Gernsheim () is a town in

Groß-Gerau Groß-Gerau () is the district seat of the Groß-Gerau district, lying in the southern Frankfurt Rhein-Main Region in Hesse, Germany, and serving as a hub for the surrounding area. In 1994, the town hosted the 34th Hessentag state festival. Geogra ...

district and

Darmstadt Darmstadt () is a city in the States of Germany, state of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Frankfurt Rhine Main Area, Rhine-Main-Area (Frankfurt Metropolitan Region). Darmstadt has around 160,000 inhabitants, making it th ...

region in

Hesse Hesse (, , ) or Hessia (, ; german: Hessen ), officially the State of Hessen (german: links=no, Land Hessen), is a States of Germany, state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt. Two other major histor ...

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 ...

, lying on the

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

Geography

Location

The ''Schöfferstadt Gernsheim'', as Gernsheim may officially call itself – it was

Peter Schöffer Peter Schöffer or Petrus Schoeffer (c. 1425 – c. 1503) was an early German printer, who studied in Paris and worked as a manuscript copyist in 1451 before apprenticing with Johannes Gutenberg and joining Johann Fust, a goldsmith, lawyer, and m ...

's birthplace – lies 18 km southwest of

and 16 km northeast of

Worms Worms may refer to: *Worm, an invertebrate animal with a tube-like body and no limbs Places *Worms, Germany, a city **Worms (electoral district) *Worms, Nebraska, U.S. *Worms im Veltlintal, the German name for Bormio, Italy Arts and entertainme ...

, right on the Rhine's east bank, south of the Old Rhine near

Stockstadt am Rhein Stockstadt am Rhein is a municipality in Groß-Gerau district in Hesse, Germany, lying on the southern edge of the Frankfurt Rhein-Main Region. Geography Location Stockstadt lies in the Rhine rift right on the Kühkopf-Knoblochsaue EU reserve. T ...

in the

Frankfurt Rhein-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 ...

Neighbouring communities

Gernsheim borders in the north on the communities of

Biebesheim Biebesheim am Rhein is a municipality in Groß-Gerau district in Hesse, Germany. Geography Location Biebesheim am Rhein lies in the Hessisches Ried, the northeastern section of the Rhine rift, west of Darmstadt and north of Worms. Frankfurt ...

and

Riedstadt Riedstadt, with its municipal area of 73.76 km² is Groß-Gerau district's biggest town by land area. It lies in Hesse, Germany, about 12 km southwest of Darmstadt. Geography Location Riedstadt is shaped not only by its preserved rur ...

, in the east on the town of

Pfungstadt Pfungstadt is a town of 25,029 inhabitants (2020), in the district of Darmstadt-Dieburg in the state of Hesse, Germany. History The town was first mentioned in 785 as property of the Monastery of Lorsch and got its town rights in 1886 due to its ...

and the communities of Bickenbach and

Alsbach-Hähnlein Alsbach-Hähnlein is a municipality in southern Hesse (Germany) in the district Darmstadt-Dieburg. It resulted from a merger of the two separate municipalities (''Gemeinden'') Alsbach and Hähnlein. Sister city * Diósd, Hungary Hunga ...

(all in

Darmstadt-Dieburg Darmstadt-Dieburg is a Kreis (Districts of Germany, district) in the south of Hesse, Germany. Neighboring districts are Offenbach (district), Offenbach, Aschaffenburg (district), Aschaffenburg, Miltenberg (district), Miltenberg, Odenwaldkreis, Berg ...

), in the south on the town of

Bensheim Bensheim () is a town in the Bergstraße district in southern Hessen, Germany. Bensheim lies on the Bergstraße and at the edge of the Odenwald mountains while at the same time having an open view over the Rhine plain. With about 40,000 inhabita ...

and the communities of Einhausen and

Groß-Rohrheim Groß-Rohrheim is a municipality in the Bergstraße district in Hesse, Germany. Geography Location The community lies 3 km east of the Rhine in the middle of the ''Hessisches Ried'' north of Biblis. Neighbouring communities Groß-Rohrheim ...

(all in

Kreis Bergstraße Kreis is the German word for circle. Kreis may also refer to: Places * , or circles, various subdivisions roughly equivalent to counties, districts or municipalities ** Districts of Germany (including and ) ** Former districts of Prussia, al ...

) and in the west on the community of

Hamm Hamm (, Latin: ''Hammona'') is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northeastern part of the Ruhr area. As of 2016 its population was 179,397. The city is situated between the A1 motorway and A2 motorway. Hamm railwa ...

(

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-Bingen. ...

Constituent communities

Gernsheim consists of the centres of Allmendfeld, Gernsheim and Klein-Rohrheim.

History

In the first century, there was

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 ...

settlement in what is now Gernsheim. By the 7th century, this had given way to

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 ...

settlement. In 852, Gernsheim had its first documentary mention, and was also later mentioned in the

Lorsch codex The Lorsch Codex (Chronicon Laureshamense, Lorscher Codex, Codex Laureshamensis) is an important historical document created between about 1175 to 1195 AD in the Monastery of Saint Nazarius in Lorsch, Germany. The codex is handwritten in Caroli ...

.foxnews.com, Roman settlement in Gernsheim, Board game pieces found in settlement built on Roman military fort LiveScience, By Laura Geggel, September 21, 2015
In 1356, Gernsheim was granted town rights by

Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV ( cs, Karel IV.; german: Karl IV.; la, Carolus IV; 14 May 1316 – 29 November 1378''Karl IV''. In: (1960): ''Geschichte in Gestalten'' (''History in figures''), vol. 2: ''F–K''. 38, Frankfurt 1963, p. 294), also known as Charle ...

