Rodenbach (near Hanau)

coat of arms	Germany map
	Coordinates: 50 ° 8 '  N , 9 ° 2'  E
Basic data
State :	Hesse
Administrative region :	Darmstadt
County :	Main-Kinzig district
Height :	141 m above sea level NHN
Area :	16.73 km 2
Residents:	11,197 (Dec. 31, 2019)
Population density :	669 inhabitants per km 2
Postal code :	63517
Area code :	06184
License plate :	MKK, GN, HU , SLÜ
Community key :	06 4 35 023
Community structure:	2 districts
Address of the municipal administration:	Buchbergstrasse 2 63517 Rodenbach
Website :	www.rodenbach.de
Mayor :	Klaus Schejna ( SPD )
Location of the municipality of Rodenbach in the Main-Kinzig district

Municipality of Rodenbach

Rodenbach is a German municipality in the Main-Kinzig district of Hesse .

geography

location

Rodenbach is located near Hanau , about 20 kilometers east of Frankfurt am Main on the edge of the Vorspessart and is largely surrounded by forest, which is part of the Hessian Spessart Nature Park. Both districts are located on the stream of the same name, which is called the Lache in its lower reaches . It flows southwest of Rodenbach through the Bulau and there flows into the Kinzig , which flows north past Rodenbach towards Hanau. The next larger city next to Hanau is Langenselbold . The topographically highest point of the municipality district is located about 245  m above sea level. NN on the western slope of the Kirchberg, east of Oberrodenbach.

Neighboring communities

Rodenbach borders the city of Langenselbold in the north, the municipality of Hasselroth in the northeast, the municipality of Freigericht in the east, the city of Alzenau and the municipality of Kahl am Main (both district of Aschaffenburg ) in the south, the city of Hanau in the west and the north-west to the city of Erlensee .

Community structure: Ober- and Niederrodenbach

Rodenbach consists of the districts Niederrodenbach with approx. 8700 inhabitants and Oberrodenbach with approx. 2400 inhabitants.

The center of Niederrodenbach consists mainly of half-timbered houses from the 17th and 18th centuries. The Evangelical Church (built 1763–1765) is historically significant with its regular geometric floor plan, a tower with an unusually high dome (total tower height approx. 48 m) and two glass windows by Hilde Ferber . The local history museum and the community library are right next to the church (Kirchstrasse 9). The building of the local history museum, renovated in 1984, was built in 1717 for the mayor Doll. After that it was the seat of the chief forester's office for 100 years. From 1835 to 1877 it was used by the community as a school building and then as a residential building. At the former town hall, a freestanding half-timbered building built on a stone foundation from 1737–1738, a circular route through the historic Rodenbach begins with a total of 19 stations.

• 

  Protestant church

• 

  Catholic Church of St. Michael

• 

  Local museum

• 

  Old Town Hall

• 

  Probably the oldest house, built in 1605

• 

  Defense tower of the old fortification

In the Oberrodenbach district, the Catholic parish church of St. Peter and Paul (built 1836–37) and four peasant wayside shrines from the 18th century are particularly noteworthy. The wayside shrines marked the four cardinal points and with their Christian motifs were at the same time signposts for a “right” way of life.

• 

  Catholic Church of St. Peter and Paul

• 

  Village square

• 

  Schützenhof

• 

  Citizens' meeting with village tavern

• 

  South slope hall

• 

  Fire station

• 

  Hotel Barbarossa

• 

  Volksbank

history

Prehistory, date of foundation, name

The exact date of Rodenbach's founding cannot be determined. Stone and Bronze Age settlements can be identified for the Rodenbach area, and the Limes also runs through the district. The place name probably comes from "clearing on the brook" and then developed over time to Rodenbach.

