Großbirkach

Großbirkach Ebrach market Coordinates: 49 ° 47 ′ 59 "  N , 10 ° 29 ′ 22"  E
Height :	412  (397-426)  m
Residents :	81  (2018)
Incorporation :	January 1, 1972
Postal code :	96157
Area code :	09553
The Church of St. Johannis

Großbirkach is a district of Markt Ebrach in the Upper Franconian district of Bamberg .

Geographical location

The parish village is located in the Steigerwald in a southern bulge of the Ebrach municipality, about 5.5 km south of Ebrach. To the north is the Ebrach district of Buch , to the northeast the Winkelhof . In the east, the area of ​​the Geiselwind market in the Lower Franconian district of Kitzingen begins with the village of Ilmenau . In the south is the Geiselwinder district of Füttersee . To the southwest are Kleinbirkach and the Birkenhof on the Ebracher area, the west is taken by Geiselwind- Ebersbrunn .

history

Großbirkach was founded at an important intersection of two trade routes between Ebrach and Geiselwind. It was an early center of Christianization in the Steigerwald. Around 815 a small church was built above the village, which for a long time belonged to the parish of Schwarzach . For a long time the village belonged to the sphere of influence of the Münsterschwarzach monastery .

Großbirkach was still known as Hochbirkach in 1325, later the name Kirchbirkach prevailed. In the 14th century, the lords of Thüngfeld von Schönbach were appointed as fiefdoms for the monks. Hermann von Thüngfeld received the village from Abbot Johannes I. In the 15th century the influence of the Cistercian monks of Ebrach in the village increased. Between 1420 and 1428 Großbirkach became part of the Ebrach monastery rule.

The monks sold their fiefdom in 1533 to the lords of Crailsheim zu Altenschönbach , who soon afterwards introduced the Reformation in the town. Großbirkach was also in the early modern period in the border area of ​​several rulers. Thus, the extended centering Burghaslach of the Counts of Castell of the village. On January 1, 1972, the previously independent community of Großbirkach was incorporated into Ebrach with its district of Kleinbirkach.

Attractions

The Evangelical-Lutheran parish church of St. John the Baptist as a successor to the old church is located a little outside the village on a small elevation. It was a mission church, for a long time there was the walled cemetery for the surrounding areas. The early Romanesque church tower is the oldest part, the figural relief stones next to the sound windows come from the same period. A special feature is the "Norman" zigzag frieze on the border of the side portal. It is reminiscent of the Adam's gate of Bamberg Cathedral.

In the choir of the church is probably the oldest stone sculpture in Franconia from 1030 AD. Similar to the Dimbach crucifixion relief , the Johannes relief was created in the 11th century and was probably made in the workshop of the Münsterschwarzach monastery. Two feudal men from the monastery frame St. John. An inscription above the figures refers to the gentleman " WOLFHERUS ABBAS" (Abbot Wolfher) from Münsterschwarzach at the time.

See also the list of architectural monuments in Großbirkach

Infrastructure

The place is characterized by agriculture and forestry. It is crossed by State Road 2258 . 3 km south of the market is Geiselwind with the same junction (AS 76) on the highway A3 .

literature

• Wolf-Dieter Raftopoulo: Steigerwald cultural guide. Documentation of an old cultural landscape . Dettelbach 2003
• Hans Seidel: Großbirkach . In: Jesko Graf zu Dohna (ed.) - Culture Path. In the footsteps of the Counts of Castell . Münsterschwarzach 2004. pp. 148–149

Web links

Commons : Großbirkach  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Groß- and Kleinbirkach on the Ebrach website

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Community website ( Memento of the original from January 17, 2019 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
2. ↑ Raftopoulo, Wolf-Dieter: cultural guide Steigerwald . P. 102
3. ↑ Seidel, Hans: Großbirkach . P. 148
4. ↑ Evangelical parish Großbirkach-Ebrach / Ebersbrunn
5. ↑ Seidel, Hans: Großbirkach . P. 149