Rothenbuch

Rothenbuch lies in the Bavarian Lower Main (Bayerischer Untermain), in the heart of Germany’s biggest broadleaf woodland, the Spessart (range). Rothenbuch’s location between the Frankfurt Rhine Main Region, centred on Frankfurt, and the Würzburg region puts it within easy reach of either of these places. Frankfurt Airport can be reached in roughly 40 minutes, and the nearest InterCityExpress stop is the railway station at Aschaffenburg, twenty minutes away.

History

Rothenbuch is among the Inner Spessart’s oldest and most significant places.

In 1318, Rothenbuch had its first documentary mention in the words zuo den Rodenboychen when the Archbishop of Mainz, Peter of Aspelt and the Bishop of Würzburg, Gottfried III of Hohenlohe, concluded an agreement here dealing with coöperation on security questions.

In 1342, building work began on a palatial castle (Schloss) in Rothenbuch at the source of the Hafenlohr. The first castle dwellers may have indulged in the hunt.

In the German Peasants' War in 1525, the castle was heavily damaged or destroyed. In 1566, it was not only newly built but also expanded on Elector of Mainz Daniel Brendel von Homburg’s orders.

A first drawing of Rothenbuch is to be found on the oldest extant map of the Spessart, the so-called Pfinzigkarte from 1594

Rothenbuch achieved its greatest political importance when the Amtskellerei Rothenbuch, a financial and administrative authority for 14 places in the High Spessart, was established. In 1782, Rothenbuch was declared the seat of the Amtsvogtei.

The Electoral Mainz Amt passed along with this under the 1803 Reichsdeputationshauptschluss to the newly formed Principality of Aschaffenburg, with which it passed in 1814 (by this time it had become a department of the Grand Duchy of Frankfurt) to Bavaria.

On 3 June 1814, Rothenbuch became the seat of a Royal Bavarian Court. In 1879, the Court was dissolved and Rothenbuch was incorporated into the Bezirksamt and later District (Landkreis) of Lohr. In 1972, this district was abolished and Rothenbuch was grouped into the current Aschaffenburg district. From 1977 to 1993, Rothenbuch formed a Verwaltungsgemeinschaft (Administrative Community) with Waldaschaff and Weibersbrunn. On 1 January 1994, Rothenbuch regained its municipal autonomy.

Population development

Within the municipal area, 993 inhabitants were counted in 1900, 1,476 in 1950 and 1,975 in 2007.

Politics

Community council

The council is made up of 13 council members, counting the fulltime mayor.

	SPD	CSU	Freie Bürger	Total
2008	7	3	3	13 seats

(as at municipal election held on 2 March 2008)

Mayor

Since 2002, the mayor has been Gerhard Aulenbach (SPD). At the municipal elections on 2 March 2008, he was confirmed in office with 97.5% of the vote.

Coat of arms

The community’s arms might be described thus: Party per fess, Or dexter a beech eradicated and sinister a stag’s attires gules, gules a wheel spoked of six argent.

The Wheel of Mainz refers to the slightly less than 500 years in which Rothenbuch belonged to the Archbishopric of Mainz. The beechtree and the hart’s antlers symbolize the forest and the hunt respectively.

Culture and sightseeing

Schloss Rothenbuch

View of part of Rothenbuch Castle’s inner courtyard

Source of the Hafenlohr

The castle had its first mention in a document from 3 July 1318. Found today on the site is a former hunting castle that was built to Daniel Brendel von Homburg’s plans in 1567. The four-winged complex features a rectangular inner courtyard with a polygonal stair tower in the north wing. That the castle formerly had a moat can be clearly seen in the two access bridges. At the castle rises the Hafenlohr, which once filled the moat and also the nearby lakes that teemed with fish. The castle served as a central administrative seat in the Spessart and was for more than two centuries the lawcourt for 14 surrounding communities. Since 1994, the building has been used as a hotel.

Other attractions

European cultural hiking path
Heimatmuseum Altes Bauernhaus (local history museum)
In the Rothenbuch Forest are found Germany’s most imposing stands of oak. The Heisterblock section of the woods is Central Europe’s biggest and oldest oak forest.

Nationally known and worth seeing is the “Historic Christmas Market” held on the first weekend in Advent, with more than 15,000 visitors. The Stadtzeitung Aschaffenburg (newspaper) described the Christmas Market as the nicest in the whole of the Bavarian Lower Main with the observation “Here Father Christmas feels right at home”.

Economy and infrastructure

Municipal tax revenue in 2007 amounted to €1,000,000, of which business taxes (net) made up €155,000. The community’s per capita debt amounted to 0.

Agriculture and forestry

According to official statistics, there were 47 workers on the social welfare contribution rolls working in agriculture and forestry in 1998. In producing businesses this was 118, and in trade and transport 25. In other areas, 48 workers on the social welfare contribution rolls were employed, and 665 such workers worked from home. There was one processing business. Five businesses were in construction (2 in the industry itself and 3 others in related fields), and furthermore, there are 2 agricultural operations with a meadowland area of 157 ha.

The statistics for 2003 show that there were 543 workers commuting to jobs elsewhere, whereas 111 commuted to jobs in the community.

Transport

Rothenbuch lies 7 km from Autobahn A 3 (Weibersbrunn interchange). Bundesstraße 26 from Aschaffenburg to Würzburg runs by 3 km from the community. Rothenbuch is served by buses from Aschaffenburg and Lohr.

Education

As of 1999, the following institutions were in the community:

Kindergartens: 75 places with 61 children
Primary schools: 1 with 5 teachers and 96 pupils

Other

Awards

2005 district winner in the contest Unser Dorf soll schöner werden - Unser Dorf hat Zukunft (“Our Village Should Become Lovelier – Our Village Has a Future”)
2006 2nd place in Lower Franconia contest Unser Dorf soll schöner werden
2006 district winner in the contest Lebendiges Grün in Stadt und Land (“Living Green in Town and Country”)
2006 “Nicest Christmas Market in the Bavarian Lower Main” (according to the Stadtzeitung Aschaffenburg newspaper)
2008 district winner in the contest Unser Dorf soll schöner werden - Unser Dorf hat Zukunft

References

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

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rothenbuch.

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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