Münnerstadt is a town in the district of
Bad Kissingen in
Bavaria
Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...
,
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 ...
. It has a population of around 7,600.
Geography
It borders on the towns of
Burglauer,
Bad Bocklet,
Nüdlingen,
Maßbach,
Großbardorf, and
Strahlungen. The municipal territory covers an area of 95 km
2.
The town is located in the southern portion of the ''
Mittelgebirge''
Rhön. The
Lauer river (a tributary of the
Franconian Saale
The Franconian Saale (, ) is a 140 km long river in Bavaria, Germany. It is a right-bank tributary of the Main (river), Main, in Lower Franconia. It should not be confused with the larger Saxon Saale (), which is a tributary of the Elbe Riv ...
) 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 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 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, 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 ...
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 (, ) is one of seven districts of Bavaria, Germany. The districts of Lower, Middle and Upper Franconia make up the region of Franconia. It consists of nine districts and 308 municipalities (including three cities).
History
After ...
. In 1231 the
Teutonic Knights took over the Ministry of Münnerstadt. In 1279 the
Augustinian 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. This was his first contract for a large altar.
In the early 16th century
Martin Luther'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 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, 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 ...
. 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
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Napoleonic Wars
, partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars
, image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg
, caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...
,
Franconia, and with it Münnerstadt, was annexed by
Bavaria
Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...
in 1803. During
mediatisation 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, Napol ...
later officially awarded Franconia and Münnerstadt to the
Kingdom of Bavaria. 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.
Modern times
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 ''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 known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...
, 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 (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 1983- 2007
References
External links
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Munnerstadt
Bad Kissingen (district)