Albrecht I.
When
Friedrich II Frederick II, Frederik II or Friedrich II may refer to:
* Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor (1194–1250), King of Sicily from 1198; Holy Roman Emperor from 1220
* Frederick II of Denmark (1534–1588), king of Denmark and Norway 1559–1588
* Fr ...
enfeoffed the territory of the now derelict Lorsch
Imperial
Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism.
Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to:
Places
United States
* Imperial, California
* Imperial, Missouri
* Imperial, Nebraska
* Imperial, Pennsylvania
* Imperial, Texa ...
Abbey to Archbishop
Siegfried III of Eppstein
Siegfried III von Eppstein (died 9 March 1249) was Archbishop of Mainz from 1230 to 1249. He in 1244 granted freedom to the citizens of Mainz, who subsequently could run their affairs more independently though their own council; in law it remaine ...
, Bensheim became part of the
Electorate of Mainz
The Electorate of Mainz (german: Kurfürstentum Mainz or ', la, Electoratus Moguntinus), previously known in English as Mentz and by its French name Mayence, was one of the most prestigious and influential states of the Holy Roman Empire. In the ...
's domains and likely received town rights only a few decades later, which is, however, only proved by a certificate issued in 1320.
Early modern times
![Bensheim 1612](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/73/Bensheim_1612.jpg)
In today’s outlying centres of Auerbach and Schönberg, Bensheim borders on what were the Upper County – “Upper” here refers to geography, not rank – of the
Counts of Katzenelnbogen
The County of Katzenelnbogen was an immediate state of the Holy Roman Empire. Chatti Melibokus is a very old tribe who stayed on a high hill in the Bergstraße region of Hesse (the part that lies south), in Germany. It existed between 109 ...
and domains of the ''Schenken'' of Erbach. When the Katzenelnbogens died out in 1479, the
Landgraviate of Hesse
The Landgraviate of Hesse (german: Landgrafschaft Hessen) was a principality of the Holy Roman Empire. It existed as a single entity from 1264 to 1567, when it was divided among the sons of Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse.
History
In the early Mid ...
became a neighbour to the north. In 1532, the Erbachs were raised to counts and the County of Erbach became a neighbour to the east.
In the time of the pledging to the
counts palatine
A count palatine (Latin ''comes palatinus''), also count of the palace or palsgrave (from German ''Pfalzgraf''), was originally an official attached to a royal or imperial palace or household and later a nobleman of a rank above that of an ord ...
of the Rhine from 1461 to 1650, Bensheim experienced a boom, but as a Palatinate town, however, it was embroiled in the Bavarian-Palatine war of succession in 1504, and for eleven days was unsuccessfully besieged by the Landgrave of Hesse, who was charged with the execution of the ban of the Empire, and his confederates, the Dukes
Henry of Brunswick and Henry of Mecklenburg. From this year, two yearly markets and one weekly can be established; a third yearly market came in 1619.
With the introduction of the
Reformation
The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...
in the Landgraviate of Hesse in 1526 and in the County of Erbach in 1544, Bensheim got not only a territorial border with these neighbours, but also a denominational one.
![Fraa vun Bensem](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a7/Fraa_vun_Bensem.jpg)
The
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history
The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (80 ...
put an end to all the positive developments mentioned above. On 20 November 1644, Bensheim was occupied by
French and
Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
troops, who were driven out again on 2 December by
Bavaria
Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...
n units. Later, the legend of the ''Fraa vun Bensem'' arose (the “woman from Bensheim” is said to have led the Bavarians into town through a secret route). In 1650, after just under 200 years of being pledged to the
Electorate of the Palatinate
The Electoral Palatinate (german: Kurpfalz) or the Palatinate (), officially the Electorate of the Palatinate (), was a state that was part of the Holy Roman Empire. The electorate had its origins under the rulership of the Counts Palatine of ...
, Bensheim was once again redeemed by the
Archbishopric of Mainz
The Electorate of Mainz (german: Kurfürstentum Mainz or ', la, Electoratus Moguntinus), previously known in English as Mentz and by its French name Mayence, was one of the most prestigious and influential states of the Holy Roman Empire. In the ...
.
Modern times
![Synagogue Bensheim- circa 1900](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/06/Synagogue_Bensheim-_circa_1900.jpg)
By the
Reichsdeputationshauptschluss
The ' (formally the ', or "Principal Conclusion of the Extraordinary Imperial Delegation"), sometimes referred to in English as the Final Recess or the Imperial Recess of 1803, was a resolution passed by the ' (Imperial Diet) of the Holy Roman Em ...
in 1803, Bensheim passed to the Landgrave of
Hesse-Darmstadt
The Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt (german: Landgrafschaft Hessen-Darmstadt) was a State of the Holy Roman Empire, ruled by a younger branch of the House of Hesse. It was formed in 1567 following the division of the Landgraviate of Hesse betwee ...
, who joined the
Confederation of the Rhine
The Confederated States of the Rhine, simply known as the Confederation of the Rhine, also known as Napoleonic Germany, was a confederation of German client states established at the behest of Napoleon some months after he defeated Austria an ...
in 1806 and was raised to Grand Duke. In 1822, there was a great fire in which 16 buildings were destroyed and 15 others were heavily damaged.
Bensheim became the seat of the ''Landratsbezirk'' (an administrative region) of Bensheim in the province of Starkenburg, which in 1832 was merged with the ''Landratsbezirk'' of Heppenheim to form the district of Bensheim (''Kreis Bensheim'') with Bensheim as its seat.
