Sondheim

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sondheim v.d.Rhön
Coat of arms	Location

Administration
Country	Germany
State	Bavaria
Admin. region	Lower Franconia
District	Rhön-Grabfeld
Municipal assoc.	Ostheim vor der Rhön
Mayor	Monika Götz
Basic statistics
Area	18.58 km² (7.2 sq mi)
Elevation	358 m (1175 ft)
Population	1,030 (31/12/2006)
- Density	55 /km² (144 /sq mi)
Other information
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Licence plate	NES
Postal code	97647
Area code	09779
Website	www.rhoen-saale.net Coordinates: 50°28′00″N 10°10′00″E / 50.466667, 10.166667

For the surname, see Sondheim (surname).

Sondheim vor der Rhön is a municipality in the district Rhön-Grabfeld, Bavaria, Germany. It is administrated by the Verwaltungsgemeinschaft Ostheim. As of 2002 it had a population of 1123, and covers an area of 18.58 km².

[edit] History

The first written proof of Sondheim was on February 27, 789, when it was mentioned in a donation document of the monastery of Fulda. Sondheim was the main settlement of the Baringau area. In 1359 it received the right to be called "city", however it was never exercised. Until 1945 Sondheim was an enclave of Saxe-Weimar and later Thuringia, and was added to Bavaria due to the military administration after World War II. In 1978 the village Stetten was included into the municipality, which then joined the Verwaltungsgemeinschaft.

[edit] Coat of arms

The coat of arms shows in the bottom three rows of red and silver blocks, the escutcheon of Henneberg. Silver and red were the colors of the bishops of Würzburg. To the left is the head of a ram, the symbol animal of the Gebsattel family, as one of the historically important land owners of the area. The yellow crown-ring to the right is taken from the coat of arms of Saxony, remembering that the municipality was formerly an enclave of Saxe-Weimar.