Ingelheim am Rhein

Ingelheim am Rhein

Coat of arms
Ingelheim am Rhein

Coordinates: 49°58′29″N 8°3′23″E / 49.97472°N 8.05639°ECoordinates: 49°58′29″N 8°3′23″E / 49.97472°N 8.05639°E
Country Germany
State Rhineland-Palatinate
District Mainz-Bingen
Government
 • Mayor Ralf Claus (SPD)
Area
 • Total 49.86 km2 (19.25 sq mi)
Population (2012-12-31)[1]
 • Total 24,235
 • Density 490/km2 (1,300/sq mi)
Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes 55204–55218
Dialling codes 06132
06130-Großwinternheim
06725-Sporkenheim
Vehicle registration MZ
Website www.ingelheim.de
Ingelheim, 2009
Coloured engraving of Ingelheim, Matthäus Merian, 1645

Ingelheim am Rhein is a town in the Mainz-Bingen district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany on the Rhine’s west bank. The town calls itself the Rotweinstadt ("Red Wine Town") and since 1996 it has been Mainz-Bingen’s district seat.

From the later half of the 8th century, the Ingelheim Imperial Palace, which served emperors and kings as a lodging and a ruling seat until the 11th century, was to be found here.

Etymology

The typically Rhenish-Hessian placename ending —heim might well go back to Frankish times, that is to say, likely as far back as the 5th or 6th century. Settlements or estates then took their lords’ names and were given this suffix, which means "home" in German. The name is recorded in later documents as Ingilinhaim, Ingilinheim (782), Ingilenhaim, Engelheim, Hengilonheim, Engilonheim (822), Engilinheim (826), Hingilinheim (855), Ingilunheim (874), Ingulinheim (889), Ingelesheim (891), Ingelenheim (940), Anglia sedes (1051), Ingilheim and Ingelnheim (1286), among other forms.

Since 1269, a distinction has been made between Nieder-Ingelheim and Ober-Ingelheim (Lower and Upper Ingelheim)

Panorama of Ingelheim

Geography

Location

Ingelheim am Rhein lies in the north of Rhein Hessen on the so-called Rhein Knee, west of the state capital, Mainz. The Rhein forms the town’s northern limit. Southwards, the town stretches into the valley of the river Selz, which empties into the Rhein in the constituent community of Ingelheim-Nord ("North").

The constituent communities of Ingelheim-Mitte and Ingelheim-Süd ("Middle" and "South") are nestled against the corner of the so-called Mainzer Berg ("Mainz Mountain").

The municipal area’s lowest point is the harbour on the Rhein at 80.8 m above sea level. The two highest points are the Mainzer Berg at 247.8 m above sea level and the Westerberg at 247.5 m above sea level.

An obelisk on the south side of the village in direction Wackernheim, marks the road begun by Charlemagne, and completed by Napoleon. From this point a fine prospect of the entire Rheingau could be obtained.[2]

Municipal area’s extent

The municipal area’s north-south extent is 7.9 km, while the east-west extent is 5 km.

Neighbouring municipalities

Clockwise from the north, these are Geisenheim, Oestrich-Winkel on the Rhine’s right bank, and on the left bank Heidesheim am Rhein, Wackernheim (both belonging to the Verbandsgemeinde of Heidesheim am Rhein), the Verbandsgemeinde of Nieder-Olm, Schwabenheim, Gau-Algesheim (both belonging to the Verbandsgemeinde of Gau-Algesheim) and Bingen am Rhein.

Constituent communities

Ingelheim is currently divided into six Stadtteile: Ingelheim-Mitte, Ingelheim-Nord, Ingelheim-Süd, Sporkenheim, Groß-Winternheim and Ingelheim-West. Before Ingelheim became a town in 1939, the first three centres bore the names Nieder-Ingelheim, Frei-Weinheim and Ober-Ingelheim. Official changes notwithstanding, the old names are still quite often used.

Climate

The town lies in the temperate zone. The average yearly temperature in Ingelheim is 9.8 °C. The warmest months are July and August with average temperatures of 18.0 and 18.5 °C respectively, and the coldest month is January at 1.0 °C on average. The most precipitation falls in June and August with an average of 64 mm, and the least in March with an average of 31 mm. Like all Rhenish Hesse, Ingelheim, too, is sheltered from the weather by the Hunsrück, the Taunus, the Odenwald and the Donnersberg, thereby limiting the yearly precipitation to only 560 mm.

Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Temperature (°C) 1.0 2.0 4.5 9.5 14 17 18 18 14.5 10.5 5 2
9.7
Precipitation (mm) 40 35 31 36 52 64 59 64 45 40 51 43
560
Source: Deutscher Wetterdienst[3]

History

The Ingelheim area was already settled in prehistoric times. The place first earned itself particular importance, though, only under Charlemagne and his successors. Charlemagne had the Ingelheim Imperial Palace (Ingelheimer Kaiserpfalz) built here, where synods and Imperial diets were held in the time that followed. His son and successor, Emperor Louis the Pious, died on 20 June 840 in Ingelheim.

In the High and Late Middle Ages, the Palatinate’s, and thereby also Ingelheim’s, importance shrank.

For German justice history, the Ingelheimer Oberhof ("Ingelheim Upper Court") is of particular importance, as a unique collection of judgments from the 15th and 16th centuries that it handed down has been preserved.

Late 19th century Ingelheim was the residence of the Dutch writer Multatuli (Eduard Douwes Dekker).

In 1939, the formerly self-administering municipalities of Nieder-Ingelheim, Ober-Ingelheim and Frei-Weinheim were merged into the Town of Ingelheim am Rhein.

Burgkirche – "Castle Church" – the town’s landmark

From the Second World War, Ingelheim emerged as the only unscathed town between Mainz and Koblenz. Today, Ingelheim is a middle centre in Rhineland-Palatinate, a Great District-Bound Town (Große kreisangehörige Stadt – a status deriving from the Rhineland-Palatinate Municipal Order) and the seat of district administration for Mainz-Bingen.

Furthermore, Ingelheim harbours the business Boehringer Ingelheim which has become active worldwide.

Population data

Religion

In 2004, 36% of Ingelheim’s inhabitants belonged to the Lutheran faith, and 34% were Catholic, while 24% were without any religious faith; from 2% of the population, no data were forthcoming.

The six Catholic parishes belong, within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Mainz to the Deanery of Bingen.

The five Evangelical parishes of the EKHN belong to the Provostship (Propstei) of Mainz, and within this to the Deanery of Ingelheim.

Besides these, the Baptists, Religious humanists and Muslims each have small communities in Ingelheim, as do the Jehovah's Witnesses.

Stolpersteine

Until 1942 there was a Jewish community, whose beginnings went back to the 16th century. About 1850, roughly 200 Jewish inhabitants lived in Ober-Ingelheim, and by 1933 there were still 134 all together in Oberingelheim and Niederingelheim. In 1840 and 1841, a synagogue that was important to architectural history was built. It was dedicated on 27 August 1841 and destroyed on 9 November 1938 – Kristallnacht. Many Jewish inhabitants lost their lives after being deported to the death camps during the time of the Third Reich.

Amalgamations

On 22 April 1972 the municipality of Groß-Winternheim was amalgamated.

Population development

Before 1939

Year Nieder-Ingelheim Ober-Ingelheim Frei-Weinheim total
1815 1,360 1,738 192 3,290
1871     5,760
1885 2,729 3,160 701 6,590
1900 3,435 3,402 838 7,675
1905     8,098
1910 3,852 3,479 882 8,213
1933 5,157 4,116 1,183 10,456
1939 5,526 4,309 1,200 11,035
Groß-Winternheim in March 2009
Schloss Westerhaus on the Westerberg, since 1900 owned by the Family Opel

Beginning in 1939

Year Population
1939 11,035
1945 11,348
1946 11,875¹
1949 12,500
1955 15,078
1/1/1957 15,428
1961 15,792
early 1966 ~19,000
1970 18,719
1971 21,501
1972 22,534
1974 23,323
Year Population
1975 19,224
1980 20,855
1985 21,712
1990 22,111
1995 24,747
1997 25,683
2000 25,840
2001 25,764
2002 25,954
2003 26,153
2004 26,289
¹: Census
Imposts in the church’s apse
Ingelheim Nord (Frei-Weinheim)

Politics

Town council

The municipal election held in 2004 yielded the following results:

Party % Seats
Christian Democratic Union of Germany 37.53% (-4.24%) 13
Social Democratic Party of Germany 29.64% (-5.90%) 11
Grünen 10.41% (+2.52%) 4
Liste Klose 10.19% (+10.19%) 4
Freie Wähler 7.30% (-2.33%) 2
Free Democratic Party 4.93% (-0.24%) 2

