Elztal is a municipality in the Neckar-Odenwald district, in

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg (; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million inhabitants across a ...

, Germany. It is named after the valley of the river Elz.

Geography

The municipality Elztal is located in the southern part 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 ...

, close to

Mosbach Mosbach (; South Franconian: ''Mossbach'') is a town in the north of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is the seat of the Neckar-Odenwald district and has a population of approximately 25,000 distributed in six boroughs: Mosbach Town, Lohrbach, N ...

at the B 27, B

292 __NOTOC__ Year 292 ( CCXCII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Hannibalianus and Asclepiodotus (or, less frequently, year ...

and L

615 __NOTOC__ Year 615 ( DCXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 615 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era ...

. The next district cities are

Heilbronn Heilbronn () is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in northern Baden-Württemberg, Germany, surrounded by Heilbronn (district), Heilbronn District. With over 126,000 residents, it is the sixth-largest city in the state. From the late Mid ...

in the South and

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 ...

in the North. The local river Elz or sometimes called Elzbach is flowing through Rittersbach, Dallau and Neckarburken and ends at

Neckarelz Neckarelz is a suburb of Mosbach in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Geography Neckarelz is in northern Baden-Württemberg, between the Odenwald and Kraichgau, at the confluence of the Neckar and Elz rivers. On the other side of the Neckar, are t ...

into the

Neckar The Neckar () is a river in Germany, mainly flowing through the southwestern state of Baden-Württemberg, with a short section through Hesse. The Neckar is a major right tributary of the Rhine. Rising in the Schwarzwald-Baar-Kreis near Schwenn ...

river. The highest point of Elztal is located in Dallau at the Urnberg. At the moment there's a part of a former

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

base (

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine given ...

-Stellung D 1/67; later: A 3/71); today a cattle farm (Cattle-Horse-Ranch). The former living complex in the valley was demolished in 2007.

Municipality structure

The municipality contains the five districts of Auerbach, Dallau, Muckental, Neckarburken and Ritterbach. The combined population amounted to 6100. Auerbach district (Au) => ''Auerbach bei Mosbach'', Dännigsiedlung
Dallau district (Dal) => ''Dallau'', ''Mariental''
Muckental district (Muc) => ''Muckental'', ''Gehöft Rineck''
Neckarburken district (Nbu) => ''Neckarburken''
Rittersbach district (Ri) => ''Rittersbach'', ''Heidersbacher Mühle'', ''Zinken-Hütte'' In all five districts are local governments in the sense of the

s municipality order (Gemeindeordnung), each with its own town council (Ortschaftsrat) and mayor (Ortsvorsteher) as its chairman. From 1788 to 1850 there was an older village between Dallau and Muckental with the name ''Rineck''. Today the only certificate and remaining of this time is the Rineck far. Since 1850 the Rineck farm is known for its strawberry plantation.

Coats of arms

File:Wappen Auerbach Elztal.png, Auerbach bei

File:DEU Elztal COA.svg, Dallau File:Wappen Muckental.png, Muckental File:Wappen Neckarburken.png, Neckarburken File:Wappen Rittersbach.png, Rittersbach The crest of Dallau and the municipality of Elztal contains on a white or silver background

Saint Michael Michael (; he, מִיכָאֵל, lit=Who is like El od, translit=Mīḵāʾēl; el, Μιχαήλ, translit=Mikhaḗl; la, Michahel; ar, ميخائيل ، مِيكَالَ ، ميكائيل, translit=Mīkāʾīl, Mīkāl, Mīkhāʾīl), also ...

with blue wings. In his right hand he raises a golden sword and in his lefts he holds a Libra to illustrate the balance of good and evil. Bottom right, there's an oval escutcheon/shield with the Teutonic Cross on a white background on the right side. On the left side there's the Palatinate-

Wittelsbach The House of Wittelsbach () is a German dynasty, with branches that have ruled over territories including Bavaria, the Palatinate, Holland and Zeeland, Sweden (with Finland), Denmark, Norway, Hungary (with Romania), Bohemia, the Electorate o ...

rhombus In plane Euclidean geometry, a rhombus (plural rhombi or rhombuses) is a quadrilateral whose four sides all have the same length. Another name is equilateral quadrilateral, since equilateral means that all of its sides are equal in length. The ...

flag of the

Free State of 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 ...

