Stephanskirchen
Encyclopedia
Stephanskirchen is a municipality in the district of Rosenheim
, Upper Bavaria
in Germany
.
are natural boundaries. The valley of the Sims
river is a natural border at the south. North to Stephanskirchen are several forests and small lakes. The municipality is located within the Rosenheim-basin in the area of the former Inn-glacier. Therefore numerous erratic boulders can be found here.
. The first reports of a Christian church in the area around Sims are dated at 790 AD (ecclesia ad sinsa). Stephanskirchen was first mentioned in a record in the year 1130 where it was named "stevenchirgen". On the Schlossberg there was the Rosenheim castle which was first mentioned in the year 1234. It was used for administration and as a legal court of the Wittelsbach
er; at the beginning of the 19th century it deteriorated.
Plague epidemic of the Middle Ages took their toll in Stephanskirchen, too. In the forest between Kieling and Baierbach a memorial stone can be found which got placed in memory of those who got buried there.
The inscription reads:
Während des Dreißigjährigen Krieges im Jahr 1632 herrschte in den Ortschaften der Umgebung die Pest. Viele Menschen starben an dieser Krankheit und wurden hier an diesem stillen Ort in Massengräbern bestattet. Der Überlieferung nach sind ganze Ortschaften ausgestorben. In Kieling blieb nur ein kleines Mädchen übrig. Dieses steinerne Kreuz wurde zum Gedenken an die Toten aufgestellt. (Geschichtlich überliefert durch Pfarrer Angerer, Stephanskirchen).
Translated it says:
In the year 1632 during the Thirty Years' war a plague epidemic ruled the localities and the surrounding areas. Many humans died due to that disease and got buried at this silent place in mass graves. According to historical tradition some villages totally died out. In Kieling only a little girl survived. This stony cross got erected in memory of these deaths (Historically passed down by priest Angerer, Stephanskirchen).
Rural structures were predominant in the ancestor areas of the municipality Stephanskirchen up to the 18th century. Stephanskirchen and the newly developed workers and day labourer housing estate Hofleiten became autonoumous political communities through the Bavarian administrative reform of the year 1818. In 1854 Hofleiten and Stephanskirchen got unified. Due to the social differences fierce conflicts between parts of the community persisted until the late 19th century. Since 1900 Schloßberg became the largest part of the municipality due to its vicinity to Rosenheim.
Between December 4, 1944 and march 31 1945 in the district Haidholzen there was a subcamp of the Dachau concentration camp housing around 200 prisoners. Polish, Russian and frensh prisoners of war were captured in a barack settlement within the area of a flak casern. The main building of this flak casern exists until today; since 1947 there are manufacturing facilies of a candy factory. The prisoners worked for regional contractors and for the "Chiemgauer Vertriebsgesellschaft O.H.G.", which was a subsidiary of the company BMW
. They produced plane engines there but never fully went into production. Several independent sources report about homicides of the imprisoned people. By the end of 1944 the production plant became a target of air attacks during which two employees got killed. 30% of the buildings and 20% of the machinery got destroyed, the created damage was rated 250.000 RM. By command of Heinrich Himmler
an evacuation into rearward concentration camps started in march and April 1945 during which many prisoners died due to exhaustion or got shot down by the SS.
After the end of world war two around 1500 refugees and expellees came to Stephanskirchen and founded the settlement Haidholzen close to the former flak casern. Streets named "Schlesierstraße" or "Sudetenlandstraße" remind up to today of the origin of these people.
, which has its international headquarters there, and ARRI
.
In 1978 an elementary school was opened in Stephanskirchen; like 7 other schools in Germany it is named in honor of the author Otfried-Preußler, who lives in Haidholzen. The Otfried-Preußler-Schule is the only currently participating UNESCO project school of all schools in Bavaria. Around 550 pupils are spread amongst 25 classes. The elementary school has 8 classes and the "Hauptschule" has 17 classes; of those, 6 lead to a secondary school level certificate. An after-school supervision is offered by the "Arche"-association.
In Schloßberg there is the "Volksschule Schloßberg", an elementary school hosting about 200 pupils.
There are four Kindergarten in Stephanskirchen. The Catholic Kindergarten "St. Georg" in Schloßberg, the Catholic Kindergarten "Sonnenschein" in Haidholzen, the Catholic Church Kindergarten "Bärenstube" in Stephanskirchen and the Protestant Kindergarten "Regenbogen" in Schloßberg.
In 2003 a new town hall was opened in Schloßberg.
Rosenheim (district)
Rosenheim is a Kreis in the south of Bavaria, Germany.Neighboring districts are, clockwise from the west, Miesbach, Munich, Ebersberg, Mühldorf, and Traunstein, with the Austrian province Tirol across the southern border....
