Freinsheim (;
Palatine German: Fränsem) is a town in the
Bad Dürkheim
Bad Dürkheim () is a spa town in the Rhine-Neckar urban agglomeration. It is the seat of the Bad Dürkheim (district), Bad Dürkheim district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, and the site of the discovery of the element caesium, in 1860.
Geogra ...
district in
Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; ; ; ) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the sixteen states. Mainz is the capital and largest city. Other cities are ...
,
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 ...
. With about 5,000 inhabitants, it is among the state's smaller towns. It is also the seat of the
like-named ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality.
Geography
Freinsheim lies in the
Upper Rhine Plain
The Upper Rhine Plain, Rhine Rift Valley or Upper Rhine Graben ( German: ''Oberrheinische Tiefebene'', ''Oberrheinisches Tiefland'' or ''Oberrheingraben'', French: ''Vallée du Rhin'') is a major rift, about and on average , between Basel in the ...
at the eastern edge of the
Palatinate forest
The Palatinate Forest (; ), sometimes also called the Palatine Forest, is a List of landscapes in Rhineland-Palatinate, low-mountain region in southwestern Germany, located in the Palatinate (region), Palatinate in the state of Rhineland-Palatina ...
, roughly 20 km west of
Ludwigshafen
Ludwigshafen, officially Ludwigshafen am Rhein (; meaning "Ludwig I of Bavaria, Ludwig's Port upon the Rhine"; Palatine German dialects, Palatine German: ''Ludwichshafe''), is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in the German state of Rh ...
between
Bad Dürkheim
Bad Dürkheim () is a spa town in the Rhine-Neckar urban agglomeration. It is the seat of the Bad Dürkheim (district), Bad Dürkheim district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, and the site of the discovery of the element caesium, in 1860.
Geogra ...
(about 6 km to the southwest) and
Grünstadt
Grünstadt () is a town in the Bad Dürkheim (district), Bad Dürkheim district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany with roughly 13,200 inhabitants. It does not belong to any ''Verbandsgemeinde'' – a kind of collective municipality – but is noneth ...
near the
German Wine Route
The German Wine RouteScheunemann J., Stewart J., Walker N. and Williams C. (2011), ''Back Roads Germany'', Dorling Kindersley, London. . or Wine Road (, ) is the oldest of Germany's tourist wine routes. Located in the Palatinate region of the ...
. Within town limits rises the Fuchsbach.
History
As established by various
archaeological
Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...
finds, Freinsheim's municipal area has been continuously settled by human beings for roughly 5,000 years. An organized community likely existed beginning in the 6th century, as witnessed by the discovery of a
Merovingian
The Merovingian dynasty () was the ruling family of the Franks from around the middle of the 5th century until Pepin the Short in 751. They first appear as "Kings of the Franks" in the Roman army of northern Gaul. By 509 they had united all the ...
linear graveyard. Freinsheim had its first documentary mention in 773 in the Weißenburg Monastery's records (this place is now
Wissembourg
Wissembourg (; South Franconian: ''Weisseburch'' ; German: ''Weißenburg'' ) is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Grand Est in northeastern France.
Wissembourg was a sub-prefecture of the department until 2015. The name ''Wissembourg'' ...
in
Alsace
Alsace (, ; ) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in the Grand Est administrative region of northeastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine, next to Germany and Switzerland. In January 2021, it had a population of 1,9 ...
,
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
).
In the 15th century, Freinsheim passed to the
Electorate of the Palatinate
The Electoral Palatinate was a Imperial State, constituent state of the Holy Roman Empire until it was annexed by the Electorate of Baden in 1803. From the end of the 13th century, its ruler was one of the Prince-electors who elected the Holy ...
, under whose care the existing fortifications were completed. The town wall's most recent building work is the ''äußeres Eisentor'' (“outer iron gate”), finished in 1514. In 1689, Freinsheim sustained heavy destruction in the
Nine Years' War
The Nine Years' War was a European great power conflict from 1688 to 1697 between Kingdom of France, France and the Grand Alliance (League of Augsburg), Grand Alliance. Although largely concentrated in Europe, fighting spread to colonial poss ...
(known in Germany as the ''Pfälzischer Erbfolgekrieg'', or War of the Palatine Succession); only foundations were left standing. In the 18th century came reconstruction. Administrative functions within the Electorate of the Palatinate (such as the institution of an ''
Unteramt'') helped bring about an economic upswing. After the
French Revolution and the
Congress of Vienna
The Congress of Vienna of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon, Napol ...