In 1918, the Grand Duke was removed and out of the
Grand Duchy of Hesse
The Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine (german: link=no, Großherzogtum Hessen und bei Rhein) was a grand duchy in western Germany that existed from 1806 to 1918. The Grand Duchy originally formed from the Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt in 1806 ...
the
People's State of Hesse
The People's State of Hesse (german: Volksstaat Hessen) was one of the constituent states of Weimar Republic, Germany from 1918 to 1945, as the successor to the Grand Duchy of Hesse (german: Großherzogtum Hessen) after the defeat of the German ...
was formed. On 1 November 1938, the districts of Bensheim and Heppenheim were merged into one district,
Kreis Bergstraße
Kreis is the German word for circle.
Kreis may also refer to:
Places
* , or circles, various subdivisions roughly equivalent to counties, districts or municipalities
** Districts of Germany (including and )
** Former districts of Prussia, al ...
with Heppenheim as its seat. To offset Bensheim's loss of the status of district seat, the town got the district leadership of the
Nazi
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...
Party.
During
Kristallnacht
() or the Night of Broken Glass, also called the November pogrom(s) (german: Novemberpogrome, ), was a pogrom against Jews carried out by the Nazi Party's (SA) paramilitary and (SS) paramilitary forces along with some participation from ...
on 9 November 1938, the
synagogue
A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of worshi ...
was destroyed, while the one in Auerbach survived. In 1939, Auerbach, Schönberg and Zell were amalgamated, raising the population to just under 16,500. In Auerbach, a subcamp of
Natzweiler-Struthof Concentration Camp
Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simply ...
was built.
![Bensheim Jerry Rutberg 02](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2b/Bensheim_Jerry_Rutberg_02.jpg)
On 24 March 1945, twelve people were taken to the
Kirchberg (mountain) where they were
murder
Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person wit ...
ed by the
Gestapo
The (), abbreviated Gestapo (; ), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe.
The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of Prussia into one organi ...
. Two days later, on 26 March 1945, Saint George's Parish Church, the Town Hall and parts of the Old Town were destroyed by
incendiary bombs
Incendiary weapons, incendiary devices, incendiary munitions, or incendiary bombs are weapons designed to start fires or destroy sensitive equipment using fire (and sometimes used as anti-personnel weaponry), that use materials such as napalm, th ...
. On 27 March, the town was occupied by
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
troops. As the U.S. Army Counter Intelligence Corps agent,
Henry Kissinger
Henry Alfred Kissinger (; ; born Heinz Alfred Kissinger, May 27, 1923) is a German-born American politician, diplomat, and geopolitical consultant who served as United States Secretary of State and National Security Advisor under the presid ...
was the most important representative of the occupying power, after the official town commander.
In 1945, Bensheim passed to the newly formed state of Hesse.
After the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
ended in 1945, a
displaced persons camp
A refugee camp is a temporary Human settlement, settlement built to receive refugees and people in refugee-like situations. Refugee camps usually accommodate displaced people who have fled their home country, but camps are also made for interna ...
was established in Bensheim, first for
Polish
Polish may refer to:
* Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe
* Polish language
* Poles
Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...
former forced labourers, later for
Jew
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""Th ...
ish displaced persons. The camp was dissolved in 1949.
In 1971, the population rose to some 34,000 with the amalgamation of Langwaden, Schwanheim, Fehlheim, Hochstädten, Gronau and Wilmshausen.
From 1859 to 1987 on the Nibelungenstraße towards Schönberg stood the ''Guntrum Bräu Bensheim''
brewery
A brewery or brewing company is a business that makes and sells beer. The place at which beer is commercially made is either called a brewery or a beerhouse, where distinct sets of brewing equipment are called plant. The commercial brewing of be ...
. In 1979, the brewery was taken over by Binding Bier Mainz, and then closed and torn down in 1987. Today, the former premises are home to a number of houses.
Politics
Town council
The municipal election held on 27 March 2011 yielded the following results:
The ''Magistrat'' (roughly “town executive”) is made up of nine councillors and the mayor Rolf Richter (CDU). The two full-time councillors are Helmut Sachwitz (CDU) and Adil Oyan (Grüne Liste Bensheim). The other seats are shared among the CDU (3), the SPD (1), the Grüne Liste Bensheim (2) and the FWG (1).
Mayors
When the Municipal Order of the Grand Duchy of Hesse came into force on 30 June 1821, Bensheim citizens were allowed to choose their mayor.
* 1822–1825: Philipp Meißel
* 1825–1837: Philipp Werle
* 1837–1840: Adam Fertig
* 1840–1857: Johannes Traupel
* 1857–1859: Joseph August Hainz
* 1860–1870: Franz Heinz
* 1871–1902: Aloys van Gries
* 1902–1912: Ignaz Frenay
* 1913–1922: Karl Löslein
* 1922–1933: Rudolf Angermeier
* 1933–1934: Heinrich Nachtigall
* 1934–1938: Georg Brückmann
* 1938–1945: Ernst Missler
* 1945–1945: Theodor Kräge
* 1945–1946: Willy Klapproth
* 1946–1954: Joseph Treffert, CDU
* 1954–1972: Wilhelm Kilian, CDU
* 1972–2002: Georg Stolle, CDU
* 2002–2014: Thorsten Herrmann, CDU
* 2014–2020: Rolf Richter, CDU
* 2020–incumbent: Christine Klein
Coat of arms
The town's
arms
Arms or ARMS may refer to:
*Arm or arms, the upper limbs of the body
Arm, Arms, or ARMS may also refer to:
People
* Ida A. T. Arms (1856–1931), American missionary-educator, temperance leader
Coat of arms or weapons
*Armaments or weapons
**Fi ...
might be described thus: Gules a knight with
kontos, held in both hands, and armour Or astride a steed salient argent, the whole sinister, below which a dragon statant reguardant sinister vert, the knight's kontos thrust through it.
