Flörsbachtal

Flörsbachtal
Flörsbachtal, Ortsteil Lohrhaupten
Coat of arms
Flörsbachtal
Location of Flörsbachtal within Main-Kinzig-Kreis district
Coordinates: 50°07′N 09°26′E / 50.117°N 9.433°E / 50.117; 9.433Coordinates: 50°07′N 09°26′E / 50.117°N 9.433°E / 50.117; 9.433
Country	Germany
State	Hesse
Admin. region	Darmstadt
District	Main-Kinzig-Kreis
Government
• Mayor	Frank Soer
Area
• Total	52.11 km2 (20.12 sq mi)
Population (2013-12-31)[1]
• Total	2,394
• Density	46/km2 (120/sq mi)
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes	63639
Dialling codes	06057
Vehicle registration	MKK
Website	www.floersbachtal.de

Flörsbachtal is a municipality in the Main-Kinzig district, in Hesse, Germany. It has a population close to 2,400. Flösbachtal contains both the oldest parish and the youngest settlement established in the Spessart hills.

Etymology

The community Flörsbachtal was newly created in 1972 and is named after the Flörsbach, a stream that flows into the Lohrbach, the name of the upper part of the Lohr which flows into the Main at Lohr am Main.

Geography

Location

Flörsbachtal is located in the far south of the Main-Kinzig district of Hesse, right next to the state of Bavaria, which surrounds the community on three sides (west, south and east). Flörsbachtal lies in the wooded hills of the Spessart.

Around 75% of the municipal territory is covered by forests.^[2] It also includes the nature preserve Wiesbüttmoor, a rare hanging bog and Wiesbüttsee, a small lake artificially created for mining operations in the 18th century. Other locations in Flörsbachtal include the Bergfeld, an agricultural area in a clearing mostly surrounded by forest and the hill Wellersberg.

Subdivisions

Flörsbachtal has the followings Ortsteile (originally independent villages, population numbers for 2011):^[2]

• Flörsbach (636)
• Kempfenbrunn (655)
• Lohrhaupten (1,057)
• Mosborn (76)

The seat of the municipal administration is in Lohrhaupten.

Neighbouring communities

The neighbouring communities are from the north (clockwise): Biebergemünd, Jossgrund, the unincorporated area Forst Aura, Fellen and finally the unincorporated areas Ruppertshüttener Forst, Frammersbacher Forst and Schöllkrippener Forst. On the Bavarian side, the neighbouring districts are the Main-Spessart district and the Landkreis Aschaffenburg.

History

The ancient trading route Birkenhainer Strasse passes through the municipality to the east and north of Lohrhaupten and then west to the north of Flörsbach. The Eselsweg, another trading route, also passes through, in the northwest, near Flörsbach. Likely in use since prehistoric times, by the early Middle Ages these two routes, which meet near the area known as Wiesbütt, had become of great strategic and logistical importance.^[3]

Flörsbach

Around 980, a description of the Aschaffenburg forest mentioned a Fleredesfelt which may be interpreted to refer to the Flörsbacher Höhe, an elevation to the east of the village, or a nearby settlement. In 1324, Flörsbach was owned by the Counts of Hanau. When mining flourished at nearby Biebergemünd, many people from Flörsbach found employment there.^[4]

In 1633, Flörsbach had 170 and in 1820 195 inhabitants.^[5]

Lohrhaupten

Lohrhaupten, named after the "head" of the Lohr stream, was first mentioned as a parish in a document from 1057, making this the oldest parish in the Spessart region still in existence today or about which any information is known. The parish was controlled by the Archbishop of Mainz. It was directly part of the Stift St. Peter und Alexander. Besides serving as an outpost against the territory of Fulda monastery, Lohrhaupten also was a post on the Birkenhainer Strasse.^[6]

After changing hands several times, in 1684 Lohrhaupten came to the Counts of Hanau. Losing its strategic value, the village became a backwater.^[6]

Kempfenbrunn

Kempfenbrunn was first mentioned in 1324.^[7] In the 17th century, glass production became an important industry in the area and by the 18th century an official Glashütte, run for the Counts of Hanau, was established at Laubersbachtal (in production 1722-49).^[8]

Mosborn

Mosborn is the most recent settlement, not just in the municipality but in all of the Spessart. It was only established in 1768, following a 1765 declaration by Wilhelm, the then heir apparent of Hanau, who was trying to stop the wave of emigration by the impoverished population.^[9]

Creation of the current municipality

Flörsbachtal was created during Gebietsreform from the formerly independent villages Flörsbach, Kempfenbrunn and Mosborn on 1 April 1972. On 1 July 1974, Lohrhaupten joined.^[10]

Attractions

Besides the nature preserves, hiking and biking facilities of the surrounding forests, the villages also offer a few historic buildings:

• St. Matthäus - the tower of the church in Lohrhaupten dates from the 15th century, the late-Baroque nave was built after a fire in 1765.^[11]
• St. Marien - Protestant church at Kempfenbrunn, late Gothic tower with frescoes, 18th-century statues of saints^[12]
• Medieval church at Flörsbach - the altar was removed and is today in the museum of the University of Marburg, it is thought to have been made by the workshop of Tillmann Riemenschneider^[5]

Infrastructure

Transportation

Bundesstrasse 276 passes through the municipality, connecting it to the Autobahn 66 in the northwest and Lohr in the southeast.

Utilities

Like in other communities in the area, such as Biebergemünd, Bad Orb and Jossgrund, there is currently controversy over plans to build towering wind farms on the wooded peaks around Flörsbachtal. Environmentalists and many locals reject these plans due to the destruction of forests and animal habitats, possible health risks to residents, as well as threats to local property values and, in particular, to the tourism business as a result of a declining attractiveness of the region to visitors. It is also questioned whether local winds are strong and constant enough to allow economical operation of the wind farms.^[13]

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Flörsbachtal.

Towns and municipalities in Main-Kinzig-Kreis district Bad Orb Bad Soden-Salmünster Biebergemünd Birstein Brachttal Bruchköbel Erlensee Flörsbachtal Freigericht Gelnhausen Großkrotzenburg Gründau Hammersbach Hanau Hasselroth Jossgrund Langenselbold Linsengericht Maintal Neuberg Nidderau Niederdorfelden Rodenbach Ronneburg Schlüchtern Schöneck Sinntal Steinau an der Straße Wächtersbach