Groß-Umstadt is a town in the district of
Darmstadt-Dieburg in the Bundesland (federal state) of
Hesse
Hesse (, , ) or Hessia (, ; german: Hessen ), officially the State of Hessen (german: links=no, Land Hessen), is a state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt. Two other major historic cities are Da ...
in
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...
. It is near by
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 ...
and
Frankfurt
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 ...
on the northern border of
mountain range
A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have arise ...
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 se ...
and is on the south-eastern edge of
Rhine-Main Metropolitan Region
The Rhine-Main Metropolitan Region, often simply referred to as Frankfurt Rhine-Main, Frankfurt Rhine-Main area or Rhine-Main area (German: ''Rhein-Main-Gebiet'' or ''Frankfurt/Rhein-Main'', abbreviated FRM), is the second-largest metropolitan re ...
.
The population is about 21,000 residents. About half of residents are living in Groß-Umstadt itself and the remainder in eight other districts which were incorporated by ''Hesse State Municipal Reform Act'' in 1970s:
* Dorndiel
* Heubach
* Kleestadt
* Klein-Umstadt
* Raibach
* Richen
* Semd
* Wiebelsbach (also includes village Frau-Nauses).
History
Traces of palaeolithic habitation have been identified outside the town.
The settlement of
Civitas Auderiensium
In Ancient Rome, the Latin term (; plural ), according to Cicero in the time of the late Roman Republic, was the social body of the , or citizens, united by law (). It is the law that binds them together, giving them responsibilities () o ...
was founded at
Dieburg in AD 125 in the context of the
Roman occupation of the section of the province of
Germania Superior
Germania Superior ("Upper Germania") was an imperial province of the Roman Empire. It comprised an area of today's western Switzerland, the French Jura and Alsace regions, and southwestern Germany. Important cities were Besançon ('' Vesontio ...
on the right bank of the
Rhine
The Rhine ; french: Rhin ; nl, Rijn ; wa, Rén ; li, Rien; rm, label=Sursilvan, Rein, rm, label=Sutsilvan and Surmiran, Ragn, rm, label=Rumantsch Grischun, Vallader and Puter, Rain; it, Reno ; gsw, Rhi(n), including in Alsatian dialect, Al ...
. The foundation was followed by an orderly settlement and Romanisation of the district, and a market for agricultural produce was established. The main building of a Roman ''
villa rustica
Villa rustica () was the term used by the ancient Romans to denote a farmhouse or villa set in the countryside and with an agricultural section, which applies to the vast majority of Roman villas. In some cases they were at the centre of a large ...
'' has been excavated under the current town church. This villa remained until the collapse of the
Alemanni around AD 300. The town's history over the following 450 years until the first documentary evidence of the town is unclear. Alemannic and later
Frankish tombs point to a settlement in the area of the town. The siting of the church in the core area of the former villa indicates an uninterrupted settlement, or at least to awareness of the previous settlement.
Early mediaeval period
After the conquest of Alemannic territory by the Franks, they established royal fortifications in order to secure control of the area. One such was undoubtedly established in Umstadt, the center of government of the ''Umstaedter Mark'', which included the current municipalities of
Otzberg,
Höchst im Odenwald,
Breuberg and
Schaafheim as well as Umstadt itself. At that time Umstadt had the status of a
market town
A market town is a Human settlement, settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular marketplace, market; this distinguished it from a village or ...
as well as a church and the seat of a Count. The first documentary evidence of the district was in 743 under the name of "Autmundisstat", which signified "Autmund's town" (possibly Edmund's). Another possible origin of the name is "''ad montes''" (near the mountains). In 766
Princely Abbey of Fulda acquired the ownership of the ''Umstaedter Mark'', and by 985 it owned three churches, mills and vineyards here.
Late mediaeval period
By 1263 or earlier, Umstadt had obtained
town privileges
Town privileges or borough rights were important features of European towns during most of the second millennium. The city law customary in Central Europe probably dates back to Italian models, which in turn were oriented towards the traditio ...
as well as a
town wall
A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or earthworks to extensive military fortifications with towers, bastions and gates ...
.
Konrad IV of
Hanau
Hanau () is a town in the Main-Kinzig-Kreis, in Hesse, Germany. It is located 25 km east of Frankfurt am Main and is part of the Frankfurt Rhine-Main Metropolitan Region. Its station is a major railway junction and it has a port on the rive ...
incurred substantial debts in connection with his election as Prince Abbot of Fulda in 1373. He attempted to recoup these debts from the Princely abbey of Fulda after he came to power. Thus in 1374 he mortgaged the
Otzberg Castle
Otzberg Castle (german: Veste Otzberg) in the German state of Hesse is a medieval castle on the summit of the Otzberg in the Odenwald forest at a height of 367 m above NN. On its northern slopes is the village of Hering, which grew ou ...
, the town of Hering and parts of Umstadt to his nephew Ulrich IV for 23,875
guilder
Guilder is the English translation of the Dutch and German ''gulden'', originally shortened from Middle High German ''guldin pfenninc'' " gold penny". This was the term that became current in the southern and western parts of the Holy Roman E ...
s ''(
florin
The Florentine florin was a gold coin struck from 1252 to 1533 with no significant change in its design or metal content standard during that time. It had 54 grains (3.499 grams, 0.113 troy ounce) of nominally pure or 'fine' gold with a purch ...
s)''. Other parts were taken over by
Electoral Palatinate
The Electoral Palatinate (german: Kurpfalz) or the Palatinate (), officially the Electorate of the Palatinate (), was a state that was part of the Holy Roman Empire. The electorate had its origins under the rulership of the Counts Palatine of ...