, Upper Bavaria
Upper Bavaria
Upper Bavaria is one of the seven administrative regions of Bavaria, Germany.- Geography :Upper Bavaria is located in the southern portion of Bavaria, and is centered around the city of Munich. It is subdivided into four regions : Ingolstadt, Munich, Bayerisches Oberland , and Südostoberbayern...
in 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...
.
Geography
Stephanskirchen is located on a glacially formed plateau. The Inn river on the west and the lake SimsseeSimssee
Simssee is a lake in Alpenvorland, Bavaria, Germany. At an elevation of 470.1 m, its surface area is 6.5 km².- External links :...
are natural boundaries. The valley of the Sims
Sims (river)
Sims is a river of Bavaria, Germany.-See also:*List of rivers of Bavaria...
river is a natural border at the south. North to Stephanskirchen are several forests and small lakes. The municipality is located within the Rosenheim-basin in the area of the former Inn-glacier. Therefore numerous erratic boulders can be found here.
Subdivisions
The municipality is by population the third largest in the district of Rosenheim and consists of 48 parts (Ortsteile). Major settlements are Schloßberg and Haidholzen. Further settlements are: Baierbach, Eckenholz, Eichbichl, Eitzing, Entleiten, Fussen, Gehering, Graben, Grasweg, Haiden, Hofau, Hofleiten, Hofmühle, Högering, Höhensteig, Innleiten, Kieling, Kleinholzen, Kohlhaufmühle, Kragling, Kreut, Kronstauden, Krottenhausmühle, Kuglmoos, Lack, Landl, Landlmühle, Lauterbacherfilze, Leiten, Leonhardspfunzen, Murnau, Neumühle, Oed, Pulvermühle, Puster, Reikering, Schömering, Sims, Simserfilze, Simssee, Sonnenholz, Stephanskirchen, Waldering, Weinberg, Westerndorf, Westerndorferfilze and Ziegelberg.Emblem
The emblem of Stephanskirchen was created in 1954 and indicates the historic dispartment: The holy Stephanus at the top symbolizes with his holy halo the area of Stephanskirchen. He holds a golden missal with tree golden stones in his left arm. The lower part of the emblem reminds of a dinghy, a so called "Mutze". This is because in the past the major source of income in Schloßberg, Hofleiten and close to the inn-shore was fishing and shipping. The dominant green color within the emblem points to the agricultural structure of Stephanskirchen.History
The oldest traces were dated third and fourth century BC and can be found in the Doblergraben and at the Ziegelberg. An old roman road crossed the inn river at Leonhardspfunzen. The bridge was called "pons aeni" and headed westwards towards AugsburgAugsburg
Augsburg is a city in the south-west of Bavaria, Germany. It is a university town and home of the Regierungsbezirk Schwaben and the Bezirk Schwaben. Augsburg is an urban district and home to the institutions of the Landkreis Augsburg. It is, as of 2008, the third-largest city in Bavaria with a...
. The first reports of a Christian church in the area around Sims are dated at 790 AD (ecclesia ad sinsa). Stephanskirchen was first mentioned in a record in the year 1130 where it was named "stevenchirgen". On the Schlossberg there was the Rosenheim castle which was first mentioned in the year 1234. It was used for administration and as a legal court of the Wittelsbach
Wittelsbach
The Wittelsbach family is a European royal family and a German dynasty from Bavaria.Members of the family served as Dukes, Electors and Kings of Bavaria , Counts Palatine of the Rhine , Margraves of Brandenburg , Counts of Holland, Hainaut and Zeeland , Elector-Archbishops of Cologne , Dukes of...
er; at the beginning of the 19th century it deteriorated.
Plague epidemic of the Middle Ages took their toll in Stephanskirchen, too. In the forest between Kieling and Baierbach a memorial stone can be found which got placed in memory of those who got buried there.
The inscription reads:
Während des Dreißigjährigen Krieges im Jahr 1632 herrschte in den Ortschaften der Umgebung die Pest. Viele Menschen starben an dieser Krankheit und wurden hier an diesem stillen Ort in Massengräbern bestattet. Der Überlieferung nach sind ganze Ortschaften ausgestorben. In Kieling blieb nur ein kleines Mädchen übrig. Dieses steinerne Kreuz wurde zum Gedenken an die Toten aufgestellt. (Geschichtlich überliefert durch Pfarrer Angerer, Stephanskirchen).
Translated it says:
In the year 1632 during the Thirty Years' war a plague epidemic ruled the localities and the surrounding areas. Many humans died due to that disease and got buried at this silent place in mass graves. According to historical tradition some villages totally died out. In Kieling only a little girl survived. This stony cross got erected in memory of these deaths (Historically passed down by priest Angerer, Stephanskirchen).