, Freinsheim passed to the
Kingdom of Bavaria
The Kingdom of Bavaria ( ; ; spelled ''Baiern'' until 1825) was a German state that succeeded the former Electorate of Bavaria in 1806 and continued to exist until 1918. With the unification of Germany into the German Empire in 1871, the kingd ...
along with the rest of the
Palatinate on the
Rhine
The Rhine ( ) is one of the List of rivers of Europe, major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Austria–Swit ...
’s left bank. Until 1818, Freinsheim belonged to a ''
Ganerbschaft
A ''Ganerbschaft'' (plural: ''Ganerbschaften'' in German), according to old German inheritance law, was a joint family estate, mainly land, over which the co-heirs (''Ganerben'') only had rights in common. In modern German legal parlance it corres ...
'' (joint inheritance), which comprised the
Leiningen villages of Leistadt,
Herxheim am Berg and
Kallstadt
Kallstadt () is a village in the Palatinate (region), Palatine part of Rhineland-Palatinate, one of Germany's States of Germany, 16 federal states. It is part of the Rhine-Neckar, Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region whose largest city is Mannheim, Ger ...
as well as the Electorate of the Palatinate villages of Freinsheim and
Weisenheim am Sand.
[Akten beim Landeshauptarchiv Speyer](_blank)
/ref>
A small number of immigrants are known to have moved from Freinsheim to Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
in the 18th century, including Henry Antes
Henry Antes (1701 – July 20, 1755) was an early 18th-century settler of Pennsylvania, an architect and builder and a leader of the Congregation of God in the Spirit and then the Moravian Church. He is considered one of the most important religiou ...
, a leader of the Moravian Church
The Moravian Church, or the Moravian Brethren ( or ), formally the (Latin: "Unity of the Brethren"), is one of the oldest Protestant denominations in Christianity, dating back to the Bohemian Reformation of the 15th century and the original ...
.
After the Second World War
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 ...
, Freinsheim belonged to the newly founded federal state
A federation (also called a federal state) is an entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a federal government (federalism). In a federation, the self-governing status of the c ...
of Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; ; ; ) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the sixteen states. Mainz is the capital and largest city. Other cities are ...
. It has been seat of the ''Verbandsgemeinde
A (; plural ) is a low-level administrative division, administrative unit in the Germany, German States of Germany, federal states of Brandenburg, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saxony-Anhalt. A is typically composed of a small group of Municipalitie ...
'' since 1972. With effect from 23 June 1979, given its historical importance, the Rhineland-Palatinate ''Landtag'' bestowed the title ''Stadt'' (“town”) upon Freinsheim.
Politics
Town council
The council is made up of 20 council members, who were elected at the municipal election held on 9 June 2024, and the honorary mayor as chairman.
The distribution of seats in the local council:
* FWG = Freie Wählergruppe der Stadt Freinsheim e. V.
Mayors
Matthias Weber (FWG) was elected Stadtbürgermeister in June 2016. He is the successor of Jürgen Oberholz (FWG).
Jochen Weisbrod (CDU) was elected in June 2024.
Coat of arms
The town's arms
Arms or ARMS may refer to:
*Arm or arms, the upper limbs of the body
Arm, Arms, or ARMS may also refer to:
People
* Ida A. T. Arms (1856–1931), American missionary-educator, temperance leader
Coat of arms or weapons
*Armaments or weapons
**Fi ...
might be described thus: Per fess azure a demi-lion rampant sinister Or armed, langued and crowned gules and argent an uppercase letter F of the third between two bunches of grapes in fess of the first.
The crowned lion symbolizes the historical connection with the Electorate of the Palatinate
The Electoral Palatinate was a Imperial State, constituent state of the Holy Roman Empire until it was annexed by the Electorate of Baden in 1803. From the end of the 13th century, its ruler was one of the Prince-electors who elected the Holy ...
, since this charge
Charge or charged may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* ''Charge, Zero Emissions/Maximum Speed'', a 2011 documentary
Music
* ''Charge'' (David Ford album)
* ''Charge'' (Machel Montano album)
* '' Charge!!'', an album by The Aqu ...
was that state's emblem (although it is halved here), while the F is, of course, the town's initial. The two bunches of blue grapes stand for the local winegrowing
Viticulture (, "vine-growing"), viniculture (, "wine-growing"), or winegrowing is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, ...