The first written mention of the place name can be proven in 1025. A nobleman named Ruogger exchanged his possessions in Somborn (municipality of Freigericht ), Rodenbach and Seligenstadt for property in Liudolfesmünster and Seelheim with the Fulda monastery . At the same time he gave a part to his relative Ruprecht so that he could raise an army in his place. The remainder was supposed to be used by Ruogger to secure his livelihood and was only given to Ruprecht after his death. In the document (translation: Paul Hubach, quoted from: Paap 17 f.) It says:

"Let it be known to everyone, both now and those who live later, what measure I have given Rüger, a nobleman, to the holy martyr of God, Bonifatius, who rests in the monastery, in free resolution for the healing of my soul and that of my parents, the Fulda, where, as is well known, the venerable abbot Richard presides over the godly monastic community, everything that I had in father-well in the place called Somborn ('Sunnibrunno') and in another, Rodenbach ('Rudunbach') named, namely 156 serfs of different ages, both sexes and 65 hubs along with meadows, pastures, water and streams, mills, vineyards and all associated usufructs, 2 farms in Seligenstadt, but in such a way that I firmly and constantly remain what I against I took over in front of the altar of the same Boniface in the presence of the majority of the monks and lay people of both classes; H. Liudolfesmünster and in Seelheim 10 freedmen, with all the usufruct that belongs to the place, with own people, Huben, Herrenland, meadows, pastures, mills, salt works, the tithe of the mother church and that which falls after my death.

But should it happen that kings or abbots try to break this dedication, it is determined and stipulated in front of witnesses that I can use the father's property in my own right and give it away to whom and where I want.

As witnesses who were present, I want to list that this provision cannot be violated: Abbot Richard, Bardo, Erlwein, Engelbert, Hartmann, Hartneid, Niz, Adelheim, Waris, Dietgötz (Dietrich Gottfried), Rohink, Werner, Bernwart , Rudolf, Reinhard, Reinbot, Ruprecht, Baut, Hazo, Nanther, Bertold and many other witnesses involved. Before these witnesses, under the patronage of Abbot Richard, I gave the fiefdom that I have from the aforementioned monastery to my grandson Ruprecht, sometimes immediately with the men belonging to this fiefdom, so that he could join the imperial army for me as long as I live After my death, my spare time, which was immediately intended for the days of my life, is completely out of joint ownership and without any objection or diminution of ownership.

Happened in the year since the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ in 1025, in the eighth Roman interest in the first year of Conrad's reign. I, Adelung, sinful priest and monk, wrote this deed of gift at the behest of Abbot Richard and recorded the time as above. "

Whether Ruogger belonged entirely to Rodenbach, whether he even founded the place, is not clear from this document.

Further secure mentions of Rodenbach

Further secure mentions of Rodenbach can only be proven again for the 13th and increasingly for the 14th century. A court file from 1222 mentions “Men in Rodinbach” in a dispute over the property of the Mainz monastery in the Hanau Forest. The Rückingen knight Gerhard Ruschebusch challenged the Mainz canon for their goods there, but lost the process.

In the second case from 1241, a Rodenbach chapel is mentioned for the first time . A clergyman named Bruno, who worked as a pastor at the church in Großkrotzenburg , sued the Count of Hanau for the chapel's patronage right . Bruno demanded this right to propose a new priest to be appointed, since the Rodenbach Chapel is only a branch of the Großkrotzenburg Church. The Count of Hanau, on the other hand, pointed out that his ancestors had already exercised the right of patronage and that this right was therefore his. The court agreed with his arguments and dismissed Bruno's action.

In 1337 there is a reference to the first Rodenbach church, it is a fragment of a letter of indulgence ( letter of indulgence ) for a Michael Church , i.e. H. one of the Archangel Michael consecrated church . However, it is not clear whether the Michael Church mentioned in 1337 is the same building as in 1241 or an extension or a successor building.

Differentiation between Nieder- and Oberrodenbach

The sources from the 13th and 14th centuries give no indication of whether Rodenbach has always had two districts or which village originated earlier. However, the sources show that in the 14./15. Century the position of the Mainz Petersstift in Oberrodenbach became stronger and stronger, while Niederrodenbach was clearly in the sphere of influence of the Counts of Hanau.

