Eberbach (Baden)
Encyclopedia
Eberbach (ˈeːbɐbax) is a town in Germany
, in northern Baden-Württemberg
, located 33 km east of Heidelberg
. It belongs to the Rhein-Neckar-Kreis
. Its sister city is Ephrata
, United States
.
, at 626 m the highest elevation in the Odenwald
, in the Naturpark Neckartal-Odenwald, on the romantic Burgenstraße (Castle Road) along the river Neckar
.
The border with Hesse
runs through the borough of Igelsbach. Therefore, only the northeast half, called Badisch Igelsbach, of the borough belongs to Eberbach. The southwest half, called Hessisch Igelsbach, belongs to the Hessian municipality of Hirschhorn
. The same is true for the borough Schöllenbach. The larger part of Schöllenbach belongs to the municipality of Hesseneck
.
was first mentioned – by German King Henry VII
of the House of Hohenstaufen
. After his pledge to the Counts Palatine
in 1330, the old Free City belonged to the Palatinate. In 1803 it passed to the Principality
of Leiningen
, and since 1806 it has belonged to Baden
. Until 1924 it was a the seat of the authority office (Bezirksamt). In 1977 the town celebrated its 750-year jubilee.
houses and some town wall remnants, is a magnet for tourists. Likewise, the Eberbach castle ruins, which stand above the town on one of the mountains in the Odenwald range that surrounds the town, are worthy of sightseeing as part of the string of castles along the river Neckar. Eberbach also lies on the Burgenstraße (Castle Road), which leads from Mannheim
all the way to Prague
.
The Ohrsberg is a peak in Eberbach. It shapes the town and is 229 m (751 ft) high.
Eberbach's coat of arms
is heraldically
described thus: Argent (white or silver) on lowered fess wavy azure a boar striding sable. This makes the coat of arms a rebus
of the town's name – a "canting
" coat of arms – since it shows a boar
(Eber in German
) and a wavy blue line representing a brook
(Bach in German). Eberbach's flag is blue and white (or blue and silver). As an Imperial City, Eberbach would have had leave originally to have its arms bear the Imperial eagle
. The Imperial eagle was once to be found in the town wall at the upper gate. A photograph taken of it in 1909, along with the armorial stone itself, are today kept in the Town Museum, where they may be seen. The current coat of arms has been established to be from a seal impression dating back to 1387. The boar's appearance, however, in today's arms, adopted in 1976, is clearly unlike the original.
RheinNeckar run half-hourly along the Neckar towards Mosbach
and Heidelberg
/Mannheim
. Moreover, regional express trains shuttle along this same right of way two-hourly bound for Mannheim and Heilbronn
. Regional trains also run every two hours along the Odenwaldbahn to Darmstadt
and Frankfurt.
Eberbach, unlike most towns of comparable size, maintains its own transport system, the Stadtwerke Eberbach (SWE). The fleet comprises all together 6 bus
es which weekdays serve the main routes (Ledigsberg and Eberbach/Nord) from 5:10 to 19:30 half-hourly, and lesser routes irregularly. Saturdays the buses run from 6:30 to 14:50. At the Spring Festival and the Cuckoo Market, special services are laid on. In the latter case, the service runs quite late into the evening to accommodate "marketgoers".
The town transport serves the following routes:
Furthermore, the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Neckar (VRN) and Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund (RMV) transport systems serve various regional bus routes.
Eberbach also lies on the well-used Bundesstraßen (Federal Highways) B37 and B45.
producer, the GELITA Group, the textile
machine factory Dilo, the rowboat
building yard Empacher
and the ticket vending and fare collecting machine manufacturer, Krauth Technology, whose products are sold worldwide. The headquarters of the Neckardraht Group (wire makers) is likewise also found in the town on the Neckar.
with: Thonon-les-Bains
, France
Ephrata
, United States
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, in northern Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...
, located 33 km east of Heidelberg
Heidelberg
-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...