Rural structures were predominant in the ancestor areas of the municipality Stephanskirchen up to the 18th century. Stephanskirchen and the newly developed workers and day labourer housing estate Hofleiten became autonoumous political communities through the Bavarian administrative reform of the year 1818. In 1854 Hofleiten and Stephanskirchen got unified. Due to the social differences fierce conflicts between parts of the community persisted until the late 19th century. Since 1900 Schloßberg became the largest part of the municipality due to its vicinity to Rosenheim.
Between December 4, 1944 and march 31 1945 in the district Haidholzen there was a subcamp of the Dachau concentration camp housing around 200 prisoners. Polish, Russian and frensh prisoners of war were captured in a barack settlement within the area of a flak casern. The main building of this flak casern exists until today; since 1947 there are manufacturing facilies of a candy factory. The prisoners worked for regional contractors and for the "Chiemgauer Vertriebsgesellschaft O.H.G.", which was a subsidiary of the company BMW
BMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
. They produced plane engines there but never fully went into production. Several independent sources report about homicides of the imprisoned people. By the end of 1944 the production plant became a target of air attacks during which two employees got killed. 30% of the buildings and 20% of the machinery got destroyed, the created damage was rated 250.000 RM. By command of Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Luitpold Himmler was Reichsführer of the SS, a military commander, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. As Chief of the German Police and the Minister of the Interior from 1943, Himmler oversaw all internal and external police and security forces, including the Gestapo...
an evacuation into rearward concentration camps started in march and April 1945 during which many prisoners died due to exhaustion or got shot down by the SS.
After the end of world war two around 1500 refugees and expellees came to Stephanskirchen and founded the settlement Haidholzen close to the former flak casern. Streets named "Schlesierstraße" or "Sudetenlandstraße" remind up to today of the origin of these people.
Neighboring communes
Famous people
- Otfried PreußlerOtfried PreußlerOtfried Preußler is a German children's books author. His best-known works are The Robber Hotzenplotz and The Satanic Mill ....
(*1923), author of several children's books ("The Satanic MillThe Satanic Mill-Plot:Set in the late 17th century, the story follows the life of Krabat, a 14-year old Wendish beggar boy living in the eastern part of Saxony. For three consecutive nights, he is called through a dream to a watermill near the village Schwarzkollm. Upon heeding the call and arriving at the mill,...
", "The Little Which", "The Robber Hotzenplotz") - Nikolaus Burggraf und Graf zu Dohna-Schlodien (5 April 1879 – 21 August 1956), German naval officer and author.
Companies and infrastructure
Two internationally known companies can be found in Stephanskirchen: Marc O’PoloMarc O’Polo
Marc O’Polo is a German clothing brand of Swedish heritage. In 1967, Marc O’Polo was established in Stockholm by Rolf Lind, Göte Huss, and Jerry O’Sheets. One year later, Werner Böck opened the German branch in Stephanskirchen, a village near Rosenheim. In 1987, he took over 40 percent of the...
, which has its international headquarters there, and ARRI
Arri
-History:Arri was founded in Munich, Germany as Arnold & Richter Cine Technik in 1917, named after founders August Arnold and Robert Richter. They produce professional motion picture equipment, digital and film cameras and cinematic lighting equipment...
.
In 1978 an elementary school was opened in Stephanskirchen; like 7 other schools in Germany it is named in honor of the author Otfried-Preußler, who lives in Haidholzen. The Otfried-Preußler-Schule is the only currently participating UNESCO project school of all schools in Bavaria. Around 550 pupils are spread amongst 25 classes. The elementary school has 8 classes and the "Hauptschule" has 17 classes; of those, 6 lead to a secondary school level certificate. An after-school supervision is offered by the "Arche"-association.
In Schloßberg there is the "Volksschule Schloßberg", an elementary school hosting about 200 pupils.
There are four Kindergarten in Stephanskirchen. The Catholic Kindergarten "St. Georg" in Schloßberg, the Catholic Kindergarten "Sonnenschein" in Haidholzen, the Catholic Church Kindergarten "Bärenstube" in Stephanskirchen and the Protestant Kindergarten "Regenbogen" in Schloßberg.
In 2003 a new town hall was opened in Schloßberg.
Tourist Attractions
- The world largest art-clock in the wine tavern of the restaurant Gocklwirt (constructor: Josef Kreß 1880-1886)
- Church St. Magdalena in Baierbach
- Church "zu den heiligen 14 Nothelfern" in Kleinholzen
- St. Leonhards- church in Leonhardspfunzen
- fountain chapel in Leonhardspfunzen
- Innleiten castle, built in 1894 by Thomas Gillizer; it was built in new baroque style in settlement Innleiten
External links
- History of Stephanskirchen on its website Website der Gemeinde