Dossenheim

Dossenheim
Town hall
Dossenheim
Location of Dossenheim within Rhein-Neckar-Kreis district
Coordinates	49°27′N 8°40′E / 49.45°N 8.66667°E / 49.45; 8.66667Coordinates: 49°27′N 8°40′E / 49.45°N 8.66667°E / 49.45; 8.66667
Administration
Country	Germany
State	Baden-Württemberg
Admin. region	Karlsruhe
District	Rhein-Neckar-Kreis
Local subdivisions	Town with hamlet
Mayor	Hans Lorenz
Basic statistics
Area	14.14 km2 (5.46 sq mi)
Elevation	153 m  (502 ft)
Population	12,507 (31 December 2010)[1]
- Density	885 /km2 (2,291 /sq mi)
Other information
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Licence plate	HD
Postal codes	69125-69221
Area code	06221
Website	www.dossenheim.de

Dossenheim is a municipality in the Rhein-Neckar (District) in Baden-Württemberg, Germany.

It is located on Bergstrasse and Bertha Benz Memorial Route.

Geography

Location

Dossenheim lies 5 kilometers north of Heidelberg along the Bergstraße at the foot of the Odenwald. Dossenheim borders Heidelberg, Ladenburg, and Schriesheim.

Boroughs

The hamlet Schwabenheim belongs to Dossenheim.

History

Dossenheim was first mentioned in the Lorsch codex in 766. 1130 is the first mention of the noble family Wolfsölden-Schauenburg, who ruled the area from the Schauenburg. After this family died out in 1280, the inheritors sold the lands to the electors of the Palatinate of the Rhine of Heidelberg in 1303. As early as 1319, the prince-elector archbishopric of Mainz had won all the rights that the fief of Schaenberg had pawned to the knights of Handschuhsheim. After a long period of rivalry between the Archbishop of Mainz and the Palatinate of the Rhine, until Frederick I conquered the area for the Palatinate and destroyed the Schauenberg.

In the Landshut War of Succession, the Hessian landgrave destroyed Dossenheim in 1504. During the Thirty Years' War Tilly's troops, more than others, destroyed and plundered Dossenheim in 1622. After seizing the capital Heidelberg, Dossenheim belonged to the Archbishop of Mainz for a short time. However, as part of the Bergstrasse Cease-fire of 1650, Dossenheim was returned to the Palatinate. In the Dutch War and in the War of the Grand Alliance French troops set fire to numerous building in 1674, 1689, and 1693.

In 1714, Lothar Franz von Schönborn, the archbishop of Mainz renounced all claims to Dossenheim forever. In 1803 the Palatinate was dissolved and Dossenheim became part of Baden. In 1925 Schwabenheim was annexed to Dossenheim.

Government

The last municipal election was held 13 June 2004.

Municipal council

Municipal Council 2004
Party	Votes	Seats
CDU	%	9
SPD	%	4
Independent (Freie Wähler Verein)	%	4
Green	%	4
FDP	%	1
Voter Participation: %

Coat of arms

The coat of arms comes from a court seal from the year 1495 upon which appeared a grape vine. In 1901 it was officially awarded by the General State Archive.

The flag is green and white. The date it was chosen is unknown.

Sister cities

• Le Grau du Roi, France

Culture and sights

The ruins of Schauenburg in Dossenheim

Local attractions include an indoor swimming pool and a little shopping center in the area Am Petrus.

Dossenheim's Kermesse (Kerwe) occurs on the third Sunday in September every year. In Dossenheimer tradition this is a street festival.

Dossenheim's location in the Rhine river flood plain at the edge of the Odenwald, offers a variety of landscapes. The agricultural landscape of the flood plain climbs steeps from 110 m above sea level through the forests of the Odenwald to 548 m at the top of the Weißer Stein (White Stone). The Weißer Stein is the site of a lookout tower made of sandstone and a broadcast tower (not the broadcast tower of SWR). The ruins of the Schauenberg to the North, offer a view over the flood plain. When the air is clear, one can see the Hambacher Schloss in the Palatinian forest and the cities of Mannheim, Ludwigshafen, Speyer, and Karlsruhe. Abandoned Porphyry quarries can be found in the wooded areas. In the Spring, fruit trees blossom white and red.

