Viernheim

Viernheim(German pronunciation:[ˈfɪʁnhaɪ̯m]) is a midsize industrial town onMannheim's outskirts and is found in theRhine Neckaragglomeration and economic area. It is the second biggest town inBergstraße districtinHesse,Germany.Since 1994 it has also borne the titleBrundtlandstadt,as it has been taking part in anenergy conservationpilot project. In 1968, the town hosted the eighthHessentagstate festival.

Viernheim
Town
Coat of arms
Location of Viernheim within Bergstraße district
Viernheim Viernheim
Coordinates:49°32′30″N8°34′43″E
Country	Germany
State	Hesse
Admin. region	Darmstadt
District	Bergstraße
Government
•Mayor(2021–27)	Matthias Baaß(SPD)
Area
• Total	48.41 km2(18.69 sq mi)
Elevation	98 m (322 ft)
Population (2022-12-31)
• Total	34,534
• Density	710/km2(1,800/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00(CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00(CEST)
Postal codes	68519
Dialling codes	06204
Vehicle registration	HP
Website	www.viernheim.de

Geography

Location

Viernheim lies in theRhine rift,and although it also lies in Hesse, it is bounded on the west, south and east by Baden-Württemberg. North of the Viernheim woods, in Lampertheim, begins theHessisches Ried.East of Viernheim lies the town of Weinheim, which is where the district’s namesakeBergstraßebegins, and which also marks the beginning of theOdenwald.The town lies roughly 10 kilometres (6 miles) northeast ofMannheim,10 km (6 mi) east of theRhineand 10 km (6 mi) west of the Bergstrasse.

Neighbouring communities

Viernheim borders in the north on the town ofLampertheim(inHessen), in the northeast on the towns ofHemsbachandWeinheim,in the south on the community ofHeddesheim(all three in theRhein-Neckar-Kreis), and in the west on the district-free city ofMannheim(all inBaden-Württemberg).

Constituent communities

Viernheim is divided into several sections. It has been the local, everyday speech and town expansions, though, that have yielded most of the divisions. They therefore have no precisely defined bounds. TheStadtkern,or town core, is made up of theInnenstadt( "Inner Town" ) and theAltstadt( "Old Town" ) lying around it. Among the other neighbourhoods are theNordstadt( "North Town", north of Nibelungenstraße and Wormser Straße), theNordweststadt( "Northwest Town", west of Kreuzstraße and Am Königsacker), theTivoli(in the south at theRhein-Neckar-Zentrum),Hinter den Zäunen( “Behind the Fences”, south of the OEG tracks),Gewerbegebiet Eins( "Commercial Area One", in the northeast, north of Friedrich-Ebert-Straße and east of Lorscher Straße) and the new development that has sprung up over the last few years, Bannholzgraben, east of Janusz-Korczak-Allee (L 3111). Moreover, there are also theSportgebiet West( “Sport Area West”, west of theA 6), the two outlying centres which are each made up of only one road, Neuzenlache and Ziegelhütte (south of theA 659and the outlying farms northeast of town.

History

Viernheim grew out of aCarolingianking's court. Viernheim had its first documentary mention in 777 in theLorsch codex,theLorsch Abbey's book of documents. Through donations, it ended up in the Abbey’s ownership. In 1232, the Abbey’s holdings were given to theArchbishops of Mainz,but only in 1308 did Viernheim pass to Mainz. In 1439, however, the town was pledged to the Schönau Abbey, who in turn sold it to theElectorate of the Palatinate.After theThirty Years' War,it passed back to Mainz, and thence under theReichsdeputationshauptschlussin 1803 to theGrand Duchy of Hesse,out of which came thePeople's State of Hessein 1918. Once in the People's State, the town was assigned first to theAmtsvogteiofLorsch.WhenLandratsbezirke– another kind of administrative division – were created in 1821, Viernheim was assigned toHeppenheim.From 1832 to 1839 came a spell underBensheim's jurisdiction. From 1848, the town then belonged to Heppenheim district, which in 1938 was merged with Bensheim district to form today’sBergstraße district.In 1948, Viernheim was granted town rights by the newly foundedLandof Hesse.

During the 19th century thetobacco industrygained some importance, since several smalltobaccomanufacturers were founded. Rollingcigarsprovided additional income forfarmersorpeasantsand their families during the winter.