Mayor

Ingelheim-Süd (Ober-Ingelheim) with Burgkirche, St. Michael and Bismarckturm on the Westerberg

In the last mayoral elections, held on 15 June 2003, no candidate reached the required majority:

Candidate Party %
Gerhard, Dr. Joachim CDU 45.85%
Claus, Ralf SPD 29.51%
Klose, Hans-Werner Liste Klose 19.04%
Frey, Joachim Grünen 5.60%

In the runoff election on 29 June 2003, the incumbent Gerhard managed to garner 52.76% of all votes cast against Claus’s 47.24%, returning himself to office.

Old power station with Uffhubtor and newly made greenspace

Results of council elections since 1946

Eligible voters: 6,899
Voter turnout: 88.6%
Eligible voters: 9,488
Voter turnout: 77.76%, 7378 votes, 7,187 valid votes
Eligible voters: 9,979
Voter turnout: 72.62%, 7,247 votes, 7,096 valid votes
Eligible voters: 10,695
Voter turnout: 70.14%, 7,502 votes, 7,309 valid votes
Eligible voters: 11,369 (50a CDU) 11,312 (40a Ing)
Voter turnout: 72.77%, 8,231 votes (50a CDU) 8,232 (40a Ing)
Eligible voters: 12,295
Voter turnout: 75.51%, 9,309 votes, 9,144 valid votes
Eligible voters: 13,992
Voter turnout: 73.46%, 10,280 votes, 10,153 valid votes
Eligible voters: 14,027
Voter turnout: 79.17%, 11,106 votes, 10,973 valid votes
Eligible voters: 14,238
Voter turnout: 73.54%, 10,470 votes, 10,262 valid votes
Eligible voters: 15,408
Voter turnout: 74.9%, 11,252 valid votes
Voter turnout: 70%, 11,781 votes

Mayors before 1939

(Chief) Mayors since 1939

Mayors (Bürgermeister) from 1946, Chief Mayors (Oberbürgermeister) from 1972:

Coat of arms

The town’s arms might be described thus: Argent an eagle displayed sable armed and langued gules.

The eagle is the Imperial Eagle. The arms have their roots in the Imperial Freedom enjoyed by the Ingelheimer Grund (Ingelheim area).

Old coats of arms

Nieder-Ingelheim (1530-1939)
Ober-Ingelheim (until 1939)
Nieder-Ingelheim: Argent a wall embattled gules masoned sable, issuant therefrom a demi-eagle displayed of the third beaked and langued of the second.
Ober-Ingelheim: Argent an eagle displayed sable armed, beaked and langued gules.

Sponsorships

Town partnerships

City Country Province Region Year
Stevenage United Kingdom United Kingdom Shire district Hertfordshire 1963
Autun France France Saône-et-Loire Burgundy 1963
Kreuzberg Germany Germany Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg Berlin 1971
San Pietro in Cariano Italy Italy Verona Veneto 1984
Limbach-Oberfrohna Germany Germany Zwickau Saxony 1990
Nysa Poland Poland Nysa County Opole Voivodeship 2002
Afula Israel Israel North District

On 24 October 1975, the three-way partnership between Ingelheim, Autun and Stevenage was officially sealed.

Culture and sightseeing

Ingelheimer Fassenacht

There is in Ingelheim a well-developed carnival culture, which admittedly is very much under the Mainz carnival’s influence. All together, the town counts four Carnival clubs:

Museums

The Museum bei der Kaiserpfalz ("Museum at the Imperial Palace") has an exhibit dedicated to the Imperial Palace built in Ingelheim after 785 by Charlemagne. On show are small archaeological finds, objects from architectural sculpture and a demonstrative model of the once imposing building. Remnants of the Imperial Palace can be seen right near the museum. Of Europe-wide importance is the golden solidus found in 1996, which is hitherto still the only gold coin ever found struck with Charlemagne’s effigy.[4]

Music

Singing clubs

Buildings

The town has at its disposal a range of historical buildings worth seeing:

Others

Parks

Natural monuments

European bee-eater over Ingelheim

In the cadastral areas of Nieder-Ingelheim and Frei-Weinheim, mainly north of the Autobahn along Konrad-Adenauer-Straße, but also south of the Autobahn – even within the Boehringer Ingelheim industrial lands – are found drifting chalk sands. Likewise a deposit is to be found in the area of the Griesmühle (mill).

