Mudau is a municipality in the

Neckar-Odenwald Neckar-Odenwald-Kreis is a ''Landkreis'' (district) in the north of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Neighboring districts are (from east clockwise) Main-Tauber-Kreis, Hohenlohe-Kreis, Heilbronn, Rhein-Neckar-Kreis, Odenwaldkreis (Hesse) and Landk ...

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

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 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 has 4,833 inhabitants.

Geography

Mudau lies in the southeastern

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 ...

mountains between 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 ...

and

Main Main may refer to: Geography * Main River (disambiguation) **Most commonly the Main (river) in Germany * Main, Iran, a village in Fars Province *"Spanish Main", the Caribbean coasts of mainland Spanish territories in the 16th and 17th centuries ...

rivers, 75 km southeast 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 ...

and 40 km northeast of

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 ...

. The area is heavily forested, resting on coloured

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...

plateaus at 285 to 576 m elevation, sloping downward to the

Bauland The Bauland is a Gäu landscape in the northeast of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is a natural region within the Neckar and Tauber Gäu Plateaus (major unit 12) in the South German Scarplands. Location The Bauland is a Gäu la ...

region. Many

streams A stream is a continuous body of water, body of surface water Current (stream), flowing within the stream bed, bed and bank (geography), banks of a channel (geography), channel. Depending on its location or certain characteristics, a stream ...

originate in the area around Mudau, owing to its location on the Neckar-Main watershed; some have cut canyons as much as 200 m deep into the sandstone. Streams considered significant are the ''Gabelbach'', ''Mudbach'', and ''Steinbächlein'' which flow into the Main, and the ''Reisenbach'', ''Trienzbach'', and ''Elz'' which flow into the Neckar. Mudau is an officially recognized

resort A resort (North American English) is a self-contained commercial establishment that tries to provide most of a vacationer's wants, such as food, drink, swimming, lodging, sports, entertainment, and shopping, on the premises. The term ''resort ...

in the Naturpark-Neckartal-Odenwald.

History

* 2nd/3rd century: During the period of

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 ...

control (approximately 98–260 AD) the area that is now Mudau lay within the

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...

of Germania Superior. Remnants of the

Neckar-Odenwald Limes The Neckar-Odenwald Limes (german: Neckar-Odenwald-Limes) is a collective term for two, very different early sections of the Upper Germanic-Rhaetian Limes, a Roman defensive frontier line that may have been utilised during slightly different perio ...

are visible today near Schlossau and Scheidental. * 11th/12th century: In the high Middle Ages 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

Amorbach Abbey Amorbach Abbey (german: Kloster Amorbach) was a Benedictine imperial abbey of the Holy Roman Empire located at Amorbach. It was later the residence of the rulers of the short-lived Principality of Leiningen, before that became part of the Kingdom ...

started new settlements in the forest area south of Amorbach. The municipalities have their origin here. * 12th/13th century: Mudau's lands were placed under the supervision of the noblemen of Duern and were assigned to the nearby

Castle Wildenberg A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but u ...

(also known as Castle Wildenburg) in

. * 1271: By purchase in the year 1271 the rule rights came to the

Archbishop of Mainz The Elector of Mainz was one of the seven Prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire. As both the Archbishop of Mainz and the ruling prince of the Electorate of Mainz, the Elector of Mainz held a powerful position during the Middle Ages. The Archb ...

. Mudau was the principal seat of the 'Mudauer Zent'. * 1426: Mudau was separated from the old parish of Hollerbach and became the church centre, with 13 chapelries. * 1525: During the

German Peasants' War The German Peasants' War, Great Peasants' War or Great Peasants' Revolt (german: Deutscher Bauernkrieg) was a widespread popular revolt in some German-speaking areas in Central Europe from 1524 to 1525. It failed because of intense oppositio ...

the nearby Amorbach Abbey was plundered and Castle Wildenberg destroyed.

