HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Bürstadt () is a town in the Bergstraße district in southern
Hesse Hesse or Hessen ( ), officially the State of Hesse (), is a States of Germany, state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt, which is also the country's principal financial centre. Two other major hist ...
,
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
, 7 km east of
Worms The World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) is a taxonomic database that aims to provide an authoritative and comprehensive catalogue and list of names of marine organisms. Content The content of the registry is edited and maintained by scien ...
, and 17 km north of
Mannheim Mannheim (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: or ), officially the University City of Mannheim (), is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, second-largest city in Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart, the States of Ger ...
. In 1981, the town hosted the 21st '' Hessentag'' state festival.


Geography


Location

Bürstadt lies in the Rhine rift between the
Rhine The Rhine ( ) is one of the List of rivers of Europe, major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Austria–Swit ...
and the
Odenwald The Odenwald () is a low mountain range in the Germany, German states of Hesse, Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. Location The Odenwald is located between the Upper Rhine Plain with the Bergstraße Route, Bergstraße and the ''Hessisches Ried' ...
, and thereby in the ''Hessisches Ried''.


Neighbouring communities

Bürstadt borders in the north on the community of Biblis, in the northeast on the community of Einhausen, in the east on the town of Lorsch, and in the south and west on the town of Lampertheim.


Constituent communities

Bürstadt's ''
Ortsteil A village is a human settlement or Residential community, community, larger than a hamlet (place), hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located ...
e'' are Bobstadt, Bürstadt and Riedrode. Each of the two outlying centres lies roughly one kilometre from Bürstadt.