The first documented distinction between Nieder- and Oberrodenbach can be found in a directory of the income of the parish church Langendiebach (community Erlensee ) from the year 1338: "Item in Rodenbach inferiori VI denar" . Unfortunately, this directory does not provide any information about what the 6 pfennigs were paid for, nor does it mention "Rodenbach superiori", ie Oberrodenbach. The naming of "Niederrodenbach" suggests that there was also an "Oberrodenbach" in 1338.

The great fire of 1493 and the Jewish community

In 1493 a great fire raged in the village that cost many lives. In addition to many residential buildings, the church and its inventory were also destroyed. Among the victims in the population were 3 Jewish men and 7 Jewish women. This is known because Count von Hanau wrote two letters to the Jewish community in Frankfurt about the funeral issue. Documented references to Jewish families can be found again and again in the following centuries, from which it can be concluded that from the end of the 15th century until the time of National Socialism there was also almost constant Rodenbacher Jewish faith.

Reformation and School

The introduction of the Reformation in Rodenbach can be set with the appointment of pastor Michael Weinbrenner in Niederrodenbach for the year 1527, who was active in Rodenbach until 1565. Weinbrenner joined the Reformation movement quickly , like many other pastors in the county of Hanau . During a visitation by order of the Archbishop of Mainz in 1549, only 5 out of 22 pastors visited in the county were Catholic.

But even before 1527, there must have been some movement on the part of the church. In 1525 and finally in 1527, farmers from Rodenbach destroyed the Wolfgang Monastery , founded in 1468 , of which ruins are still evidence today. The monks were accused of a way of life that was no longer based on the ideal of a monastic life. There were riots and feasts, so the allegation. The Count of Hanau did not punish the farmers' intervention.

The Reformation not only had far-reaching effects on religious life, but also on social and cultural life, especially on education, a direct consequence of Luther's pamphlet "To the councilors of all cities in Germany that they should set up and maintain Christian schools" . It should be noted that there were no schools in the Hanau villages until the second half of the 16th century . The first schools in the Frankfurt villages are not mentioned until 1606. For Rodenbach there are first indications that school lessons began as early as 1540. In 1539 Niederrodenbach was still paying the one guilder, which had previously been paid annually, “for the schoolmaster in Hanau”, "on Martini" , but not after that, without the fact that Hanauer warnings were known that would have claimed such a debt. The acquisition of two “Strasbourg hymn books” in 1544 may be a further indication of the educational initiative that is now beginning - one of them for the pastor, of course, but the second for the hand of a helper who was supposed to promote the congregation singing. The first real village school can be traced back to the turn of the century around 1600, the schoolmaster is first mentioned in a document as early as 1599.

Confessional split in Niederbach and Oberrodenbach

Catholic Church of St. Peter and Paul in Oberrodenbach

The church split in Niederbach and Oberrodenbach can be dated at the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries. Until 1596 the Oberrodenbacher community was a branch of the Niederrodenbacher parish and thus from 1527 with Michael Weinbrenner's work it was also evangelical. For a short time the parish was changed to Somborn, but as early as 1597 it seems - the sources are a little opaque - Oberrodenbach will then be changed to the Großkrotzenburg parish.

One can only speculate about the motifs of the Mainz penitentiary, the parish to Somborn and then to "Groß-Crotzenburg". Of course one can suspect a kind of “ Counter Reformation ”. However, it should not be overlooked that at many different points there were primarily economic and political disputes between St. Peter's Monastery and the Counts of Hanau. For this reason, too, the canons were certainly keen to "cut and reduce the connection between their village of Oberrodenbach and the Hanau Niederrodenbach as much as possible in order to make it clear that their village has nothing to do with the County of Hanau." (Paap 80).

But it is not only the religious division of the two districts that is religiously significant. There is also a denominational separation in Niederrodenbach - but within the Protestant population. From 1686 the existence of a small Evangelical Lutheran congregation in this part of the village can be proven, the establishment of which is probably due to immigration into the village. From 1689 it also had its own church and school room in the former lordly head forester's office in today's Kirchstrasse 4 and had the right - at that time by no means a matter of course - to practice religion freely and publicly. With the Hanauer Union of 1818, this congregation was merged into the larger Reformed congregation.

