Fürth is a municipality and a state-recognized recreational resort (''Erholungsort'') in the Bergstraße district in

Hesse 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 Dar ...

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 community lies in the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

''Geo-Naturpark Bergstraße-Odenwald'' on the Weschnitz, a small river that empties into

Rhine ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , so ...

near

Biblis Biblis is a municipality in the Bergstraße district in southern Hessen, Germany. Geography Location The municipality lies in the Rhine rift west of the Odenwald between Darmstadt to the north and Mannheim to the south; it also lies north of ...

. Fürth is the northernmost and highest community in the Weschnitz valley, which stretches southwestwards to Weinheim.

Neighbouring communities

Fürth borders in the north on the town of Lindenfels and the community of Reichelsheim, in the east on the community of

Mossautal Mossautal in the Odenwald is a municipality and a state-recognized health resort in the Odenwaldkreis (district) in Hesse, Germany. Geography Location The community lies at elevations of between 300 and 500 m above sea level. The ''Nibelun ...

(both in the

Odenwaldkreis The Odenwaldkreis is a ''Kreis'' (district) in the south of Hesse, Germany. Neighboring districts are Darmstadt-Dieburg, Miltenberg, Neckar-Odenwald-Kreis, Rhein-Neckar-Kreis and Kreis Bergstraße. ''Odenwaldkreis'' belongs to the Rhine Neckar Are ...

), in the southeast on the community of

Grasellenbach Grasellenbach is a municipality in the Bergstraße district in southern Hesse, Germany. Geography Location The community lies in the Odenwald and the UNESCO ''Geo-Naturpark Bergstraße-Odenwald'' at elevations between 420 and 580 m above s ...

, in the south on the community of Rimbach and in the west 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 ...

Constituent communities

Fürth's eleven ''

Ortsteil A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

e'' are Brombach, Ellenbach, Erlenbach, Fahrenbach, Kröckelbach, Krumbach, Linnenbach, Lörzenbach, Seidenbach, Steinbach and Weschnitz.

Climate

In Fürth, in the Odenwald, a notably cooler climate prevails than on the neighbouring Bergstraße. In the winter months, this is often clearly shown in the higher snowfall in Fürth. On the other hand, the community is also favoured by the weather owing to its sheltered location, and is often spared storms.

History

Fürth had its first documentary mention in connection with a donation by

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first ...

to the

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

monastery of 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 ...

, founded in 764. In the course of the monastery's being raised to Imperial Abbey, answerable only to the

Pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

, and no longer within the grasp of the bishoprics of

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 joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-west, with Ma ...

and

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 ...

, the Emperor donated to the monastery the domain of

in 773, which comprised the greater part of today's Bergstraße district and great parts of the

. In the border description from 773, Fürth is not mentioned, but the ''Welinehouc'' (Wahlenhügel, now known as the Kahlberg) near today's constituent community of Weschnitz is. Furthermore, ''Arezgreften'' (''Erzgruben'' in modern

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 ...

, meaning “ore pits”) on the Erzberg near Weschnitz are discussed. In connection with this donation, there arose border disputes between the Lorsch Abbey and the Bishopric of Worms, which in 795 led to the convening of an

arbitral tribunal An arbitral tribunal or arbitration tribunal, also arbitration commission, arbitration committee or arbitration council is a panel of unbiased adjudicators which is convened and sits to resolve a dispute by way of arbitration. The tribunal may c ...

on the Kahlberg near Weschnitz, an old gathering place and court site not far from today's ''Walburgiskapelle'' (chapel). The tribunal handed down a new border description which now named the most important places within the ''Mark Heppenheim'', namely ''Furte'' (Fürth), Rintbach, Morlenbach, Birkenowa, Winenheim, Hepenheim, Besinsheim, Urbach (Auerbach), Lauresham and Bisestat. The first documentary mention of the name ''Fürth'', therefore, fell in the year 795. The name ''Fürth'' may well refer to the former

ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

(''Furt'' in German) once found here. A “Description of the ''Huben'' and Crops of the Estate of Fürth” (curiam Furde) – a ''Hube'' being a plot of land big enough to feed one household, similar to a hide in the word's original meaning – from 1023 shows the development that was brought about by this donation and the subsequent clearing and reclamation of the land by Lorsch monks: Fürth was spoken of as ''principalis curia'', or the “first estate”, or ''Fürstenhof''. Thus, Fürth was Lorsch's most important administrative and fiscal centre in the Odenwald. There followed a precise statement of the crops of the lands in the various centres. Besides Fürth itself, these are the places named in connection with this: Kolmbach, Nieder-Brombach, Fahrenbach, Krumbach, Ober-Brombach, Weschnitz, Alt(en)lechtern and Kröckelbach (in ascending order of size of ''Huben'') as holdings subject to interest, further Steinbach as a holding subject to tithing and Erlenbach as a holding subject to meadowland tithing. In Fürth itself, Weschnitz and Fahrenbach a

mill Mill may refer to: Science and technology * * Mill (grinding) * Milling (machining) * Millwork * Textile mill * Steel mill, a factory for the manufacture of steel * List of types of mill * Mill, the arithmetic unit of the Analytical Engine early ...

is mentioned. Further, owing to incoming crops it was suggested that the corresponding handicraft products be available: 12 bolts (''Bahnen'') of fine shirt linen, 8 barrels, 8

measuring instrument A measuring instrument is a device to measure a physical quantity. In the physical sciences, quality assurance, and engineering, measurement is the activity of obtaining and comparing physical quantities of real-world objects and events. Est ...

s, 1 mortar, 40 serving dishes, in the one year a pan, in the other a kettle. In 1895, the ''Weschnitztalbahn'' (

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 ...

) was opened, linking Fürth with Weinheim.

Politics

Community council

The municipal election held on 26 March 2006 yielded the following results:

Mayor

The mayor is chosen in a direct election for a term of six years. Since 7 September 2008, the mayor has been Volker Oehlenschläger (CDU). He received 54.8% of the vote.

Coat of arms

The community's arms might be described thus: Argent a cross fitchy gules, thereupon a letter F argent. The cross fitchy (that is, with a point on the bottom arm; called a ''Nagelkreuz'' ��nailcross”or a ''Fußspitzkreuz'' ��foot point cross”in

) recalls the

’s former landlordship. The lowercase F in Antiqua script was already borne in an earlier court coat of arms from 1626. The arms were approved in 1926.

Culture and sightseeing

Buildings

Saint John the Baptist’s Parish Church (''Pfarrkirche St. Johannes d.T. '') was newly built in 1752 as a one-room church with a quire that is three-sided on the outside and in plain Baroque style. It is marked on the west façade by an open-air staircase (the statues, however, are new). The belltower is in the

Romanesque Revival Romanesque Revival (or Neo-Romanesque) is a style of building employed beginning in the mid-19th century inspired by the 11th- and 12th-century Romanesque architecture. Unlike the historic Romanesque style, Romanesque Revival buildings tended to ...

style and dates from 1866–68. The expansion on the south side was carried out in 1960–61.

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 ...

houses from the 18th and early 19th centuries enrich the townscape. A further highlight is the artistic path in the Steinbach meadows, which a few years ago was furnished with wonderful stone figures by distinguished artists. Also worth seeing is the ''Bergtierpark'' (“Mountain Animal Park”), to be found in the constituent community of Erlenbach. It has on show mountain creatures from five parts of the Earth and is open the year round. Standing as an extensive art gallery is the ''Kunstwanderweg'' (“artistic path”) from Fürth to Lindenfels, built in 2007 and beginning at the town hall''Kunstwanderweg'' from Fürth to Lindenfels
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Economy and infrastructure

Transport

Fürth

railway station 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 prep ...

is the end of the ''Weschnitztalbahn'', beyond which there are half-hourly Regionalbahn trains to Weinheim.

Education

Fürth has two

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 ...

s, the ''Müller-Guttenbrunn-Schule'' and the ''Schule am Katzenberg'' in the constituent community of Erlenbach. The former elementary school ''Paul-Joseph-Schule'' in Erlenbach lost this name in 1973 when it merged with the school in Rimbach-Mitlechtern. It was named after the former teacher Paul Joseph, notwithstanding that in the time of

National Socialism 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 Naz ...

, he had been known as a fervent

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

stalwart and

Party A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often featur ...

member. There is also an integrated comprehensive school, the '' Heinrich-Böll-Schule'' with some 900 students.