. It belongs to the Rhein-Neckar-Kreis
Rhein-Neckar-Kreis
Rhein-Neckar-Kreis is a district in the northwest of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Neighboring districts are Bergstraße, Odenwaldkreis, Neckar-Odenwald, Heilbronn, Karlsruhe, district-free Speyer, the Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis, and district-free Mannheim and Heidelberg.-History:The district was created in...
. Its sister city is Ephrata
Ephrata, Pennsylvania
Ephrata is a borough in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States, south east of Harrisburg and about west by north of Philadelphia. It is named after Ephrath, a biblical town in what is now Israel. Ephrata's sister city is Eberbach, Germany, the city where its founders originated. In its...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Location
Eberbach lies at the foot of the KatzenbuckelKatzenbuckel
The Katzenbuckel is an extinct volcano and the highest elevation of the Odenwald. The mountain is located eastwards of Eberbach, near the village of Waldbrunn....
, at 626 m the highest elevation in the Odenwald
Odenwald
The Odenwald is a low mountain range in Hesse, Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg in Germany.- Location :The Odenwald lies between the Upper Rhine Rift Valley with the Bergstraße and the Hessisches Ried in the west, the Main and the Bauland in the east, the Hanau-Seligenstadt Basin – a subbasin of...
, in the Naturpark Neckartal-Odenwald, on the romantic Burgenstraße (Castle Road) along the river Neckar
Neckar
The Neckar is a long river, mainly flowing through the southwestern state of Baden-Württemberg, but also a short section through Hesse, in Germany. The Neckar is a major right tributary of the River Rhine...
.
Boroughs
Eberbach includes the boroughs of Neckarwimmersbach, Brombach, Friedrichsdorf, Lindach, Rockenau, Badisch Igelsbach, Gaimühle, Unterdielbach, Badisch Schöllenbach and Pleutersbach.The border with Hesse
Hesse
Hesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...
runs through the borough of Igelsbach. Therefore, only the northeast half, called Badisch Igelsbach, of the borough belongs to Eberbach. The southwest half, called Hessisch Igelsbach, belongs to the Hessian municipality of Hirschhorn
Hirschhorn (Neckar)
Hirschhorn is a small town in the Bergstraße district of Hesse, Germany, and is known as "The Pearl of the Neckar valley”. Hirschhorn is a climatic health resort situated in the Geo-Naturpark Bergstraße-Odenwald.- Location :...
. The same is true for the borough Schöllenbach. The larger part of Schöllenbach belongs to the municipality of Hesseneck
Hesseneck
Hesseneck is a community in the Odenwaldkreis in Hesse, Germany. With only just under 700 inhabitants, Hesseneck is Hesse’s smallest self-governing community.-Location:...
.
History
Eberbach is a former Imperial Free City, founded soon after 1227 – when the castleCastle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
was first mentioned – by German King Henry VII
Henry (VII) of Germany
Henry was King of Sicily from 1212, Duke of Swabia from 1216, and King of Germany from 1220. He was the son and co-king of Emperor Frederick II and elder brother of Conrad IV of Germany...
of the House of Hohenstaufen
Hohenstaufen
The House of Hohenstaufen was a dynasty of German kings in the High Middle Ages, lasting from 1138 to 1254. Three of these kings were also crowned Holy Roman Emperor. In 1194 the Hohenstaufens also became Kings of Sicily...
. After his pledge to the Counts Palatine
Count palatine
Count palatine is a high noble title, used to render several comital styles, in some cases also shortened to Palatine, which can have other meanings as well.-Comes palatinus:...
in 1330, the old Free City belonged to the Palatinate. In 1803 it passed to the Principality
Principality
A principality is a monarchical feudatory or sovereign state, ruled or reigned over by a monarch with the title of prince or princess, or by a monarch with another title within the generic use of the term prince....
of Leiningen
Leiningen
Leiningen is the name of an old German family whose lands lay principally in Alsace, Lorraine and the Palatinate. The first count of Leiningen about whom anything certain is known was a certain Emich II , whose family became extinct in the male line when Count Frederick, a Minnesinger, died about...
