Obertshausen () is a town in the
Offenbach district in the ''
Regierungsbezirk
A ' () means "governmental district" and is a type of administrative division in Germany. Four of sixteen ' ( states of Germany) are split into '. Beneath these are rural and urban districts.
Saxony has ' (directorate districts) with more res ...
'' of
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 ...
in the state of
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 ...
. It has around 24,000 inhabitants.
Geography
Location
Obertshausen is one of 13 towns and municipalities in the Offenbach district. The town lies in the thickly wooded eastern part of the Rhine-Main lowland south of the
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
...
and 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
Offenbach am Main
Offenbach am Main () is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in Hesse, Germany, on the left bank of the river Main (river), Main. It borders Frankfurt and is part of the Frankfurt urban area and the larger Frankfurt Rhein-Main Regional Aut ...
at an elevation of 112 m above sea level. Southwest of the town is found
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 ...
, the seat of the like-named ''
Regierungsbezirk
A ' () means "governmental district" and is a type of administrative division in Germany. Four of sixteen ' ( states of Germany) are split into '. Beneath these are rural and urban districts.
Saxony has ' (directorate districts) with more res ...
''. To the northeast lies the town of
Hanau
Hanau () is a town in the Main-Kinzig-Kreis, in Hesse, Germany. It is located 25 km east of Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main and is part of the Frankfurt Rhine-Main, Frankfurt Rhine-Main Metropolitan Region. Its Hanau Hauptbahnhof, station is a ...
(
Main-Kinzig-Kreis
Main-Kinzig-Kreis is a Kreis (district) in the east of Hesse, Germany. Neighboring districts are Wetteraukreis, Vogelsbergkreis, Fulda, Bad Kissingen, Main-Spessart, Aschaffenburg, Offenbach and the district-free cities of Offenbach and Frankfu ...
). Obertshausen lies in the southern part of Hesse, not far from the
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 ...
and the
Spessart
Spessart is a ''Mittelgebirge'', a range of low wooded mountains, in the States of Bavaria and Hesse in Germany. It is bordered by the Vogelsberg, Rhön and Odenwald. The highest elevation is the Geiersberg at 586 metres above sea level.
Etymo ...
.
Municipal area's extent
The municipal area stretches over 13.7 km², of which 7.8 km² is woodland, open land and cropland
Neighbouring communities
Obertshausen borders in the northwest on the district-free city of
Offenbach am Main
Offenbach am Main () is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in Hesse, Germany, on the left bank of the river Main (river), Main. It borders Frankfurt and is part of the Frankfurt urban area and the larger Frankfurt Rhein-Main Regional Aut ...
with its outlying centres of Bieber and Tempelsee, in the north on the town of
Mühlheim (centre of Lämmerspiel), in the northeast on the town of
Hanau
Hanau () is a town in the Main-Kinzig-Kreis, in Hesse, Germany. It is located 25 km east of Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main and is part of the Frankfurt Rhine-Main, Frankfurt Rhine-Main Metropolitan Region. Its Hanau Hauptbahnhof, station is a ...
(
Main-Kinzig-Kreis
Main-Kinzig-Kreis is a Kreis (district) in the east of Hesse, Germany. Neighboring districts are Wetteraukreis, Vogelsbergkreis, Fulda, Bad Kissingen, Main-Spessart, Aschaffenburg, Offenbach and the district-free cities of Offenbach and Frankfu ...
) with its outlying centres of Steinheim and Klein-Auheim, in the east on the community of
Hainburg, in the southeast on the town of
Rodgau
Rodgau is a town in the Offenbach district in the ''Regierungsbezirk'' of Darmstadt in Hesse, Germany. It lies southeast of Frankfurt am Main in the Frankfurt Rhine Main Region and has the greatest population of any municipality in the Offenbach ...
(centre of Weiskirchen) and in the southwest on the town of
Heusenstamm
Heusenstamm () is a town of over 18,000 people in the Offenbach district in the ''Regierungsbezirk'' of Darmstadt in Hesse, Germany.
Geography
Location
Heusenstamm is one of 13 towns and communities in the Offenbach district. The town li ...
.
Constituent communities
Obertshausen's ''
Stadtteile'' are Obertshausen and Hausen, each of which has roughly the same population.
