Münnerstadt
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Münnerstadt is a town in the district of
Bad Kissingen Bad Kissingen is a German spa town in the Bavarian region of Lower Franconia and seat of the district Bad Kissingen. Situated to the south of the Rhön Mountains on the Franconian Saale river, it is one of the health resorts, which be ...
in
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 lan ...
,
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 a population of around 7,600.


Geography

It borders on the towns of
Burglauer Burglauer is a municipality in the district of Rhön-Grabfeld in Bavaria, Germany. It lies on the river Lauer Lauer is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Andrew Lauer (born 1965), American filmmaker * Bonnie Lauer (born 1951) ...
,
Bad Bocklet Bad Bocklet is a municipality in the district of Bad Kissingen in Bavaria in Germany. It is a market town and a health spa. Geography Bad Bocklet lies in a bend in the river Fränkische Saale in Franconia about 10 km north of the district c ...
,
Nüdlingen Nüdlingen is a municipality in the district of Bad Kissingen in Bavaria in Germany. Divisions of the municipality The municipality is divided into the following towns: *Haard *Nüdlingen History Nüdlingen was first mentioned in 772 in the rec ...
,
Maßbach Maßbach is a market town and municipality in the district of Bad Kissingen in Bavaria in Germany. Geography Maßbach lies between the biosphere reserve of the Bavarian Rhön Mountains and Haßberge. Neighboring municipalities *Münnerstadt * ...
,
Großbardorf Großbardorf is a municipality in the district of Rhön-Grabfeld in Bavaria in Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Rus ...
, and Strahlungen. The municipal territory covers an area of 95 km². The town is located in the southern portion of the ''
Mittelgebirge A ''Mittelgebirge'' (German: ''Mittel'', "middle/medium"; ''Gebirge'', "mountain range") is a type of relatively low mountain range or highland area typical of the geography of central Europe, especially central and southern Germany; it refers to ...
'' Rhön. The
Lauer Lauer is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Andrew Lauer (born 1965), American filmmaker * Bonnie Lauer (born 1951), American golfer * Brad Lauer (born 1966), Canadian ice hockey coach * Bruno Lauer (born 1965), American profe ...
river (a tributary of the
Franconian Saale The Franconian Saale (german: Fränkische Saale) is a 140 km long river in Bavaria, Germany. It is a right-bank tributary of the Main, in Lower Franconia. It should not be confused with the larger Saxon Saale (german: Sächsische Saale), whi ...
) flows directly through the town.


History

The area around Münnerstadt has been inhabited at least since approximately 2100 BC. Early Celtic settlers farmed in the area of Grosswenkheim, Maria Bildhausen and Althausen (all villages within the municipal boundaries). Around the 1st century AD,
Thuringian Thuringian is an East Central German dialect group spoken in much of the modern German Free State of Thuringia north of the Rennsteig ridge, southwestern Saxony-Anhalt and adjacent territories of Hesse and Bavaria. It is close to Upper Saxon sp ...
and soon after, Franconian settlers moved into the area and used the surrounding hills (Michelsberg) and forests for protection in times of danger. By the 5th century AD a village existed in the area where the base of Michelsberg meets the Lauer river.


