Bodenheim is a state-recognized tourism

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

(''Fremdenverkehrsgemeinde'') in the

Mainz-Bingen Mainz-Bingen is a district (''Kreis'') in the east of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Neighboring districts are (from north clockwise) Rheingau-Taunus, the district-free cities Wiesbaden and Mainz, the districts Groß-Gerau, Alzey-Worms, Bad Kreuzna ...

district in

Rhineland-Palatinate Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; german: link=no, Rheinland-Pfalz ; lb, Rheinland-Pfalz ; pfl, Rhoilond-Palz) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the ...

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 ...

Geography

Location

The municipality lies roughly 12 km south of downtown

Mainz Mainz () is the capital and largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Mainz is on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite to the place that the Main (river), Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-we ...

on the edge of the

Frankfurt Rhine Main Region The Rhine-Main Metropolitan Region, often simply referred to as Frankfurt Rhine-Main, Frankfurt Rhine-Main area or Rhine-Main area (German: ''Rhein-Main-Gebiet'' or ''Frankfurt/Rhein-Main'', abbreviated FRM), is the second-largest metropolitan re ...

. The municipality is strongly characterized by

winegrowing Viticulture (from the Latin word for ''vine'') or winegrowing (wine growing) is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, ran ...

. The many wineries and '' Straußwirtschaften'' invite visitors to come and enjoy the wine. Since 1972, Bodenheim has been the seat of the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' of Bodenheim, a kind of collective municipality.

History

In 754, Bodenheim had its first documentary mention, and it marked its 1,250-year jubilee in 2004. On 29 June 1988, two US

F-16C The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a single-engine multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it evolved into a successf ...

combat aircraft collided near the municipality and fell over an uninhabited area. One of the pilots managed to save himself with his

ejection seat In aircraft, an ejection seat or ejector seat is a system designed to rescue the aircraft pilot, pilot or other aircrew, crew of an aircraft (usually military) in an emergency. In most designs, the seat is propelled out of the aircraft by an ex ...

, while the other, Captain Mike Crandall, was killed.

Population development

*1750: roughly 1,200 *1955: 4,214 *1970: 4,494 *31 December 2006: 7,060 *30 June 2008: 7,092

Politics

Municipal council

The

runoff election The two-round system (TRS), also known as runoff voting, second ballot, or ballotage, is a voting method used to elect a single candidate, where voters cast a single vote for their preferred candidate. It generally ensures a majoritarian resul ...

on Sunday 27 June 2004 yielded the following results: *Eligible voters: 5,386 *Ballots cast: 3,166 *Valid votes: 3,143 *Alfons Achatz ( CDU) 1,637 votes *Thomas Becker-Theilig (

SPD The Social Democratic Party of Germany (german: Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands, ; SPD, ) is a centre-left social democratic political party in Germany. It is one of the major parties of contemporary Germany. Saskia Esken has been the ...

) 1,506 votes The Municipal Mayor (''Ortsbürgermeister'') is represented by two deputies: * First Deputy: Otfried Nehren, FWG * Second Deputy: Ingrid Kerz, CDU The municipal election held on 26 May 2019 yielded the following results: *Eligible voters: 6,058 *Ballots cast: 4,430 *Valid votes: 4,386 *SPD: 2,218 (50.6%, 13 seats) *CDU: 1,211 (27.6%, 6 seats) *FDP: 179 (4.1%, 1 seat) *FWG: 778 (17.7%, 4 seats) Current political issues facing the Municipality of Bodenheim are the building of a road on the outskirts to relieve the historic community core of through traffic, the rising cost of building a community centre, the creation of a new sport facility outside the built-up core and the strained budget situation.

Mayor

Since 2009, the mayor has been Thomas Becker-Theilig (

Coat of arms

The municipality'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: Azure on a base sable an ass repassant argent, his head over a manger Or, to sinister thereof a vase with double handles of the same issuant from which a palm frond embowed to dexter vert. According to legend, the Provost of Saint Alban's Abbey in Mainz, to which Bodenheim then belonged, demanded of the Emperor minting rights. The Emperor, though, mocked him, saying “He wants to mint coins, does he? An old ass shall he mint!” (in

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 **Ger ...