The German blazon says that the kontos, or lance, is golden, and that the dragon is green, although the achievement shown here, whose source is the town administration itself, shows different
tincture
A tincture is typically an extract of plant or animal material dissolved in ethanol (ethyl alcohol). Solvent concentrations of 25–60% are common, but may run as high as 90%.Groot Handboek Geneeskrachtige Planten by Geert Verhelst In chemistr ...
s for these two
charge
Charge or charged may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* '' Charge, Zero Emissions/Maximum Speed'', a 2011 documentary
Music
* ''Charge'' (David Ford album)
* ''Charge'' (Machel Montano album)
* ''Charge!!'', an album by The Aqu ...
s.
The red field refers to the Mainz coat of arms, as the town was owned by the Bishopric of Mainz until 1802. The knight slaying the dragon represents
Saint George
Saint George (Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin: Georgius, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christian who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to tradition he was a soldier ...
, who was said in earlier times to have been Bensheim's
patron saint
A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or perso ...
.
Town partnerships
*
Beaune
Beaune () is the wine capital of Burgundy in the Côte d'Or department in eastern France. It is located between Lyon and Dijon. Beaune is one of the key wine centers in France, and the center of Burgundy wine production and business. The annua ...
,
Côte-d'Or
Côte-d'Or (; literally, "Golden Slope") is a département in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of Northeastern France. In 2019, it had a population of 534,124.[France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...]
, since 1960
*
Amersham
Amersham ( ) is a market town and civil parish within the unitary authority of Buckinghamshire, England, in the Chiltern Hills, northwest of central London, from Aylesbury and from High Wycombe. Amersham is part of the London commuter belt.
...
,
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-ea ...
,
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
, since 1977
*
Mohács
Mohács (; Croatian and Bunjevac: ''Mohač''; german: Mohatsch; sr, Мохач; tr, Mohaç) is a town in Baranya County, Hungary, on the right bank of the Danube.
Etymology
The name probably comes from the Slavic ''*Mъchačь'',''*Mocháč'': ...
,
Baranya County
Baranya ( hu, Baranya megye, ) is a county () in southern Hungary. It is part of the Southern Transdanubia statistical region and the historical Baranya region, which was a county (''comitatus'') in the Kingdom of Hungary dating back to the ...
,
Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...
, since 1987
*
Riva del Garda
Riva del Garda (''Rìva'' in local dialect) is a town and ''comune'' in the northern Italian province of Trento of the Trentino Alto Adige region. It is also known simply as ''Riva'' and is located at the northern tip of Lake Garda.
History
Ri ...
,
Trentino
Trentino ( lld, Trentin), officially the Autonomous Province of Trento, is an autonomous province of Italy, in the country's far north. The Trentino and South Tyrol constitute the region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, an autonomous region ...
,
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
, since 1989
*
Kłodzko
Kłodzko (; cz, Kladsko; german: Glatz; la, Glacio) is a historic town in south-western Poland, in the region of Lower Silesia. It is situated in the centre of the Kłodzko Valley, on the Eastern Neisse river.
Kłodzko is the seat of Kłodzko Co ...
,
Lower Silesia
Lower Silesia ( pl, Dolny Śląsk; cz, Dolní Slezsko; german: Niederschlesien; szl, Dolny Ślōnsk; hsb, Delnja Šleska; dsb, Dolna Šlazyńska; Silesian German: ''Niederschläsing''; la, Silesia Inferior) is the northwestern part of the ...
,
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
, since 1996
*
Hostinné
Hostinné (german: Arnau) is a town in Trutnov District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 4,300 inhabitants. It lies on the Elbe river. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument ...
,
Hradec Králové Region
Hradec Králové Region ( cs, Královéhradecký kraj, ; pl, Kraj hradecki) is an administrative unit ( cs, kraj) of the Czech Republic located in the north-eastern part of the historical region of Bohemia. It is named after its capital Hradec K ...
,
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
, since 2002
Moreover, some outlying centres have their own separate partnerships.
Sponsorship
On 29 April 1956, a ''Patenschaft'' (roughly, “sponsorship”) was set up for
Sudeten Germans
German Bohemians (german: Deutschböhmen und Deutschmährer, i.e. German Bohemians and German Moravians), later known as Sudeten Germans, were ethnic Germans living in the Czech lands of the Bohemian Crown, which later became an integral part ...
driven out of the town of Arnau (now
Hostinné
Hostinné (german: Arnau) is a town in Trutnov District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 4,300 inhabitants. It lies on the Elbe river. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument ...
in the
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
) on the
Elbe
The Elbe (; cs, Labe ; nds, Ilv or ''Elv''; Upper and dsb, Łobjo) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Repu ...
in the Hohenelbe district.
Culture and sightseeing
Theatre
![Alte Gerberei 01](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/Alte_Gerberei_01.jpg)
The ''Parktheater'' was built in 1968 and is a linchpin in offering various cultural activities. Besides the municipal programme of plays, freelance producers, clubs and schools bring a multifaceted programme in the fields of spoken theatre, musical theatre and dance theatre. From October 1998 to December 1999, the ''Parktheater'' was optically, technologically and artistically made over from the ground up and now shines in new splendour.
Furthermore, Bensheim also has the ''PiPaPo Theater'' (
cabaret
Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or d ...