Middle Ages

On 28 December 770, Egi and Sigihilt donated their complete estate including vineyards to the "Munirihestat" monastery of Fulda. This was the first certified mention of Münnerstadt. Between 770 and 876 there were 18 certificates that proved Münnerstadt was of great importance during the
Carolingian The Carolingian dynasty (; known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolingus, Carolings, Karolinger or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family named after Charlemagne, grandson of mayor Charles Martel and a descendant of the Arnulfing and Pippin ...
period. In 1156 Hermann von Stahleck sponsored the construction of the abbey in Maria Bildhausen. In the 12th century Count Henneberg began to establish his presence in Münnerstadt. Henneberg was also the name of the state of the
Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...
in which Münnerstadt was located. At this time Henneberg built a small castle on the Lauer river and the inhabitants of the old Münnerstadt left their unprotected dwellings and moved within the shadows of the new castle. Early in the 13th century Münnerstadt began the fortification of the town with the construction of a wall (1251) and four gates around the entire town to protect them from invading forces. With the addition of the Market (1271), the town court, town council (1279) and town seal (1287), Münnerstadt began a period of prosperity. The grain measurement was the standard in 38 towns in
Lower Franconia Lower Franconia (german: Unterfranken) is one of seven districts of Bavaria, Germany. The districts of Lower, Middle and Upper Franconia make up the region of Franconia. History After the founding of the Kingdom of Bavaria the state was totally r ...
. In 1231 the
Teutonic Knights The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem, commonly known as the Teutonic Order, is a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. It was formed to aid Christians on ...
took over the Ministry of Münnerstadt. In 1279 the
Augustinian Augustinian may refer to: *Augustinians, members of religious orders following the Rule of St Augustine *Augustinianism, the teachings of Augustine of Hippo and his intellectual heirs *Someone who follows Augustine of Hippo * Canons Regular of Sain ...
abbey in Münnerstadt was established. As a result of the growth and prosperity brought upon Münnerstadt by Count von Henneberg, Emperor Louis IV gave the community its town rights. Münnerstadt became an important base against the Prince-Bishop of Würzburg, but inheritance and financial problems in the mid-14th century led to Würzburg taking over some assets in Münnerstadt. In the late 14th century the town inhabitants rose up to drive out both of the ruling princes but were crushed. In 1385 new laws were established that governed the way of life within the walls of the town. In 1490, the town council sponsored the construction of an altar in the ''Pfarrkirche'' (parish church) by noted artist
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 ...
. This was his first contract for a large altar. In the early 16th century
Martin Luther Martin Luther (; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, theologian, author, hymnwriter, and professor, and Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinian friar. He is the seminal figure of the Reformation, Protestant Refo ...
's predication created an uproar by the farmers and citizens who burned down the abbey of Maria Bildhausen, but the riot was quelled by the hard reprisal by the Prince-Bishop of Würzburg. The Augustinian monks had to leave town when the first Protestant priest took over the Ministry of Münnerstadt in 1552. In 1585 Prince-Bischop
Julius Echter Julius Echter von Mespelbrunn (18 March 1545 – 9 September 1617) was Prince-Bishop of Würzburg from 1573. He was born in Mespelbrunn Castle, Spessart ( Lower Franconia) and died in Würzburg. Life He was educated in Mainz, Leuven, ...
purchased a large part of the town that was not already owned by the Bishops of Würzburg. As a result, approximately 400 Protestants, mostly craftsmen, left the town. In 1631 the region suffered from the effects of 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 ...
. Swedish invaders took the town. In 1641 a miracle is supposed to have taken place that protected Münnerstadt from more devastation. The Augustinians returned in 1652, rebuilding their abbey and in 1685 they took back control of the Ministry of Münnerstadt.


Annexation

During the
Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...
,
Franconia Franconia (german: Franken, ; Franconian dialect: ''Franggn'' ; bar, Frankn) is a region of Germany, characterised by its culture and Franconian dialect (German: ''Fränkisch''). The three administrative regions of Lower, Middle and Upper Fr ...
, and with it Münnerstadt, was annexed by
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 lan ...
in 1803. During
mediatisation 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 ...
the abbey of Maria Bildhausen was disbanded, the buildings sold or destroyed. In 1804 Münnerstadt became the seat of a federal court. The Teutonic Order was required to leave the town and its possessions were claimed by the town council. The
Congress of Vienna The Congress of Vienna (, ) of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon B ...
later officially awarded Franconia and Münnerstadt to the
Kingdom of Bavaria The Kingdom of Bavaria (german: Königreich Bayern; ; spelled ''Baiern'' until 1825) was a German state that succeeded the former Electorate of Bavaria in 1805 and continued to exist until 1918. With the unification of Germany into the German E ...
. The town was the local government seat but continued to lose importance. By the early 1900s it was just a locality in the district of
Bad Kissingen Bad Kissingen is a German spa town in the Bavarian region of Lower Franconia and seat of the district Bad Kissingen. Situated to the south of the Rhön Mountains on the Franconian Saale river, it is one of the health resorts, which be ...
.


Modern times

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 vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, the ''Marienkapelle'', houses and one of the town gates were destroyed by bombing and upon entry of the U.S. forces into the town. With the establishment of
East Germany East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...
, businesses from Thuringia relocated to Münnerstadt. Some of them have attained international importance. In 1990, traffic on the was rerouted from the town center to the west side of town and the railway to Erfurt was opened after a 50 years' pause. In the winter of 2005 Autobahn 71 was opened for traffic. Its bridge between Münnerstadt and Althausen had a major impact on the local landscape.


Governance


Mayor

Since May 2008 the mayor of Münnerstadt has been 2008 Helmut Blank ( CSU). He was reelected in 2014 with 60.3% of the votes. In March 2020 Michael Kastl was elected mayor.


Notable people

*
Georg Anton Schäffer Georg Anton Schäffer (rarely russified as ''Yegor Nikolayevich'' or ''Egor Antonovich'' ''Sheffer''; ''von Schaeffer'' in Portuguese sources; 27 January 1779 – 1836) was a German physician in the employ of the Russian-American Company who ...
(1779-1836), doctor and adventurer, visited Austria, Turkey, Russia, Hawaii and Brazil. * Johann von Lutz (1826-1890), chairman of the Bavarian Council of Ministers from 1884 to 1890. * Josef Schreiner (1922-2002), theologian in Würzburg and Münster * Anton Schlembach (born 1932), theologian,
Bishop of Speyer The Bishop of Speyer is the Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Speyer, which is a suffragan see of the Archdiocese of Bamberg.Official website
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