Groß-Umstadt

Groß-Umstadt is a town in the district of Darmstadt-Dieburg in the Bundesland (federal state) of Hessen in Germany. It is near Darmstadt and Frankfurt on the northern border of the Odenwald and is on the south-eastern edge of the Frankfurt Rhein-Main Region.

Groß-Umstadt
Town hall
Coat of arms
Location of Groß-Umstadt within Darmstadt-Dieburg district
Groß-Umstadt
Groß-Umstadt
Coordinates: 49°52′N 08°56′E
CountryGermany
StateHesse
Admin. regionDarmstadt
DistrictDarmstadt-Dieburg
Government
 • MayorJoachim Ruppert (SPD)
Area
 • Total86.84 km2 (33.53 sq mi)
Highest elevation
224 m (735 ft)
Lowest elevation
170 m (560 ft)
Population
 (2019-12-31)[1]
 • Total21,251
 • Density240/km2 (630/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes
64823
Dialling codes06078
Vehicle registrationDA, DI
Websitewww.gross-umstadt.de

The population is about 21,000 residents. About half of these live in Umstadt itself and the remainder in eight other districts which were combined with Umstadt in the state of Hessen government reforms in the 1970s:

  • Dorndiel
  • Heubach
  • Kleestadt
  • Klein-Umstadt
  • Raibach
  • Richen
  • Semd
  • Wiebelsbach

The last of these includes Frau-Nauses.

History

Traces of palaeolithic habitation have been identified outside the town.

The settlement of Civitas Auderiensium was founded at Dieburg in AD 125 in the context of the Roman occupation of the section of the province of Germania Superior on the right bank of the Rhine. The foundation was followed by an orderly settlement and Romanisation of the district, and a market for agricultural produce was established. The main building of a "villa rustica" has been excavated under the current town church. This villa remained until the collapse of the Alemanni around AD 300. The town's history over the following 450 years until the first documentary evidence of the town is unclear. Alemannic and later Frankish tombs point to a settlement in the area of the town. The siting of the church in the core area of the former villa indicates an uninterrupted settlement, or at least to awareness of the previous settlement.

Early mediaeval period

After the conquest of Alemannic territory by the Franks, they established royal fortifications in order to secure control of the area. One such was undoubtedly established in Umstadt, the center of government of the Umstaedter Mark, which included the current municipalities of Otzberg, Höchst, Breuberg and Schafheim as well as Umstadt itself. At that time Umstadt had the status of a market town as well as a church and the seat of a Count. The first documentary evidence of the district was in 743 under the name of "Autmundisstat", which signified "Autmund's town" (possibly Edmund's). Another possible origin of the name is "ad montes" (near the mountains). In 766 the Fulda monastery acquired the ownership of the Umstaedter Mark, and by 985 it owned three churches, mills and vineyards here.

Late mediaeval period

By 1263 or earlier, Umstadt had obtained the status of a town as well as a town wall.

Konrad IV of Hanau incurred substantial debts in connection with his election as Prince Abbot of Fulda in 1373. He attempted to recoup these debts from the imperial abbey of Fulda after he came to power. Thus in 1374 he mortgaged the castle of Otzberg, the town of Hering and parts of Umstadt to his nephew Ulrich IV for 23,875 florins. Other parts were taken over by the Kurpfalz (the domain of the Electors Palatine), resulting in a condominium. There is physical evidence for this in two castles: the Hanauer Schloss which originated from the first moated castle at the town's NE corner, and the Pfälzer Schloss at the opposite corner. Between these were the mansions of the burghers of the town, including the seat of the Wambolts of Umstadt, which soon eclipsed the castles of both lords of the town.

Early modern period

In 1504 the town was conquered by Landgrave Wilhelm II of Hesse, who occupied it until the ownership of the town was clarified by the Diet of Worms in 1521. This resulted in another condominium, this time between Hesse and the Palatinate. As compensation Hanau received 12,000 guilders and several nearby villages, viz. Harperthausen, Kleestadt, Langstadt and Schlierbach.[2]

Under this common ownership the town developed until shortly before the Thirty Years' War; the still extant town hall was built from 1596.

During the war the town was protected by its strong fortifications, preventing major destruction, but nevertheless there was great suffering, not least during the plague in 1634-36.[3]

The town was briefly occupied and laid waste by a force of 600 dragoons under the Marquis of Barbistere in December 1688 during the War of the Palatine Succession.[4]

19th and 20th centuries

In 1802 the Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt took over the joint dominion of the town, which was the 2nd most important town of the district of Dieburg which was founded at that time. From 1857 the town adopted the name of Gross-Umstadt to distinguish it from Klein-Umstadt and Wenigumstadt. Many factories were established in the town after it obtained a railway connection.

In the election of 1933, 60% of the inhabitants voted for the Nazis, and in 1938 the town's synagogue was desecrated. After WW2 the town's population grew to about 22,500 following several expansions to its boundaries. There is now a substantial Portuguese community.

Population Growth
Wooden framed homes on Schwanengasse
Marketplace

Groß-Umstadt (excluding the 8 other districts)
  • 800 - 100
  • 985 - 200
  • 1604 - 1,000
  • 1636 - 424
  • 1816 - 2,780
  • 1905 - 3,580
  • 1945 - 4,500
  • 1990 - 9,087

After their inclusion

(December 31)

  • 1998 - 21,175
  • 1999 - 21,338
  • 2000 - 21,403
  • 2001 - 21,571
  • 2002 - 21,620
  • 2003 - 21,685
  • 2004 - 21,724
  • 2005 - 22,600

Mayors
  • 1945–1954: Peter Hartmann (SPD) (1888–1969)
  • 1954–1965: Ludwig Wedel (SPD) (1909–1993)
  • 1969–1988: Hugo Seibert (independent) (1925–2011)
  • 1988–2005: Wilfried Köbler (SPD)
  • since 2006: Joachim Ruppert (SPD) (born 1962)

Culture

Each year on the second weekend of September there is a "Winzerfest" (a wine festival) which attracts tens of thousands of people.

Infrastructure

Groß-Umstadt has schools for students of all ages and a general hospital.

The city is connected to the Odenwald Railway and has three train stations: Groß-Umstadt Wiebelsbach, Groß-Umstadt Mitte and Groß-Umstadt Klein-Umstadt. Trains running between Frankfurt/Hanau and Eberbach stop at these stations, while trains running between Darmstadt and Eberbach only stop at Groß-Umstadt Wiebelsbach.

Partner cities
County Court
The historic winebar Brücke-Ohl.

[5]

Sons and daughters of the town

References
  1. "Bevölkerungsstand am 31.12.2019". Hessisches Statistisches Landesamt (in German). July 2020.
  2. „Ein Umstädter erzählt – Heimatforscher Georg Füßler und sein Umstadt“, Hrg.: Magistrat der Stadt Groß-Umstadt, Geiger-Verlag, 1995
  3. „Das Umstädter Pestbuch – Die große Pest 1634–1636“, Hrg.: Umstädter Museums- und Geschichtsverein. Verlag: Sighard Volp, Selbstverlag 2005
  4. Die Geschichte der Dynasten und Grafen zur Erbach und ihres Landes, G. Simon, Frankfurt am Main, 1858, Verlag und Druck Brönner. S. 442
  5. Brücke Ohl Winehouse / Pub is not on the Market Square but on the Main Road and has closed some years ago.


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