Germersheim
Germersheim | |
---|---|
Location of Germersheim within Germersheim district | |
Coordinates: 49°13′00″N 8°22′00″E / 49.21667°N 8.36667°E | |
Country | Germany |
State | Rhineland-Palatinate |
District | Germersheim |
Government | |
• Mayor (2017–25) | Marcus Schaile[1] (CDU) |
Area | |
• Total | 21.40 km2 (8.26 sq mi) |
Elevation | 105 m (344 ft) |
Population (2022-12-31)[2] | |
• Total | 21,099 |
• Density | 990/km2 (2,600/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
Postal codes | 76726 |
Dialling codes | 07274 |
Vehicle registration | GER |
Website | www.germersheim.de |
Germersheim (German:
Coat of arms
The coat of arms features a golden crowned eagle on a blue background. The eagle derives from the fact that, at one time the town was ruled directly by the emperor of Germany.
History
After his invasion of
The first record of the name "Germersheim" is from 1090, when it was named in the Sinsheimer Chronik (Chronicle of Sinsheim). The citadel was rebuilt by the emperor Conrad II, and the German king Rudolph von Habsburg (Rudolf of Habsburg) gave Germersheim city rights in 1276 (18 August).[3] There is a legend which says that he, as a sick man, rode from Germersheim to Speyer to die there and not in Germersheim.
In 1325 the town was given to the
After the death of the elector Charles II it was claimed by the French as a dependency of Alsace. As a consequence, there ensued the disastrous Germersheim war of succession, which lasted until the Peace of Ryswick in 1697. Through the intervention of the pope in 1702, the French, on payment of a large sum, agreed to vacate the town, and in 1715 its fortifications were rebuilt.[3]
Still strategically important during the
From the year 1797, Germersheim belonged to France, incorporated into the newly created Mont-Tonnerre department in 1798. It was conquered by Bavarian troops in 1814. After being retaken in 1814, Germersheim's Bavarian rulers started to build a fortress in 1831. It was completed in 1855, although excavations for underground passages continued until 1861. By this time, however, the fortress had become outdated, as artillery had improved greatly in the thirty years since work began. The fortress was destroyed in 1921/22 as a result of the Treaty of Versailles. Some parts still exist, such as the "Fronte Beckers", where the town's Music School is today.
Germersheim was the scene of several conflicts between
General
Transport
There are regular regional train connections to Karlsruhe and Mannheim.
Local council
Seat distribution in the town council (2014) | ||
---|---|---|
Party | Percentage | Number of seats |
CDU |
40.8 | 15 |
SPD | 20.3 | 7 |
FWG |
19.7 | 7 |
REP |
5.6 | 2 |
FDP | 3.1 | 1 |
B90/Grüne |
10.6 | 4 |
Notable people
- Lothar Fischer (1933–2004), sculptor
- Frank Hardart, born as Franz Anton Hardardt (1850–1918), American entrepreneur, co-founder of the Horn & Hardart food services company
- Franz Immig (1918–1955), soccer player
- Friedrich Krebs (1894–1961), lawyer and politician (NSDAP)
- Hermann Kriebel (1876–1941), officer, Freikorpsführer, diplomat, and NSDAP politician
- Paul Josef Nardini(1821–1862), theologian
- Karl Schmitt-Walter (1900–1985), opera singer
- Franz Sondinger(1896–1939), director, actor, director, and writer
- Otto Freiherr Kreß von Kressenstein (1850–1929), Bavarian general and War Minister
- Friedrich Kreß von Kressenstein (1855–1920), Bavarian General of the Infantry
- Eugen von Zimmerer (1843–1918), governor of Cameroon and minister
- Jule Brand (born 2002), footballer for the Germany national team and VfL Wolfsburg
Honorary Citizens
- Eduard Orth (1902–1968), politician (CDU), Education minister of the state of Rhineland-Palatinate from 1956 to 1967
- Karl Schmitt-Walter (1900–1985), opera singer
References
- ^ Wahlen der Bürgermeister der verbandsfreien Gemeinden, Landeswahlleiter Rheinland-Pfalz, accessed 30 July 2021.
- Statistisches Landesamt Rheinland-Pfalz. 2023.
- ^ a b c public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Germersheim". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 11 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 901. One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the
- ^ The Century Cyclopaedia of Names, coordinated by Benjamin E. Smith and published by the De Vinne Press, New York 1894 (p. 434)
External links
- Official website (in German)
- History of the Germersheim fortress (in German)
- Project Via Rhenana - Roman Road along the Upper Rhine
- The American Cyclopædia. 1879. .