Achkarren
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Achkarren
City of Vogtsburg in the Kaiserstuhl
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| Height : | 224 (180-360) m |
| Area : | 3.53 km² |
| Residents : | 881 (Aug 31, 2017) |
| Population density : | 250 inhabitants / km² |
| Incorporation : | 1st January 1975 |
| Postal code : | 79235 |
| Area code : | 07662 |
 Location of Achkarren in the Kaiserstuhl; the village itself and the small industrial area are shown in red
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 Achkarren in the Kaiserstuhl from a bird's eye view from the east, Breisach in the background
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Achkarren , a district of Vogtsburg im Kaiserstuhl , is located in the southernmost part of the Vogtsburg district and borders Ihringen in the south . The Achkarrer Valley in the Kaiserstuhl opens to the west and is five kilometers from the Rhine and seven kilometers from Breisach . The warmest point in Germany (with the highest average temperatures) is between the town centers of Achkarren and Ihringen.
history
On the occasion of the transfer to the Ottmarsheim Monastery (now Ottmarsheim Abbey Church ) in 1064 by King Heinrich IV. Achkarren was first mentioned in a document. Archaeological traces of settlement suggest that it was inhabited for over two thousand years with interruptions. The terraces of the vineyards that can be found everywhere were probably only laid out after the Alemannic settlement began in 260 AD.
From other sources it can be inferred that the Achkarren is a so-called extension settlement from the time of the Frankish rule (from approx. 500 AD). Around the year 600 AD, a man named “Haducharl” (from “hadu” = war, dispute and “charl”, the meaning of which roughly corresponds to today's “whole guy”) and his clan are supposed to settle in this small western valley of the Kaiserstuhl to have. The emergence of an expansion settlement from one of the earlier neighboring villages is plausible on the one hand due to the small district size of around 350 ha and is supported by the presumably originally Franconian place name "Haducharlheim" (the first early mentions speak of "Hatecharlen"). By abrading and releasing the "h" it became "Ahtekarlen" (the "h" was pronounced like today's "ch") and the above mentioned first documented mention spoke of "Hatcharl". Over the centuries this changed to "Ahtkarl" (1273), "Achtkarlen" (1315), "Achtkaren" (1465) and from the 16th century onwards, "Achtkarren" became increasingly popular, which eventually lost the "t" and soon became today's Achkarren.
Locals tell a legend about the origin of the name: According to this, there were mishaps during the construction of Höhingen Castle on the Schlossberg high above the town. A wagon with material had been pulled and pushed up the very steep slope several times, only to become independent shortly before the summit and to thunder back down to the valley. At the sight of this malaise the future lord of the castle escaped "Oh cart!"
After centuries of existence, the castle itself was destroyed for the first time by the Imperial Catholic troops in 1525 during the peasant uprising and after being rebuilt in the Thirty Years War when it could no longer be held against the Swedes. Today only rudiments of ruins can be seen on the Schlossberg. Three years after the end of the Thirty Years War, Achkarren had 58 inhabitants, which equates to an extinction of over 70% of the former residents. In 1703 the village of Achkarren was almost completely destroyed during the siege of Breisach by French troops during the War of the Spanish Succession . In the turmoil of war between the late Middle Ages and modern times, Achkarren, together with neighboring communities such as Ihringen and Breisach, was French several times for several years.
Behind the Büchsenberg adjacent to the Schlossberg is a large quarry, which was used in the Middle Ages to build the Stephansmünster in Breisach, among other things , and which has recently been "rediscovered" as an original source of material for necessary repairs.
On January 1, 1975, Achkarren was incorporated into the town of Oberrotweil, whose name was changed on April 15, 1977 to Vogtsburg im Kaiserstuhl.
Culture and sights
Achkarren is one of the top German vineyards and is especially famous for its Ruländer, a special Pinot Gris, for which the Achkarren wine cooperative and local wineries regularly receive prizes and awards. In addition to the loess soils that occur in the Kaiserstuhl, Achkarren is probably the only wine-growing community to have around 50% weathered volcanic soil. On the sides of the various ravines in the vineyards towards Schloßberg and Schneckenberg you can see the stratification of the volcanic rock with z. Sometimes see thin loess cover, which can be several meters thick in places.
The Büchsenberg nature reserve with a number of rare plants and animals is located in the Achkarren district . A viticulture museum can also be found. It is worth mentioning a 2.4 km long geological wine trail that provides information about the soil, the climate, the grape varieties and the history of viticulture in the Kaiserstuhl.
In addition to viticulture, tourism and a small industrial area directly on the Rhine plain in front of Achkarren are the economic focuses.
Achkarren seen from the west (Rhine plain), from left to right: summit of the Schloßberg, Schneckenberg and Totenkopf (highest elevation of the Kaiserstuhl) with the television tower
Panorama of the village of Achkarren in spring, seen from the top of the Schloßberg (the panorama has a particularly high resolution - click on it!)
Schlossberg seen from the village of Achkarren in the valley; the difference in altitude to the top is approx. 150 m, the steep south-facing slope produces good wines
Overview of the grape varieties grown in Achkarren; from left to right: Riesling , Gewürztraminer , Muskateller , Pinot Blanc , Ruländer , Müller-Thurgau , Pinot Noir , Silvaner and Scheurebe
Individual evidence
- ↑ Adolf Sutterer: Achkarren - history of wine-making village Achkarren am Kaiserstuhl. A home book with pictures. Published by the community in 1969, OCLC 311478809 , pp. 20ff.
- ↑ Jürgen Ehret: The Thirty Years War on the Upper Rhine.
- ^ Federal Statistical Office (ed.): Historical municipality directory for the Federal Republic of Germany. Name, border and key number changes in municipalities, counties and administrative districts from May 27, 1970 to December 31, 1982 . W. Kohlhammer, Stuttgart / Mainz 1983, ISBN 3-17-003263-1 , p. 509 f .