Until the end of the 19th century, Viernheim was a farming village. Bad harvests and widespread hunger in 1852 led to 458 inhabitants emigrating in this year toNorth America.Withindustrializationand the opening of theOberrheinische Eisenbahn(a regionalnarrow-gaugerailwaystill serving a roughly triangular route amongWeinheim,MannheimandHeidelberg) in 1887, the town began to become more of a workers’ residential community as many inhabitants found work in the factories in nearby Mannheim and Weinheim. Many workers, however, kept farming as a sideline. The location of industry in Viernheim itself began with the opening of the Weinheim-Worms railway (now mostly derelict) in 1905, and further strengthened after theSecond World War,bringing along with it a sharp rise in population. Given the town's favourable road links to threeAutobahnen,it grew into a midsize industrial town. In 1994 came its designation as a “Brundtland Town”, and its attendant participation in an energy conservation pilot project.

DuringWorld War II,Viernheim did not suffer severe damage, since the town had no strategic or industrial importance. So the Viernheim railway station served for a while as Mannheim station, after the Mannheim Central Station was destroyed in anair-raidin 1942.

On 23 June 2016, a hostage incident occurred within a cinema in the town. No hostages were injured and the gunman was shot and killed by theSpezialeinsatzkommando.

Population development

Year Inhabitants 1609 800 1655 < 200 1666 206 1703 500 1806 1,900 1818 1,818 1832 2,800 1845 3,135

Year Inhabitants 1850 3,743 1860 3,350 1870 4,139 1880 5,254 1890 5,798 1900 6,816 1910 9,240 1920 10,250

Year Inhabitants 1930 11,750 1940 12,778 1950 16,558 1960 20,068 1970 27,753 1980 29,590 1990 30,527 1995 31,616

Year Inhabitants 1999 32,056 2000 32,427 2001 32,477 2002 32,488 2003 32,700 2004 32,737 2005 32,833 2006 32,593

Year Inhabitants 2007 32,542 2008 32,502 2009 32,596 2010 32,713* 2013 33,120** 30 September 2010 31 December 2013

Religion

St. Aposteln

For a long time, Viernheim belonged to theArchbishopric of Mainz.Owing to changing lords in the 15th and 16th centuries, the townsfolk had toconvertseven times because of thePeace of Augsburg.When the town passed back to theElectorate of Mainz,however,Roman Catholicismkept its place as the local denomination. In the early 20th century, theLutherantownsfolk who had by now been drawn to the town got their own church in Viernheim.

Churches

Today in Viernheim, there are three Catholic parishes,St. Michael,St. Hildegardmerged in 2015,St. MarienandSt. Aposteln,which belong to the deanery ofBergstraße-Westof the Bishopric of Mainz, and two Lutheran parishes,Auferstehungskirche( "Church of the Resurrection" ) andChristuskirche,which both belong to the deanery ofBergstraße-Südof theLutheran Church in Hesse and Nassau.

Besides the two big churches, theBund Freier evangelischer Gemeinden in Deutschland( "League of Free Evangelical Parishes in Germany" ) has a parish, as do theEvangeliumschristen-Baptisten( "Gospel Christian Baptists" ), theNew Apostolic Churchand theJehovah's Witnesses.There has been noJewishcommunity in town sinceNational Socialisttimes. Thesynagogueon Hügelstraße, consecrated on 31 August 1827, was destroyed by theSAalong with some locals on 10 November 1938 during theKristallnachtpogrom.

Politics

Town council

The municipal election held on 27 March 2011 yielded the following results:

Parties and voter communities		% 2011	seats 2011	% 2006	seats 2006	% 2001	'seats 2001
SPD	Social Democratic Party of Germany	44.3	20	43.9	20	42.5	19
CDU	Christian Democratic Union of Germany	38.4	17	48.5	22	50.0	23
Greens	Bündnis 90/Die Grünen	12.9	6	5.4	2	5.6	2
The Left	Die Linke Viernheim	3.7	2	–	–	–	–
FDP	Free Democratic Party	0,7	0	–	–	–	–
VL	VIERNHEIM LIST	–	–	2.1	1	1.9	1
Total		100	45	100	45	100	45
Turnout in Percent		41.6		40.3		44.9

Mayors

Heading the town is the Mayor (Bürgermeister) who is directly elected by the people for a term of six years. Mayor Matthias Baaß (SPD) has been in office since 1997 and was re-elected on 7 June 2009 to his third term with 72.1% of the vote. The next mayoral election is planned for 2015.