(Freistaat Bayern). Saint Michael was the former patron of the former catholic

Monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...

on the Urnberg in Dallau. The Auerbach crest symbolizes the former status of Auerbach as wine region. Muckental and Neckarburken's crest are symbolizing only their

toponym Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of '' toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage and types. Toponym is the general term for a proper name of ...

s. The Rittersbach's crest shows their patron

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 ...

(hl. Georg) in a battle with a

dragon A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...

History

Colonization

The current area of the Elztal was populated by Germanic peoples in its prehistoric time. Today there are 14 burial mounds which witnesses it. The emergence of this burial mounds are dated on the middle of the 1st Millennium BC. At the time of the Romans ran the

limes Limes may refer to: * the plural form of lime (disambiguation) * the Latin word for ''limit'' which refers to: ** Limes (Roman Empire) (Latin, singular; plural: ) is a modern term used primarily for the Germanic border defence or delimiting ...

through the Elz Village. The limes was strengthened from the Romans with a fort (today known as: Fort of Neckarburken). The Germanic settlers in Elztal were shocked from this changes and relied into the security of the forests and woods of their home area. In addition, the Romans strengthened their fort with nearby inns (

Villa rustica Villa rustica () was the term used by the ancient Romans to denote a farmhouse or villa set in the countryside and with an agricultural section, which applies to the vast majority of Roman villas. In some cases they were at the centre of a large ...

) and a separated

Vicus In Ancient Rome, the Latin term (plural ) designated a village within a rural area () or the neighbourhood of a larger settlement. During the Republican era, the four of the city of Rome were subdivided into . In the 1st century BC, Augustus r ...

(camp village) for its military troops. The Romans in the Elztal were eliminated in 260 AD by the

Alemannic German Alemannic, or rarely Alemannish (''Alemannisch'', ), is a group of High German dialects. The name derives from the ancient Germanic tribal confederation known as the Alamanni ("all men"). Distribution Alemannic dialects are spoken by approxim ...

s. In 497 AD, the Franken conquered the territorium and founded the villages ''Aue amnis'' (Auerbach), Dallau, ''Neckar Castellum'' (Neckarburken) and ''Miles Militis Flumen'' (Rittersbach). On the occasion of foundations of Frankish noblemen to the monastery Lorsch are the first written references of the four settlements in the Franconian Lorsch Codex (Lorscher Codex). In this Codex, the villages are named: Dallau (772 AD) => Dalaheim (Talheim)
Neckarburken (774 AD) => Borocheim (Burgheim)
Rittersbach (783 AD) => Rodinsburon (Ruodis Bure)
Auerbach (791 AD) => Urbach In the 9th century AD, the villages has connections to the catholic Cyriak Monastery (Cyriaksstift) in Worms-Neuhausen and the

Diocese of Worms The Prince-Bishopric of Worms, was an ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire. Located on both banks of the Rhine around Worms just north of the union of that river with the Neckar, it was largely surrounded by the Electorate of the ...

which enlarged it influence after a gift of Emperor

Otto II Otto II (955 – 7 December 983), called the Red (''der Rote''), was Holy Roman Emperor from 973 until his death in 983. A member of the Ottonian dynasty, Otto II was the youngest and sole surviving son of Otto the Great and Adelaide of Italy. ...

. So the

possessed the

Mosbach Abbey Mosbach Abbey (Kloster Mosbach) was a Benedictine monastery, later a monastery of Augustinian Canons, in the town of Mosbach in the Odenwald, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. As part of the systematic Carolingian Christianisation of this part of Ge ...

with possession in 23 cities and villages.