, and since 1806 it has belonged to Baden
Baden
Baden is a historical state on the east bank of the Rhine in the southwest of Germany, now the western part of the Baden-Württemberg of Germany....
. Until 1924 it was a the seat of the authority office (Bezirksamt). In 1977 the town celebrated its 750-year jubilee.
Main sights
The historic old town, which is a pedestrian precinct, with its four well maintained towers, many well kept timber-frameTimber framing
Timber framing , or half-timbering, also called in North America "post-and-beam" construction, is the method of creating structures using heavy squared off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden pegs . It is commonplace in large barns...
houses and some town wall remnants, is a magnet for tourists. Likewise, the Eberbach castle ruins, which stand above the town on one of the mountains in the Odenwald range that surrounds the town, are worthy of sightseeing as part of the string of castles along the river Neckar. Eberbach also lies on the Burgenstraße (Castle Road), which leads from Mannheim
Mannheim
Mannheim is a city in southwestern Germany. With about 315,000 inhabitants, Mannheim is the second-largest city in the Bundesland of Baden-Württemberg, following the capital city of Stuttgart....
all the way to Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
.
The Ohrsberg is a peak in Eberbach. It shapes the town and is 229 m (751 ft) high.
Museums
Several museums can be found in Eberbach:- Heimatmuseum der Stadt Eberbach — Museum of Local History for the Town of Eberbach
- Küfereimuseum — cooperCooper (profession)Traditionally, a cooper is someone who makes wooden staved vessels of a conical form, of greater length than breadth, bound together with hoops and possessing flat ends or heads...
age museum - Zinnfiguren-Kabinett — tin figures
Municipal council
| Party | Votes | Seats |
|---|---|---|
| CDU Christian Democratic Union (Germany) The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum... |
% | 8 |
| SPD Social Democratic Party of Germany The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany... |
% | 7 |
| Independent (Freie Wähler Verein) | % | 5 |
| Green Alliance '90/The Greens Alliance '90/The Greens is a green political party in Germany, formed from the merger of the German Green Party and Alliance 90 in 1993. Its leaders are Claudia Roth and Cem Özdemir... |
% | 2 |
Coat of arms
Description: (source: Archiv der Stadt Eberbach, Dr. Rüdiger Lenz, Archive Head)Eberbach's coat of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
is heraldically
Heraldry
Heraldry is the profession, study, or art of creating, granting, and blazoning arms and ruling on questions of rank or protocol, as exercised by an officer of arms. Heraldry comes from Anglo-Norman herald, from the Germanic compound harja-waldaz, "army commander"...
described thus: Argent (white or silver) on lowered fess wavy azure a boar striding sable. This makes the coat of arms a rebus
Rebus
A rebus is an allusional device that uses pictures to represent words or parts of words. It was a favourite form of heraldic expression used in the Middle Ages to denote surnames, for example in its basic form 3 salmon fish to denote the name "Salmon"...
of the town's name – a "canting
Canting arms
Canting arms are heraldic bearings that represent the bearer's name in a visual pun or rebus. The term cant came into the English language from Anglo-Norman cant, meaning song or singing, from Latin cantāre, and English cognates include canticle, chant, accent, incantation and recant.Canting arms –...
" coat of arms – since it shows a boar
Boar
Wild boar, also wild pig, is a species of the pig genus Sus, part of the biological family Suidae. The species includes many subspecies. It is the wild ancestor of the domestic pig, an animal with which it freely hybridises...
(Eber in German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
) and a wavy blue line representing a brook
Stream
A stream is a body of water with a current, confined within a bed and stream banks. Depending on its locale or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to as a branch, brook, beck, burn, creek, "crick", gill , kill, lick, rill, river, syke, bayou, rivulet, streamage, wash, run or...