), the ''Vornerum Theater'', the ''Varieté Pegasus'' and the ''Autorenkollektiv Laufkundschaft''.
Museums
![Bensheim-Auerbach eksa sinagogo Bachgasse 28](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/Bensheim-Auerbach_eksa_sinagogo_Bachgasse_28.JPG)
Besides the ''Museum der Stadt Bensheim'' (municipal museum), there is also the old
synagogue
A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of worshi ...
in Auerbach which nowadays houses a museum.
Music
The Bensheim Music School was founded in 1979. By taking part in various contests, the students at this municipal music school regularly find themselves among the prizewinners at both the state and national level. Many ensembles promote the music school's community spirit.
Buildings (secular)
Bensheim, along with all its outlying centres has all together 557 cultural monuments. The following is a selection of the town's most important buildings:
* ''Alte Faktorei'', Mainz cathedral chapter's former factory (in the sense of “commercial outpost”)
* ''Alte Gerberei'' (Old Tannery), from 1873
* ''Bismarckturm'' (tower), from 1902, on the Hemsberg (262 m)
* ''Dalberger Hof'', former noble estate
* “''Luginsland''” (''Blaues Türmchen'' or ''Eckturm''
ower
Ower is a hamlet in the New Forest district of Hampshire, England. Its nearest towns are Totton – approximately to the southeast, and Romsey – around to the north-east.
Ower lies on the A36 road northwest of Totton. It lies mo ...
on the Höhenweg above Baßmannpark, built in 1910
* ''Hohenecker Hof'', former noble estate from 1756
* ''Kirchberghäuschen'' (220 m), built in 1849, dedicated in 1857
* ''Metzendorf-Villen'' (villas)
* ''Rinnentorturm'' (tower), from the 13th or 14th century
* ''Rodensteiner Hof'', stately home with park
* ''Roter Turm'', watchtower from the old town wall, from the 13th century
* ''Walderdorffer Hof'', southern Hesse's oldest
timber-frame
Timber framing (german: Holzfachwerk) and "post-and-beam" construction are traditional methods of building with heavy timbers, creating structures using squared-off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden ...
house, built in 1395
* ''Wambolter Hof'', former noble estate from about 1732/33
The Landgraves of Hesse once used the ''Fürstenlager'' near Bensheim-Auerbach as a spa. It is an artistic combination of simple buildings clustered like a village around the Good Well in the middle of a picturesque landscaped park. Like many territorial overlords of their day, its owners sought the peace of a rural idyll far removed from the pomp and circumstance of court.
Buildings (ecclesiastical)
* Saint George's Parish Church (''Pfarrkirche St. Georg''), from 1830
* Saint Joseph's Hospital Church (''Hospitalkirche St. Joseph''), from the 14th century
* Saint Crescentius's Graveyard Church (''Friedhofskirche St. Crescens''), from 1618
* Saint Michael's Church (''Michaelskirche''), from 1863
* Saint Lawrence's
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
Parish Church (''Katholische Pfarrkirche St. Laurentius''), from 1965
All the above churches are Catholic, except Saint Michael's, which is
Evangelical
Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide Interdenominationalism, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "bor ...
.
All 557 cultural monuments are listed in the ''Liste der Kulturdenkmäler in Bensheim''.
File:Dalberger Hof 02.jpg, Dalberger Hof
File:Walderdorffer Hof Bensheim.jpg, Walderdorffer Hof
File:Wambolter Hof.jpg, Wambolter Hof
File:Metzendorf Villa Ernst 1905.jpg, Villa Ernst (Ludwigstraße) by Heinrich Metzendorf, 1905
File:Haus Fleck Bensheim.jpg, ''Flecksches Haus''
File:Roter Turm Bensheim2.jpg, ''Rote Turm'' from about 1300
File:Kirchberghaeuschen bensheim.jpg, Kirchberghäuschen
File:Fürstenlager Bensheim.jpg, ''Fürstenlager'' near Bensheim
File:Schloss Auerbach.jpg, Auerbach Castle
Sport
Nationally known is the HSG Bensheim/Auerbach women's
handball
Handball (also known as team handball, European handball or Olympic handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of throwing it into the g ...
team, which plays in the ''2. Handball-Bundesliga (Frauen)''.
Bensheim and its outlying centres are also home to many other sport clubs.
Denominational Institute
Since 1947, Bensheim has been home to the Evangelical Federation's ''Konfessionskundliches Institut'' (“Denominational Institute”),
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
’s biggest
ecumenical
Ecumenism (), also spelled oecumenism, is the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships among their churches and promote Christian unity. The adjec ...
institute. It was housed at ''Wolfgang-Sucker-Haus'' from 1947 to 1967 and also has been once again since November 2007.
Youth culture
Bensheim has many offerings for children up to 14 years old, with, for example, a new youth centre, opened on 26 January 2006 offering ample possibilities, busying itself with this. The old, bigger youth centre on Wilhelmstraße was then closed. For youths, there is relatively little on offer. However, work has begun on the new ''Skate/BMX-park'', on the same site where the old one was. The park was promoted and planned by youths themselves.
''Bandsheim'' (“Band Home”) has afforded the youth music scene an outlet that regularly hosts “newcomer” concerts in Bensheim. Besides ''Bandsheim'' there is also an outlet in ''Party-Bensheim'', which offers a venue for youths to get to know each other, have discussions and make arrangements. Both these outlets were founded by youths themselves.
