Dietenhofen is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...

in the district of

Ansbach Ansbach (; ; East Franconian: ''Anschba'') is a city in the German state of Bavaria. It is the capital of the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Ansbach is southwest of Nuremberg and north of Munich, on the river Fränkische Rezat, ...

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total l ...

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 ...

Geography

This small village is located in the Franconian Heights about 28 km west of

Nuremberg Nuremberg ( ; german: link=no, Nürnberg ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the second-largest city of the German state of Bavaria after its capital Munich, and its 518,370 (2019) inhabitants make it the 14th-largest ...

, 14 km north east of

and 38 km east of Rothenburg o.d. Tauber.
The river Bibert flows through the valley community and gives its name to the Bibert walking and bicycle path. Apart from the main village, there are 27 subdivisions which also belong to Dietenhofen. These are:

History

It’s a good idea to start the history of Dietenhofen with the legend behind its name.
Many years ago three noble maidens who had got lost in the area were saved by following the sound of a shepherd’s horn. They were so grateful that they had a chapel built where they met him, and called the place Dudenhofen. This later became “Dietenhofen”.
One of the most important monuments in Dietenhofen is the St. Andreas Church, which was built about 1000 AD. The church tower was added in the year 1468. There are some interesting old graves in the church and the magnificent old baroque altar is certainly worth seeing.
A few hundred metres away from the church you can find the local history museum which has also played an important role in Dietenhofen’s history. It was built in 1235 and was surrounded by a moat. It was home to Rüdiger von Dietenhofen. In 1523 the building was totally destroyed by fire. In 1822 it was rebuilt, bought by the local government and used as the village school.
The history would not be complete without mentioning the ruins in Leonrod (a nearby sleepy hamlet). The original building was constructed in 1218 and was also surrounded by a moat. It was home to the Baron of Leonrod and his family until it was accidentally burned down by their own servants in 1651. Dietenhofen is mentioned in

History of the Lombards The ''History of the Lombards'' or the ''History of the Langobards'' ( la, Historia Langobardorum) is the chief work by Paul the Deacon, written in the late 8th century. This incomplete history in six books was written after 787 and at any rate ...

Paul the Deacon Paul the Deacon ( 720s 13 April in 796, 797, 798, or 799 AD), also known as ''Paulus Diaconus'', ''Warnefridus'', ''Barnefridus'', or ''Winfridus'', and sometimes suffixed ''Cassinensis'' (''i.e.'' "of Monte Cassino"), was a Benedictine monk, ...

in AD 785, who also calls the place Villa Totonis.

Economy

Dietenhofen enjoys a healthy economic situation and has as many jobs to offer, as it has inhabitants. The Dietenhofen firms Playmobil/Lechuza ( Geobra Brandstätter GmbH),

Herpa Herpa Miniaturmodelle GMBH (or simply Herpa, an acronym for "Hergenröther und Patente”, the original name of the firm), is a German manufacturing company that produces die-cast scale model aircraft (under the " Herpa Wings" trademark) and plast ...

and Branofilter are global players.

Political situation

The current mayor, Heinz Henninger has been in power since 1984.
The local council includes 20 voluntary members. Exchanges take place regularly and lasting friendships have been established.

Leisure and culture

Dietenhofen has a recently renovated indoor swimming pool and a sports hall. There are also some playing fields.
The numerous clubs and music groups on offer make sure that there is something for everybody. Cultural events take place regularly.

Image:Dietenhofen_Bonifatius-Kirche.jpg , St. Boniface’s – the new Catholic church, consecrated Sept. 2009 Image: Dietenhofen_Andreas-Kirche.jpg , St. Andrews – the Protestant church

References

{{Authority control Ansbach (district)