Griesheim () is the largest town in the

Darmstadt-Dieburg Darmstadt-Dieburg is a Kreis (district) in the south of Hesse, Germany. Neighboring districts are Offenbach, Aschaffenburg, Miltenberg, Odenwaldkreis, Bergstraße, Groß-Gerau, and the district-free city of Darmstadt, which it surrounds. Histo ...

district 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 the ...

in the southern state of

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 ...

. It has just over 28,000 inhabitants as of December 2023. Griesheim is known for being the location of the first German airfield, which was founded in 1908. More recently, in 2013, news of the Dagger Complex—which emerged as the most important of the

NSA The National Security Agency (NSA) is an intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense, under the authority of the director of national intelligence (DNI). The NSA is responsible for global monitoring, collection, and proces ...

's headquarters in Europe in the wake of the

global surveillance disclosures During the 2010s, international media reports revealed new operational details about the Anglophone cryptographic agencies' global surveillance of both foreign and domestic nationals. The reports mostly relate to top secret documents leaked ...

—brought Griesheim worldwide attention. The town of Griesheim is also known in the region as "Onion City," a reference to the statue of the ''"Zwiebelfrau"'' ("Onion Woman") in the market square.

Geography

Griesheim is located in the

Hessian Ried The Hessian Ried () is a low-lying, agricultural region that forms part of the northeastern area of the Upper Rhine Plain. It is situated in Regierungsbezirk Darmstadt, South Hesse in west central Germany. Location and description The Hessian Ri ...

between the Urneckar in the west and the Darmstadt Westwald forest area in the east. The urban area is mostly flat, and much of the territory is intensively used for agriculture.

Neighbouring communities

Griesheim is just west of the independent city of

. To the north of Griesheim lies the town of

Weiterstadt Weiterstadt () is a town in the Darmstadt-Dieburg district, in Hesse, Germany. It is situated directly northwest of Darmstadt. Twin towns – sister cities Weiterstadt is twinned with: * Bagno a Ripoli, Italy * Kiens Kiens (; ) is a ''comune' ...

and to the south the town of

Pfungstadt Pfungstadt () is a town of 25,029 inhabitants (2020), in the district of Darmstadt-Dieburg in the state of Hesse, Germany. History The town was first mentioned in 785 as property of the Monastery of Lorsch and got its town rights in 1886 due to ...

, both of which also belong to the Darmstadt-Dieburg district. Griesheim is also bordered by the

Groß-Gerau Groß-Gerau () is the district seat of the Groß-Gerau district, lying in the southern Frankfurt Rhein-Main Region in Hesse, Germany, and serving as a hub for the surrounding area. In 1994, the town hosted the 34th Hessentag state festival. Geo ...

district to the northwest, with the towns of

Riedstadt Riedstadt (), with its municipal area of 73.76 km2 is Groß-Gerau (district), Groß-Gerau district's biggest town by land area. It lies in Hesse, Germany, about 12 km southwest of Darmstadt. Geography Location Riedstadt is shaped not ...

to the west,

to the northwest, and

Büttelborn Büttelborn is a municipality in Groß-Gerau district in Hesse, Germany. Geography Location Büttelborn lies on the edge of the northern Hessisches Ried, the northeastern section of the Rhine rift, and even today is still partly rural. Its proxi ...

to the north. .

History

Griesheim, although inhabited since around 4500 BCE, first appeared in historical records only in 1165 CE. The arrival of the

Protestant Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the papacy and ...

in 1529 marked an important religious turning point for the town. Throughout its history, wine production played a significant role in the town's economy. However, the devastating impact of the

Thirty Year War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine, or disease, whil ...

heavily affected Griesheim, almost bringing the town to extinction. Many residents sought refuge within the walls of Darmstadt, where they faced the outbreak of plague. Only 37 individuals managed to rebuild the community following the war's end in 1648. In 1874, an artillery range was established in the southwest part of Griesheim. In 1908,

August Euler August Euler (20 November 1868 – 1 July 1957) was a pioneer German aviator, aircraft constructor and the holder of the first German pilot's license, issued in 1909. After the First World War, he became German Secretary of State for Air, un ...

opened the first airfield in Germany, known as Griesheim Airport. From 1918 to 1930, Griesheim was under French occupation, and during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the city suffered significant damage, with 65% of its buildings destroyed. After the war, Griesheim provided shelter for approximately 4,000 refugees. Following successful reconstruction, the Hessian state government granted Griesheim township rights on September 12, 1965. Farming remains an important aspect of Griesheim's economy. The city is home to a local history and culture museum, showcasing archaeological artifacts and documenting its historical connection to St. Stephen. The museum also houses archaeological exhibits. Since 1977, the ''Griesheimer Zwiebelmarkt'' (Onion Market) has been held annually in late September. It attracts visitors to the city center between Wagenhalle and Hans-Karl-Platz. Throughout its history, the area of Griesheim has been part of various territories and administrative units, including: *before 1479 to 1805:

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

, first within the County of Katzenelnbogen, followed by the

Landgraviate Landgrave (, , , ; , ', ', ', ', ') was a rank of nobility used in the Holy Roman Empire, and its former territories. The German titles of ', ' ("margrave"), and ' ("count palatine") are of roughly equal rank, subordinate to ' ("duke"), and su ...

of Hesse (by inheritance) and the Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt. *from 1806 to 1871:

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 ...

