Münnerstadt
Encyclopedia
Münnerstadt is a town in the district of Bad Kissingen
Bad Kissingen (district)
Bad Kissingen is a district in Bavaria, Germany. It is bounded by the district Main-Kinzig and Fulda in Hesse, and the districts of Rhön-Grabfeld, Schweinfurt and Main-Spessart.- History :...

 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...

. It borders with the towns of Burglauer
Burglauer
Burglauer is a municipality in the district of Rhön-Grabfeld in Bavaria in Germany....

, Bad Bocklet
Bad Bocklet
Bad Bocklet is a municipality in the district of Bad Kissingen in Bavaria in Germany. It is a market town and a health spa.-Geography:Bad Bocklet lies in a bend in the river Fränkische Saale in Franconia about 10 km north of the district capital Bad Kissingen...

, Nüdlingen
Nüdlingen
Nüdlingen is a municipality in the district of Bad Kissingen in Bavaria in Germany.-Divisions of the municipality:The municipality is divided into the following towns:*Haard*Nüdlingen-History:...

, Maßbach
Maßbach
Maßbach is a municipality in the district of Bad Kissingen in Bavaria in Germany.-Geography:Maßbach lies between the biosphere reserve of the Bavarian Rhön Mountains and Haßberge.-Neighboring municipalities:*Münnerstadt*Thundorf...

, Großbardorf
Großbardorf
Großbardorf is a municipality in the district of Rhön-Grabfeld in Bavaria in Germany....

, and Strahlungen
Strahlungen
Strahlungen is a municipality in the district of Rhön-Grabfeld in Bavaria in Germany....

. As of 2000 it has a population of 8,300, and covers an area of 95 km².

The town is located in the southern portion of the Rhön Mountains. The Lauer River (a tributary of the Franconian Saale) flows directly through the town.

History

Münnerstadt area has been inhabited since approximately 2100 BC. Early Celtic settlers farmed in the area of Grosswenkheim, Maria Bildhausen and Althausen (all towns within the city boundaries). Around the time of the Birth of Christ, Thuringian and soon after, Franconian settlers moved into the area and used the surrounding hills (Michelsberg) and forests for protection in times of danger. By the 5th century AD a village existed in the area where the base of Michelsberg meets the Lauer River, a tributary of the Franconian Saale river.

On 28 December 770, Egi and Sigihilt donated their complete estate including vineyards to the "Munirihestat" monastery of Fulda. This was the first certified mention of Münnerstadt. Between 770 and 876 there were 18 certificates that proved Münnerstadt was of great importance during the Carolingian
Carolingian
The Carolingian dynasty was a Frankish noble family with origins in the Arnulfing and Pippinid clans of the 7th century AD. The name "Carolingian", Medieval Latin karolingi, an altered form of an unattested Old High German *karling, kerling The Carolingian dynasty (known variously as the...

 period. In 1156 Hermann von Stahleck sponsored the construction of the monastery in Maria Bildhausen. In the 12th century Count Henneberg began to establish his presence in Münnerstadt. Henneberg was also the name of the state in Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...

 in which Münnerstadt was located. At this time Henneberg built a small castle on the Lauer River and the inhabitants of the old Münnerstadt left their unprotected dwellings and moved within the shadows of the new castle.

Middle Ages

Early in the 13th century Münnerstadt began the fortification of the town with the construction of a wall (1251) and four gates around the entire town to protect them from invading forces. With the addition of the Market (1271), the city court, city council (1279) and city seal (1287), Münnerstadt began a period of prosperity. The grain measurement was the standard in 38 towns in Lower Franconia
Lower Franconia
Lower Franconia is one of the three administrative regions of Franconia in Bavaria , Germany ....

. In (1231) the Teutonic Knights
Teutonic Knights
The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem , commonly the Teutonic Order , is a German medieval military order, in modern times a purely religious Catholic order...

 took over the Ministry of Münnerstadt. In (1279) the Augustine Monastery in Münnerstadt was established.

As a result of the growth and prosperity brought upon Münnerstadt by Count von Henneberg, Emperor Louis IV
Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Louis IV , called the Bavarian, of the house of Wittelsbach, was the King of Germany from 1314, the King of Italy from 1327 and the Holy Roman Emperor from 1328....

 gave the township its city rights. Münnerstadt became an important base against the Würzburg princely Bishops, but inheritance and financial problems in the mid 14th century led to them overtaking some assets in Münnerstadt. In the late 14th century the city inhabitants rose up to kick out both of the ruling parties but were crushed. In 1385 new laws were established that ruled the way of life within the walls of the city. In 1492 city aristocrats sponsored the construction of an altar in the Pfarrkirche by Tilman Riemenschneider. This was his first contract for a large altar.

In the early 16th century Martin Luther
Martin Luther
Martin Luther was a German priest, professor of theology and iconic figure of the Protestant Reformation. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money. He confronted indulgence salesman Johann Tetzel with his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517...

's predication created an uproar by the farmers and citizens and burned down the monastery in Maria Bildhausen, but the riot was quelled by the hard reprisal by the Prince-Bishops of Würzburg. The Augustinian monks had to leave town when the first evangelical priest took over the Ministry of Münnerstadt in 1552. In 1585 Prince-Bischop Julius Echter purchased a large part of the city that were still not owned by the Bishops of Würzburg. As a result approximately 400 Protestants, mostly craftsmen, left the city. In 1631 the 30 years war hit the city and region hard and the Swedish invaders took the city. In 1641 a miracle is supposed to have taken place that protected Münnerstadt from more devastation. The Augustiner returned in 1652 and rebuilt their monastery and in 1685 they took back power of the Ministry of Münnerstadt.

Annexation

During the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...

, Franconia
Franconia
Franconia is a region of Germany comprising the northern parts of the modern state of Bavaria, a small part of southern Thuringia, and a region in northeastern Baden-Württemberg called Tauberfranken...

, and with it Münnerstadt, was annexed by 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...

 in 1803. As a result the abbey of Maria Bildhausen was disbanded, the buildings sold or destroyed. In 1804 Münnerstadt became the seat of a federal court. The Teutonic Order was required to leave the city and its possessions were claimed by the city. The Congress of Vienna
Congress of Vienna
The Congress of Vienna was a conference of ambassadors of European states chaired by Klemens Wenzel von Metternich, and held in Vienna from September, 1814 to June, 1815. The objective of the Congress was to settle the many issues arising from the French Revolutionary Wars, the Napoleonic Wars,...

 officially annexed Franconia and Münnerstadt to Bavaria. The city was the local government seat but continued to lose its importance and by the early 1900s it was just a locality in the county of Bad Kissingen
Bad Kissingen
Bad Kissingen is a spa town in the Bavarian region of Lower Franconia and is the seat of the district Bad Kissingen. Situated to the south of the Rhön Mountains on the Franconian Saale river, it is a world-famous health resort.- Town structure :...

.

Modern times

During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, the Marienkapelle, houses and one of the city gates were destroyed by bombing and upon entry of the American forces. With the establishment of East Germany, businesses from Thuringia moved to Münnerstadt. Some of them have attained international importance.

In 1990 traffic on the Highway B19 was rerouted from the city center to around the west side of town and the railway to Erfurt was opened after a 50 year pause. In winter of 2005 Autobahn A71 was opened for traffic. Its 600 meter long bridge between Münnerstadt and Althausen has changed the scenery greatly.

External links



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