: ''“Münzen will Er prägen? Einen alten Esel soll Er münzen!”''). With great irony, however, the ass was later chosen as a

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 Aqua ...

for the coat of arms.

Town partnerships

Seurre Seurre () is a commune in the Côte-d'Or department in eastern France. This commune lies at the crossroad of routes to Dijon, Chalon-sur-Saône, Dole, Beaune, and Louhans. Population See also *Communes of the Côte-d'Or department Th ...

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 ...

Grezzana Grezzana is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Verona in the Italian region Veneto, located about west of Venice and about northeast of Verona. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 10,525 and an area of .All demographics and ...

Province of Verona The Province of Verona ( it, Provincia di Verona) is a province in the Veneto administrative region of Italy. On its northwestern border, Lake GardaItaly's largestis divided between Verona and the provinces of Brescia (Lombardy region) and Trenti ...

Veneto Veneto (, ; vec, Vèneto ) or Venetia is one of the 20 regions of Italy. Its population is about five million, ranking fourth in Italy. The region's capital is Venice while the biggest city is Verona. Veneto was part of the Roman Empire unt ...

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 ...

Rudolstadt Rudolstadt is a town in the German federal state Thuringia, with the Thuringian Forest to the southwest, and to Jena and Weimar to the north. The former capital of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, the town is built along the River Saale inside a wide va ...

Saalfeld-Rudolstadt Saalfeld-Rudolstadt is a ''Kreis'' (district) in the south of Thuringia, Germany. Neighboring districts are (from the north clockwise) the districts Weimarer Land, Saale-Holzland, Saale-Orla, the district Kronach in Bavaria, and the districts Sonn ...

Thuringia Thuringia (; german: Thüringen ), officially the Free State of Thuringia ( ), is a state of central Germany, covering , the sixth smallest of the sixteen German states. It has a population of about 2.1 million. Erfurt is the capital and larg ...

Culture and sightseeing

Buildings

*Saint Alban's Church :The

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 was built about 1830. It is a hall church with

barrel vault A barrel vault, also known as a tunnel vault, wagon vault or wagonhead vault, is an architectural element formed by the extrusion of a single curve (or pair of curves, in the case of a pointed barrel vault) along a given distance. The curves are ...

ing with a west tower, square quire and

apse In architecture, an apse (plural apses; from Latin 'arch, vault' from Ancient Greek 'arch'; sometimes written apsis, plural apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome, also known as an ''exedra''. In ...

. The painting and

stucco Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and a ...

date from 1910. *

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 ...

Church :The foundation stone for the Evangelical Church in Bodenheim was laid on 16 May 1887. Master builder Baron von Schmitt, who was also given the job of restoring Saint Catherine’s Church (''Katharinenkirche'') in

Oppenheim Oppenheim () is a town in the Mainz-Bingen district of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The town is a well-known wine center, being the home of the German Winegrowing Museum, and is particularly known for the wines from the Oppenheimer Krötenbru ...

, drew up plans for the church while master church builder Otto Schwarze took on the job of overseeing the building work. In the

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

style there arose a house of worship built out of

quarried A quarry is a type of open-pit mining, open-pit mine in which dimension stone, rock (geology), rock, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, gravel, or slate is excavated from the ground. The operation of quarries is regulated in some juri ...

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

blocks with a

slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. It is the finest grained foliated metamorphic rock. ...

hip roof A hip roof, hip-roof or hipped roof, is a type of roof where all sides slope downwards to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope (although a tented roof by definition is a hipped roof with steeply pitched slopes rising to a peak). Thus, ...

and a decorative

flèche Flèche or Fleche may refer to: *Flèche (architecture), a type of church spire *Flèche (cycling), a team cycling competition *Flèche (fencing), an aggressive offensive fencing technique *Flèche (fortification) A flèche ( Fr. for "arrow") is ...

. Inside the building are found, among other things, three

stained-glass Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...

windows in the quire showing Christ’s birth, Crucifixion and Resurrection, and the artistically carved

pulpit A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, access ...

