Hirschhorn (Neckar)

Hirschhorn (Neckar) is a small town in the south of Hesse and is also known as 'Pearl of the Neckar River Valley'. Hirschhorn is accredited as recreational and health resort and is located in the natural park Bergstraße-Odenwald.

Geography

Geographical Position

Hirschhorn is located at a meander of the Neckar river, 19 km east of Heidelberg. Here the Neckar river cuts deeply into the densely wooded slopes of the Odenwald forest. Except for the district Ersheim, Hirschhorn is located on the northern bank of the Neckar river. Ersheim is the only area of Hesse south of the Neckar river. In Hirschhorn two tributaries, the 'Ulfenbach' and 'Finkenbach' merge to form the 'Laxbach' creek which flows into the Neckar river.

Neighbouring townships

Hirschhorn is surrounded by the townships of Heddesbach, Brombach (part of Eberbach) and Rothenberg in the north. The first two belong to the Rhein-Neckar district in Baden-Württemberg), while the latter belongs to the Odenwald district. In the east it adjoins the city of Eberbach, in the south the townships Schönbrunn and in the west the towns Neckarsteinach, Neckarsteinach and Schönau, all part of Rhein-Neckar district except for Neckarsteinach, which is also found in district Bergstrasse.

Town districts

Hirschhorn is made up from the following districts :

Hirschhorn
Ersheim
Langenthal in Ulfenbach valley
Unter-Hainbrunn
Igelsbach, to be more precise: the southwestern half of the township "Hessian Igelsbach", the northeastern part is part of Eberbach (Baden).

History

773 Donations to the Lorsch Abbey, first historical citation of Ersheim.
1270 Johannes of Hirschhorn founds the castle.
1336 - 1361 Engelhard I. gains influence by recieving the tenures Bensheim and Heppenheim from arch diocese Mainz, and Mosbach and Meckesheim from the Palatinate of the Rhine.
1364 - 1383 Due to probate disputes, Engelhard II. is at feud with Burkhard Sturmfelder and the arch diocese Mainz. He subsequently comes under the ban of the empire, losing most of his possessions.
1391 The brothers Hans V. and Albrecht surround Hirschhorn (Hirtzhorn) with a town wall and recieve the town charter by king Wenceslaus. The villages Ersheim, Ramsau, Krautlach and Weidenau are soon abandoned, it's dwellers looking for protection within the fortified walls.
ca. 1400 Hans V. of Hirschhorn becomes advisor at the court of Count_Palatine_of_the_Rhine Ruprecht I, later German king. He founds the carmelite monastery beneath the castle.
1404 King Ruprecht I grants the right to hold a weekly market.
1406 The town seal is first historically documented July 25th.
1528 The knights of Hirschhorn convert to protestant faith. Disputes between the nobility and the carmelite monastery occur.
1556 A Fire devastates the town, destroying most of the so-called 'Hinterstädtchen'.
1565 Flooding and ice drift tear down parts of the town wall.
16th_century The village Ersheim is dissolved.
1632 The dynasty of the knights of Hirschhorn dies out. The castle falls into the possession of the arch diocese Mainz, which pledges the town to the Cologne court magistrate Rudolf Raitz von Frentz. The populace, also affected by the Thirty Years' War, sinks into poverty.
1635 The Black_plague decimates the local populace.
1700 Mainz Palatinate takes over the domination, the town gradually recovers.
1803 Hirschhorn is given to the grand duchy of Hesse-Darmstadt.
1821 until 1832 Hirschhorn becomes its own county seat.
1841 Steamboat navigation on the Neckar brings economic revovery.
1849 Fights between Hanauer Turnerwehr, Baden franctireurs and federal troops within the town and its surroundings occur within the scope of the German revolution of 1848.
1865 Integration in the district Heppenheim/Bergstraße.
1878 Towing ships with chains replaces hauling by horse.
1879 The railway Neckartalbahn takes up its operation , connecting Hirschhorn with Heidelberg und Mosbach.
1933 The Neckar dam and a Canal_lock are dedicated. A bridge connects Hirschhorn and Ersheim.
1945 World War II refugees, mostly Sudeten Germans, increase the population.
1957-1983 Preparation of land for building in Ersheim takes place.
1959 The dam recieves a second canal lock.
1960 Hirschhorn is accredited as resort.
1970 Expansion of the 'Neckartal-Schule' school building.
1972 Langenthal is incorporated into Hirschhorn.
1976 Construction work of a new bridge, bypassing Hirschhorn, begins.
1980 Construction of the sewage treatment plant.
1982 The new bridge is completed. Traffic is no more passing through the town.
1983 The Gymnasion in the Jahnstraße is built.
1993 Flooding causes substantial damage.

Religions

Protestant and catholic faith make up the largest denominations to almost equal shares. A small percentage of people are of muslim and new apostolic faith.

Politics

Coat of Arms

The Coat of arms shows a leaping deer.

Town partnerships

Château-Landon, France, since 1981.

Sightseeing

The Hirschhorn castle rises on a promontory above the city. Today it accommodates a hotel.
Remainders of the town wall.
Carmelite Monastery 'Mariä Verkündigung', dedicated 1406, St. Anna Chapel from 1513.
Parish church 'Zur Unbefleckten Empfängnis Maria', built 1628 to 1630, with its bell tower 1392 acting as town middle gate.
Protestant Church, dedicated 1892.
Ersheim Chapel, officially 'St. Nazarius und Celsus', oldest chapel in the Neckar River valley, first historically cited in the Lorsch Codex in 773.
Main street in the old town, with historic half-timbered houses.
Hirschhorn Locks.

Museums

The 'Langbeinmuseum' houses a natural and ancient history collection by innkeeper Carl Langbein (1816 - 1881). It is located at the corner of Alleeweg and Grabengasse. The building ('Haus des Gastes') is a former forrestry office.

Economy and Infrastructure

Traffic

Hirschhorn is located at a railway line between Heidelberg and Mosbach that is since 2003 served by the S-Bahn Rhein-Neckar in 30 minutes' intervals.

A federal interstate, Bundesstrasse 37, bypasses Hirschhorn over two bridges and a tunnel, cutting the peninsula of Ersheim.

Public Institutions

car admission office of district Bergstrasse until 2007 (then located in Neckarsteinach next 10 years)

Government Institutions

outpost of employment office Darmstadt.

Education

Neckartalschule Hirschhorn (Elementary and Secondary School)

Recreational and Sport facilities

Gymnasion and sports field Jahnstraße
Gymnasion of the Neckartal-Schule
Camping ground with swimming pool
Bicycle path along the Neckar

External Links

Template:Towns and municipalities in the district of Bergstraße