. In 1425,

, later to be well known as one of

Johannes Gutenberg Johannes Gensfleisch zur Laden zum Gutenberg (; – 3 February 1468) was a German inventor and Artisan, craftsman who introduced letterpress printing to Europe with his movable type, movable-type printing press. Though not the first of its ki ...

's colleagues, was born. In 1937, the village of Allmendfeld, now part of Gernsheim but originally a separate municipality, was founded. It is Hesse's newest town (in the common sense, if not the administrative). It is named after the

commons The commons is the cultural and natural resources accessible to all members of a society, including natural materials such as air, water, and a habitable Earth. These resources are held in common even when owned privately or publicly. Commons ...

(''die Allmende'' 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 ...

Amalgamated communities

* Allmendfeld, since 1971 (founded 1937) * Klein-Rohrheim, since 1971 (about 1200 years old)

Politics

Coat of arms

Gernsheim's civic

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...

might heraldically be described thus: Gules, a six-spoked wheel argent. Gernsheim was among Mainz's many landholdings for centuries (1232–1802). The charge in these arms is the

Wheel of Mainz The Wheel of Mainz or ''Mainzer Rad'', in German, was the coat of arms of the Archbishopric of Mainz and thus also of the Electorate of Mainz (Kurmainz), in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It consists of a silver wheel with six spokes on a red bac ...

, a common heraldic charge in the region, given the history, but unlike many others, Gernsheim's arms have only this one charge. The town's oldest known seal, from the 14th century, already showed the wheel, as have all seals that later followed. The arms were officially granted in 192

Gernsheim has the same arms as Höchst (Frankfurt am Main), Höchst, a constituent community of

Frankfurt am Main Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...

Partnerships

Bar-sur-Aube Bar-sur-Aube (, literally ''Bar on Aube'') is a commune and a sub-prefecture in the Aube department in the Grand Est region of France. Surrounded by hills and Champagne vineyards, the city is traversed by the river Aube, from which it derives ...

Champagne-Ardenne Champagne-Ardenne () is a former administrative region of France, located in the northeast of the country, bordering Belgium. Mostly corresponding to the historic province of Champagne, the region is known for its sparkling white wine of the ...

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 ...

since 1976 *

Świecie Świecie (; german: Schwetz) is a town in northern Poland with 25,968 inhabitants (2006), situated in Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship (since 1999); it was in Bydgoszcz Voivodeship from 1975 to 1998. It is the capital of Świecie County. Locatio ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

since 2011

Culture and sightseeing

Buildings

* Wallfahrtskirche Maria Einsiedel (

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 ...

church, 1431) * Museum (Peter Schöffer Haus) * Rathaus (Town Hall) * Stadthalle (guildhall) * Old electricity works (Mario Derra)

Nature

* Rhine * Town Forest

Regular events

* Rhenish Fishing Festival (''Rheinisches Fischerfest'') – since 1948, the biggest fishing festival on the Rhine (first weekend in August) * Street Carnival (''Straßenfastnacht'', with parade) * Christmas Market (''Weihnachtsmarkt'') * Church Fair (''Kerb'') * Downtown Festival (''Innenstadtfest'')

Economy and infrastructure

Transport

Roads serving Gernsheim include Federal Highways (''Bundesstraßen'') B 44, B44a and B 426. Gernsheim is also connected to the

Autobahn The (; German plural ) is the federal controlled-access highway system in Germany. The official German term is (abbreviated ''BAB''), which translates as 'federal motorway'. The literal meaning of the word is 'Federal Auto(mobile) Track'. ...

A 67, as well as to State Highway (''Landesstraße'') L 3112 and the K 206. Gernsheim lies on the

Mannheim–Frankfurt railway Mannheim–Frankfurt railway is a German standard gauge, Railway electrification system, electrified railway line and runs in southern Hesse and northern Baden-Württemberg between Frankfurt and Mannheim Hauptbahnhof, Mannheim. It is also called ...

. There are also bus connections to

Goddelau Riedstadt, with its municipal area of 73.76 km² is Groß-Gerau district's biggest town by land area. It lies in Hesse, Germany, about 12 km southwest of Darmstadt. Geography Location Riedstadt is shaped not only by its preserved rur ...

and

Lampertheim Lampertheim is a town in the Bergstraße district in Hesse, Germany. In 1984, the town hosted the 24th ''Hessentag'' state festival. Geography Location Lampertheim lies in the southwest corner of Hesse in the Rhine rift at the Biedensand Conser ...

. Gernsheim's riverfront on the Rhine is home to a

container port A container port or container terminal is a facility where cargo containers are transshipped between different transport vehicles, for onward transportation. The transshipment may be between container ships and land vehicles, for example train ...

with a railway connection. There are also

ferries A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water tax ...

across the Rhine to

Eich Eich may refer to: Places * Eich, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany * Eich (Verbandsgemeinde), a collective municipality in Alzey-Worms, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany * Eich, Switzerland * Eich, Luxembourg People * Eich (surname), a list of people w ...

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 ...

Known Gernsheimer Personalities

(circa 1425-1503), printer, publisher and bookseller, born in Gernsheim *

Joseph Schmitt Georg Adam Joseph Schmitt (''Georgius Adamus Josephus''; baptised on 18 March 1734 in Gernsheim, Germany, died on 28 May 1791 in Amsterdam) was a German/Dutch composer, conducting, conductor, music director, publisher, music theorist and pedagogue ...

(c. 1734-1791), composer and music publisher, born in Gernsheim * Jürgen Walter (* 1968), politician, living in Gernsheim * Verena Weis (* 1979), singer Indira, temporarily residing in Gernsheim

References

External links

*
Rheinisches Fischerfest
* {{Authority control Groß-Gerau (district)