Bensheim does host an “unofficial” youth club. Since the early 1980s there has been “McSlobos”, an inn that had its beginnings in the “Germania-Hof”, which has now been torn down. With many live concerts by famous local bands and the guests’ active engagement in political issues, this inn has grown into an attraction for many youths.
Nevertheless, many youths feel left out, as they must pay for all leisure activities. Hence there has also been for some time the will to create a self-administering youth centre. To this end, various action groups and campaigns have been started, such as, for example ''SKJuz'', a “promotional club for a self-administering culture and youth centre in Bensheim”, and the action group ''BürgerMaiStar''.
In 2010 about 50 young people from the region occupied a derelict army complex in order to establish ''a self-organised youth centre''. However, the occupation was broken up by police several hours after it had begun.
As a follow-up to the SKJuz club the ''JUKUZ Bensheim e.V.'' was formed, which is still actively promoting the idea of a self-administered, self-organised youth centre.
Regular events
The nationally known ''Bergsträßer Winzerfest'' (“Bergstraße Vintners’ Festival”) is held every first week in September throughout the inner town. The festival, which begins on the Saturday, lasts nine days. On the first Sunday there is a great festive parade, and on the second Saturday,
fireworks
Fireworks are a class of Explosive, low explosive Pyrotechnics, pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a l ...
are lit on the Kirchberg. The first ''Bergsträßer Winzerfest'' was held from 19 to 22 October 1929. Even at this first festival there were a festive parade and fireworks on the Kirchberg. Bensheim is in an area where wine grapes are grown extensively.
The ''Bürgerfest'' (“Citizens’ Festival”), which was introduced on the occasion of the opening of the
pedestrian precinct
Pedestrian zones (also known as auto-free zones and car-free zones, as pedestrian precincts in British English, and as pedestrian malls in the United States and Australia) are areas of a city or town reserved for pedestrian-only use and in whi ...
in 1975, has been regularly celebrated in early summer since 1977. Great popularity is enjoyed by the ''Auerbacher Bachgassenfest'', an outdoor
gastronomical event put on by those who live on the Bachgasse (“Brook Lane”) in Auerbach, first held in 1987. Since 1986, in memory of Gertrud Eysoldt, a German actress and director, the
Gertrud-Eysoldt-Ring
The Ringelband Foundation has been awarding the Gertrud-Eysoldt-Ring with the city of Bensheim and the German Academy of the Performing Arts since 1986. The award is endowed with €10,000. The jury is annually changing. The prize is awarded for a ...
, one of Germany's most important theatrical prizes, has been awarded yearly.
Since 2003, the ''Maiway'' has been held every year. This is a gastronomical festival at which many
pub
A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...
s in Bensheim have musical groups perform.
Culinary specialities
Bensheim has ''Zwewwelkuche à la Fraa vun Bensem'' (“onion cake à la woman from Bensheim”). The first word is a local form of the
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
Zwiebelkuchen
Zwiebelkuchen (German for "onion cake") is a savory German onion cake made of steamed onions, diced bacon, cream, and caraway seeds on either a yeast or leavened dough.
See also
* Flammkuchen Similar Alsatian and South-Western German dish
* List ...
, and the woman is the one mentioned under ''History'' (see above).
Economy and infrastructure
Established businesses
Bensheim is part of the economically strong
Rhine Neckar Area and is together with various neighbouring towns and communities (among others, Heppenheim, Lorsch and Lautertal) identified as a middle centre in South Hesse regional planning.
The town has in its favour good economic data – even in relation to the Rhine Neckar Area's as a whole – above-average employment figures and an especially high proportion of graduates in the resident population's above-average buying power.
Sirona Dental Systems GmbH has its head office in Bensheim. The enterprise is the district's biggest employer and produces goods and services for
dentists
A dentist, also known as a dental surgeon, is a health care professional who specializes in dentistry (the diagnosis, prevention, management, and treatment of diseases and conditions of the oral cavity and other aspects of the craniofacial comp ...
. Kern GmbH manufactures enveloping systems for banks, insurance companies, telecommunications businesses and information technology service providers and is also headquartered in Bensheim. Offering services to pharmaceutical businesses is Cegedim Deutschland GmbH, which also has its head office in Bensheim. Furthermore, there are the electronics firm
Tyco Electronics AMP GmbH,
SAP AG
Sap is a fluid transported in xylem cells (vessel elements or tracheids) or phloem sieve tube elements of a plant. These cells transport water and nutrients throughout the plant.
Sap is distinct from latex, resin, or cell sap; it is a sepa ...
, which is active in the information technology field, the ''Institut für Organisationskommunikation'' (IFOK) and HTV GmbH, which tests and programs
semiconductor
A semiconductor is a material which has an electrical resistivity and conductivity, electrical conductivity value falling between that of a electrical conductor, conductor, such as copper, and an insulator (electricity), insulator, such as glas ...
s for manufacturers from almost all fields of electronics. Also, the auto manufacturer
Suzuki
is a Japan, Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Minami-ku, Hamamatsu, Japan. Suzuki manufactures automobiles, motorcycles, All-terrain vehicle, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), outboard motor, outboard marine engines, wheelchairs ...
International Europe GmbH is headquartered in Bensheim. The cars in the company's national television advertising bear registrations beginning with “HP” (Heppenheim/Kreis Bergstraße) for this reason, which is seldom otherwise seen in this context. Deutsche Papier Vertriebs GmbH, which belongs to PaperlinX, runs, as a nationally active paper wholesaler, one of Germany's most modern high-bay warehouses. GGEW, a service-providing business for
electricity
Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter that has a property of electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described ...