History
In 865, Obertshausen had its first documentary mention under the name ''Oberdueshuson'' in a paper from 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
A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...
at
Seligenstadt
Seligenstadt is a town in the Offenbach (district), Offenbach district in the ''Regierungsbezirk'' of Darmstadt (region), Darmstadt in Hesse, Germany. Seligenstadt is one of Germany's oldest towns and was already of great importance in Carolingian ...
as one of the monastery's landholdings. In 1069,
Heinrich IV Henry IV may refer to:
People
* Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor (1050–1106), King of the Romans and Holy Roman Emperor
* Henry IV, Duke of Limburg (1195–1247)
* Henry IV, Duke of Brabant (1251/1252–1272)
* Henryk IV Probus (c. 1258–1290), D ...
donated to Saint Jacob's Monastery in
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 ...
some newly cleared land in the Wildbann Dreieich (a royal hunting forest). The land lay near the village of ''Hyson'' in the Maingau. At this time, the Lords of Hagenhausen-Eppstein exercised lordly rights (''Hoheitsrechte'') in Obertshausen and Hausen. In Obertshausen stood a
moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that is dug and surrounds a castle, fortification, building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive ...
ed
castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...
shaped like a defensive tower, called the ''Burgk im Hayn'' (or ''Burg im Hayn'' in modern German spelling). The Lords of Hausen, a sideline of those of Hagenhausen, once had holdings here.
In the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...
, feudal lords changed very often. The
Lords of Eppstein The Lords of Eppstein () were a family of German nobility in the Middle Ages. From the 12th century they ruled extensive territories in the Rhine Main area from their castle in Eppstein, northwest of Frankfurt, Germany.
History
Between 1180 and 11 ...
, Ullrich von Hanau and Archbishop Conrad III of Mainz were some of the land's owners. In 1425, Hausen and Obertshausen, as part of the ''
Amt
Amt is a type of administrative division governing a group of municipalities, today only in Germany, but formerly also common in other countries of Northern Europe. Its size and functions differ by country and the term is roughly equivalent to ...
'' of Steinheim, was sold by the Lords of Eppstein to
Electoral Mainz
The Electorate of Mainz (german: Kurfürstentum Mainz or ', la, Electoratus Moguntinus), previously known in English as Mentz and by its French name Mayence, was one of the most prestigious and influential states of the Holy Roman Empire. In the ...
. 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 ...
and 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 ...
in 1636 took a heavy toll on the population.
In 1664, Archbishop
Johann Philipp of Mainz sold his brother Philipp Erwin of Schönborn the two villages for 9,000
Gulden. In 1806, the
Schönborn ''Amt'' of Heusenstamm with Hausen and Obertshausen was
mediatized Mediatization or mediatisation may refer to:
* German mediatisation
German mediatisation (; german: deutsche Mediatisierung) was the major territorial restructuring that took place between 1802 and 1814 in Germany and the surrounding region by ...
into the
Principality of Isenburg
The County of Isenburg was a region of Germany located in southern present-day Hesse, located in territories north and south of Frankfurt. The states of Isenburg emerged from the Niederlahngau (located in the Rhineland-Palatinate), which partitio ...
, which was in turn mediatised ten years later. Both places then passed with the Isenburg ''Amt'' of Offenbach to 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 1806 ...
, and as of 1945, to the
state
State may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Literature
* ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State
* ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States
* ''Our S ...
of Hesse. From the Middle Ages until 1819, Obertshausen and Hausen belonged to the Biebermark, an area held in common with several other villages. In 1819, the Biebermark was divided among the member villages.
In 1896, the Offenbach-
Dieburg
Dieburg () is a small town in southern Hesse, Germany. It was formerly the seat of the district ("Kreis") of Dieburg, but is now part of the district of Darmstadt-Dieburg.
History
The town of Dieburg was first named in 1492 in the tax books of the ...
railway opened with a railway station in Obertshausen.
In the course of municipal reform in Hesse, the two formerly self-administering communities of Obertshausen and Hausen were merged. At first, the new community was named Hausen. On 1 January 1978, however, it was named Obertshausen. The two centres are separated from each other by ''
Bundesstraße
''Bundesstraße'' (German for "federal highway"), abbreviated ''B'', is the denotation for German and Austrian national highways.
Germany
Germany's ''Bundesstraßen'' network has a total length of about 40,000 km.
German ''Bundesstraßen'' ...
'' 448. On 29 September 1979, the Hesse state government granted Obertshausen town rights.
Population development
In 1576 there were 10 households in Hausen and 27 in Obertshausen. In 1834, Hausen's population had risen to 444 and Obertshausen's to 554. These figures have risen to many times these old levels over the years since then. By 1939, the figures had become 2,034 and 2,444 respectively. On 30 June 2007, the town as a whole had 25,314 inhabitants, of whom 12,668 lived in Hausen and 12,646 in Obertshausen.