Witch persecution in Oberrodenbach

During the witch hunts between 1628 and 1630, 14 citizens were victims of the witch trials in Oberrodenbach .

Territorial reform and present

Kirchstrasse and the old town hall in Niederrodenbach

In the course of administrative reform in Hesse , the two joined previously independent municipalities Niederrodenbach and Oberrodenbach voluntarily on March 1, 1970 a community called Rodenbach together . In 2000 the community celebrated its 975th anniversary - referring to the first documentary mention in 1025.

In contrast to other surrounding communities, there has been no major development of residential or new building areas in Rodenbach in recent years. Only existing building gaps were closed or areas that became vacant (e.g. due to the sale of a gardening site) were built on. In 2005, a smaller industrial area was developed on the outskirts, in which, among other things, a grocery store and a specialist market center have been built.

The community offers a well-developed infrastructure. The Adolf Reichwein elementary school, secondary school and secondary school as well as several kindergartens are located in the village. There are also various general practitioners and specialists, pharmacies, craft and gastronomy businesses as well as various retail stores.

Almost 100 clubs offer residents extensive opportunities to spend their free time. Particularly noteworthy are the modern and spacious library in the old town center, the lido and various sports facilities. The area offers very good conditions for hiking, jogging, cycling or mountain biking. The Buchberg tower offers a beautiful view over the Main-Kinzig district to Hanau, Frankfurt am Main and the Taunus .

The official announcement organ of the community is the "Rodenbach Kurier". This local newspaper is now in its 34th year (as of 2006) published weekly and contains not only the official announcements and church news but also reports from the various associations.

For some years now, the white stork has been breeding successfully again in the Kinzig-Au meadows on the outskirts of Niederrodenbach. The prerequisite was the establishment of a nesting facility in order to be able to observe the white stork, which used to be very numerous. Another landmark is a stork nest on the defense tower in Niederrodenbach, which was not occupied for a long time, but has been used again by a breeding pair since 2014.

politics

Community representation

The local elections on March 6, 2016 produced the following results, compared to previous local elections:

Distribution of seats in the municipal council 2016     A total of 31 seats SPD : 18 FDP : 3 CDU : 10	Parties and constituencies		% 2016	Seats 2016	% 2011	Seats 2011	% 2006	Seats 2006	% 2001	Seats 2001
	SPD	Social Democratic Party of Germany	57.3	18th	62.6	19th	60.0	19th	62.0	23
	CDU	Christian Democratic Union of Germany	32.9	10	31.9	10	30.8	9	29.3	11
	FDP	Free Democratic Party	9.8	3	5.6	2	9.2	3	5.5	2
	WE	Voters' initiative Rodenbach	-	-	-	-	-	-	3.2	1
	total		100.0	31	100.0	31	100.0	31	100.0	37
	Voter turnout in%		55.5		50.3		46.6		57.0

Town hall in Niederrodenbach

mayor

Klaus Schejna (SPD) has been mayor since 2002. He was re-elected on May 18, 2008 with 91.8% and on May 25, 2014 with 70.1%.

badges and flags

coat of arms

Blazon : "In gold, a green crown of leaves with red stones."

The coat of arms of the municipality of Rodenbach in the then Hanau district was approved by the Hessian Ministry of the Interior on November 26, 1970 . It was designed by the Bad Nauheim heraldist Heinz Ritt .

The coat of arms was taken over from the former municipality of Niederrodenbach. The crown comes from a Niederrodenbach court seal from the 18th century.

flag

The flag was approved together with the coat of arms by the Hessian Ministry of the Interior and is described as follows:

"The flag shows the two colors red and yellow, above a green crown of leaves."

Often, however, the entire municipal coat of arms is shown with a shield on the flag.

Sports

The gymnastics society 1891 Niederrodenbach is the largest club in Rodenbach with around 1450 members. The TGS handball players played in the DHB Cup in 1978 .