,
natural gas
Natural gas (also called fossil gas or simply gas) is a naturally occurring mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons consisting primarily of methane in addition to various smaller amounts of other higher alkanes. Low levels of trace gases like carbo ...
and
drinking water
Drinking water is water that is used in drink or food preparation; potable water is water that is safe to be used as drinking water. The amount of drinking water required to maintain good health varies, and depends on physical activity level, a ...
, has its head office in Bensheim.
Media
Local happenings are reported in Bensheim and the surrounding area are reported by the ''Bergsträßer Anzeiger'', a
newspaper
A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background.
Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, sports a ...
belonging to the Mannheimer Morgen publishing group. The paper's address is Rodensteinstraße 6 and it is published from Monday to Saturday.
Transport
![Flugplatz Bensheim 01](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/44/Flugplatz_Bensheim_01.jpg)
Bensheim lies at the crossroads of federal highways
B 3 and
B 47. Through the town's west end runs
Autobahn
The (; German plural ) is the federal controlled-access highway system in Germany. The official German term is (abbreviated ''BAB''), which translates as 'federal motorway'. The literal meaning of the word is 'Federal Auto(mobile) Track'. ...
A 5, from which Bensheim can be reached by two
exits: in the north the Zwingenberg – Bensheim-Auerbach exit, and in the south the Bensheim exit. A few kilometres farther west, running parallel to the A 5, is the
A 67, when Bensheim can be reached through the
Lorsch
Lorsch is a town in the Bergstraße district in Hessen, Germany, 60 km south of Frankfurt. Lorsch is well known for the Lorsch Abbey, which has been named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
Geography
Location
Lorsch lies about 5 km wes ...
exit.
From
Bensheim station, the town is linked to the German
InterCity
InterCity (commonly abbreviated ''IC'' on timetables and tickets) is the classification applied to certain long-distance passenger train services in Europe. Such trains (in contrast to regional, local, or commuter trains) generally call at m ...
network by the
Frankfurt am Main–Heidelberg line. The station is also the end of the
Nibelungen Railway
The Nibelung Railway (german: Nibelungenbahn) is a 23.9 km long electrified line between Worms Central Station, Worms in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate and Bensheim station, Bensheim in Hesse. Its name refers to the fact that the li ...
from
Worms Worms may refer to:
*Worm, an invertebrate animal with a tube-like body and no limbs
Places
*Worms, Germany
Worms () is a city in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, situated on the Upper Rhine about south-southwest of Frankfurt am Main. It had ...
to Bensheim. The outlying centre of Auerbach has its own station,
Bensheim-Auerbach, on the Frankfurt-Heidelberg line, but only
Regionalbahn trains stop there.
Frankfurt Airport
Frankfurt Airport (; german: link=no, Flughafen Frankfurt Main , also known as ''Rhein-Main-Flughafen'') is a major international airport located in Frankfurt, the fifth-largest city of Germany and one of the world's leading financial centres ...
lies just under away by road, north of Bensheim. There is a gliderport at Bensheim for
gliders,
motor glider
A motor glider is a fixed-wing aircraft that can be flown with or without engine power. The FAI Gliding Commission Sporting Code definition is: a fixed-wing aerodyne equipped with a means of propulsion (MoP), capable of sustained soaring flight ...
s and other, smaller aircraft, managed by a nonprofit gliding club (SFG Bensheim).
Education
Bensheim is a school town, with five
Gymnasien: the ''Altes Kurfürstliches Gymnasium'', the ''Geschwister-Scholl-Schule'' (coöperative
comprehensive school
A comprehensive school typically describes a secondary school for pupils aged approximately 11–18, that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude, in contrast to a selective school system where admission is res ...
with Gymnasium upper level), the ''Goethe-Gymnasium Bensheim'' (Gymnasium from class 5 with Gymnasium upper level), the ''Karl-Kübel-Schule'' (commercial schools with Gymnasium for economics, technology and health) and the ''Liebfrauenschule'' (private
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
Gymnasium for girls). The town also has the ''Schillerschule'', which is a
primary school
A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary e ...
,
Hauptschule
A ''Hauptschule'' (, "general school") is a secondary school in Germany, starting after four years of elementary schooling (''Grundschule''), which offers Lower Secondary Education (Level 2) according to the International Standard Classification ...
and
Realschule
''Realschule'' () is a type of secondary school in Germany, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It has also existed in Croatia (''realna gimnazija''), the Austrian Empire, the German Empire, Denmark and Norway (''realskole''), Sweden (''realskola''), ...
.
Offering adult education are the ''Volkshochschule Bensheim'' and the ''Frauen- und Familienzentrum Bensheim'', with about 2,000 participants each year the biggest family meeting place in
Kreis Bergstraße
Kreis is the German word for circle.
Kreis may also refer to:
Places
* , or circles, various subdivisions roughly equivalent to counties, districts or municipalities
** Districts of Germany (including and )
** Former districts of Prussia, al ...
.