(Bach in German). Eberbach's flag is blue and white (or blue and silver). As an Imperial City, Eberbach would have had leave originally to have its arms bear the Imperial eagle
Eagle (heraldry)
The eagle is used in heraldry as a charge, as a supporter, and as a crest. Parts of the eagle's body such as its head, wings or leg are also used as a charge or crest....
. The Imperial eagle was once to be found in the town wall at the upper gate. A photograph taken of it in 1909, along with the armorial stone itself, are today kept in the Town Museum, where they may be seen. The current coat of arms has been established to be from a seal impression dating back to 1387. The boar's appearance, however, in today's arms, adopted in 1976, is clearly unlike the original.
Cultural events
The following events are held yearly:- Apfeltag (Apple Day) – mid-October
- Bärlauchtage (Bear Garlic Days) - mid-March to mid-April celebrate RamsonsRamsonsRamsons — also known as buckrams, wild garlic, broad-leaved garlic, wood garlic, bear leek, and bear's garlic — is a wild relative of chives native to Europe and Asia...
- Frühlingsfest (Spring Festival) - mid-May
- Kuckucksmarkt (Cuckoo Market): Eberbach's Cuckoo Market is a folk festival on the last weekend of August. The name traces itself back to an old traditional story. According to the tale, an Eberbacher (from the main town north of the Neckar) in an inn in Neckarwimmersbach (on the south bank) was served a cuckoo, rather than the pigeon that he had ordered. This he then proceeded to consume. The Cuckoo Market is held in Neckarwimmersbach at the "In der Au" sports grounds and in several streets (Schwanheimer Straße, Beckstraße, Neckarbrücke). It was once held on the Neckar's north bank between Pulverturm and Grüner Baum, which is nowadays where the aforesaid Spring Festival is held.
Economy and infrastructure
Transport
The S 1/2 lines of the S-BahnS-Bahn
S-Bahn refers to an often combined city center and suburban railway system metro in Austria, Germany, Switzerland and Denmark...
RheinNeckar run half-hourly along the Neckar towards Mosbach
Mosbach
Mosbach is the capital of the Neckar-Odenwald district in the north of Baden-Württemberg, Germany, about 58 km east of Heidelberg. Its geographical position is 49.21'N 9.9'E....
and Heidelberg
Heidelberg
-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...
/Mannheim
Mannheim
Mannheim is a city in southwestern Germany. With about 315,000 inhabitants, Mannheim is the second-largest city in the Bundesland of Baden-Württemberg, following the capital city of Stuttgart....
. Moreover, regional express trains shuttle along this same right of way two-hourly bound for Mannheim and Heilbronn
Heilbronn
Heilbronn is a city in northern Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is completely surrounded by Heilbronn County and with approximately 123.000 residents, it is the sixth-largest city in the state....
. Regional trains also run every two hours along the Odenwaldbahn to Darmstadt
Darmstadt
Darmstadt is a city in the Bundesland of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Rhine Main Area.The sandy soils in the Darmstadt area, ill-suited for agriculture in times before industrial fertilisation, prevented any larger settlement from developing, until the city became the seat...
and Frankfurt.
Eberbach, unlike most towns of comparable size, maintains its own transport system, the Stadtwerke Eberbach (SWE). The fleet comprises all together 6 bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
es which weekdays serve the main routes (Ledigsberg and Eberbach/Nord) from 5:10 to 19:30 half-hourly, and lesser routes irregularly. Saturdays the buses run from 6:30 to 14:50. At the Spring Festival and the Cuckoo Market, special services are laid on. In the latter case, the service runs quite late into the evening to accommodate "marketgoers".
The town transport serves the following routes:
- 801, 807: Railway station – Ledigsberg
- 802, 802a, 809: Railway station – Eberbach/Nord
- 803: Railway station – Rockenau
- 804: Railway station – Igelsbach
- 805: Railway station – Holdergrund
- 806: Hirschhorn – Brombach; this line is run by the Heckmann firm on the SWE's behalf.