, primarily under the Principality of

Starkenburg Starkenburg is an historical region in the States of Germany, State of Hesse, Germany, comprising the area south of the Main (river), Main River and east of the Rhine, around the regional capital Darmstadt. Geography The region is named after ...

*from 1871 to 1918:

German Empire The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...

, Grand Duchy of Hesse, province of Starkenburg, District of Darmstadt *from 1918 to 1938: German Empire (

Weimar Republic The Weimar Republic, officially known as the German Reich, was the German Reich, German state from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a constitutional republic for the first time in history; hence it is also referred to, and unofficially proclai ...

), People's State of Hesse, province of Starkenburg, District of Darmstadt *from 1938 to 1945:

German Reich German ''Reich'' (, from ) was the constitutional name for the German nation state that existed from 1871 to 1945. The ''Reich'' became understood as deriving its authority and sovereignty entirely from a continuing unitary German ''Volk'' ("na ...

, People's State of Hesse, District of Darmstadt *from 1945 to 1949:

American occupation zone The American occupation zone in Germany (German: ), also known as the US-Zone, and the Southwest zone, was one of the four occupation zones established by the Allies of World War II in Germany west of the Oder–Neisse line in July 1945, aroun ...

, Greater Hesse (1946: State of Hesse), Darmstadt administrative district, Darmstadt district *from 1949 to 1977: Federal Republic of Germany, State of Hesse, Administrative District of Darmstadt, District of Darmstadt *from 1977: Federal Republic of Germany, State of Hesse, Administrative District of Darmstadt, District of Darmstadt-Dieburg

Transportation

Trams and buses

Lines 4, 9 and 10 of the Darmstadt tram network connect Griesheim to central Darmstadt. Bus lines 45 and 46 go from Griesheim to

and

Trebur Trebur is a municipality in Groß-Gerau district in Hessen, Germany. It is 13 km southeast of Mainz, and 8 km south of Rüsselsheim. Geography Location Trebur is located in the Frankfurt Rhein-Main Region. The cities of Mainz, Wiesb ...

Roads

The main road passing west–east is the

Bundesstraße 26 The Bundesstraße 26 or Federal Highway 26, (abbreviation: B 26) runs between the city of Riedstadt at the B44, to the city of Hallstadt, at the Bundesautobahn 70, A70 in Germany. The highway run East to West. It crosses the River Main an ...

, or B26. Griesheim is situated just west of the ''Darmstädter Kreuz'' interchange where the

Bundesautobahn 5 is a 445 km (277 mi) long Autobahn in Germany. Its northern end is the Hattenbach triangle intersection (with the Bundesautobahn 7, A 7). The southern end is at the Switzerland, Swiss border near Basel. It runs through the Germa ...

and

Bundesautobahn 67 is an autobahn in Germany. It connects the A 3 and A 6, passing cities such as Rüsselsheim and Darmstadt Darmstadt () is a city in the States of Germany, state of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Frankfu ...

cross.

Twin towns – sister cities

Griesheim is twinned with: *

Bar-le-Duc Bar-le-Duc (), formerly known as Bar, is a commune in the Meuse département, of which it is the capital. The department is in Grand Est in northeastern France. The lower, more modern and busier part of the town extends along a narrow valley, ...

, France (1975) *

Gyönk Gyönk () is a village in Tolna County, Hungary. History Gyönk was mentioned for the first time in 1280, but the neighborhood (and Gyönk) was already a populated area by then. The village was inhabited by Turks for some time, and by the time of ...

, Hungary (1990) *

Pontassieve Pontassieve is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Florence in the Italian region Tuscany, located about east of Florence, nearby Fiesole, at the confluence of the Arno and Sieve rivers. History The first rulers of the are ...

, Italy (2008) Since 1990, Griesheim also has a town friendship with

Wilkau-Haßlau Wilkau-Haßlau () is a town in the Zwickau (district), Zwickau district, in Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the river Zwickauer Mulde, about 6 km south of Zwickau. Geography Location The town lies at the foot of the Ore Mountains in ...

in Germany.

Gallery

Griesheim-Lutherkirche.jpg, Evangelical Lutheran church Griesheim-St.-Stephan.jpg, Catholic Church St. Stephan Griesheim-Rathaus.jpg, Town hall Griesheim(Hessen)-Museum.jpg, Museum Ehemaliges Offizierskasino, Wilhelm-Leuschner-Str 217.jpg, Former officers mess Griesheim-Wagenhalle.jpg, Former tram depot

References

External links

*
Weatherstats of Griesheim
{{Authority control Darmstadt-Dieburg