Middle Ages

In the Middle Ages divided the society in different classes. In these time ascents some of the Elztal peoples into the 1st society class. One of them was Herr von Heinriet (1336 AD) who owned the Festivals of Dallau and a lot of land. After any years the Herr von Heinriet impoverished and developed to robber barons. In the extermination campaign 1356 AD of the

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 ...

er Archbishop Gerlach von Nassau against Albrecht Schenk von Limpurg in Lohrbach was the

water castle A water castle is a castle whose site is largely defended by water. It can be entirely surrounded by water-filled moats (moated castle) or natural waterbodies such as island castles in a river or offshore. The term comes from European castle st ...

(Wasserschloß) of Dallau in order of Karl IV conquered. In this campaign Dallau was devastated and its settlers and peoples murdered by the order from Karl IV. Gerlach von Nassau got the rights to reestablishment of a new city on the Dallau territory. But he never realized this right. After the Death of Gerlach in 1371 AD, the Herr von Heinriets owned now the Possessions of the Elztal villages again. These were sold to Cunz Münch von Rosenberg in 1380 AD. During this sale was Muckental in its first time mentioned. In the 14th and early 15th century was the Elztal owned by Herren von Weinsberg, Herren von Hirschhorn and Albrecht Schenk von Limpurg. The ''Rineck Farm'' between Dallau and Muckental got 1726 AD a bad reputation and was now known as an infertile farm territory. In the ''Lohrbach'' it got nicknames like ''Wild Plants'' (lauther Wildnus), ''Bad

Field'' (schlecht Odenwäldisch Feld) and ''Desert Territory'' (Wüsteney). The farm included an area of 200

Morgen A morgen was a unit of measurement of land area in Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Lithuania and the Dutch colonies, including South Africa and Taiwan. The size of a morgen varies from . It was also used in Old Prussia, in the Balkans, Norway ...

for sheep grazing. The ''Royal Palatinate

hereditary Heredity, also called inheritance or biological inheritance, is the passing on of traits from parents to their offspring; either through asexual reproduction or sexual reproduction, the offspring cells or organisms acquire the genetic inform ...

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 ...

'' prompted the reclamation of the barren land of the Rineck Farm. Fifty years later, the territory of the farm was issued to settle. The settlers received some own land and had to submit their natural produces and yields to the ''Lohrbach basement office''. The old farm was now renamed in Altrineck. New nicknames were Althof and Rühlingerhof. The settlement of ''Rineck'' was 1784 AD renamed into Neurineck. The settlers of this new settlement consisted of

tinkers Irish Travellers ( ga, an lucht siúil, meaning "the walking people"), also known as Pavees or Mincéirs (Shelta: Mincéirí), are a traditionally peripatetic indigenous ethno-cultural group in Ireland.''Questioning Gypsy identity: ethnic na ...

, Broom binders, basket makers, itinerant entertainers, musicians and mole catchers. A lot of them were deported from their former municipalities; they were known as ''Rielinger''. The first mayor of the municipality was Franz Holzschuh (29 August 1788).

Leiningen and Baden

Through contributions and accommodation in the time of the

French Wars French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with France ...

and the losing of the left-side-territories of the Rhine, the Elz Valley villages are hard burdened. So the nobles led a political realignment for southwestern territories within the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...

(Heiliges Römisches Reich Deutscher Nation). In this way the Elz Valley villages were 1803 AD incorporated into the

Principality of Leiningen The Principality of Leiningen (german: Fürstentum Leiningen) was a short-lived principality ruled by the Prince of Leiningen. History The principality emerged in 1803 in the course of secularization and was created when the princely branch of t ...

. In 1806 the Principality dissolved and was now a part of

Baden Baden (; ) is a historical territory in South Germany, in earlier times on both sides of the Upper Rhine but since the Napoleonic Wars only East of the Rhine. History The margraves of Baden originated from the House of Zähringen. Baden is ...

