http://www.region-starkenburg.de/regset2.htm

Starkenburg Region

(German text followed by AltaVista translation)

Unsere Lage

Besonderes Kennzeichen der Region Starkenburg ist ihre Lage zwischen der Agglomeration Rhein-Main und dem Verdichtungsraum Rhein-Neckar bzw. ihre partielle Zugehörigkeit zu beiden Räumen. Sie fungiert dabei als wichtiges Bindeglied und ist sowohl mit Rhein-Main als auch mit Rhein-Neckar vielfältig verflochten.

Als südlicher Teil des Regierungsbezirkes Darmstadt (Bundesland Hessen) umfaßt Starkenburg die Landkreise Bergstraße, Darmstadt-Dieburg, Groß-Gerau und den Odenwaldkreis sowie die kreisfreie Stadt Darmstadt als Oberzentrum.

Die Region grenzt an drei Bundesländer; im Westen an Rheinland-Pfalz, im Osten an Bayern und im Süden an Baden-Württemberg. Sie hat eine Flächengröße von 2577 qkm und ca. 1 Mio. Einwohner. Der Westen liegt im Rheingraben, der Osten zählt zur Mittelgebirgslandschaft des Odenwaldes, der nördliche Teil zur Untermainebene.

Our Location

Special characteristic of the region Starkenburg (strong castle) is their position between the dye Rhine Main and the compression chamber Rhine Neckar or their partial affiliation to both spaces. It functioned thereby as important link and is variously interlaced both with Rhine Main and with Rhine Neckar.

As southern part of the governmental district Darmstadt (Land of the Federal Republic Hessen) Starkenburg covers the districts mountain route, Darmstadt the castle, large Gerau and the Odenwaldkreis as well as the set-free city Darmstadt as upper center.

The region borders on three Lands of the Federal Republic; in the west at Rhineland-Palatinate, in the east at Bavaria and in the south at Baden-Wuerttemberg. It has a surface size of 2577 qkm and approx. 1 million inhabitant. The west is situated in the Rhine ditch, the east ranks among the central mountain landscape of the Odenwaldes, the northern section to the Untermainebene.

Unsere Geschichte

Bei der Region Starkenburg handelt es sich um eine historisch gewachsene Region mit einer eigenen landschaftlichen und kulturellen Identität sowie einer gemeinsamen Tradition seit dem 15. Jahrhundert. Das Gebiet der Region Starkenburg war römisches Siedlungsgebiet zwischen Rhein und Limes; als bedeutendster Ort der damaligen Zeit ist Dieburg zu nennen. Zahlreiche Funde aus dieser Zeit bezeugen hier eine rege Siedlungstätigkeit. Mit den zwei Kaiserpfalzen Seligenstadt und Trebur im Norden, stellte diese Region ebenfalls einen bedeutenden Raum im frühen Mittelalter dar. In Trebur fanden 895 bis 1119 n. Chr. Reichsversammlungen statt. Das Reichskloster Lorsch im Südwesten war das bedeutendste Kloster des frühen Mittelalters. Es wurde im Jahre 763 n. Chr. gegründet.

Seine Schutzburg, die Starkenburg entstand 1065 n. Chr. und gab dieser Region ihren Namen . Im Osten, in der Nähe der alten Nibelungenstraße, liegt die Einhard Basilika, 827 n. Chr. vollendet. Es handelt sich um das älteste in solcher Vollständigkeit erhaltene Bauwerk. Einhard, der Schreiber Karls des Großen, verlagerte sein Kloster später nach Seligenstadt.

Die Provinz Starkenburg bestand 1803 bis 1937 n. Chr. Aus dieser Zeit stammen die noch heute gültigen Kammerbezirke wie die der IHK, der Handwerkskammer, des Landgerichts und des DGBs sowie der Bezirk der Fußballregionaloberliga. In der Region Starkenburg liegen das Weltkulturerbe "Kaiserhalle Lorsch" sowie das Weltnaturerbe "Fossilienfundstätte Grube Messel", die einzigen UNESCO-Denkmäler in Hessen.

