Fischbach (Taunus)
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Fischbach (, ) is a , one of six administrative subdivisions, of the town of
Kelkheim Kelkheim (), officially "Kelkheim (Taunus)", is a town in the Main-Taunus district in Hesse, Germany, close to Germany's financial center Frankfurt/Main. Geography Location Located on the southwestern slopes of the Taunus mountains, Kelkheim i ...
in the Main-Taunus district of
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
. It is situated at the western border of
Frankfurt am Main Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...
in the
Taunus The Taunus () is a mountain range in Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, located north west of Frankfurt and north of Wiesbaden. The tallest peak in the range is '' Großer Feldberg'' at 878 m; other notable peaks are '' Kleiner Feldberg' ...
hills. Fischbach is a middle-class town and has about 5,900 inhabitants.


Geography


Location

The town lies in the valley of a stream with the same name in the Taunus hills. It is north-west of central Kelheim and adjoins Hornau to the east. The town of
Eppstein Eppstein is a town in the Main-Taunus-Kreis, in Hesse, Germany. Eppstein lies west of Frankfurt am Main, around 12 km north east of the state capital Wiesbaden, and is at the edge of the Taunus mountains. The ruins of the Eppstein castle is ...
is to the west and
Königstein im Taunus Königstein im Taunus (, ) is a health spa and lies on the thickly wooded slopes of the Taunus in Hesse, Germany. The town is part of the Frankfurt Rhein-Main Regional Authority, Frankfurt Rhein-Main urban area. Owing to its advantageous location ...
is northeast of Fischbach. The source of the Fischbach stream is in Ruppertshain. It flows through Fischbach and the Fischbachtal (Fishbachl valley) to merge with the Schwarzbach stream in Eppstein. Hill peaks around Fischbach are the Fischbacher Kopf, Staufen and Rossert. Fischbach is a dormitory town for many working in Frankfurt am Main.


Traffic

Bundesstraße 455 Bundesstraße 455 (abbreviated B-455) is a German ''Bundesstraße'' (German for "federal highway") in the federal state of Hesse. The route runs southwest from Schotten in Vogelsbergkreis to Mainz-Kastel, a borough of the Hessian capital city of ...
(federal highway 455) heads from Königstein via Fischbach to Eppstein and
Wiesbaden Wiesbaden (; ) is the capital of the German state of Hesse, and the second-largest Hessian city after Frankfurt am Main. With around 283,000 inhabitants, it is List of cities in Germany by population, Germany's 24th-largest city. Wiesbaden form ...
. The former through road was substituted by a bypass in the early 1980s. The new road does not bypass Fischbach but crosses the town on an artificial embankment, with a bridge over the central street Langstraße. Bus routes connect Fischbach with Kelkheim railway station and the Frankfurt Transit system.


Structure of the town

The old town centre is situated at the intersection of the main roads from Kelkheim to the suburb of Ruppertshain and from Königstein to Eppstein. The first road, Langstraße, is the main road of the old part of the village. In the 19th century Fischbach grew along both streets, especially Kelkheimer Straße and Eppsteiner Straße. Fischbach's population swelled after
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
with refugees from areas that were ceded to other countries, leading to street names such as Egerländer Straße and
Königsberg Königsberg (; ; ; ; ; ; , ) is the historic Germany, German and Prussian name of the city now called Kaliningrad, Russia. The city was founded in 1255 on the site of the small Old Prussians, Old Prussian settlement ''Twangste'' by the Teuton ...
er Straße. Residential areas were built on both sides of Kelkheimer Straße and on the south-side of the town, around Staufenstraße and Sodener Straße. In the north, only a small residential estate was built on a former brickyard area (An der Ziegelei). In the 1970s summer cottages were built on the road to Königstein, and are now year-round residences.