History

The name ''Bürstadt'' comes from ''Bisos Stätte'' (“Biso’s Stead”). Biso was a Frankish prince who had holdings in the area. Bürstadt lies in one of the most culture- and history-laden of Germany's old domains. Conditioned by the Rhine rift's fertile soil and wealth in wildlife and biodiversity, the Rhine's upper bank was already settled very early on. A 1.35 m-high monolith that stands in Bürstadt's municipal area, the so-called Sackstein (), is probably a
menhir A menhir (; from Brittonic languages: ''maen'' or ''men'', "stone" and ''hir'' or ''hîr'', "long"), standing stone, orthostat, or lith is a large upright stone, emplaced in the ground by humans, typically dating from the European middle Br ...
from the late New Stone Age. Barrows in the Bürstadt woods have yielded some finds that can be dated to Hallstatt times. Also worthy of note are a number of finds from early La Tène times, for example a beaker shaped by hand with finger impressions dating from about 500 BC. Moreover, remains of an extensive Roman settlement can be found on the edge of the Bürstadt woods. For the traveller, Bürstadt, where there was once a
Carolingian The Carolingian dynasty ( ; known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolingus, Carolings, Karolinger or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family named after Charles Martel and his grandson Charlemagne, descendants of the Arnulfing and Pippinid c ...
royal court, lay halfway between the ''
Nibelung The term Nibelung ( German) or Niflungr (Old Norse) is a personal or clan name with several competing and contradictory uses in Germanic heroic legend. It has an unclear etymology, but is often connected to the root ''Nebel'', meaning mist. The ...
enstadt'' (city connected with the Nibelungenlied) of
Worms The World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) is a taxonomic database that aims to provide an authoritative and comprehensive catalogue and list of names of marine organisms. Content The content of the registry is edited and maintained by scien ...
, founded by
Celts The Celts ( , see Names of the Celts#Pronunciation, pronunciation for different usages) or Celtic peoples ( ) were a collection of Indo-European languages, Indo-European peoples. "The Celts, an ancient Indo-European people, reached the apoge ...
, and the former
Lorsch Abbey Lorsch Abbey, otherwise the Imperial Abbey of Lorsch (; or ''Laurissa''), is a former Imperial abbey in Lorsch, Germany, about east of Worms, Germany, Worms. It was one of the most important monasteries of the Carolingian Empire. Even in its ru ...
. This abbey was founded in 764 in nearby Lorsch by Count Kankor, and from the 9th to 12th centuries it was among Germany's biggest
Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...
abbeys. On 1 November 767, Bürstadt had its first documentary mention in a donation document. In 776, Eufemia, Count Kankor's daughter, donated her holdings in ''Villa et marca Babestat'' to the Lorsch Abbey. Her brother Heimerich, too, bequeathed his property in Bobstadt to the Abbey in 782, thus giving Bobstadt its first documentary mention. In 789 came the Boxheimerhof's first documentary mention. This was a Lorsch monastic estate, and it appeared under the name ''Villa wizzilin'' or ''Wizzelai''. By 1275, it already bore the name Boxheim. In late April 873, at
Whitsun Whitsun (also Whitsunday or Whit Sunday) is the name used in Britain, and other countries among Anglicans and Methodists, for the Christian holy day of Pentecost. It falls on the seventh Sunday after Easter and commemorates the descent of the H ...
, King
Louis the German Louis the German (German language, German: ''Ludwig der Deutsche''; c. 806/810 – 28 August 876), also known as Louis II of Germany (German language, German: ''Ludwig II. von Deutschland''), was the first king of East Francia, and ruled from 8 ...
held his Imperial Assembly ('' placitum'') in Bürstadt. There were negotiations with Danish King Siegfried's legation and a reception for
Great Moravia Great Moravia (; , ''Meghálī Moravía''; ; ; , ), or simply Moravia, was the first major state that was predominantly West Slavic to emerge in the area of Central Europe, possibly including territories which are today part of the Czech Repub ...
n Prince Svatopluk’s envoy. Furthermore, it was here that Louis reconciled with his sons. In 1232, Bürstadt passed, along with the Lorsch Imperial Abbey to the
Archbishopric of Mainz The Electorate of Mainz ( or '; ), 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 hierarchy of the Catholic Church, the Archbishop-Elec ...
. In 1427, Bürstadt was enfeoffed to the Lords of Wattenheim, but with Peter von Wattenheim’s death in 1440, the holdings passed back to the
monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...
at Worms. In 1443, Bishop Johann of Worms gave the village and court of Bürstadt to Konrad von Frankenstein, who was the first feudal lord from the Frankenstein noble family in the '' Amt zum Stein'' in a line that was to last until 1780. In 1461, Bürstadt was pledged to the
Electorate of the Palatinate The Electoral Palatinate was a Imperial State, constituent state of the Holy Roman Empire until it was annexed by the Electorate of Baden in 1803. From the end of the 13th century, its ruler was one of the Prince-electors who elected the Holy ...
. In 1556, the Elector of Palatinate introduced the
Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...
into Bürstadt, along with other places. In the
Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...
(1618–1648), all houses in Bürstadt were burnt down. For almost ten years, the village had no inhabitants. In 1618 it had roughly 700 people, and by the war’s end, only 154. In 1623, Bürstadt passed back to the Archbishopric of Mainz, and
Catholicism The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
was thereby reintroduced. In 1732, building work began on St. Michael’s, a
Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...
church. In 1780, Bürstadt was once again in the Worms ''Amt'' of Lampertheim (formerly ''Amt Stein''). With the dissolution of the Electorate of Mainz, Bürstadt passed to the
Grand Duchy of Hesse The Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine () 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 as the Grand Duchy of Hesse (). It assumed the name ...
. On 3 November 1824, the ''Reuterdeich'', a
levee A levee ( or ), dike (American English), dyke (British English; see American and British English spelling differences#Miscellaneous spelling differences, spelling differences), embankment, floodbank, or stop bank is an elevated ridge, natural ...
on the Rhine near Nordheim, broke, and the floods overwhelmed the Ried (upper part of the Rhine rift). The flooding hit Bobstadt hard. In May 1882, Peter Itzel, a Catholic priest from St. Michael’s, was stabbed to death by day labourer Fischbach, giving Bürstadt a bad reputation and the nickname ''Messerstecher'' (“Knifer”) On 10 July 1936 came the dedication of the first ''Erbhofdorf'' (“Heritage Farming Village”) in Hesse, Riedrode. Twenty-eight families took ownership of 28 farms. This was all in accordance with the National Socialist '' eichserbhofgesetz'', or “Reich Heritage Farming Law” (See:
Blood and soil Blood and soil (, ) is a nationalist slogan expressing Nazi Germany's ideal of a racially defined Body national, national body ("Blood") united with a settlement area ("Soil"). By it, rural and farm life forms are idealized as a counterweight t ...
). In 1967, Bürstadt was granted town rights. In 2005, the world's biggest rooftop
photovoltaic system A photovoltaic system, also called a PV system or solar power system, is an electric power system designed to supply usable solar power by means of photovoltaics. It consists of an arrangement of several components, including solar panels to abso ...
was brought into service in Bürstadt (40 000 m2 roof area; 5 MW output). The same year, Bürstadt became the German champion in the ''Solarbundesliga'' (category: 10,000-100,000 inhabitants). In 2006, Bürstadt won the gold medal in the ''Entente Florale'' contest. On 22 February 2007, the foundation was laid for one of Germany's biggest
biogas Biogas is a gaseous renewable energy source produced from raw materials such as agricultural waste, manure, municipal waste, plant material, sewage, green waste, Wastewater treatment, wastewater, and food waste. Biogas is produced by anaerobic ...
facilities with an output of roughly 2.2 MW, and on 5–7 September 2008, the EnergieTrends+ fair was held for the first time.


Amalgamations

* Bobstadt * Riedrode (15 May 1971)


Former parts of town

* Rosengarten


Population development

* 1806: 1,357 * 1867: 2,765 * 1925: 7,144 * 1988: 15,214 * 2004: 15,308 * 2005: 15,427 * 2006: 15,973 * 2007: 16,095 * 2013: 15,625


Politics


Community council

The votes and seats won for the 2021 municipal board election were as follows: The municipal election held on 26 March 2006 yielded the following results:


Mayor

From 1989 to 2013 Alfons Haag (CDU) was the town's mayor. Since 2013, the mayor has been Barbara Schader (CDU). Barbara Schader was re-elected in 2019 with 52% of the vote.