, resulting in a
condominium
A condominium (or condo for short) is an ownership structure whereby a building is divided into several units that are each separately owned, surrounded by common areas that are jointly owned. The term can be applied to the building or complex ...
. There is physical evidence for this in two palaces: the ''Hanau Palace'' (german: Hanauer Schloss) which originated from the first moated palace at the town's NE corner, and the ''Palatinate Palace'' (german: Pfälzer Schloss) at the opposite corner. Between these were the mansions of the burghers of the town, including the seat of the Wambolts of Umstadt, which soon eclipsed the palaces of both lords of the town.
Early modern period
In 1504 the town was conquered by Landgrave
Wilhelm II of Hesse, who occupied it until the ownership of the town was clarified by the
Diet of Worms
The Diet of Worms of 1521 (german: Reichstag zu Worms ) was an imperial diet (a formal deliberative assembly) of the Holy Roman Empire called by Emperor Charles V and conducted in the Imperial Free City of Worms. Martin Luther was summoned to ...
in 1521. This resulted in another condominium, this time between Hesse and the Palatinate. As compensation Hanau received 12,000 guilders and several nearby villages, viz. Harpertshausen, Kleestadt, Langstadt and Schlierbach.
Under this common ownership the town developed until shortly before the
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battl ...
; the still extant town hall was built from 1596.
During the war the town was protected by its strong fortifications, preventing major destruction, but nevertheless there was great suffering, not least during 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 1634–36.
The town was briefly occupied and laid waste by a force of 600 dragoons under the
Marquis of Barbistere
A marquess (; french: marquis ), es, marqués, pt, marquês. is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman wi ...
in December 1688 during the
War of the Palatine Succession
The Nine Years' War (1688–1697), often called the War of the Grand Alliance or the War of the League of Augsburg, was a conflict between France and a European coalition which mainly included the Holy Roman Empire (led by the Habsburg monar ...
.
19th and 20th centuries
In 1802 the Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt took over the joint dominion of the town, which was the 2nd most important town of the district of Dieburg which was founded at that time. From 1857 the town adopted the name of Gross-Umstadt to distinguish it from Klein-Umstadt and Wenigumstadt. Many factories were established in the town after it obtained a railway connection.
In the election of 1933, 60% of the inhabitants voted for the Nazis, and in 1938 the town's synagogue was desecrated. After WW2 the town's population grew to about 22,500 following several expansions to its boundaries. There is now a substantial Portuguese community.
Population Growth
Groß-Umstadt (excluding the 8 other districts)
* 800 - 100
* 985 - 200
* 1604 - 1,000
* 1636 - 424
* 1816 - 2,780
* 1905 - 3,580
* 1945 - 4,500
* 1990 - 9,087
After their inclusion
(December 31)
* 1998 - 21,175
* 1999 - 21,338
* 2000 - 21,403
* 2001 - 21,571
* 2002 - 21,620
* 2003 - 21,685
* 2004 - 21,724
* 2005 - 22,600
Mayors
* 1945–1954: Peter Hartmann (SPD) (1888–1969)
* 1954–1965: Ludwig Wedel (SPD) (1909–1993)
* 1969–1988: Hugo Seibert (independent) (1925–2011)
* 1988–2005: Wilfried Köbler (SPD)
* 2006-2021: Joachim Ruppert (SPD) (1962–2021)
* 2022–2028: René Kirch (independent)
Culture
Each year on the second weekend of September there is a "Winzerfest" (a wine festival) which attracts tens of thousands of people.
Infrastructure
Groß-Umstadt has schools for students of all ages and a general hospital.
The city is connected to the
Odenwald Railway
The Odenwald Railway (German: ''Odenwaldbahn'') (sometimes referred to as the Baden Odenwald Railway to distinguish it from the Hessian line of the same name) was the name given to a Baden railway line in southwestern Germany built from between ...
and has three train stations:
Groß-Umstadt Wiebelsbach, Groß-Umstadt Mitte and Groß-Umstadt Klein-Umstadt. Trains running between
Frankfurt
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 ...
/
Hanau
Hanau () is a town in the Main-Kinzig-Kreis, in Hesse, Germany. It is located 25 km east of Frankfurt am Main and is part of the Frankfurt Rhine-Main Metropolitan Region. Its station is a major railway junction and it has a port on the rive ...
and
Eberbach stop at these stations, while trains running between
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 ...
and Eberbach only stop at Groß-Umstadt Wiebelsbach.
Partner cities
*
Saint-Péray (
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...
; since 1966)
*
Santo Tirso
Santo Tirso () is a city and municipality located in the north of Porto Metropolitan Area, 25 km from central Porto, Portugal. In the region, the Ave Valley, there is a large center of textile industry. The population in 2011 was 71,530, i ...
(
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, In recognized minority languages of Portugal:
:* mwl, República Pertuesa is a country located on the Iberian Peninsula, in Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Macaronesian ...
; since 1988)
*
Dicomano
Dicomano is a ''comune
The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (' ...
(
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
; since 2010)
[Brücke Ohl Winehouse / Pub is not on the Market Square but on the Main Road and has closed some years ago.]
Notable people
*
Otto Frank (physiologist) (1865–1944), physiologist
*
Hans Trippel
Hans Trippel (1908 - 2001) was a German industrial designer, responsible for the designs of the, Trippel SG6 Mercedes-Benz Gullwing's door and the Amphicar.
Trippel was born on 19 July 1908 in the Darmstadt area and died 30 July 2001, in 64711 Er ...
(1908–2001), German autoconstructor ("father of the amphibious vehicles"),
entangled crimes of
national socialism
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Na ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gross-Umstadt
Darmstadt-Dieburg