Economy and Infrastructure

economy

Rodenbach is the seat of Raiffeisenbank eG, Rodenbach .

traffic

The Rodenbach station (near Hanau) is on the Kinzig Valley Railway Frankfurt-Fulda. Public transport is also ensured by several bus routes.

education

In Rodenbach there is the Adolf-Reichwein School, a primary, secondary and secondary school with a special level. There are high schools in the neighboring towns of Somborn and Hanau .

literature

• Georg Dehio: Handbuch der Deutschen Kunstdenkmäler, Bd. Hessen edited by Magnus Backes, 2nd edited edition, 1982
• Peter Gbiorczyk : The history of the two Reformations in the county of Hanau-Münzenberg using the example of the rural community of Niederrodenbach (1519–1670). 2017 ( online PDF; 13 MB)
• Community board of the community Rodenbach (publisher) with the support of the Rodenbacher Geschichtsverein eV Festschrift: 975 years Rodenbach. 1025-2000 , 2000
• Isolde Mühlfeld-Walter: At home in Oberrodenbach. The unique village of Oberrodenbach. History (s) of the older houses and their residents 1990
• Michael Paap: Chronicle of the community of Ober- and Niederrodenbach 1025–1945. Ed. V. Rodenbacher Geschichtsverein eV, 1993
• Heinz Reusswig: Our present began at that time, Niederrodenbach in the post-war period. Ed. V. Rodenbacher Geschichtsverein eV, 2006
• Rodenbacher Geschichtsverein eV (Ed.): Alt-Rodenbach. Story in pictures. , 1984
• Friedrich Wilhelm Schlott: Niederrodenbach as it once was. The story of an old village. 1970
• Literature about Rodenbach in the Hessian Bibliography
• Literature on Rodenbach in the catalog of the German National Library

Web links

Commons : Rodenbach (near Hanau)  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Wikivoyage: Rodenbach (near Hanau)  - travel guide

• Internet presence of the municipality of Rodenbach
• Rodenbach, Main-Kinzig district. Historical local dictionary for Hessen. In: Landesgeschichtliches Informationssystem Hessen (LAGIS).
• Link catalog on the subject of Rodenbach at curlie.org (formerly DMOZ )

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Hessian State Statistical Office: Population status on December 31, 2019 (districts and urban districts as well as municipalities, population figures based on the 2011 census) ( help ).
2. ↑ Ilse Werder : witch hunt in the Electorate of Mainz on the edge of the Spessart. Oberrodenbach: Anxiety and addiction to profit , in: Archive women life in the Main-Kinzig district: Hexenwahn und Teufelswerk , Hanau 2003, p. 58f
3. ↑ Merger of the communities Niederrodenbach and Oberrodenbach in the Hanau district to form the new community "Rodenbach" on February 27, 1970 . In: The Hessian Minister of the Interior (ed.): State Gazette for the State of Hesse. 1970 No. 12 , p. 630 , point 479 ( online at the information system of the Hessian state parliament [PDF; 3.8 MB ]).
4. ^ Result of the municipal election on March 6, 2016. Hessian State Statistical Office, accessed in April 2016 . 
5. ^ Hessian State Statistical Office: Result of the municipal elections on March 27, 2011
6. ^ Hessian State Statistical Office: Result of the municipal elections on March 26, 2006
7. ^ Andreas Ziegert: Rodenbach: Klaus Schejna remains mayor. Vorsprung online, May 25, 2014, accessed March 5, 2016 . 
8. ↑ Approval of a coat of arms and a flag for the municipality of Rodenbach, Hanau district from November 26, 1970 . In: The Hessian Minister of the Interior (ed.): State Gazette for the State of Hesse. 1970 No. 50 , p. 2339 , item 2342 ( online at the information system of the Hessian state parliament [PDF; 4.8 MB ]).
9. ^ Website of the Adolf Reichwein School. In: www.ars-rodenbach.de. Retrieved March 5, 2020 .