Mauer is a village in south western
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 located between
Heidelberg
Heidelberg (; Palatine German: ') is a city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914, of which roughly a quarter consisted of students ...
and
Sinsheim in the
Rhein-Neckar
The Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region (german: Metropolregion Rhein-Neckar, ), often referred to as Rhein-Neckar-Triangle, is a polycentric metropolitan region located in south western Germany, between the Frankfurt/Rhine-Main region to the North ...
district in the state of
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 ...
.
On 1 June 2012,
John Ehret
John Ehret (born in 1971 in Karlsruhe) is the mayor of Mauer, elected in 2012. He is the "first 'black' elected mayor in Germany in modern times", and "Baden-Württembergs erster schwarzer Bürgermeister" ("Baden-Württemberg's first black mayor") ...
(no party) took office as mayor. He is the first black mayor in Baden-Württemberg and thought to be the first black mayor in Germany in modern times.
Geography
Mauer is located at an altitude of 130–240 m, and covers an area of 630 hectares. Of this area, 22.8% is covered by settlements, roads and paved areas, 55.3% is agricultural, and 18.6% is forested. Adjacent municipalities are, starting in the north and moving clockwise, Wiesenbach, Meckesheim, Wiesloch, Leimen and Bammental.
Religion
In 1522, the
Reformation
The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...
was introduced into Mauer; probably by Franz von Sickingen. Today it hosts both an evangelical and a Roman Catholic church community.
Geology/Archaeology
Mauer is the location where the first remains of ''
Homo heidelbergensis'' were found. The remains, a jaw, were discovered in 1907 in the local sand quarry by Daniel Hartmann, a worker there. The sandpit remained active for some time, and the original resting place of the remains no longer exists. However, the sandpit is now a nature park, and the sedimentary layers corresponding to those of the original find can be viewed on a 25 meter high section.
Persons of Interest
Honored Citizens
* Daniel Hartmann (1854-1952) found the lower jaw of Homo heidelbergensis.
* Gerhard Weiser (1931-2003) was Mayor of Mauer from 1962 to 1976. In 1968 he moved to the Landtag for the first time and later became the Minister of Agriculture in Baden-Württemberg from 1976 to 1996. From 1996 to 2001 he was vice-president of the state parliament. In spite of his political commitment, he remained connected to his hometown and also managed a farm there.
* Erich Mick, mayor from 1976 to 2001, founder of the association Homo heidelbergensis of Mauer e.V.
Other Notables Associated with Mauer
* Karl von Zyllnhardt (forestry officer) (1744-1816), German landlord and forestry officer.
* Karl von Zyllnhardt (jurist) (1779-1828), German jurist and politician.
References
Rhein-Neckar-Kreis
Paleoanthropological sites
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