. 1803 confirmed the former reputation from the Rineck Farm. Infertile soil and negligent field orders caused a

famine A famine is a widespread scarcity of food, caused by several factors including war, natural disasters, crop failure, Demographic trap, population imbalance, widespread poverty, an Financial crisis, economic catastrophe or government policies. Th ...

. Begging, thefts, poaching and armed raids were now on the agenda and shifted the whole area into fear and turmoil. All surrounding villages complained of the many robberies and thefts at the courts. But nothing was done. Until 1838, the first complaint of the

supreme court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

reached the ''Baden District Government''. In this, the settlers of the municipality New Rineck were accused of being thieves, crooks, arsonists and vagabonds because they refused to work. From the people there were already claims to urge the settlers of New Rineck to emigrate to the USA. After lengthy negotiations with the surrounding municipalities this demand was realized. The first transport with 168 involuntary emigrants left New Rineck on 3 October 1849. The second Group left New Rineck on 11 May 1850 with 200 emigrants and the third Group left the municipality on 13 May 1850 with a group of 235 emigrants. On 2 December 1850, the municipality New Rineck dissolved. Ferdinand Scipio acquired the land in 1856 and created a farm with an area of 500

. Currently is the Rineck Grange owned by the Baron of Gemmingen-Hornberg. The road (today's B 27) through the Elz Valley were expanded in 1847 AD to improve the local market conditions. Another important project was the Railway

Osterburken Osterburken () is a town in the Neckar-Odenwald district, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated 28 km southwest of Tauberbischofsheim, 50 km northeast of Heilbronn, 90 km east of Heidelberg, 60 km southwest of Würzb ...

which is today very frequented by students, travelers and not mobile persons. But there were no big changes after the realizing the projects. So the villages was remained agriculturally.

World Wars and post-war years

Within the time of World War I, there were no changes and no happenings within the Elz Valley villages. The Second World War caused a lot of suffering and deaths in most of the settled families. A tombstone in the center of Dallau near to

Volksbank There are several banks that operate under the name "Volksbank" (Afrikaans, Dutch and German for "people's bank"). There are also 1,099 independent local Volksbanken in Germany. They are completely separate from the Austrian Association of Volksba ...

and the

testify to the shocking happening of an inevitable war. The first structural changes occurred during the last three war years and in the immediate postwar period of the transitional government. by the inclusion of refugees from the destroyed cities, the population of the villages rose. In the post-war years settled again a number of displaced from the eastern territories in the Elz Valley villages. New development zones and industrial estates have now been expelled and contributed to structural change. It needed a long time to recover from the impacts of the recent World War. Every village of today's Elztal was a self-governed municipality within the Mosbach district of the North Baden county (Nordbaden). The first sports facilities were built in the late 1960s: 1967: ''Sportzentrum Dallau'' (sports center)
1968: ''Elzbergstadion'' and ''Elzberghalle'' (Elzberg stadium and Elzberg gym) As part of the district reform on 1 January 1973, ''Auerbach'', ''Dallau'', ''Muckental'' and ''Neckarburken'' founded the new municipality Elztal with ''Dallau'' as district office.

Educational facilities

Auerbach, Rittersbach, Neckarburken and Dallau have their own

primary schools 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 ed ...

called ''Grundschule''. The

secondary school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' secondary education, lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) ...

(Hauptschule) of Elztal is in Dallau behind the official municipality

town hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...

(Rathaus). The secondary school in the Elztal (Hauptschule mit

Werkrealschule Werkrealschule is a relatively young branch of German secondary education (e.g. in Baden-Württemberg), which offers pupils additional lessons in grades 8 and 9 and allows them to qualify after ten years with a final exam which is equal to graduatio ...

; translated: secondary school with modern secondary handicraft workshop) is coupled with a handicraft workshop to learn the practical part in manual work (compulsory), technology (compulsory; election in the last year because compulsory), art (compulsory), home economics (election in the last year) and cooking (compulsory; election in the last year because compulsory). This is incidentally not a standard on German secondary schools. Within the municipality are three

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 ...

and two Catholic nursery schools called ''

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 ...