Our history

With the region Starkenburg concerns itself it around a region grown historically with its own landschaftlichen and cultural identity as well as a common tradition since that 15^th Century. The area of the region Starkenburg was Roman settlement area between Rhine and limes; as the most important place of the time at that time the castle is to be called. Numerous finds from this time testify here an active settlement activity. With the two imperial palaces blessed city and Trebur in the north, represented this region likewise an important space in the early Middle Ages. In Trebur 895 to 1119 A.D. realm meetings took place. The realm monastery Lorsch in the southwest was the most important monastery of the early Middle Ages. It was created in the year 763 A.D.

Its protection castle, the Starkenburg originated in to 1065 A.D. and gave to this region their name. In the east, in the proximity of the old Nibelungenstrasse, the hard Basilika, 827 n. Chr is situated. completed. It concerns the oldest building received in such completeness. A hard, the recorder of Karl of the large one, shifted its monastery later after blessed city.

The province Starkenburg existed 1803 to 1937 n. Chr. From this time still today the valid chamber districts originate like those the IHK, the chamber of trade, the regional court and the DGBs as well as the district of the football regional upper league. In the region the world cultural heritage "emperor hall Lorsch" as well as the world nature inheritance "fossil find place pit Messel" are appropriate for Starkenburg, the only UNESCO monuments in Hessen.

Die Region Starkenburg hat sich zu einem eigenständigen, zukunftsträchtigen Wirtschafts-raum entwickelt und zählt heute zu den prosperierenden Räumen in Deutschland. Die Wirtschaft ist geprägt durch weltweit bekannte Firmen wie die Adam Opel AG in Rüsselsheim, die Chemieunternehmen Merck und Röhm, den Maschinenbauer Schenck in Darmstadt und den Reifenhersteller Pirelli in Breuberg.

Einige hundert Softwareunternehmen, die European Space Agency (ESA), die Gesellschaft für Schwerionenforschung (GSI), die Gesellschaft für Mathematik und Datenverarbeitung (GMD) und das Deutsche Rechenzentrum finden sich in der Region. Telekom und Post betreiben hier seit langem ihre Forschungseinrichtungen. Die Technische Universität in der Wissenschaftsstadt Darmstadt ist als Technologiezentrum international bekannt.

Our Industry

The region Starkenburg developed among its own, promising marketing area and ranks today to the prosperierenden spaces in Germany. The economy is coined/shaped through world-wide well-known companies like the Adam OPEL AG in Ruesselsheim, the chemistry enterprises Merck and Roehm, the machine-builder Schenck into Darmstadt and the tire manufacturer Pirelli in Breuberg. Some hundred software enterprises, the European space Agency (ESA), the society for heavy ion research (GSI), the society for mathematics and data processing (GMD) and the German computing centre are in the region. Telekom and Post operate here for a long time its research establishments. The technical university in the science city Darmstadt is internationally well-known as technology center.

Die Region Starkenburg ist durch folgende große Naturräume vielfältig geprägt: die Oberrheinebene, das Ried, die Untermainebene (Reinheimer Bucht), die Bergstraße und den Odenwald. Die Bergstraße als die Rivierea Deutschlands der 20er Jahre ist mit ihrem Weinbau eines der klimatisch bevorzugten Gebiete Süddeutschlands. Aufgrund der intakten Naturräume und der landschaftlichen Attraktivität ist Starkenburg in besonderem Maße als Wohnstandort sowie als Freizeit- und Naherholungsraum nachgefragt.

Our nature spaces

The region Starkenburg is variously shaped by the following large nature spaces: the upper Rhine level, the Ried, the Untermainebene (Reinheimer bay), the mountain route and the Odenwald. The mountain route as the Rivierea Germany of the 20's is with their viticulture one of the climatically preferred areas of South Germany. Due to the intact nature spaces and landschaftlichen attractiveness Starkenburg is in particular as housing location as well as inquired leisure and local recreation space.

Die Kultur der Region ist geprägt durch ihre Alltagskultur, ihr Erbe und ihre Sprachen, z.B. den südhessischen und mainfränkischen Dialekt. Die "Sprachgrenze" zum Rheinfränkischen, das in der alten Kurpfalz gesprochen wird, verläuft fast identisch mit der Landesgrenze zu Baden Württemberg. Bekannt ist darüber hinaus Dramstadt, als ehemalige Residenzstadt Hessen, als Stadt des Jugendstils, des Theaters und durch Georg Büchner.