These formations are under conservational protection under the Rhineland-Palatinate State Care Law. Damaging them or removing them, among other acts, is considered an incompensable encroachment on nature and the landscape. Municipal building uses in drifting chalk sand areas are therefore routinely excluded or only approved in very special cases. Two such exceptions were the building of Konrad-Adenauer-Straße (from the Autobahn bridge to Rheinstraße) and the building of the daycare centre on Sporkenheimer Straße.

Sport

Common welfare

The MütZe ("Mothers’ and Families’ Centre", with the abbreviation resembling the word Mütze – "cap") is to be found at the old Gymnasium. The MütZe takes upon itself a generation-spanning exchange for all Ingelheim residents. A babysitter exchange, handicraft classes, breakfast and lunch, housework and holiday support are regularly offered, as well as courses and events covering every family theme from babies to health to creativity.

In Ingelheim there are also a House of Youth (Haus der Jugend, although this is soon to become a shopping centre and will be replaced with another House of Youth) and a Mehrgenerationshaus.

Regular events

Culinary specialities

Regional Rhenish-Hessian specialities are asparagus and morello cherries (a cultivar of sour cherries).

Economy and infrastructure

Transport

The Autobahn A 60 runs through the municipal area and has two interchanges there. Bundesstraße 41 ends in Ingelheim. The Autobahnen A 61 and A 63 lie right nearby. Frankfurt Airport can be reached by Autobahn in roughly 30 minutes. Frankfurt-Hahn Airport can be reached in roughly 50 minutes by Autobahnen A 60 and A 61 or Bundesstraße 50.

Ingelheim lies on the Mainz-Bingen-Cologne (West Rhine Railway) and Saarbrücken-Mainz-Frankfurt railway lines. Between Ingelheim-Nord and Oestrich-Winkel runs a Rhine ferry. The constituent communities and the surrounding municipalities are served by city and regional bus routes of Omnibusverkehr Rhein-Nahe GmbH. The local rail transport is served by the Rhein-Nahe-Nahverkehrsverbund.

Established businesses

Agricultural produce

Of the 4,987-hectare municipal area, 641 ha is used for winegrowing and 1 373 ha is used for crops. The main agricultural produce is sour cherries, asparagus and wine. Although the town lies in a region dominated by white wine, 54.9% of the vineyard area in Ingelheim am Rhein is used for growing red wine varieties. With 641 ha in vineyards, the town is moreover one of Rhenish Hesse’s biggest winegrowing centres after Worms, (1,490 ha), Nierstein (783 ha), Alzey (769 ha), Westhofen (764 ha), Alsheim (704 ha) and Bechtheim (654 ha), and one of the biggest in the whole state of Rhineland-Palatinate.

"The red wines of Ingelheim and Heidesheim (…) opposite to Eltville (…) enjoy a high reputation."[2]

The Geisenheim Grape Breeding Institute’s vegetable farming department runs an experimental asparagus field in Ingelheim. The research results can be viewed on the Internet.[5]

Media

Local daily newspaper: Allgemeine Zeitung Ingelheim within the Rhein Main Presse, published by the Verlagsgruppe Rhein Main, Mainz.

Municipal television: "Blickpunkt Ingelheim", which is broadcast every Monday and Thursday on regional channel K3.

Public institutions

Since 1996, Ingelheim has been the seat of district administration for Mainz-Bingen.

Education

Ingelheim is home to:

Under the umbrella of the Ingelheim Further Education Centre Weiterbildungszentrum Ingelheim the following institutions work:

Notable people

Honorary citizens

Sons and daughters of the town

Sebastian Münster

Other celebrities

Further reading and maps

Documents

See also

Universal Synod of Ingelheim

References

  1. ↑ "Bevölkerung der Gemeinden am 31.12.2012". Statistisches Bundesamt (in German). 2013.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Karl Baedeker, A Handbook for travellers on the Rhine, from Holland to Switzerland, Koblenz, 1864 - p. 279
  3. ↑ Deutscher Wetterdienst, Normalperiode 1961–1990
  4. ↑ Ingelheim Imperial Palace webpage
  5. ↑ Geisenheimer Online-Beratungssystem: [www.asparagus-info.org]

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ingelheim am Rhein.
Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Ingelheim.