Himmelstadt
Encyclopedia
Himmelstadt is a community in the Main-Spessart district
Main-Spessart
Main-Spessart is a district in Bavaria, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Bad Kissingen, Schweinfurt and Würzburg, the state of Baden-Württemberg , the districts of Miltenberg and Aschaffenburg, and the state of Hesse .-History:The district was established in 1972 by merging the former...

 in the Regierungsbezirk
Regierungsbezirk
In Germany, a Government District, in German: Regierungsbezirk – is a subdivision of certain federal states .They are above the Kreise, Landkreise, and kreisfreie Städte...

of Lower Franconia
Lower Franconia
Lower Franconia is one of the three administrative regions of Franconia in Bavaria , Germany ....

 (Unterfranken) in Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...

, Germany
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...

 and a member of the Verwaltungsgemeinschaft (Administrative Community) of Zellingen.

Because of the community’s “heavenly” name – Himmel means “heaven” or “sky” 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....

 – the Weihnachtspostamt Himmelstadt (“Himmelstadt Christmas Post Office”) has existed since 1986, jointly run by Deutsche Post
Deutsche Post
Deutsche Post AG, operating under the trade name Deutsche Post DHL, is the world's largest logistics group. With its headquarters in Bonn, the corporation has 467,088 employees in more than 220 countries and territories worldwide and generated revenue of € 51.48 billion in 2010...

 and the community.

Location

Himmelstadt lies in the Würzburg Region.

The community has only one Gemarkung (traditional rural cadastral area), also called Himmelstadt.

History

The community was founded by a woman named Immina. After she died in 741, ownership passed to Bishop Burchard of Würzburg
Burchard of Würzburg
Burchard of Würzburg was a Bishop of Würzburg in 741–754.He was an Anglo-Saxon who left England after the death of his kinsfolk and joined Boniface in his missionary labors, some time after 732...

. In 840, the community had its first documentary mention as Immestat. The Himmelpforten (“Heaven’s Gates”) Convent was founded in Himmelstadt by Bishop Hermann I of Lobdeburg, but in 1253 it was moved to Himmelpforten near Würzburg. The convent, however, kept its economic holdings in Himmelstadt right up until Secularization
Secularization
Secularization is the transformation of a society from close identification with religious values and institutions toward non-religious values and secular institutions...

 in 1803. As part of the Princely Electorate (Hochstift) of Würzburg was in Bavaria’s favour secularized in 1803, and then in the Peace of Pressburg
Peace of Pressburg
The Peace of Pressburg refers to four peace treaties concluded in Pressburg . The fourth Peace of Pressburg of 1805 during the Napoleonic Wars is the best-known.-First:...

 in 1805 passed to Archduke Ferdinand of Tuscany
Ferdinand III, Grand Duke of Tuscany
Ferdinand III, Grand Duke of Tuscany was Grand Duke of Tuscany from 1790 to 1801 and, after a period of disenfranchisement, again from 1814 to 1824. He was also the Prince-elector and Grand Duke of Salzburg and Grand Duke of Würzburg .-Biography:Ferdinand was born in Florence, Tuscany, into the...

 to form the Grand Duchy of Würzburg
Grand Duchy of Würzburg
The Grand Duchy of Würzburg was a German grand duchy centered on Würzburg existing in the early 19th century.As a consequence of the 1801 Treaty of Lunéville, the Bishopric of Würzburg was secularized in 1803 and granted to Bavaria. In the same year Ferdinand III, former Grand Duke of Tuscany, was...

, with which it passed in 1814 to Bavaria.

Population development

Within town limits, 1,425 inhabitants were counted in 1970, 1,558 in 1987 and in 2000 1,752.

Politics

The mayor is Harald Führer (CSU
Christian Social Union of Bavaria
The Christian Social Union in Bavaria is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It operates only in the state of Bavaria, while its sister party, the Christian Democratic Union , operates in the other 15 states of Germany...

/Freie Bürgerliste). In 2002 he succeeded Günter Hofmann (Freie Wählergemeinschaft).

Municipal taxes in 1999 amounted to €2,520,000 (converted), of which net business taxes amounted to €457,000.

Coat of arms

The community’s 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...

 might be described thus: Argent a fess wavy azure surmounting the main stem of a twig of three roses gules in pale, in base the letters H and P ligatured of the last.

The tinctures
Tincture (heraldry)
In heraldry, tinctures are the colours used to emblazon a coat of arms. These can be divided into several categories including light tinctures called metals, dark tinctures called colours, nonstandard colours called stains, furs, and "proper". A charge tinctured proper is coloured as it would be...

 argent and gules (silver and red) recall Himmelstadt’s long history as a Würzburg holding. The ligatured HP is a monogram used by the Himmelpforten Cistercian Convent to mark its estate. It can still be found on old boundary stones. The rose twig comes from the convent’s seal and is a Marian motif referring thereto. The wavy blue fess stands for Himmelstadt’s location on both sides of the Main.

The arms have been borne since 1975.
.

Economy and infrastructure

According to official statistics, there were 37 workers on the social welfare contribution rolls working in agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...

 and forestry
Forestry
Forestry is the interdisciplinary profession embracing the science, art, and craft of creating, managing, using, and conserving forests and associated resources in a sustainable manner to meet desired goals, needs, and values for human benefit. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands...

 in 1998. In producing businesses this was 592, and in trade and transport
Transport
Transport or transportation is the movement of people, cattle, animals and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, rail, road, water, cable, pipeline, and space. The field can be divided into infrastructure, vehicles, and operations...

 122. In other areas, 1,016 workers on the social welfare contribution rolls were employed, and 1,684 such workers worked from home. There was one processing business. Nine businesses were in construction, and furthermore, in 1999, there were 103 agricultural operations with a working area of 2 104 ha.

Education

As of 1999 the following institutions existed in Himmelstadt:
  • Kindergarten
    Kindergarten
    A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...

    s: 75 places with 78 children
  • Primary schools: 1 with 6 teachers and 96 pupils

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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