Johannesberg, Bavaria

Johannesberg lies in the Bavarian Lower Main (Bayerischer Untermain), 10 km from Aschaffenburg. The Church of Saint John’s Beheading (Kirche St. Johannes Enthauptung) stands on the peak of the Johannesberg – the community’s namesake – 367 m above sea level.

Constituent communities

Johannesberg’s Ortsteile are Breunsberg, Johannesberg, Oberafferbach, Rückersbach and Steinbach.

Furthermore, three hamlets are to be found in Johannesberg: Rauenthaler Hof, Sternberg and Hagelhof.

History

It was between 1200 and 1300 that the first church, in the Romanesque style, must have been built on the Johannesberg, and with an east-west orientation. As a high church it was built outside the community of Oberafferbach. In 1351, Rauenthal had its first documentary mention. The Aschaffenburg Monastery was enfeoffed with the Geipelshof (estate) near Johannesberg in 1440.

The old parish house, Hauptstraße 8, had its first documentary mention in 1550. With Count Philipp von Rieneck’s death in 1559, the noble family had died out and the Bishops of Mainz took over power in the Spessart (range) for good. The Electorate of Mainz declared in 1682 that all children between the ages of 6 and 12 were obligated to attend school.

In the course of the War of the Austrian Succession, British troops destroyed the church in Johannesberg, which in early 1768 was built anew, and this time bigger. It would have been completed about 1774. In 1945, American troops occupied Oberafferbach and Johannesberg, as well as Mainaschaff, Laufach and Goldbach.

In the first, voluntary phase of municipal reform, the formerly self-administering communities of Breunsberg, Johannesberg, Oberafferbach and Rückersbach merged into a new entity with the name Johannesberg. In 1976, the communities of Johannesberg and Glattbach together formed the Verwaltungsgemeinschaft (Administrative Community) of Rauenthal. In accordance with the Lower Franconian government’s decision, the outlying centre of Rauenthal – formerly an exclave – was split from the community of Johannesberg and merged into the community of Glattbach instead. After the voluntary phase of municipal reform ended, the community of Steinbach was forcibly incorporated into Johannesberg in 1978.

Between Johannesberg and Val Orne-Ajon in the French department of Calvados, an official partnership was established in 1990 with quite a number of centres, namely Avenay, Amayé-sur-Orne, Maizet, Montigny, Préaux-Bocage, Maisoncelles-sur-Ajon, Sainte-Honorine-du-Fay and Vacognes-Neuilly. On 18 May 1996, the French community of Trois-Monts joined the group as the ninth community.

The Verwaltungsgemeinschaft Rauenthal was dissolved by law in 1994. The community of Johannesberg once again has its own community administration.

In 2000, Johannesberg’s 800-year jubilee celebration took place.

Population development

Within the municipal area lived 2,730 inhabitants in 1970, 3,391 in 1987 and 3,833 in 2000.

Politics

Community council

The council is made up of 16 council members, not counting the mayor.

	CSU	SPD	FWG	Johannesberg aktiv e. V. (JA)	Total
2008	6 (-3)	2 (-1)	3 (-1)	5* (+5)	16 seats

(as at municipal election held on 2 March 2008; changes from 2002 election in parentheses; *JA was participating in a municipal election for the first time in 2008)

Mayors

1812 Peter Flittner
1848–1838 Fecher
1843 Junker
1859 Eisert
1876–1881 Stadtmüller
1882–1887 Denk
1888–1919 Conrad Fecher
1919–1929 Martin Stadtmüller
1930–1945 Anton Kraus
1945–1949 Ferdinand Stadtmüller
1948–1956 August Eisert
1956–1962 Anton Kraus
1962–1972 Alois Hain
1984–2008 Michael Rosner
since 15 June 2008 Peter Zenglein

Coat of arms

The community’s arms might be described thus: Argent a bend sinister wavy azure surmounted by a sword in bend of the second, in base a mount of three gules surmounted by a wheel spoked of six of the first.

The sword stands for the local parish church’s patron, who is John the Baptist – the church itself is called Johannes Enthauptung, or “John’s Beheading”, the sword being the instrument of this deed. The reference to John also recalls the community’s name: Johannes is a German form of the name John. For centuries the community was part of the Electorate of Mainz, symbolized in the arms by the Wheel of Mainz. The three-knolled hill, called a Dreiberg in German heraldry, refers to the community’s geographical location in the Vorspessart, and also to the three constituent communities of Johannesberg, Breunsberg and Sternberg, which all end in —berg (German for “mountain”), whereas the wavy bend sinister (slanted stripe), which is meant to resemble a brook, refers to the three constituent communities of Oberafferbach, Steinbach and Rückersbach, which all end in —bach (German for “brook”).

The arms have been borne since 22 March 1976 after a decision by the community and approval from the government of Lower Franconia.

Town partnerships

Avenay, Calvados, France since 1990
Amayé-sur-Orne, Calvados, France since 1990
Maizet, Calvados, France since 1990
Montigny, Calvados, France since 1990
Préaux-Bocage, Calvados, France since 1990
Maisoncelles-sur-Ajon, Calvados, France since 1990
Sainte-Honorine-du-Fay, Calvados, France since 1990
Vacognes-Neuilly, Calvados, France since 1990
Trois-Monts, Calvados, France since 1996

All nine French communities mentioned above are part of a single partnership organized under the umbrella organization I.C.L. Val Orne-Ajon.

Culture and sightseeing

Since 1769, the Catholic Parish Church of Saint John’s Beheading (Pfarrkirche Sankt Johannes' Enthauptung) has been standing on the mountain slope. The church's extremely rare titular feast fits its exclusive location, which affords good views of the church for many kilometres in all directions. Every year, the Catholic parish celebrates its patronage on 29 August, the day when the Church commemorates the Passion of John the Baptist.

The Mühlbergfest is a yearly musical event which draws roughly 2,000 visitors from all over Germany who come to enjoy such bands as the Bananafishbones, ABCD, the Rodgau Monotones, Pur, Cashma Hoody, Boppin‘B or The Bones. A special attraction is the brunch on Sunday with the Johannesberger Musikverein (music club).

Economy and infrastructure

The municipal tax revenue in 1999 amounted to €1,892,000 (converted), of which business tax revenue (net) accounted for €160,000.

According to official statistics, there were 141 workers on the social welfare contribution rolls working in producing businesses in 1998. In trade and transport this was 135. In other areas, 1,308 workers on the social welfare contribution rolls work from home. Nobody is employed in processing businesses. No businesses are in construction, and furthermore, in 1999, there were 18 agricultural operations with a working area of 392 ha, of which 194 ha was cropland and 191 ha was meadowland.

Famous people

Alfons Goppel (1905–1991), German politician (CSU). From 1962 to 1978 he was Premier (Ministerpräsident) of Bavaria.

References

↑ "Fortschreibung des Bevölkerungsstandes". Bayerisches Landesamt für Statistik und Datenverarbeitung (in German). 31 December 2012.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Johannesberg.

Community’s official webpage (German)

This article incorporates information from the German Wikipedia.

v t e Towns and municipalities in Aschaffenburg

Alzenau Bessenbach Blankenbach Dammbach Geiselbach Glattbach Goldbach Großostheim Haibach Heigenbrücken Heimbuchenthal Heinrichsthal Hösbach Johannesberg Kahl am Main Karlstein am Main Kleinkahl Kleinostheim Krombach Laufach Mainaschaff Mespelbrunn Mömbris Rothenbuch Sailauf Schöllkrippen Sommerkahl Stockstadt am Main Waldaschaff Weibersbrunn Westerngrund Wiesen

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