Bornheim is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a

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 ...

belonging to a ''

Verbandsgemeinde A Verbandsgemeinde (; plural Verbandsgemeinden) is a low-level administrative unit in the German federal states of Rhineland-Palatinate and Saxony-Anhalt. A Verbandsgemeinde is typically composed of a small group of villages or towns. Rhinelan ...

'', 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 (Hesse), the city of Worms and the districts of Bad Dürkheim, Donnersbergkreis, Bad Kreuznach and Mainz-Binge ...

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 ...

. It is known as the "Gateway to the

Rhenish-Hessian Switzerland Rhenish-Hessian Switzerland (german: Rheinhessische Schweiz) 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 f ...

", 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. . (german: Rheinhessen) is a region and a former government district () in the German state of Rhineland- ...

. 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 (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 ...

. 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 * Francia, a post-Roman state in France and Germany * East Francia, the successor state to Francia in Germany ...

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 historical groups of people that once occupied Central Europe and Scandinavia during antiquity and into the early Middle Ages. Since the 19th century, they have traditionally been defined by the use of ancient and e ...

. The church was first mentioned in 1241 and partly destroyed by French 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 noble family of the Waldgraves or Wildgraves (Latin: ''comites silvestres'') descended of 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 ...

s in the

Early Middle Ages The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th or early 6th century to the 10th century. They marked the start of the Mi ...

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

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

, the municipality passed, as part of Rhenish Hesse, to the

Grand Duchy of Hesse-Darmstadt 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 ...

. On 31 December 1871, 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 ...

arrived. Passenger service on the

Armsheim Armsheim is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a Municipalities of Germany, municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Alzey-Worms district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Armsheim lies in the Rhenish-Hess ...

- Bornheim - Flonheim -

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

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

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

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

, several bombs fell in the local area, which luckily did no great damage. After 1961, Bornheim became known as the "Village of Roses and Wine". At this time, 5,000 climbing roses were planted. This was surely the reason why in 1973, at the national level, the municipality won gold in the contest ''Unser Dorf soll schöner werden'' ("Our village should become lovelier"), and was long said to be Rhenish Hesse’s prettiest municipality. The municipality’s favourable location for transport, having its own interchange 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, 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 United States Military Academy West Point Cadet Chapel.">West_Point_Cadet_Chapel.html" ;"title="United States Military Academy West Point Cadet Chapel">United States Military Academy West Point Cadet Chapel. ...

*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 roads t ...

'' (state road) 408

References

External links

Municipality’s official webpage

{{Authority control Rhenish Hesse Alzey-Worms