Bornheim () is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a

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

belonging to a ''

Verbandsgemeinde A (; plural ) is a low-level administrative division, administrative unit in the Germany, German States of Germany, federal states of Brandenburg, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saxony-Anhalt. A is typically composed of a small group of Municipalitie ...

'', a kind of collective municipality – in the

Alzey-Worms Alzey-Worms () is a district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is bounded by (from the east and clockwise) the district Groß-Gerau (district), Groß-Gerau (Hesse), the city of Worms, Germany, Worms and the districts of Bad Dürkheim (district) ...

district in

Rhineland-Palatinate Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; ; ; ) 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 sixteen states. Mainz is the capital and largest city. Other cities are ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. It is known as the "Gateway to the

Rhenish-Hessian Switzerland Rhenish-Hessian Switzerland () is a protected landscape and recreation area in the southwest of the German region of Rhenish Hesse (''Rheinhessen''). It was established in 1961 and has an area of 6,766 hectares. The following municipalities lies w ...

", as the region is called.

Geography

Location

Bornheim is nestled in a hollow, sheltered by the Oswaldshöhe (heights). The municipality lies in

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

. Its main winemaking appellation – ''Weingroßlage'' – is Adelberg.

History

In 767 or 768, Bornheim had its first documentary mention in a donation document from

Lorsch Abbey Lorsch Abbey, otherwise the Imperial Abbey of Lorsch (; or ''Laurissa''), is a former Imperial abbey in Lorsch, Germany, about east of Worms, Germany, Worms. It was one of the most important monasteries of the Carolingian Empire. Even in its ru ...

. Archaeological finds, however, make it clear that the village existed earlier. Graves for cremated remains and a

Frankish Frankish may refer to: * Franks, a Germanic tribe and their culture ** Frankish language or its modern descendants, Franconian languages, a group of Low Germanic languages also commonly referred to as "Frankish" varieties * Francia, a post-Roman ...

row graveyard from about AD 500 have been found in the municipality. The Oswaldshöhe is thought to have served as an early gathering place for

Germanic peoples The Germanic peoples were tribal groups who lived in Northern Europe in Classical antiquity and the Early Middle Ages. In modern scholarship, they typically include not only the Roman-era ''Germani'' who lived in both ''Germania'' and parts of ...

. The church was first mentioned in 1241 and partly destroyed by

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

troops in 1690. The tower with its wall paintings from the 13th century, however, remained standing. It also houses Rhenish Hesse’s oldest bell. Like the surrounding municipalities, Bornheim belonged to the

Waldgrave The first Waldgraves or Wildgraves (Latin: ''comites silvestres'') descended from a division of the House of the Counts of Nahegau in the year 1113. When the (a countship named after the river Nahe) split into two parts in 1113, the count ...

s in the

Early Middle Ages The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages (historiography), Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th to the 10th century. They marked the start o ...

, and beginning in 1671 to their kin, the ''Rheingrafen'' ("Rhine Counts"). After the

Napoleonic Wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...

, the municipality passed, as part of Rhenish Hesse, to the Grand Duchy of Hesse-Darmstadt. On 31 December 1871 the railway arrived. Passenger service on the Armsheim – Bornheim –

Flonheim Flonheim is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Alzey-Worms district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Geography Location The municipality lies in the middle ...

–

Wendelsheim Wendelsheim is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Alzey-Worms district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Geography Location As a winegrowing centre, Wende ...

line (''Wiesbachtalbahn'') was ended in 1966, and since then the line has been completely abandoned. After the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

troops built a munitions depot right next to the railway line. In the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, several bombs fell in the local area, which did no major damage. After 1961, Bornheim became known as the "Village of Roses and Wine". At this time, 5,000 climbing roses were planted. The municipality’s favourable location for transport, having its own

interchange Interchange may refer to: Transport * Interchange (road), a collection of ramps, exits, and entrances between two or more highways * Interchange (freight rail), the transfer of freight cars between railroad companies * Interchange station, a rai ...

on the A 61, and the affordable property prices have led to quick growth over the last few years, such that there are now 825 inhabitants (as at 31 December 2006).

Politics

Municipal council

The council is made up of 12 council members, who are elected by

majority vote A majority is more than half of a total; however, the term is commonly used with other meanings, as explained in the "#Related terms, Related terms" section below. It is a subset of a Set (mathematics), set consisting of more than half of the se ...

, and the honorary mayor as chairman.Kommunalwahl Rheinland-Pfalz 2009, Gemeinderat
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Mayor

* Bernhard Beck (2004–2014) * Renate Steingaß (2014–present)

Culture and sightseeing

Buildings

*Church, tower from about 1200, with wall paintings from the 13th century, and Stumm

organ (music) Carol Williams performing at the West_Point_Cadet_Chapel.html" ;"title="United States Military Academy West Point Cadet Chapel">United States Military Academy West Point Cadet Chapel. In music, the organ is a keyboard instrument of one or mo ...

*Village fountain *Old well pump

Economy and infrastructure

Transport

*Bornheim Autobahn interchange ( A 61) *''

Landesstraße ''Landesstraßen'' (singular: ''Landesstraße'' ) are roads in Germany and Austria that are, as a rule, the responsibility of the respective German or Austrian federal state. The term may therefore be translated as "state road". They are road ...

'' (state road) 408

References

External links

Municipality’s official webpage

{{Authority control Rhenish Hesse Alzey-Worms