Götz von Berlichingen Gottfried "Götz" von Berlichingen (1480 – 23 July 1562), also known as Götz of the Iron Hand, was a German (Franconian) Imperial Knight (''Reichsritter''), mercenary, and poet. He was born around 1480 into the noble family of Berliching ...

was the captain of the soldiers called 'Heller Haufen'. * 17th century: During the 17th century Mudau became an important

market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rural ...

with several annual and

cattle market In economics, a market is a composition of systems, institutions, procedures, social relations or infrastructures whereby parties engage in exchange. While parties may exchange goods and services by barter, most markets rely on sellers offeri ...

s. * 1618 - 1648: During the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (80 ...

troops of allies and enemies both marched through the town and took quarter here. * 1803: During the Secularization Mudau became part of the

Principality A principality (or sometimes princedom) can either be a monarchical feudatory or a sovereign state, ruled or reigned over by a regnant-monarch with the title of prince and/or princess, or by a monarch with another title considered to fall under ...

of Leiningen. * 1806: Mudau becomes part of the

Grand Duchy of Baden The Grand Duchy of Baden (german: Großherzogtum Baden) was a state in the southwest German Empire on the east bank of the Rhine. It existed between 1806 and 1918. It came into existence in the 12th century as the Margraviate of Baden and subs ...

. * 1848: During the

German Revolutions of 1848 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 ...

(also known as the March Revolution), the principality's property at Marienhoehe bei

Buchen Buchen (South Franconian: ''Buche'') is a town in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is situated in the Odenwald low mountain range, 23 km northeast of the regional center Mosbach. Geography Buchen is situated on the seam between the ...

and the revenue office in Ernsttal were burned. The city halls were stormed. * 1849: Two-thirds of the town was destroyed by a major

fire Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material (the fuel) in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction Product (chemistry), products. At a certain point in the combustion reaction, called the ignition ...

. * 1967:

Sender Donebach The Sender Donebach was a 500-kilowatt long wave radio transmitter operating on 153 kHz and transmitting the program of German public broadcaster Deutschlandfunk. The facility, which was the property of Media Broadcast, was built between 19 ...

begins transmitting. * 1974: Closure of the narrow-gauge railway from

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 ...

to Mudau * 1982: The transmission towers of the longwave transmitting station were extended to 363 m, thus becoming the tallest built structures in Western Europe. The wavy band in the

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 ...

represents the Mudbach, while the wheels refer to the arms 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 (river), Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-we ...

Points of interest

* trail along the Neckar-Odenwald Limes in Schlossau with numerous remnants. The Neckar-Odenwald Limes led from

Bad Wimpfen Bad Wimpfen () is a historic spa town in the district of Heilbronn in the Baden-Württemberg region of southern Germany. It lies north of the city of Heilbronn, on the river Neckar. Geography Bad Wimpfen is located on the west bank of the River ...

at the Neckar to the north across Neckarburken, Oberscheidental, Schlossau after Woerth at the Main river. * Roman

fort A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

at Scheidental * chapel of Saint Veit and Saint Martin in Steinbach by 1494 with an altar of the school of

Tilman Riemenschneider Tilman Riemenschneider (c. 1460 – 7 July 1531) was a German sculptor and woodcarver active in Würzburg from 1483. He was one of the most prolific and versatile sculptors of the transition period between late Gothic and Renaissance, a master i ...

. * castle Waldleiningen (built 1828 in the Windsor style), used today as a sanatorium * old city hall Mudau (1434) * catholic parish church Mudau (tower by 1510) * baroque column ‘Mariensaeule’ Mudau by 1736 *

Neo-Gothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

parish church Schlossau, built 1864 * gallows in Mudau *

: two 363-metre transmission towers, the second-tallest structures in Germany. *

Reisenbach Telecommunication Tower Reisenbach Telecommunication Tower ( German designation: Fernmeldeturm Reisenbach) is among the tallest structures in the Northern parts of Baden-Württemberg. Only the two masts of Sender Donebach, Donebach longwave transmitter are taller in th ...

: a 173 m tall telecommunication tower built in 1972.

References

External links

Mudau.de
Mudau's official website (German only) {{Authority control Neckar-Odenwald-Kreis