Museums

Dossenheim has a museum of local history.

Notable buildings and edifices

• Ruins of Schauenburg
• Television broadcast tower atop the Weißer Stein
• Historic city hall (houses the museum of local history)
• Locks on the river Neckar at Schwabenheim (a difference of 8.7 m in height)
• Lookout tower on the Weißer Stein
• Preparation facilities and parts of the overhead tramway for goods in the porphyry quarry Vatter
• Skatepark
• Former mediumwave broadcast tower of the SWR. In Dossenheim SWR operated a mediumwave broadcast tower until 30 April 2004 for the frequency 711 kHz with a broadcast power of 5 kilowatts. Together with broadcast towers Heilbronn-Obereisesheim and Ulm-Jungingen it formed a single-frequency network. This facility has been taken down in the meantime.
• Broadcast tower Weißer Stein

Regular events

• Dossenheimer Sommertagszug (summer day parade) in May
• Kermesse on the 3rd Sunday in September
• Christmas market in December on the Kronenburger Hof

Economy and infrastructure

Dossenheim is primarily a residential community. Because of its proximity to Heidelberg Dossenheim is attractive to people who work at the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg, German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum DKFZ) or scientific companies (located in Heidelberg Technology Park). There is limited industry and commerce in Dossenheim. Dossenheim has a history of being a stone mining village. In Dossenheim there were 2 large quarries. The raw porphyry would be transported to the transfer station with a tramway that has since been dismantled. The stone was used primarily for construction of water projects (hydraulic engineering) and road construction. Both quarries have fallen into disuse. The scars can be seen far into the flood plain of the Rhine.

Transportation

Dossenheim is on the A5 as well as the federal highway (Bundesstraße) B3. The regional transit authority, Rhein-Neckar-Verkehr (RNV) GmbH, connects Dossenheim to the metropolitan centers nearby: Mannheim, Heidelberg and Weinheim. Dossenheim has 3 light rail stops: Dossenheim-Nord, Dossenheim OEG Banhof and Dossenheim-Süd.

Government offices and institutions

• Freiwillige Feuerwehr Dossenheim (volunteer fire department)
• Biologische Bundesanstalt für Land- und Forstwirtschaft (BBA) (Federal Biological Institute for Agriculture and Forestry)

Clubs

• Angelsportverein ( fishing club )
• Bertha Benz Memorial Club e.V.
• Bertha Benz Memorial Route e.V.
• Boule- Club ( Boule club)
• Cantus Vivus Konzertchor ( concert choir )
• DLRG Dossenheim
• Deutsches Rotes Kreuz (DRK) - OV Dossenheim ( Deutsches Rotes Kreuz )
• DJK Dossenheim
• Dossema Bannweidbuwe ( Dossenheim Kermesse club)
• FC Dossenheim ( Football (soccer) club )
• TSG Germania ( sports club including Handball and children's gymnastics )
• Schützenverein ( Gun Club )
• Verein zur Pflege der Livemusik
• Musikverein 1893. e.V. Dossenheim

Notable natives

• Karl-Heinz Körbel, professional soccer player (Eintracht Frankfurt)
• Markus Bähr, professional soccer player (1.FC Köln, Karlsruher SC)

References

1. ^ "Bevölkerung und Erwerbstätigkeit" (in German). Statistisches Landesamt Baden-Württemberg. 31 December 2009. http://www.statistik-bw.de/Veroeffentl/Statistische_Berichte/3126_10001.pdf. 

External links

• Official site of Dossenheim (in German)
• Photos of the Vatter quarry., StahlArt: Industrial and Architectural Photography, Harald Finster, last accessed 15 January 2007
• Bertha Benz Memorial Route

This article incorporates information from the equivalent article on the German Wikipedia.