At his side is the First Town Councillor (Erster Stadtrat), along with 11 part-time councillors. They are all chosen by the town assembly (Stadtverordnetenversammlung) for terms of six and five years respectively and reflect the assembly's political makeup at the time of their appointments.

The Mayor, the First Town Councillor and the 11 part-time councillors together form the town's executive (Magistrat).

Following is a list of the town's mayors since 1822 (from 1649 to 1822, eightSchultheißen– roughly "sheriffs" – are known to history):

• 1822–1824: Joh. Jakob Georgi
• 1825–1842: Johann Beikert
• 1842–1847: Georg Kühner
• 1848–1853: Peter Minnig
• 1853–1862: Johann Kempf
• 1862–1873: Michael Keller
• 1873–1875: Johann Winkler 5.
• 1875–1895: Johann Bläß 1.
• 1895–1904: Georg Pfützer 2.
• 1904–1913: Gg. Friedrich Kühlwein
• 1913–1933: Jean Lamberth (Centre Party)
• 1933–1945: Hanns Bechtel (NSDAP)
• 1945: Martin Alter
• 1945–1946: Nikolaus Schlosser
• 1946–1960: Lorenz Neff (SPD)
• 1960–1975: Hans Mandel (SPD)
• 1975–1981: Erwin Bugert (SPD)
• 1981–1987: Josef Baumgärtner (CDU)
• 1987–1997: Norbert Hofmann (SPD)
• since 1997: Matthias Baaß (SPD)

Coat of arms

The town'sarmsmight be described thus: Party per fess, above azure the Lion of Hesse armed and crowned Or and langued gules, below party per pale gules a six-spoked wheel argent and Or a Gothic four sable.

The arms were introduced in 1926. Thechargein the upper part of theescutcheonis the Lion of Hesse, which expresses the town's longstanding status as part of Hesse. Below the fess line on the dexter (armsbearer's right, viewer's left) side is theWheel of Mainz,which stands for the town's former allegiance to theElectorate of Mainz.On the sinister (armsbearer's left, viewer's right) side is a Gothic figure of four, which used to be the local logo, making the armscanting,that is to say, suggestive of the town's name, since theGermanword for “four” isvier.Although it sounds rather like the first syllable in the town's name, it seems likelier that this comes from theOld High Germanfirni( “old”, “from long ago” ) or the Celticvernos( “alder”).

The Viernheim town flag is blue-white-red.

Twin towns – sister cities

See also:List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany

Viernheim istwinnedwith:

• Franconville,France (1966)
• Potters Bar,United Kingdom (1972)
• Rovigo,Italy (1991)
• Silly,Burkina Faso (1994)
• Mława,Poland (2019)

Economy and infrastructure

Transport

Viernheimer Stadtbus

OEG cars at the Rhein-Neckar-Zentrum

Road transport

Viernheim lies on theA 659,which leads directly toMannheimandWeinheim,and also affords a direct link to three furtherAutobahnen,theA 5,theA 6and theA 67.Because of the two Autobahn junctions, theViernheimer Kreuzand theViernheimer Dreieck,Viernheim is also well known to many drivers.

Local public transport

Viernheim is linked to the surrounding cities by anarrow-gaugerailwayand a busline. The electric narrow-gauge railway (Oberrheinische Eisenbahn,OEG), nowadays designated line 5R, is usually regarded as aninterurban.Since 1887 it has run toMannheim,WeinheimandHeidelberg,and is run by the Rhein-Neckar-Verkehr GmbH (RNV). A regional busline of Busverkehr Rhein-Neckar runs to Weinheim as well asLampertheimandWorms.There are also two town buslines run by the RNV daughter company V-Bus. All public transport is integrated into the Rhine-Neckar Transport Association.

Rail transport

Viernheim is the endpoint of the Weinheim–Viernheim railway line built in 1905, which originally ran on by way of Lampertheim to Worms to afford a link with theWeschnitztalbahnthere. Owing to low demand, however, passenger service was discontinued in 1960 on the whole line and replaced with a bus service, while the tracks between Viernheim and Lampertheim were torn up (the right-of-way can still be discerned in the woods today as a broad lane). Only goods service was continued between Weinheim and Viernheim byDeutsche Bahn,until it, too, ceased. It was, however, revived in July 2004 by the MVV GmbH daughter company ConTrain. The oldrailway stationtoday houses a municipal leisure and meeting place bearing the nameTreff im Bahnhof( “Meeting in the Railway Station” ).