, which is borne by the Four Evangelists. On 26 September 1888 came the church’s festive consecration. Today the Evangelical Church is open all week from 8:00 to 19:00 for devotions and sightseeing. *''Kapelle Maria-Oberndorf'' :The

Marian

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

chapel A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common ty ...

of Maria-Oberndorf arose in the years 1889-1891 according episcopal cathedral master builder Lukas’s plans. The first documentary mention of a church building on this same spot comes from 1217, although its beginnings are believed to be older. This first church building was destroyed in 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 ...

. The pilgrimage festival is held yearly on the first Sunday after 2 July ( Visitation) and is part of the

Bishopric of Mainz The Diocese of Mainz, historically known in English as ''Mentz'' as well as by its French name ''Mayence'', is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Germany. It was founded in 304, promoted in 780 to Metrop ...

pilgrimage calendar. *Historic Town Hall :Without a doubt, the municipality’s centrepiece is the Town Hall, which the knightly monastery had built in 1608 as a new courthouse (for the higher and village court). The two-floor building with a gabled roof and lovely indoor stucco work is typical of Franconian-Hessian

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 ...

construction of the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

after 1555. The massively built ground floor was originally an open hall with a round-arch opening (remnants were brought to light in 1968). The in parts “disordered” timber-frame structure over the entrance suggests that there was once an outdoor stairway up to the first floor. All cornerposts, the odd slanted beam, various crossbeams and the whole oriel are covered in vine and grape carvings, mouldings and grotesque faces. On a windowpost facing the Rhine, the names of the ''Schultheiß'' (roughly “sheriff”) and the ''Schöffen'' (roughly “lay jurists”) in the year when the Town Hall was built can still be made out.

Sport

*Ländlicher Reit- und Fahrverein Bodenheim e.V. :The riding club, founded in 1973, has in the last few years experienced a great upswing. By expanding the club’s own sport facilities (2 riding halls 20 × 60 m und 20 × 40 m, 1 big showjumping square, 2 dressage squares, 4 tennis courts with clubhouse) and staging local and regional events it managed to broaden their offerings markedly. The chief chairman is Mr. Günter Scholles. *TV 1848 Bodenheim The gymnastic club was founded in 1848, and with more than 1,700 members is Bodenheim's biggest club, and one of

Rhenish Hesse Rhenish Hesse or Rhine HesseDickinson, Robert E (1964). ''Germany: A regional and economic geography'' (2nd ed.). London: Methuen, p. 542. . (german: Rheinhessen) is a region and a former government district () in the German state of Rhineland- ...

’s biggest.

Gymnastics Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, shou ...

team 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 ...

athletics Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competiti ...

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

and much more belong to the Bodenheim gymnastic club’s sport offerings *VfB 1909 Bodenheim :This sport club was founded in 1909 and after TV Bodenheim is the municipality’s biggest club. It is made up of two departments, for

table tennis Table tennis, also known as ping-pong and whiff-whaff, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight ball, also known as the ping-pong ball, back and forth across a table using small solid rackets. It takes place on a hard table div ...

and

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

Clubs

*Gesangverein Concordia 1872 Bodenheim e.V. : The singing club was founded in 1872 as a men’s choir that took upon itself to foster the international repertoire. Since 2000 there has also been a mixed choir by the name of Free Voices (so called even in

) whose repertoire consists of modern pieces (pop and rock music). *Bodenheimer Carneval-Verein 1935 e.V. : The club was founded in 1935-03-03. It promotes and maintains the tradition of carnival in the region.

Regular events

*''St. Albansfest'', named after Saint

Alban of Mainz Alban of Mainz (Latin: ''Albanus'' or ''Albinus''; supposedly died in or near Mainz) was a Catholic priest, missionary, and martyr in the Late Roman Empire. He is venerated as Saint Alban of Mainz in the Catholic Church, not to be confused with S ...

, takes place on the first weekend in June. *''Kirchweihfest'' (church consecration festival, locally known as the ''Kerb'') on the third weekend in September *Wine tasting on the Wine Lore Path – on the Sunday after the ''Kerb'' (fourth weekend in September) *''Nikolausmarkt'' in the old community core - on the first weekend in

Advent Advent is a Christian season of preparation for the Nativity of Christ at Christmas. It is the beginning of the liturgical year in Western Christianity. The name was adopted from Latin "coming; arrival", translating Greek ''parousia''. In ...