''.

Important firms

Muckental

''August Mackmull GmbH'' (builders)

Rittersbach

''OWR'' (manufacturer of decontamination equipment)

Auerbach bei Mosbach

''Elzal Service Schneider'' (Schneider Coach Travel)
''Strauss Erika Einzelhandel'' (toy store)

Dallau

''Blechnerei Mack'' (Tinsmiths Mack)
''Finkenrath'' (former firm; famous as a tax fraudster)
''Glaserei Kaufmann'' (Glazier Kaufmann)
''Spitzer Silo-Fahrzeugwerke GmbH'' (Europeans largest silo vehicles manufacturer)

Sights and special features

The water castle of Elztal

The

of Dallau was bought up by the municipality Elztal in 1974 AD. It is the only remnant of a former and much larger water castle. The water castle was built in the earlier 12th century AD from

knights A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

of the

Teutonic Order The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem, commonly known as the Teutonic Order, is a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. It was formed to aid Christians on ...

. Particularly striking are the circular tower and the palace room with a medieval staircase gable. The both fountains near the water castle were built in the 16th century by farmers. At Christmas time, it is possible to go inside the water castle for the annual flu issue of the municipality.

Religious institutions

In Dallau the

and the Catholic church are side by side. The churches are surrounded by other historical buildings as for example the catholic parish office and the Protestant schoolhouse. The Protestant church was built in 1750 AD and expanded 1857 AD. The Catholic Church '' St. Maria Immaculate'' was consecrated on 9 May 1737. In 1985, the transverse building was complemented and the old choir renewed. Because the historic stained glass window in the old building had no Marie reference, the new parts were built with a baroque statue of Marie and other Marie symbols. The re-consecration of the church was held on 10 May 1987. In Neckarburken are forming the local church (built 1775) with its church tower (built 1811) and the surrounded

half-timbered houses 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 ...

a beautiful a historic ensemble. Opposite is the former

rectory A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or ministers of religion. Residences of this type can have a variety of names, such as manse, parsonage, rectory or vicarage. Function A clergy house is typically ow ...

which was built in 1818. In addition, you will find one of the very rare historical bread-back positions (from 1809) and a historic

lime kiln A lime kiln is a kiln used for the calcination of limestone (calcium carbonate) to produce the form of lime (material), lime called quicklime (calcium oxide). The chemical equation for this chemical reaction, reaction is :Calcium carbonate, Ca ...

, which was restored in 2006. In Auerbach are a Protestant church which was renewed 1789, a Catholic church and several historic half-timbered buildings. These include the historic Gasthaus Lamm, the old railway station (today a S-Bahn station) and the old schoolhouse. In 1886 the new ''

George George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Presiden ...

Church'' designed by Ludwig Maier replaced the former one. The predecessor was built in the 14th century AD and was made of wood. The newer one is in the New Romanized Style from Ludwig Maier consists mainly of sandstones from the surrounding mountains. In the case of a renovation 1969/1970 AD inside the church were simplified the

fresco Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaste ...

es simplified. Another renovation held in 2002. On the ''Hill of Urns'' there was a great monastery in medieval times. Certificates for this are easy to find. So there are a lot of remains in the Große Kappel and in the Kleine Kappel. More of the wall remains are inside the

Nature Reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

between the Urnbergstraße and the underlying track. File:Dallau-kathkirche.jpg, '' St. Maria Immaculata'' in ''Dallau'' File:Neckarburken - Kirche.jpg, Protestant church of Neckarburken File:Elztal-auerbach-evkirch.jpg, Protestant church of Auerbach File:Elztal-auerbach-kathkirch.jpg, Catholic church of Auerbach File:Elztal-auerbach-bhf.jpg, Old railway station of Auerbach File:Neckarburken-backstelle.jpg, Historical '' bread-back positions'' of Neckarburken File:Roemisches Bad Neckarburken 1.jpg, Foundation of a

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

bath house Public baths originated when most people in population centers did not have access to private bathing facilities. Though termed "public", they have often been restricted according to gender, religious affiliation, personal membership, and other cr ...