Our culture

The culture of the region is shaped by its everyday culture, its inheritance and its languages, e.g. the southhessian and Main-Frankish dialect. The "language border" to the Rhine-Frankish, which is spoken in the old Kurpfalz, runs almost identically to the national boundary to Baden-Wuerttemberg. Admits is beyond that Dramstadt, as former residenzstadt Hessen, as city of art nouveau, the theatre and by George Buechner.

Welcome to the Bergstrasse! Nowhere in Germany does spring unfold the superb beauty of its blossoms so early as here; nowhere else does summer last so long; and here autumn displays its extravagant colours well into November. Between the artistically-inclined city of Darmstadt in the north and romantic Heidelberg and the wine township of Wiesloch in the south lie neat, friendly localities, strung like pearls on a necklace along the western slopes of the Odenwald. Coming from the direction of the Rhin, the old "Strata montana" is crossed by the "Nibelungen Road" in Bensheim and by the "Siegfried Road" in Heppenheim, while in Heidelberg on the Neckar the "Castel Road" and the "Bergstrasse" meet.

Only a short distance away from these busy holiday routes are secluded nooks and crannies, dotted with smart half-timbered houses, stately town halls, medieval mansions and elegant villas – all with a tale to tell.

And not surprisingly so, since the Romans penetrated this longsettled region and secured it as part of their Empire – as evidenced by Ladenburg, an erstwhile Roman fort. Kings and emperors were wont to linger here, on "Germany’s Riviera" where, from the hills, the view extends as far as the historic old Rhenish towns of Speyer, Worms and Mainz.

In the mild, almost Mediterranean-like climate of the Bergstrasse almonds, apricots and peaches flourish – and even figs in some sheltered positions. On the sandy soil of the Rhenish Plain asparagus and tobacco are grown. But it is the sun-drenched hillsides which produce the fine, substantial wines. In the sheltered parklands, untroubled by the harsh east winds, stand the summer residences and stately homes of the nobility. There are many species of exotic trees and plants – such as the 53 metres-high redwood tree in the Fürstenlager park at Auerbach and the thickest cedar of Lebanon (4 * 3 metres) north of the Alps in the grounds of Weinheim Palace.

At the foot of the Felsberg, near the Bergstrasse, Roman stonemasons have left a much-admired testimony to their skill – a giant column standing amidst the rocks. Numerous museums, too, have helped to preserve the evidence of 2,000 years of culture and history. A region of far too great interest simply to be traversed during a fleeting visit!

The early history of the Berstrasse is bound up with the Romans and the Keltic, Germanic, Alemannic and Frankish tribes. The once all-powerful Imperial monastery at Lorsch dictated the European policy of those days; its twelve hundred yearold Carolingian royal hall is the oldest preserved building of the period on German soil. The Electorates of Mainz and the Palatinate fought for centuries over the Bergstrasse.

Many are the breathtaking stories surrounding the castles and palaces: Let us start with Frankenstein Castle near Darmstadt with its legends of St. George and the dragon. The Grand Dukes of Hessen-Darmstadt had their seat in Seeheim Palace. Ruins are all that now remain of the erstwhile robber knights’ castle of Tannenberg. The Battenberg (Mountbatten) family’s palace of Heiligenberg was a rendezvous of prominent politicians in the 19th century. The defiant palace at Alsbach, also know as Alsbach Castle, was reduced to rubble and ashes by a Frankfurt army. At the former moated castle of Zwingenberg itinerant merchants paid their toll dues. An impressive spectacle are the massive ruins of Auerbach Palace, from which we can gain some idea of the power and wealth of the Counts of Katzenelnbogen. Below it is the delightful Fürstenlager park. Starkenburg Castle, built on a hill near Heppenheim in order to protect Lorsch Monastery, was never captured and its sonorous title has survived in the region down to the present day.