Economy and infrastructure

In Bodenheim the following businesses are or were resident: *

Kuemmerling Kuemmerling is the brandname of a type of Kräuterlikör (herb liqueur) from Germany, belonging to the group of Halbbitter (semi bitters). This 35% by volume alcohol is a type of bitters. It has been in production since 1963 in Bodenheim, near Mai ...

bitters Bitters (plural also ''bitters'') is traditionally an alcoholic preparation flavored with botanical matter for a bitter or bittersweet flavor. Originally, numerous longstanding brands of bitters were developed as patent medicines, but now are ...

*Hilge, pump factory *Herdt-Verlag für Bildungsmedien GmbH, publishing house for educational media

Winegrowing

In Bodenheim, there is

on 426 ha shared among vineyards owned by Kapelle, Kreuzberg, Silberberg, Hoch, Leidhecke, Westrum, Heitersbrünnchen, Ebersberg, Burgweg, Mönchspfad and Reichsritterstift. All together, there are currently (as of 2003) 79 active winegrowing operations with a working area greater than 3 000 m². The winegrowing lands are divided into 315 ha of white wine varieties and 112 ha of red wine varieties. Of white wine varieties, 72 ha are taken up by

Silvaner Sylvaner or Silvaner is a variety of white wine grape grown primarily in Alsace and Germany, where its official name is Grüner Silvaner. While the Alsatian versions have primarily been considered simpler wines, it was included among the vari ...

vines and 71 ha by

Müller-Thurgau Müller-Thurgau is a white grape variety (sp. ''Vitis vinifera'') which was created by Hermann Müller from the Swiss Canton of Thurgau in 1882 at the Geisenheim Grape Breeding Institute in Germany. It is a crossing of Riesling with Madeleine R ...

Dornfelder Dornfelder is a dark-skinned variety of grape of German origin used for red wine.

, at 47 ha is currently the most strongly represented red wine variety. A vine theme park guides the tourist through the vineyards explaining the most seeked vines at the sites where they are planted.

VDP members

The ''Weingut Oberstleutnant Liebrecht'sche Gutsverwaltung'' (winery) goes back to the estate built by the nuns from Altmünster Abbey in 1754 between the parish estate and the municipality of Weed. The career officer Friedrich Wilhelm Liebrecht realigned the vineyards’ boundaries and is counted among the founders of the ''Verband Deutscher Naturwein Versteigerer'', the forerunner of the ''

Verband Deutscher Prädikats- und Qualitätsweingüter An umbrella organization is an association of (often related, industry-specific) institutions who work together formally to coordinate activities and/or pool resources. In business, political, and other environments, it provides resources and ofte ...

'' (VDP). The winery was led until 2010 by a fourth-generation descendant, Mr. Fritz Nacke. The ''Weingut Kühling Gillot'' was taken over in 2002 by the Geisenheim winegrowing engineer Carolin Gillot. Carolin, now Spanier-Gillot, managed to build on her father's years-long quality work and support. She is cofounder of the young winegrowers’ association “message in a bottle” and busies herself in the Rhenish Hesse regional association of the women's wine network “Vinissima”.

Public institutions

The municipality of Bodenheim is also the seat of the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' of Bodenheim *Senior citizens’ meeting place :On the municipality’s behalf, the local workers’ welfare community club runs a meeting place for senior citizens. *Welfare centre :Sponsored by the Mainz Caritas association *Grundschule Bodenheim : The municipality of Bodenheim is the seat of 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 ...

with four parallel classes in each grade, which is sponsored by the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' *Öffentliche Bücherei St. Alban : On the primary school’s grounds is found the St. Alban public library with a collection of roughly 6,500 media units. *Kindertagesstätte Spatzennest :The

kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cent ...

with five parallel classes offers all together 125 places for children aged three and up, of which 50 are all-day places.

References

External links

Municipality’s official webpage

Pictures of Bodenheim
{{Authority control Rhenish Hesse Mainz-Bingen