Inhabitants
(each time as at 31 December)
*1998 – 24,522
*1999 – 24,577
*2000 – 24,658
*2001 – 24,676
*2002 – 24,521
*2003 – 24,484
*2004 – 24,532
*2005 – 25,434
*2006 – 24,210
Politics
Town council
The municipal election held on 26 March 2006 yielded the following results:
Mayor
Mayoral elections take place in Obertshausen every six years. The most recent mayors were:
* 2002–2014: Bernd Roth (CDU)
* 2014–2020: Roger Winter (independent)
* 2020–incumbent: Manuel Friedrich (independent)
Coat of arms
The town’s
arms
Arms or ARMS may refer to:
*Arm or arms, the upper limbs of the body
Arm, Arms, or ARMS may also refer to:
People
* Ida A. T. Arms (1856–1931), American missionary-educator, temperance leader
Coat of arms or weapons
*Armaments or weapons
**Fi ...
might be described thus: Party per fess abased dancetty of three, gules a lion passant crowned Or, his paws on the peaks of the parting, argent in base an oak sprig with two leaves and one acorn vert.
Flag
The town's flag has a white field in the middle flanked by a red stripe at each side, and in the upper half are the town's arms.
Culture and sightseeing
Museums
* ''Heimatmuseum'' at ''Karl-Mayer-Haus'' with permanent and changing exhibits on local history.
Events
* At the Hausen ''Bürgerhaus'' (community centre), mainly in the winter months, theatrical and
cabaret
Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or d ...
productions regularly take place.
* In the session chamber at the Town Hall on Beethovenstraße, except during summer holidays, older films are shown fortnightly for children and youth.
* With the Hausen ''Bürgerhaus'' and the Obertshausen multipurpose hall, there are venues for major events and concerts at the town's disposal.
Buildings
* ''Hausener Marktplatz'' (marketplace) with its artwork consisting of three hands, each holding a coat of arms, both Obertshausen's, and its two earlier partner towns'.
* Remains of the ''Burg im Hain'' (castle)
*
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
church ''Herz Jesu'' ("Jesus's Heart") in Obertshausen, Bahnhofstraße
* Catholic ''St. Josef-Kirche'' in Hausen, Seligenstädter Straße
* Catholic ''St. Pius-Kirche'' in Hausen, Gumbertseestraße
* Catholic church
''St. Thomas Morus'' in Obertshausen, Berliner Straße
*
Evangelical
Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide Interdenominationalism, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "bor ...
''Waldkirche'' ("Forest Church") in Hausen, Schönbornstraße
* Small chapel in Obertshausen, Heusenstammer Straße
Image:Obertshausen Katholische Kirche 20070914.JPG, Herz Jesu
Image:Thomas-Morus.JPG, St. Thomas Morus
Image:Obertshausen Evangelische Kirche 20070914.JPG, Waldkirche
Image:KapelleObertshausen.JPG, Chapel
Parks
* ''Waldpark'' Sainte Geneviève des Bois in Hausen with children's
playground
A playground, playpark, or play area is a place designed to provide an environment for children that facilitates play, typically outdoors. While a playground is usually designed for children, some are designed for other age groups, or people ...
and kiosk
* Leisure park in Obertshausen with adventure playground and ice-cream café and kiosk across the street
*
Miniature golf course at the Hausen community centre (''Bürgerhaus'')
Sport
The ''monte mare'' is an outdoor swimming pool, leisure pool and
sauna
A sauna (, ), or sudatory, is a small room or building designed as a place to experience dry or wet heat sessions, or an establishment with one or more of these facilities. The steam and high heat make the bathers perspire. A thermometer in a ...
. Originally opened under the name ''Atlantis'', after the operator's insolvency in 2005 it became part of the monte mare Group.
There is also a sport centre at the ''Waldschwimmbad'' ("Forest swimming pool")
Clubs
Obertshausen has 124 registered clubs.
Economy and infrastructure
Transport
Since late 2003, the town has been linked by line S1 to the
Rhine-Main S-Bahn
The Rhine-Main S-Bahn system is an integrated rapid transit and commuter train system for the Frankfurt/Rhine-Main region, which includes the cities Frankfurt am Main, Wiesbaden, Mainz, Offenbach am Main, Hanau and Darmstadt. The network compris ...
network. The Wiesbaden-Frankfurt-Offenbach-Rodgau-Rödermark-Ober Roden route runs through Obertshausen. At one time, Obertshausen was linked to the railway network by the ''Rodgaubahn''. Lying right on the
A 3 is
Frankfurt Airport
Frankfurt Airport (; german: link=no, Flughafen Frankfurt Main , also known as ''Rhein-Main-Flughafen'') is a major international airport located in Frankfurt, the fifth-largest city of Germany and one of the world's leading financial centres ...