Hemsbach Palace – now the Town Hill – was frequently the subject of paintings by Wilhelm Trübner. The fortified castle of Windeck near Weinheim survived the Thirty Years’ War but was unable to withstand French troops under Turenne. There is a fascinating panoramic view from Wachenburg Castle, built by the "assembly of senior citizens of Weinheim." Better preserved than Hirschberg’s "shattered castle" of Hirschburg is Strahlenburg Castle, the silhouette of which has dominated the countryside around Schriesheim since time immemorial. Friedrich von der Pfalz destroyed Schauenburg Castle, which belonged to Lorsch, but the climb up to the ruin from Dossenheim is rewarded with a magnificent view of Heidelberg. On the Heiligenberg are to be found an ancient place of worship, a Keltic stronghold and a monastery. Our journey into the past history of the Bergstrasse concludes with the town fortifications in Leimen and Wiesloch.

Despite an abundance of splendid fruit and first-class vegetables, wine still occupies the leading place among culinary delights. The yield from the wine-producing industry is almost entirely consumed locally – whether it be a "stroppy" homemade drink concocted by a spare-time vintner or a pure, carefully-cultivated vintage dispensed on one of the uninhibited and hilarious festive occasions. Bergstrasse wines have a scarcity value among connoisseurs, but they sell like hot cakes in convivial hard-drinking circles. This applies just as much to the wines produced in one of Germany’s small wine-growing areas, the "Hessian Bergstrasse," as to those which flourish in the Baden sunshine.

If you want to treat your palate to the delights of choice Bergstrasse wines, you would be well advised to do so in one of the many vintners’ taverns or at a wine-tasting session. The best opportunities are, without doubt, at church fairs, vintners’ festivals, wine fairs and other events up and down the Berstrasse. On the other hand, connoisseurs who enjoy a quiet drink prefer to make the acquaintance of Bergstrasse vintages in one of the seasonal wayside wine-booths.

The efforts made by hotel and restaurant owners as regards food are no less strenuous than those of the vintners in respect of wine. As a nourishing accompaniment to a good wine, knowledgeable people recommend liver, lard or fried sausage or tender steaks or cutlets in various forms. There are enthusiasts who choose game dishes, while real connoisseurs insist an cheese or simply a piece of bread to go with wine. But there are also mouth-watering international delicacies for the tourist to sample.

Overnight accommodation is available at reasonable prices in numerous well-run hotels, cozy inns and family boarding houses of all categories.

Although it is the big cities which determine the rhythm of life on the Berstrasse, there is always time for refined hospitality, for festive occasions large and small and for personal contact with one’s fellow-men.

The "open-air" season starts early on the Berstrasse, when the low spring sun warms the hillsides. And it only ends when the colourful, golden leaves on the vines and in the high mixed forests fall and new wine simmers and ferments in the cellars. Time enough to take some physical exercise for the sake of one’s health.

The well-signposted footpaths in the nature reserves – the "Bergstrasse-Odenwald" and "Neckartal-Odenwald" – the "Burgenweg Bergstrasse," the "Blütenweg" and numerous cycle-paths all ensure that the Bergstrasse is easily "explorable." In some localities there are package-deal offers available for hobby activities. For brief stays there are the Jugendstil features of Darmstadt and the romantic associations of Heidelberg to be explored. The intensive solar radiation guarantees a lengthy bathing season at the lakes and open-air swimming-pools. Gliding and hang-gliding enthusiasts also benefit from the heat thus generated. Indoor swimming-pools, leisure-centres, wildlife parks, botanical gardens, tennis-courts, bowling-greens, trim trails and skittle-alleys all make it possible to produce varied and interesting daily programmes. And the cultural amenities are no less comprehensive than the recreational ones. Cabaretes, large theatres, open-air theatres, magnificent art galleries and exhibitions all testify to a spirit to intellectual creativeness. City atmosphere and unspoilt nature are but a few minutes away from one another by car. The range of Bergstrasse attractions is rounded of by rewarding excursions to "Father Rhine", to the delightful Neckar and to the legendary Odenwald. The Bergstrasse is easily accessible via the A 5 and A 67 motorways and there are also good connections by rail and from the Rhine-Main Airport in Frankfurt. Facilities for training, conferences, congresses and scientific studies combine with intellectual stimuli emanating, in particular, from universities and other establishments of higher education. The advantages provided by the Bergstrasse have been highly esteemed for thousands of years. It would be worth your while, too, to get to know this holiday route.

Copyright © 1999 Kreis Bergstraße

Stand: 29. März 1999

Odenwaldkreis— http://www.odenwald.de/gemeinde.htm

Last Updated Wednesday, November 10, 1999 07:46 PM