Furthermore, the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Neckar (VRN) and Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund (RMV) transport systems serve various regional bus routes.
Eberbach also lies on the well-used Bundesstraßen (Federal Highways) B37 and B45.
Established enterprises
Eberbach is headquarters to the world's biggest gelatinGelatin
Gelatin is a translucent, colorless, brittle , flavorless solid substance, derived from the collagen inside animals' skin and bones. It is commonly used as a gelling agent in food, pharmaceuticals, photography, and cosmetic manufacturing. Substances containing gelatin or functioning in a similar...
producer, the GELITA Group, the textile
Textile
A textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...
machine factory Dilo, the rowboat
Watercraft rowing
Watercraft rowing is the act of propelling a boat using the motion of oars in the water. The difference between paddling and rowing is that with rowing the oars have a mechanical connection with the boat whereas with paddling the paddles are hand-held with no mechanical connection.This article...
building yard Empacher
Empacher
Empacher is a manufacturer of boats, especially for the sport of rowing. Originally building sailing yachts, it was founded by Willy Empacher in 1923 in Königsberg, East Prussia. In 1952 they started producing racing rowing shells, an enterprise that has become their main business today...
and the ticket vending and fare collecting machine manufacturer, Krauth Technology, whose products are sold worldwide. The headquarters of the Neckardraht Group (wire makers) is likewise also found in the town on the Neckar.
Media
- The Eberbacher Zeitung is a daily newspaperNewspaperA newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
built on groundwork laid out by the Südwest-Presse, an UlmUlmUlm is a city in the federal German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the River Danube. The city, whose population is estimated at 120,000 , forms an urban district of its own and is the administrative seat of the Alb-Donau district. Ulm, founded around 850, is rich in history and...
newspaper. - The Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung maintains its own local editing in Eberbach and publishes a special Eberbach and area edition (Eberbacher Nachrichten).
- The Eberbach-Channel (see link below) is an online information service for Eberbach and area.
- Filling this out are many weekly editions of free newspapers funded through advertisingAdvertisingAdvertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
.
Education
- SteigegrundschulePrimary educationA primary school is an institution in which children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as primary or elementary education. Primary school is the preferred term in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth Nations, and in most publications of the United Nations Educational,...
- Dr.-Weiß Grund- und Förderschule
- HauptschuleHauptschuleA Hauptschule is a secondary school in Germany and Austria, starting after 4 years of elementary schooling, which offers Lower Secondary Education according to the International Standard Classification of Education...
Eberbach - RealschuleRealschuleThe Realschule is a type of secondary school in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein. It has also existed in Croatia , Denmark , Sweden , Hungary and in the Russian Empire .-History:The Realschule was an outgrowth of the rationalism and empiricism of the seventeenth and...
Eberbach - Hohenstaufen-GymnasiumGymnasium (school)A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
- GewerbeschuleVocational schoolA vocational school , providing vocational education, is a school in which students are taught the skills needed to perform a particular job...
Eberbach
Health services
Hospital of the Gesundheitszentren Rhein Neckar GmbH (GRN)- Internal medicine
- Surgery
- Urology
- Anaesthesia
- HNO
- Gynacology
- Proctology
- Short term care
- Physiotherapy
- Training for nursing
Notable natives
- Conrad BeisselConrad BeisselJohann Conrad Beissel was the German-born religious leader who in 1732 founded the Ephrata Community in Pennsylvania.-Background:...
, mystic and composer (1690–1768) - Rudolf Epp, painter (1834–1910)
International relations
Eberbach (Baden) is twinnedTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with: Thonon-les-Bains
Thonon-les-Bains
Thonon-les-Bains is a town in the Haute-Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.-History:...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Ephrata
Ephrata, Pennsylvania
Ephrata is a borough in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States, south east of Harrisburg and about west by north of Philadelphia. It is named after Ephrath, a biblical town in what is now Israel. Ephrata's sister city is Eberbach, Germany, the city where its founders originated. In its...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...