History


Administrative history

Fischbach was founded by
Franks file:Frankish arms.JPG, Aristocratic Frankish burial items from the Merovingian dynasty The Franks ( or ; ; ) were originally a group of Germanic peoples who lived near the Rhine river, Rhine-river military border of Germania Inferior, which wa ...
. The first document which proves the existence of Fischbach (gift to
Fulda Fulda () (historically in English called Fuld) is a city in Hesse, Germany; it is located on the river Fulda and is the administrative seat of the Fulda district (''Kreis''). In 1990, the city hosted the 30th Hessentag state festival. Histor ...
convent), is dated in the year 780. In the 8th and 9th centuries, imperial laws appear. In 813, the village was in possession of Earl Liutfried as royal feud. Starting from 890 Fischbach was part of the shire of Uualahes and during
Early Early may refer to: Places in the United States * Early, Iowa, a city * Early, Texas, a city * Early Branch, a stream in Missouri * Early County, Georgia * Fort Early, Georgia, an early 19th century fort Music * Early B, stage name of Jamaican d ...
and
High Middle Ages The High Middle Ages, or High Medieval Period, was the periodization, period of European history between and ; it was preceded by the Early Middle Ages and followed by the Late Middle Ages, which ended according to historiographical convention ...
a member of the Niddagau province. In 1348 the Lords of Eppstein became the new rulers. In 1581 Fischbach became part of
Archbishopric of Mainz The Electorate of Mainz ( or '; ), previously known in English as Mentz and by its French name Mayence, was one of the most prestigious and influential states of the Holy Roman Empire. In the hierarchy of the Catholic Church, the Archbishop-Elec ...
and was governed from Königstein. After
Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
split the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, Fischbach and the vicinity was part of
Duchy of Nassau The Duchy of Nassau (German language, German: ''Herzogtum Nassau'') was an independent state between 1806 and 1866, located in what became the Germany, German states of Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse. It was a States of the Confederation of th ...
. Nassau was annexed by
Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...
in 1866 degraded to Wiesbaden district of the Prussian province Hessen-Nassau. Fischbach attended to this administration till the foundation of
Hesse Hesse or Hessen ( ), officially the State of Hesse (), is a States of Germany, state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt, which is also the country's principal financial centre. Two other major hist ...
in 1946. After being integrated to Prussia, Fischbach belonged to the Upper-Taunus district. Since 1928 it was part of the newly founded Main-Taunus district. In 1977 Fischbach was incorporated to the city of Kelkheim, together with the former community Rossert (Ruppertshain and Eppenhain).


Coat of arms

The emblem shows the "chevrons of Eppstein" on the right as symbol of the former affiliation to the neighbour town. When Fischbach was part of Archbishopric of Mainz, the chevrons had been substituted by the "wheel of Mainz" ( Mainzer Rad). It has been removed after Fischbach became part of Hessen-Nassau. The left field shows, according to the town name, two red fishes in a silver creek.


Economical and social history

The economy of the village was based on agriculture and fruit-growing for centuries. Typically for the lower Taunus are fruit grasslands with apple trees. Since the beginning of the 19th century, many carpenters and joineries were located in the town. Different from Kelkheim, the furniture industry could not be conserved to the present. Besides, the clayey ground allowed setting up brickyards. Also the industry, especially Farbwerke in Höchst (
Hoechst AG Hoechst AG () was a German chemicals, later life sciences, company that became Aventis Deutschland after its merger with France's Rhône-Poulenc S.A. in 1999. With the new company's 2004 merger with Sanofi-Synthélabo, it became a subsidiar ...
, today Industriepark Höchst), is a source of income since the late 19th century. The opening of railway line from Königstein to Höchst in 1901 improved the connections to Höchst and Frankfurt. Before that, many workers had to walk every morning to Soden railway station (approx. ). After
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, Fischbach had about 1,000 inhabitants. Due to refugee settlement, mainly from
Sudetenland The Sudetenland ( , ; Czech and ) is a German name for the northern, southern, and western areas of former Czechoslovakia which were inhabited primarily by Sudeten Germans. These German speakers had predominated in the border districts of Bohe ...
, the number of residents was doubled. The village became even bigger in the 1960s and 1970s due to
suburbanization Suburbanization (American English), also spelled suburbanisation (British English), is a population shift from historic core cities or rural areas into suburbs. Most suburbs are built in a formation of (sub)urban sprawl. As a consequence ...
. Fischbach changed from a small Taunus-village to a suburb of Frankfurt. The number of residents rose to about 6,000 in the early 1980s and has changed little since then. Due to strong immigration of citizens from Frankfurt, the confessional (mainly
Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
in former times) and the social structure changed: In addition to the long-established village residents, mostly craftsmen and farmers, an academic affected middle-class appeared (employees of Hoechst AG)


Points of interest


Church Saint Trinity

In 1781, church Saint Trinity substituted an older church which was built in 1686. The building contains some extravaganza of this time and provides an impressive view from the lower meadows nearby. The church contains the so-called “Roteltisstein”, a Christian tombstone from the 7th century. It was transferred to Fischbach in 1868 from a demolished pilgrim chapel nearby (Gimbach). The stone proves the early Christianisation in this region.


Church Saint John

Like everywhere in the former area of Archbishopric of Mainz, inhabitants of Fischbach were traditionally catholic. The result of the large number of Protestants immigrated after World War II, was a growing demand for a Protestant church. A community was founded in the 1960s and is named after
John the Baptist John the Baptist ( – ) was a Jewish preacher active in the area of the Jordan River in the early first century AD. He is also known as Saint John the Forerunner in Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy, John the Immerser in some Baptist ...
. The church has a modern style and has big, coloured windows.


