Griesheim () is a town in the

Darmstadt-Dieburg Darmstadt-Dieburg is a Kreis (district) in the south of Hesse, Germany. Neighboring districts are Offenbach, Aschaffenburg, Miltenberg, Odenwaldkreis, Bergstraße, Groß-Gerau, and the district-free city of Darmstadt, which it surrounds. Histor ...

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 ...

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 betwee ...

. It is situated west of

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

History

The area of Griesheim has been inhabited since around 4500 BCE yet it was first mentioned in 1165 CE. Wine was an important source of income in Griesheim in earlier times. The

Thirty Year War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battle ...

hit Griesheim hard. The surviving inhabitants fled behind the walls of the Darmstadt, where many of them died of the

plague Plague or The Plague may refer to: Agriculture, fauna, and medicine *Plague (disease), a disease caused by ''Yersinia pestis'' * An epidemic of infectious disease (medical or agricultural) * A pandemic caused by such a disease * A swarm of pes ...

. By the end of the war in 1648 only about 370 were left, who set out to rebuild the community. The late 18th, early 19th Century a major industry was the production and trade of fir tree seeds. The city also became a center of woodwork-craft. The Protestant Reformation was introduced to the town in 1529. In 1874 in the southwest part of Griesheim an artillery range opened. In 1908

August Euler August Euler (20 November 1868 – 1 July 1957) was a pioneer German aviator, aircraft constructor and the holder of the first German pilot's license, issued in 1909. After the First World War, he became German Secretary of State for Air, un ...

opened one of the first

airfield An aerodrome (Commonwealth English) or airdrome (American English) is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for publ ...

s in Germany. Griesheim was occupied by France from 1918 to 1930. During

World War II 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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, 65% of its buildings were destroyed, and after the war it housed some 4000 refugees. After successful reconstruction, Griesheim on 12 September 1965 was granted township rights by the Hessian state government. Farming is still an important part of the city. Griesheim has a city museum to remember its past and its connection to St. Stephen. The Griesheim museum has archaeological finds. Griesheim city museum
/ref> Since 1977 the "Griesheim Week" festival is held in onion market in Griesheim. The festival takes place in Griesheim city center between Wagenhalle and Hans-Karl-place on the last or next to last weekend of September. The area of Griesheim has belonged to the following in the past: *1806 to 1820: Office Pfungstadt, which belonged to the province Starkenburgring the

Grand Duchy of Hesse 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 18 ...

. *1821-1832: District

Dörnberg Dörnberg is a municipality in the district of Rhein-Lahn, in Rhineland-Palatinate, in western Germany. It belongs to the association community of Diez. References Municipalities in Rhineland-Palatinate Rhein-Lahn-Kreis {{Rhei ...

in the province Starkenburgring. *1832-1848: Gross-Gerau district, with the beginning of the

. *1848 to 1852: Region of Darmstadt, while the division of the province Stark castle in administrative districts. *1852-1938: Darmstadt circle with the reintroduction of the province Starkenburgring. *1938-1977: County Darmstadt. As part of local government reform in 1938, the three Hessian provinces Starkenburgring,

Rheinhessen 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- ...

and Oberhessen. *1977: Darmstadt-Dieburg, in the district of Darmstadt from municipal reform in Hesse.

Trams

Tram Lines 9 and 4 run between Griesheim and Darmstadt. The central nodal point of the Darmstadt tramway network is the Luisenplatz in the city center of Darmstadt. Bus lines 45 and 46 go from Griesheim to

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 ...

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. Geog ...

and

Trebur Trebur is a municipality in Groß-Gerau district in Hessen, Germany. It is 13 km southeast of Mainz, and 8 km south of Rüsselsheim. Geography Location Trebur is located in the Frankfurt Rhein-Main Region. The cities of Mainz, Wiesbad ...

Roads

The main road passing west-east is the Bundesstraße 26, or B26. Griesheim is situated just west of the

Bundesautobahn 5 is a 445 km (277 mi) long Autobahn in Germany. Its northern end is the Hattenbach triangle intersection (with the A 7. The southern end is at the Swiss border near Basel. It runs through the German states of Hessen and Baden-W� ...

and

Bundesautobahn 67 is an autobahn in Germany. It connects the A 3 and A 6, passing cities such as Rüsselsheim and Darmstadt Darmstadt () is a city in the state of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Rhine-Main-Area (Frankfu ...

west of 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' ...

-interchange Darmstädter Kreuz (Darmstadt Cross).

Twin towns – sister cities

Griesheim is twinned with: *

Bar-le-Duc Bar-le-Duc (), formerly known as Bar, is a commune in the Meuse département, of which it is the capital. The department is in Grand Est in northeastern France. The lower, more modern and busier part of the town extends along a narrow valley, ...

, France (1975) * Gyönk, Hungary (1990) * Pontassieve, Italy (2008) Since 1990, Griesheim also has a town friendship with Wilkau-Haßlau in Germany.

Gallery

Griesheim-Lutherkirche.jpg, Evangelical Lutheran church Griesheim-St.-Stephan.jpg, Catholic Church St. Stephan Griesheim-Rathaus.jpg, Town hall Griesheim(Hessen)-Museum.jpg, Museum Ehemaliges Offizierskasino, Wilhelm-Leuschner-Str 217.jpg, Former officers mess Griesheim-Wagenhalle.jpg, Former tram depot

References

External links

*
Weatherstats of Griesheim
{{Authority control Darmstadt-Dieburg