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: Gules a cross pattée fitchy argent, the chief bendy lozengy argent and azure. The Lorsch cross fitchy (that is, with a point on the bottom arm) recalls the time from 767 to 1262 when the town was one of the Abbey's holdings. In 1461, Bürstadt was pledged to the
Electorate of the Palatinate The Electoral Palatinate was a Imperial State, constituent state of the Holy Roman Empire until it was annexed by the Electorate of Baden in 1803. From the end of the 13th century, its ruler was one of the Prince-electors who elected the Holy ...
, hence the chief with the bendy lozengy (that is, made up of slanted diamonds of alternating
tincture A tincture is typically an extract of plant or animal material dissolved in ethanol (ethyl alcohol). Solvent concentrations of 25–60% are common, but may run as high as 90%.Groot Handboek Geneeskrachtige Planten by Geert Verhelst In chemistr ...
s) pattern. In 1632, the town passed back to the
Electorate of Mainz The Electorate of Mainz ( or '; ), 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 hierarchy of the Catholic Church, the Archbishop-Elec ...
, and in 1803 belonged to the
Grand Duchy of Hesse The Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine () 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 as the Grand Duchy of Hesse (). It assumed the name ...
, hence the red field behind the cross. Bürstadt received the right to bear these arms when it was also granted town rights in 1967.


Town partnerships

* Krieglach,
Styria Styria ( ; ; ; ) is an Austrian Federal states of Austria, state in the southeast of the country. With an area of approximately , Styria is Austria's second largest state, after Lower Austria. It is bordered to the south by Slovenia, and cloc ...
,
Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
, since 1974 * Wittelsheim,
Haut-Rhin Haut-Rhin (); Alsatian: ''Owerelsàss'' or '; , . is a department in the Grand Est region, France, bordering both Germany and Switzerland. It is named after the river Rhine; its name means Upper Rhine. Haut-Rhin is the smaller and less pop ...
,
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
, since 1982 * Minano, Saitama,
Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
(“friendship agreement”), since 1984 * Glauchau,
Saxony Saxony, officially the Free State of Saxony, is a landlocked state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, and Bavaria, as well as the countries of Poland and the Czech Republic. Its capital is Dresden, and ...
, since 1991


Transport and infrastructure

Bürstadt lies in the north of the Rhine Neckar Area on ''
Bundesstraße ''Bundesstraße'' (, ), 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'' are labelled with re ...
n'' 47 and 44.
Autobahn The (; German , ) is the federal controlled-access highway system in Germany. The official term is (abbreviated ''BAB''), which translates as 'federal motorway'. The literal meaning of the word is 'Federal Auto(mobile) Track'. Much of t ...
A 67 can be reached using the Lorsch interchange, about 5 km or 3 miles from town. Bürstadt
railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...
lies at the junction of the Mannheim–Frankfurt railway and Nibelung Railway (Mannheim-Frankfurt am Main and Worms-Bensheim), giving the station services in all four cardinal compass directions.
Frankfurt Airport Frankfurt Airport ( ) , is Germany's busiest international airport by passenger numbers, located in Frankfurt, Germany's fifth-largest city. Its official name according to the German Aeronautical Information Publication is Frankfurt Main Airpor ...
is roughly 60 km or 36 miles from town.


Leisure facilities

* Solar-heated outdoor
swimming pool A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, paddling pool, or simply pool, is a structure designed to hold water to enable Human swimming, swimming and associated activities. Pools can be built into the ground (in-ground pools) or built abo ...
* Athletics facility with 6-lane Tartan track * VfR Bürstadt Football stadium with a 500-seat grandstand * Artificial turf sporting ground in Riedrode * ''Jugendhaus Schillers'' (“Youth House”)


Economy

Bürstadt has been since 2004 the location of the world's biggest rooftop
photovoltaic system A photovoltaic system, also called a PV system or solar power system, is an electric power system designed to supply usable solar power by means of photovoltaics. It consists of an arrangement of several components, including solar panels to abso ...
(5 MW from 40 000 m2 roof area), built on a local logistics business's roof. Furthermore, Bürstadt is also the location of a 380 kV transmission substation run by RWE AG, which was brought into service as one of the first such facilities of this capacity in Germany on 4 October 1957 in the course of bringing Germany's first 380 kV
transmission line In electrical engineering, a transmission line is a specialized cable or other structure designed to conduct electromagnetic waves in a contained manner. The term applies when the conductors are long enough that the wave nature of the transmis ...
(Rommerskirchen-Bürstadt-Hoheneck) into service.


Famous people


Sons and daughters of the town

* Ilona Dörr (born 1948), politician * Ingrid Schmidt (born 1955), President of the Federal Labour Court


People connected with Bürstadt

* Mandy Capristo (born 1990 in Mannheim), singer in the band Monrose, lives in Bürstadt


References


External links


www.buerstadt.de Town’s official webpage


{{DEFAULTSORT:Burstadt Bergstraße (district)