;Primary schools
* Grundschule Kappesgärten
* Hemsbergschule
* Joseph-Heckler Schule
* Kirchbergschule
* Schloßbergschule
;Primary school/Hauptschule/Realschule
* Schillerschule
;Cooperative comprehensive school
* Geschwister Scholl Schule
;Vocational schools
* Berufsbildungszentrum
* Heinrich-Metzendorf-Schule
;Advisory and advocacy centres
* Behindertenhilfe Bergstraße GmbH (help for the handicapped)
* Schule für Lernhilfe (school for help with learning)
* Seebergschule für praktisch Bildbare (practically educable)
Notable people
![Arthur von Oettingen](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6d/Arthur_von_Oettingen.jpg)
* Jakob Adam (1568–1618), reformed preacher and minister (in Bensheim 1598 to 1603)
* Gerhard Beetz (1918–2005), General secretary of the Evangelical Federation
* Hermann von Beisler (1790–1859), Bavarian military officer and politician
*
Nicolai Borger Nicolai may refer to:
*Nicolai (given name) people with the forename ''Nicolai''
*Nicolai (surname) people with the surname ''Nicolai''
*Nicolai (crater), a crater on the Moon
See also
* Niccolai, a surname
* Nicolae (disambiguation)
* Nicolao
* ...
(born 1974), writer, director and actor
*
Sir William Curtius
John William Curtius (1598–1678), 1st Curtius Baronet of Sweden, FRS, was a diplomat representing the House of Stuart during the Thirty Years' War and the exile of Charles II. In later life, he served as Resident Ambassador of the English Cr ...
(1599–1678), 1st Curtius Baronet of Sweden, FRS, diplomat
* Moritz Edelmann (1891–1973), National Socialist historical didactic
*
Friedrich von Eichheimer Georg Friedrich von Eichheimer (18 August 1764 – 13 October 1854) was a Bavarian military physician and Generalstabsarzt (Surgeon General) of the Army.
Eichheimer was born in Bensheim. He joined the Bavarian army as a Feldsher on 21 August 1786 a ...
(1764–1854), Bavarian military physician and Surgeon General of the Bavarian army
* Wilhelm Euler (1847–1934), paper manufacturer, member of the Landtag, patron and member of the city council of Bensheim
* Friedrich Wilhelm Euler (1908–1995), archivist, genealogist and endowment founder
*
Elsa Fraenkel
Elsa Fraenkel née Rothschild (1892–1975) was a German–born British sculptor raised in Heidelberg, Germany.
Education and Marriage
Elsa Fraenkel's interest in art began when she was a young girl. She received the support of her family in th ...
(1892–1975), sculptor
* Steffen Gebhardt (born 1981), pentathlete
* Leo Grewenig (1898–1991), painter, student of Kandinsky and Klee
* Willi Harwerth (1894–1982), graphic artist and illustrator
* Eduard Haßloch (1887–1944), businessman, journalist and Bensheim local poet
* Joseph Heckler (1786–1857), Grand Duchy of Hesse collector, “homeland researcher” (''Heimatforscher'')
*
Heinz Jost
Heinz Jost (9 July 1904 – 12 November 1964) was a German SS functionary during the Nazi era. He was involved in espionage matters as the ''Sicherheitsdienst'' (Security Service) or (SD) section chief of office VI (foreign intelligence) of the ...
(1904–1964), SS-Brigadeführer, major general of the police, Amtschef in the SD-Hauptamt Amt III (
Abwehr
The ''Abwehr'' (German for ''resistance'' or ''defence'', but the word usually means ''counterintelligence'' in a military context; ) was the German military-intelligence service for the ''Reichswehr'' and the ''Wehrmacht'' from 1920 to 1944. A ...
), Chief of RSHA-Amt VI
* Karl Ernst Knodt (1856–1917), poet
*
Paul Kleinschmidt
Paul Kleinschmidt, (1883–1949) was a German painter.
Biography
Kleinschmidt was born in Bublitz, Pomerania, German Empire (modern Bobolice, Poland).
As a student of art at the Berlin Akademie Kleinschmidt's greatest influence was Anton von ...
(1883–1949), painter
* Michael Klemm (born 1953), author, director and actor
* Karl Kunkel (1913–2012), Catholic theologian
* Klaus Kübler (1936–2007) Member of the Bundestag (SPD)
* Father Dirk Kranz (born 1969), Catholic priest
*
Matthias Lorenz
Matthias Lorenz (born 11 June 1964) is a German Cello, cellist.
Life
Born in Bensheim, Lorenz studied at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Frankfurt am Main with Gerhard Mantel and participated in courses given by Siegfried Palm ...
(born 1964), classical cellist
* Hugo Lindemann (1867–1949), college teacher and social democratic politician
*
Michael Meister
Michael Meister (born 9 June 1961) is a German mathematician and politician of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) who has been serving as a member of the Bundestag from the state Hesse since 1994. From 2018 until 2021 he also served as Parliam ...
(born 1961), Member of the Bundestag (CDU)
* Georg Metzendorf (1874–1934), architect
* Franz Heinrich Metzendorf (1866–1923), architect, “Building Master of the Bergstraße”
* Marcus Morlinghaus (born 1965), German actor, author and director
*
Norbert Müller-Everling (born 1953), sculptor
*
Arthur von Oettingen
Arthur Joachim von Oettingen ( – 5 September 1920) was a Baltic German physicist and music theorist. He was the brother of theologian Alexander von Oettingen (1827–1905) and ophthalmologist Georg von Oettingen (1824–1916).
Biography
...
(1836–1920), Baltic-German physicist, musical theorist and biographer
*
Wilhelm Ringelband Wilhelm Ringelband (1921–1981) was a German theater critic and endower of the Gertrud-Eysoldt-Ring. The actress Gertrud Eysoldt was a close friend and adviser to him. When Ringelband died, he left extensive archives of German film- and theatre hi ...
(1921–1981), theatre critic, endower of the Gertrud-Eysoldt-Ring
* Joseph Stoll (1879–1956), local poet, “homeland researcher”, cofounder of the Bensheimer Winzerfest, NSDAP local politician
*
Bernhard Trares
Bernhard Trares (born 18 August 1965) is a German former professional Association football, footballer who played mainly as a centre-back, and Manager (association football), manager, who last managed Würzburger Kickers.