Established businesses

Viernheim has four industrial area with many middle-class businesses.

Many well known firms, such as Pfenning Logistics, have their warehouses in Viernheim and Buderus has its distribution centre there. Plisch GmbH and Hommel Hercules Werkzeuge also have their head offices in the town. The Rhein-Neckar-Zentrum shopping centre, opened in 1972, is nationally famous and probably the most well known.

Media

In Viernheim there are two regional dailynewspapers:

• Viernheimer Tageblatt, founded in 1883,
• Mannheimer Morgen asSüdhessen Morgenwith aViernheimregional edition

The following free advertising fliers are distributed weekly:

• Viernheimer Volksblatt
• Wochenblatt Mannheim
• Bergsträßer Anzeigen-Zeitung (BAZ)

The following regional media see Viernheim as part of their feeder and distribution area:

• Hessischer Rundfunk,Südwestrundfunk(Kurpfalz-Radiowithin the framework of SWR4 Baden-Württemberg)
• Rhein-Neckar Fernsehen (television)
• Radio Regenbogen, Hit Radio FFH, Radio RPR, sunshine live, bigFM, bermuda.funk
• Bild Rhein-Neckar
• Meier (magazine)

Education

• Primary schools:
  • Schillerschule
  • Goetheschule
  • Nibelungenschule
  • Friedrich-Fröbel-Schule
• Primary school/Hauptschule/Realschule:
  • Friedrich-Fröbel-Schule
• comprehensive schoolHauptschule/Realschule/Gymnasium:
  • Alexander-von-Humboldt-Schule
• Gymnasium:
  • Albertus-Magnus-Schule – Gymnasium sponsored by the Bishopric of Mainz
• Special school:
  • Albert-Schweizer-Schule

Further schools with specific profiles are to be found in the neighbouring cities.

The nearest colleges and universities are found in nearbyMannheimandHeidelberg.

Culture and sightseeing

Museums and galleries

• Europäisches Fotozentrum für junge Fotografie
• Heimatmuseum (local history)
• Humboldt-Galerie
• Kunsthaus Viernheim (art)
• Kunstverein Viernheim (art club)

Churches

• Evangelische Auferstehungskirche, Berliner Ring (Church of the Resurrection)
• Evangelische Christuskirche, Saarlandstaße
• Kapelle St. Josef, Bürgermeister Neff-Straße 15 (Tridentine Mass)
• Neuapostolische Kirche, Maria-Mandel-Straße* St. Apostel Kirche
• St. Hildegard
• St. Marien Kirche
• St. Michael

Parks

• Tivoli Park
• Viernheimer Vogelpark

Bodies of water

• Bannholzgraben
• Schwarzer brook
• Waldsee (popularly "Anglersee" ), a large artificial pond and recreation area.

Buildings

• Marienkirche
• Various other churches of Germany's two predominant denominations:
  • Evangelical
    • Auferstehungskirche
    • Christuskirche
    • Freie Evangelische Gemeinde
  • Catholic
    • Kapelle St. Josef
    • Kirche St. Aposteln
    • Kirche St. Hildegard
    • Kirche St. Marien
    • Kirche St. Michael
• Warriors' Memorial on Weinheimer Straße

Sport

• Badminton Club Viernheim
• Balettschule Heide Heidt (ballet school)
• ERC Viernheim (artistic roller skating)
• Golf Club Mannheim-Viernheim
• Ski Club Viernheim
• TSV Amicitia Viernheim
• Turnverein von 1893 Viernheim (TV 1893, gymnastic club)
• 1.Viernheimer Karate Dojo
• Viernheimer Billiard Club 1967
• Viernheimer SV (swimming club)