, which through the
Frankfurter Kreuz
The Frankfurter Kreuz (''Frankfurt Junction'') is an Autobahn interchange in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, where the autobahns A3 and A5 meet. The interchange was originally to be built from 1931 to 1933, but due to World War II construction was ...
can be reached in a short time, as can likewise
Frankfurt Egelsbach Airport
Frankfurt Egelsbach Airport (german: Flugplatz Frankfurt-Egelsbach) is a general aviation airport located near Egelsbach, a town in the German state of Hesse. It is located southeast of Frankfurt Airport.
History
The airport was opened in 1 ...
. Obertshausen benefits from its proximity to the economic hub of Frankfurt am Main and the Frankfurt Rhine Main Region, as well as the good transport connections.
Within the town run several buslines, among them the Offenbach route 120, which links Obertshausen to the town's other centre, Hausen, and also
Mühlheim and
Offenbach.
Economy
For a long time Obertshausen, alongside Offenbach am Main, was a national centre for leather goods production. Still today, there are leather goods factories that export their goods worldwide. With the decline of the leather goods industry, mechanical engineering has come to dominate the town's industry today. Many inhabitants also find jobs in nearby Frankfurt am Main. ' (purchasing power) in Obertshausen in 2003 averaged €19,315 per inhabitant, putting it at 116.3% of the countrywide average.
Established businesses
* (textile machine manufacturer)
* Magna Exterior Systems GmbH
* Holzland Becker GmbH & Co. KG
* Feintool
* PICARD Lederwaren GmbH & Co. KG (leather goods)
* YMOS AG, former car supply industry
Media
* ''Offenbach-Post'' – the publishing house has its headquarters in Offenbach am Main and it reports regularly about Obertshausen in the regional section.
* ''Heimatbote'' – Regional newspaper for Obertshausen, reports about events in Obertshausen (in the interim under the Offenbach-Post's umbrella)
* ''Dreieich-Spiegel''
* ''Dreieich-Zeitung''
Schools
Primary schools
*
Friedrich-Fröbel-Schule
*
Joseph-von-Eichendorff-Schule
* Sonnentauschule
* Waldschule
Secondary schools
* Georg-Kerschensteiner-Schule
*
Hermann-Hesse-Schule
Kindergartens
In the constituent community of Hausen, three municipal
kindergarten
Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cent ...
s and one
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
one are available. Obertshausen has three municipal kindergartens and two ecclesiastical ones. Moreover, the district's first
forest kindergarten
Forest kindergarten is a type of preschool education for children between the ages of three and six that is held almost exclusively outdoors. Whatever the weather, children are encouraged to play, explore and learn in a forest environment. The ad ...
is in the town.
Twin towns – sister cities
Obertshausen is
twinned with:
*
Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois, France (1971)
*
Laakirchen
Laakirchen (Central Bavarian: ''Laakircha'') is a municipality in the district of Gmunden in the Austrian state of Upper Austria.
Population
Twin towns
Laakirchen is twinned with:
* Obertshausen, Germany, since 1972
* Gemona del Friuli
Gemo ...
, Austria (1972)
*
Meiningen
Meiningen () is a town in the southern part of the state of Thuringia, Germany. It is located in the region of Franconia and has a population of around 25,000 (2021). , Germany (2007)
Notable people
* (1923–2000), paedagogue and politician (CDU), Member of the Bundestag
*
Sven Väth
Sven Väth (born 26 October 1964) is a German DJ and electronic music producer. He is a three-time DJ Awards winner, and his career in electronic music spans over 30 years. The single "Electrica Salsa" with OFF launched his career in 1986. Referr ...
(born 1964), DJ and musician, pioneer of the German
Techno
Techno is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempo often varying between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is typically in common time (4/4) and often ch ...
scene
Honorary citizens
* Hildegard Bühl
* Peter Döbert (1907–1994)
* Robert Flügel (1909–1990)
* Kurt Formhals (1914–2009)
* Heide Heß (born 1940)
* Johann Karl Kämmerer (1870–1957)
* Valentin Mahr (1908–1972)
* Karl Mayer (1909–1995)
* Ulrich Mayer
* Robert Pappert (1930–2010)
* Josef Pieroth (1885–1957)
* Robert Roth (1929–2015)
* Eric Christian Schreiber, Sr. (1921–2008)
* Pfarrer Peter Valentin Schwahn (1889–1964)
* Marie Friederike Vetter (1904–1995)
* Leonhard Wilhelm (1883–1960)
* Jakob Wolf (1899–1982)
References
External links
*
*
{{Authority control
Offenbach (district)