Playing career
Trares w ...
(born 1965), footballer and football trainer
*
Heinrich Werlé (1887–1955), choir director and music critic
*
Otto-Werner Mueller (born 1926), conductor and musical educator
* Wilhelm Weyrauch (1914–2003), regional history researcher, municipal politician
Twin towns – sister cities
Bensheim is
twinned with:
*
Amersham
Amersham ( ) is a market town and civil parish within the unitary authority of Buckinghamshire, England, in the Chiltern Hills, northwest of central London, from Aylesbury and from High Wycombe. Amersham is part of the London commuter belt.
...
, England, United Kingdom
*
Beaune
Beaune () is the wine capital of Burgundy in the Côte d'Or department in eastern France. It is located between Lyon and Dijon. Beaune is one of the key wine centers in France, and the center of Burgundy wine production and business. The annua ...
, France
*
Hostinné
Hostinné (german: Arnau) is a town in Trutnov District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 4,300 inhabitants. It lies on the Elbe river. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument ...
, Czech Republic
*
Kłodzko
Kłodzko (; cz, Kladsko; german: Glatz; la, Glacio) is a historic town in south-western Poland, in the region of Lower Silesia. It is situated in the centre of the Kłodzko Valley, on the Eastern Neisse river.
Kłodzko is the seat of Kłodzko Co ...
, Poland
*
Mohács
Mohács (; Croatian and Bunjevac: ''Mohač''; german: Mohatsch; sr, Мохач; tr, Mohaç) is a town in Baranya County, Hungary, on the right bank of the Danube.
Etymology
The name probably comes from the Slavic ''*Mъchačь'',''*Mocháč'': ...
, Hungary
*
Riva del Garda
Riva del Garda (''Rìva'' in local dialect) is a town and ''comune'' in the northern Italian province of Trento of the Trentino Alto Adige region. It is also known simply as ''Riva'' and is located at the northern tip of Lake Garda.
History
Ri ...
, Italy
References
Further reading
* Joseph Stoll: ''Bensheimer Idiotikon, Eine Sammlung von Wörtern und Ausdrücken der Bensheimer Mundart mit Nachweisungen ihres Ursprungs und lokalgeschichtlichen Anmerkungen.'' Museumsverein Bensheim 1984, .
* Diether Blüm: ''Bensheimer Schulhäuser im Wandel der Jahrhunderte.'' Verlag Bergsträßer Anzeiger, Bensheim 1992.
* Diether Blüm: ''Adelsfamilien im alten Bensheim.'' K+G Verlag GmbH, Bensheim 1995.
* Rudolf Köster und Wilhelm Weyrauch: ''Ältere Flurnamen von Bensheim und seinen Stadtteilen bis zur Mitte des 19. Jahrhunderts.'' Hrsg. v. Museumsverein Bensheim in Verbindung mit der Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Geschichts- und Heimatvereine im Kreis Bergstraße, Sonderband 17 in der Reihe der Geschichtsblätter Kreis Bergstraße, Verlag Laurissa Lorsch
995
Year 995 ( CMXCV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Japan
* 17 May - Fujiwara no Michitaka (imperial regent) dies.
* 3 June: Fujiwara no Michikane gain ...
* Rudolf Köster: ''Die Namen der Bensheimer Straßen, Wege, Plätze und Passagen von A–Z erläutert.'' Museumsverein Bensheim, 1996, .
*
Manfred Berg: ''Bensheim – Die Reihe Archivbilder.'' Sutton-Verlag GmbH, Erfurt 1998, .
* Dorothea Schües: ''Der korrupte Kommerzienrat
ohann Maria Schlinck, Bürger und Stadtrat in BensheimEin Zeitbild um 1800.'' R. G. Fischer Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 2002, .
* Manfred Berg: ''Bensheim erleben – Ein Führer zu den historischen Sehenswürdigkeiten.'' Edition Diesbach, Weinheim 2002, .
* Wilhelm Weyrauch: ''Das frühe Bensheim - Vorträge und Aufsätze zur Entwicklungsgeschichte der Stadt - mit zahlreichen historischen Abbildungen.'' VVB Laufersweiler Verlag, Gießen 2004.
* Rudolf Köster: ''Bensheimer Familiennamen.'' Hrsg. v. Museumsverein Bensheim in Verbindung mit der Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Geschichts- und Heimatvereine im Kreis Bergstraße, Sonderband 23 in der Reihe der Geschichtsblätter Kreis Bergstraße, Verlag Laurissa Lorsch 2004, .
* Manfred Berg: ''Bensheim entdecken - Ein Malbuch für Schulkinder.'' Eigenverlag Berg, Bensheim 2005, .
* Geschichtswerkstatt Geschwister Scholl (Hrsg.) unter Leitung v. Schäfer, Franz Josef und Lotz, Peter: ''Jakob Kindinger - Ein politisches Leben.'' Druckhaus Diesbach GmbH, Weinheim 2006, .
* Reiner Maaß und Manfred Berg (Hrsg.): ''Bensheim – Spuren der Geschichte.'' EditionDiesbach, Weinheim 2006, ,
* Diether Blüm: ''Wenn Steine erzählen könnten...'' Verlag der Wochenzeitung "Der Bensemer"
External links
*
*
Hesse state castles and gardens
{{Authority control
Bergstraße (district)
Grand Duchy of Hesse
Displaced persons camps in the aftermath of World War II