Rettershof

Rettershof, northeast of Fischbach, was founded in 1186 as a
premonstratensian The Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré (), also known as the Premonstratensians, the Norbertines and, in Britain and Ireland, as the White Canons (from the colour of their habit), is a religious order of canons regular in the Catholic Chur ...
convent. During the
protestant reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the papacy and ...
, the landlord closed the convent in 1559 and converted it to a farm. The church of the convent was destroyed during the
Thirty Years war The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine, or disease, whil ...
. In 1884 an Englishman bought the manor and built a new mansion in Tudor style. His successors built a restaurant in 1938, which offered products from the farm. The city of Kelkheim bought Rettershof in 1980 and renovated it. Today, Rettershof consists of three parts: the historically styled yard of the manor, the former mansion and the restaurant. For some years in the 1908s the manor was the European headquarters of
International Society for Krishna Consciousness The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), commonly known as the Hare Krishna movement, is a religious organization that follows the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism. It was founded on 13 July 1966 in New York City by ...
. It is now a luxury hotel.


Gimbacher Hof

Though Hofgut Gimbach can only reached by car via Kelkheim, it belongs to Fischbach. The way from Fischbach to Gimbacher Hof is only for pedestrians and bikes. The way leads through land under environmental conservation. Until 1868, Gimbach was the location of a pilgrim chapel. After its demolition the altar was transferred to Saint Trinity in Fischbach, but the Gimbach pilgrimage continues to this day. Gimbacher Hof's name comes from the Gimbach, a stream that starts nearby when three tributaries join. The earliest known document of its existence dates to 1287, recorded as the "Gynnenbach". The manor grounds are used for horse breeding, for growing and pressing
Apfelwein ''Apfelwein'' (; ), or ''Viez'' (, Moselfranken, Saarland, Trier; ) or ''Most'' (, Austria, Switzerland, South Germany; ) are German words for cider. It is made from various kinds of sour tasting apples (such as "Bohnapfel"). It has an alcoho ...
, the local cider, and as for camping.


Hanseklingerbrunnen

The bronze fountain in the village center was created in 1987 by Johannes Norbert Klarmann. It depicts a craftsman drinking water from the fountain.


Public facilities

Former town hall, today community center.


Bürgerhaus

The town hall of Fischbach was established shortly before the village was incorporated to Kelkheim. Today the building is community center, contains outposts of Kelkheim town authorities and is home for several clubs. The functional architecture is typical for buildings of the 1970s.
Fire brigade A fire department (North American English) or fire brigade (Commonwealth English), also known as a fire company, fire authority, fire district, fire and rescue, or fire service in some areas, is an organization that provides fire prevention and ...
facilities are also located at the town hall square.


Albert-von-Reinach school

Albert-von Reinach-school is an elementary school. It is located above the town hall square and consists of two buildings. The catchments area is equivalent to Fischbach area. The school is named after Albert von Reinach (* November 7, 1842 in
Frankfurt am Main Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...
; † January 12, 1905). He was a banker from Frankfurt, who built a villa nearby the village. Albert von Reinach supported the school with noble donations. The older building was erected in 1952/54, the newer one in 1967. The complex replaced the old school building near St. Trinity church, which was placed there at least since 1822 and demolished in 1967. The first school in Fischbach was documented in 1604.


Staufen school / Eichendorff school / Gesamtschule Fischbach

The Staufenschule was a school for children from Fischbach, Hornau, Ruppertshain and Eppenhain. It was absorbed into the Eichendorff school on 31 July 2006. Due to rising student numbers the Eichendorff school's homonymous sister located in Kelkheim-Mitte has separated from Fischbach's school. It has been renamed to Gesamtschule Fischbach (General school of Fischbach, GSF) and put under its own administration in 2018.


Staufenhalle

After a long planning period, a new sports hall opened in 2002. The “Staufenhalle” replaced an old version from 1971. The hall is the largest roofed room in Kelkheim. It has a small stand and is used by schools and sports clubs.


Sports field

Open air sports events take place on Fischbach sports field. It is beside woods in the west end of the village. It is mainly used for football matches of the local football club SV Fischbach and was opened on 31 May 1930. In 1952 the area was modified. The ground was rotated by 90 degrees and changing rooms were built. The sports field reopened on 2 August 1953. In 1982 the facilities were renovated and a house for club activities was built. The sports field was equipped with an artificial turf during summer 2008.


Events

Fischbach celebrates
carnival Carnival (known as Shrovetide in certain localities) is a festive season that occurs at the close of the Christian pre-Lenten period, consisting of Quinquagesima or Shrove Sunday, Shrove Monday, and Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras. Carnival typi ...
every year in February or March, with a Carnival Monday parade attracting approximately 25,000 visitors. Kermesse (Kerb) is celebrated each autumn on town hall square. during this time. The Protestant church community celebrates Saint John's day (June 24). The Hanseklinger festival in late summer is celebrated in the village center around the homonymous fountain.


References

{{Authority control Former municipalities in Hesse