The Limes

Another historical place is the Fort of Neckarburken and the ''Elantia Museum'' (''Museum Elantia'' / ''Museum am Odenwaldlimes'').

Walking and hiking

The municipality Elztal offers many interesting routes for walking and to rest. One favorite route is the small circuit in Dallau. It is especially nice in spring and summer. Parking is available at Krähenwaldparkplatz near to the Märchenwald. On the circuit there are a lot of branchings and inconspicuous forest paths. The first peculiarity on the circuit is a hidden

Tulip tree ''Liriodendron'' () is a genus of two species of characteristically large trees, deciduous over most of their populations, in the magnolia family (Magnoliaceae). These trees are widely known by the common name tulip tree or tuliptree for their ...

on the right side of the way. A few hundred meters along is a three-compartment crossing on the left side. The first way is only a path and leads to the oldest tree of the municipality. The second leads to an old and small chapel which is on a brook and a little bridge over it. On the other side one has the choice to go inside the Mariental on the left or the rest of the circuit on the right. From the main road you will reach a Y-crossing. So you have the choice to go to the right or to the left, but as it is circular you can go either way. One can then walk through Mariental. There are a lot of rare grasses, plants and bird species. In this valley can be seen the power of a

volcano A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plates are ...

. You'll find a lot of big hurled

magma Magma () is the molten or semi-molten natural material from which all igneous rocks are formed. Magma is found beneath the surface of the Earth, and evidence of magmatism has also been discovered on other terrestrial planets and some natural sa ...

lumps coming from the

Katzenbuckel The Katzenbuckel (626 metres) is an extinct volcano and the highest elevation in the Odenwald region of southeast Germany. The mountain is located eastwards of Eberbach, near the village of Waldbrunn. At the top of the Katzenbuckel is an 18-m-h ...

. Other popular routes for walking are the hiking: * Dallau – Auerbach ** Forest street parallel to B292 and then around the ''Cattle-Horse-Ranch'' (former ''Nike-Stellung'' / Missile defense base) along the streets ** Valley route passing the shelter and the ''Cattle-Horse-Ranch'' (former ''Nike-Stellung'' / Missile defense base) * Dallau to Lower Schfflenz ** Valley route passing the shelter and the ''Cattle-Horse-Ranch'' (former ''Nike-Stellung'' / Missile defense base) and then passing the barbecue place For biking there is the old Roman road between the ''Elz Valley'' and the ''Schefflenz Valley'' recommended. One can start in

and end in

Walldürn Walldürn is a town in the Neckar-Odenwald district, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated 23 km southwest of Wertheim. The town of Walldürn consists of the ten districts Walldürn-Stadt, Altheim, Gerolzahn, Glashofen, Gottersdor ...

. Those preferring valley routes can use the signposted standard route from

through the Elz Valley up to

Municipal Elections

2004

2009

References and sources

External links

Elz Village/Village Home official Web site

Rittersbach Web Site
* Gemeindeverwaltung Elztal
Animal shelter of Dallau

* Bruno König: ''1200 Jahre Elztal'' (1975) * Karl Wilhelm Beichert: ''Muckental und Rineck'' (1995) * Statistisches Landesamt

: Population status * Das Land

: Amtliche Beschreibung nach Kreisen und Gemeinden. Band V: Regierungsbezirk Karlsruhe

Kohlhammer Verlag W. Kohlhammer Verlag GmbH, or Kohlhammer Verlag, is a German publishing house headquartered in Stuttgart. History Kohlhammer Verlag was founded in Stuttgart on 30 April 1866 by . Kohlhammer had taken over the businesses of his late father-in-law ...

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...

1976, . S. 295–298 * Stadtarchiv Heilbronn {{Authority control Neckar-Odenwald-Kreis