Regular events

• February:Carnivalparade or Street Carnival (alternating each year)
• May: 1 May Labour Day:German Confederation of Trade Unionscelebration
• May: Tanz in den Mai; Traditionelles May Day at the fire station, Brundtlandfest
• July: first weekend, traditional community festival of community association, Viernheim
• July: CdG-Sommerfest in Bavarian style* August: MGV- Gartenfest (first weekend in August)
• August: MGV- Gartenfest (first weekend in August)
• August: Viernheimer Triathlon (1,5 / 46 / 10)
• September: Innenstadtfest (downtown festival)
• September: Südhessische Akkordeontage
• November: Kerwe (church consecration festival)
• December: Christmas Market
• 24-hour walk, St. Michael's parish
• Parish festivals
• Seifenkistenrennen (soapbox race) of the Viernheim scouts

Notable people

• Jakob Keller (1873–1961), judge, politician, Member of Landtag (centre)
• Joachim Jung(born 1954), actor and screenwriter
• Ulrich Tukur(born 1957), actor and musician
• Claudia Tonn(born 1981), heptathlete
• Kaya Kinkel(born 1987), politician

Honorary citizens

• 1948: Prof. Dr. Ludwig Bergsträsser, chairman of the first postwar Hessian government (1883–1960)
• 1948: Hans Mayr, rector (1864–1958), editor of the "Chronik der Stadt Viernheim"
• 1949: Dr. Karl Alter, Archbishop of Cincinnati (1885–1977)
• 1965: Dr. Nikolaus Hattemer, deacon (1900–1970)
• 1973: Anton Darmstadt, clergyman (1900–1981)
• 1975: Hans Mandel, mayor (1917–2010)
• 1975: Michael Bugert, honorary town councillor (1905–1989)

Clubs

• Spvgg. Amicitia 09 – football
• Club der Gemütlichen – Carnival club
• Große Drei – Carnival club
• Turnverein von 1893 e. V. Viernheim – gymnastics
• KJG – St. Michael, St. Aposteln, St. Marien, St. Hildegard
• TSV Viernheim – sport club
• Herolde – music
• TC Viernheim – tennis
• Kunstverein Viernheim – art
• Kerweverein Viernheim – church consecration festival club
• Evangelischer Posaunenchor Viernheim – choir
• ASV Viernheim 1968 e. V. – Angelsport-Verein – angling
• SRC -Stemm- und Ringclub Viernheim e. V.
• Stadtnetz und Internet Freunde Viernheim e. V.
• Frauenchor 1947 Viernheim e. V. – women's choir
• Männergesangverein 1846 Viernheim e. V. – men's choir
• Sportschützenverein Viernheim 1953 e. V. – shooting
• Siedlergemeinschaft Viernheim e. V. – community association

Further reading

• Heinrich Loew,Festschrift zur Jahrhundertfeier des Synagogenbaues,Viernheim 1927
• Franz Josef Haas, Adam Haas:Der Geländeraub in Viernheim 1934 (Wegnahme der Allmend), Denkschrift zur Frage der Wiederherstellung der Allmende in der Gemeinde Viernheim,Kommission zur Wiedergutmachung des Unrechts von 1934 (publisher), edited by Franz Josef Haas 1. and Adam Haas 6., Viernheim 1948
• Hans Knapp:Viernheimer Wörterbuch "Wie gered't sou gebabblt", 1972
• Hans Mayr:Chronik der Stadt Viernheim,Mannheim 1949
• 1200 Jahre Viernheim 777–1977,Hg. Magistrat der Stadt Viernheim
• Brigitte Perker:Viernheim zwischen Weimar und Bonn - Demokratie und Diktatur in einer deutschen Kleinstadt - 1918–1949.publisher Magistrat der Stadt Viernheim. Viernheim, 1988.
• Gisela Wittemann:Illustrierte Geschichte Stadt Viernheim,160 pages. Verlag: Edition Quadrat Bernhard Wipfler, 1998.ISBN3-923003-82-X
• Werner Nägelet al.,100 Jahre Standesamt Viernheim,1876–1976, 92 pages, Viernheim 1976, publisher Standesamt Viernheim
• Claudia Reinhardt:No Place like Home,photographs and texts about Viernheim,Verbrecher VerlagBerlin 2005,ISBN3-87512-413-8
• Heinz Klee/Walter Sauer:De Vernema Struwwelpejda.Edition Tintenfaß, Neckarsteinach, 2009.ISBN978-3-937467-65-8.

External links

• Official webpage(in German)

(in German)

• More interesting views in the "Viernheim Foto-Galerie"(in German)