Pfungstadt is a town of 25,029 inhabitants (2020), in the district of

Darmstadt-Dieburg Darmstadt-Dieburg is a Kreis (Districts of Germany, district) in the south of Hesse, Germany. Neighboring districts are Offenbach (district), Offenbach, Aschaffenburg (district), Aschaffenburg, Miltenberg (district), Miltenberg, Odenwaldkreis, Berg ...

in the state of

Hesse Hesse (, , ) or Hessia (, ; german: Hessen ), officially the State of Hessen (german: links=no, Land Hessen), is a States of Germany, state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt. Two other major histor ...

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 ...

History

The town was first mentioned in 785 as property of the Monastery of

Lorsch Lorsch is a town in the Bergstraße district in Hessen, Germany, 60 km south of Frankfurt. Lorsch is well known for the Lorsch Abbey, which has been named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Geography Location Lorsch lies about 5 km wes ...

and got its town rights in 1886 due to its railway station. It is situated just west of the

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 section ...

hills, one of the closest being

Frankenstein ''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' is an 1818 novel written by English author Mary Shelley. ''Frankenstein'' tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a sapient creature in an unorthodox scientific ex ...

with its castle ruin of monstrous fame (

Mary Shelley Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (; ; 30 August 1797 – 1 February 1851) was an English novelist who wrote the Gothic fiction, Gothic novel ''Frankenstein, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' (1818), which is considered an History of scie ...

) on its summit. It is said Shelley used the name after asking a sailor on a

Rhine ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , so ...

trip to tell her the name of "this yonder castle".

Economy

Pfungstadt is most famous today for its beer, Pfungstädter, which can be found all over Germany. The Brewery has a long history.

Transport

Regional service of Pfungstadt Railway (''Pfungstadtbahn'') to

Darmstadt Hauptbahnhof Darmstadt Hauptbahnhof is the main railway station in the German city Darmstadt. After Frankfurt Hbf and Wiesbaden Hbf, it is the third largest station in the state of Hesse with 35,000 passengers and 220 trains per day. Built in a late art no ...

was reactivated at the beginning of 2012. It is served by the extension of services on the Odenwald Railway (''Odenwaldbahn'') from Darmstadt station to Pfungstadt as RB 66. Buses (VIA25222, VIA25224, Bus P and Bus PE) also serve Pfungstadt. The Pfungstadt bus station is on Berliner Street. The

Bundesautobahn 5 is a 445 km (277 mi) long Autobahn in Germany. Its northern end is the Hattenbach triangle intersection (with the A 7. The southern end is at the Swiss border near Basel. It runs through the German states of Hessen and Baden-Wü ...

freeway is to the west of town. The main road near the town are to the east B3 and the

freeway. To the west of town is the

Bundesautobahn 67 is an autobahn 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 Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Uni ...

freeway.

Sport

The swimming pool was known far and wide, with a modern wave generation feature which was loved by young and old. The town had to close the pool due to a lack of funds required for major maintenance projects.

Sights

The historical town hall is the centre of the old part of the town, which in 1664 was being developed with a view to allowing the river Modau to flow above ground as basis for a promenade.

Culture

In 1973, the town hosted the 13th ''

Hessentag The Hessentag (; en, Hesse Day) is an annual event, both fair and festival, organized by the German state of Hesse to represent the different regions of Hesse. The events are shown for a week to the visitors, with an emphasis on cultural displ ...

'' state festival.

Twin towns – sister cities

Pfungstadt is twinned with: * Bassetlaw, England, United Kingdom *

Figline e Incisa Valdarno Figline e Incisa Valdarno is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Florence in the Italian region Tuscany, located about southeast of Florence. It has been created on January 1, 2014 with the union of the municipalities of Figli ...

, Italy *

Gradignan Gradignan (; oc-gsc, Gradinhan) is a commune in the Gironde department in southwestern France. It is a suburb of the city of Bordeaux and is located on its southwest side. Thus, it is a member of the Bordeaux Métropole. Population Educa ...

, France *

Hévíz Hévíz is a spa town in Zala County, Hungary, about from Keszthely. Description of the lake The town is located near Lake Hévíz, the world’s second-largest thermal lake, but biologically the biggest active natural lake. Its temperatur ...

, Hungary

Notable people

* Julius Mombach (1813–1880), English synagogue composer

References

External links

*
Interactive town map
{{Authority control Darmstadt-Dieburg