, which began quite early on with red wine
Red wine is a type of wine made from dark-colored grape varieties - (red grapes.) The color of the wine can range from intense violet, typical of young wines, through to brick red for mature wines and brown for older red wines. The juice fro ...
varieties, which nowadays take up almost half of the cultivated vineyard area within the town.
The town's earliest seal comes from the early 15th century, and shows the arms borne by the local fiefholders, the Lords of Meckenheim. However, the current arms are based on the town's second seal, dating from 1446. Some versions since that time have shown roses instead of the grapes that appear now.
Historically, the Palatine Lion
The Palatine Lion (), less commonly the Palatinate Lion, is an heraldic charge (see also: heraldic lions). It was originally part of the family coat of arms of the House of Wittelsbach and is found today on many coats of arms of municipalities ...
should be shown on a sable (black) field. When these arms were granted, though, the tincture
A tincture is typically an extract of plant or animal material dissolved in ethanol (ethyl alcohol). Solvent concentrations of 25–60% are common, but may run as high as 90%.Groot Handboek Geneeskrachtige Planten by Geert Verhelst In chemistr ...
s were not the traditional Palatine ones, but rather the Bavarian ones, as the town was part of the Kingdom of Bavaria
The Kingdom of Bavaria ( ; ; spelled ''Baiern'' until 1825) was a German state that succeeded the former Electorate of Bavaria in 1806 and continued to exist until 1918. With the unification of Germany into the German Empire in 1871, the kingd ...
at the time.
The arms have been borne since 1845.
File:Freinsheim Wappen am Rathaus.jpg, Town coat of arms
File:Hissflagge Freinsheim.svg, Town flag
File:Banner Freinsheim.svg, Town "Banner" ( vertical flag for hoisting from a horizontal pole)
''Verbandsgemeinde''
As seat of the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' of Freinsheim, Freinsheim is home to its administration. Belonging to the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' are the municipalities of Bobenheim am Berg
Bobenheim am Berg is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Bad Dürkheim district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.
Geography
Location
The municipality lies in ...
, Dackenheim, Erpolzheim
Erpolzheim is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Bad Dürkheim district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.
Geography
Location
The municipality lies in the P ...
, Herxheim am Berg, Kallstadt
Kallstadt () is a village in the Palatinate (region), Palatine part of Rhineland-Palatinate, one of Germany's States of Germany, 16 federal states. It is part of the Rhine-Neckar, Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region whose largest city is Mannheim, Ger ...
, Weisenheim am Berg
Weisenheim am Berg (German Palatines, Palatine German: Weisrem, or to distinguish it from Weisenheim am Sand, Weisemberg) is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a Municipalities of Germany, municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective ...
and Weisenheim am Sand.
Town partnerships
Freinsheim fosters partnerships with the following places:
* Marcigny
Marcigny () is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France.
History
Marcigny was the site of the first Cluniac monastery of women, founded in 1056. St Anselm was unsuccessful in a ...
, Saône-et-Loire
Saône-et-Loire (; Arpitan: ''Sona-et-Lêre'') is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in France. It is named after the rivers Saône and Loire, between which it lies, in the country's central-eastern part.
Saône-et-Loire is B ...
, France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
* Buttstädt, Sömmerda
Sömmerda () is a town near Erfurt in Thuringia, Germany, on the Unstrut river. It is the capital of the Sömmerda (district), district of Sömmerda.
History
Archeological digs in the area that is now Sömmerda, formerly Leubingen, have uncove ...
, Thuringia
Thuringia (; officially the Free State of Thuringia, ) is one of Germany, Germany's 16 States of Germany, states. With 2.1 million people, it is 12th-largest by population, and with 16,171 square kilometers, it is 11th-largest in area.
Er ...
Culture and sightseeing
Literature prize
In memory of one of Freinsheim's most important citizens, the ''Hermann-Sinsheimer-Preis'' has been awarded since 1983. Prizewinners thus far have been, among others, Siegfried Lenz
Siegfried Lenz (; 17 March 19267 October 2014) was a German writer of novels, short stories and essays, as well as dramas for radio and the theatre. In 2000 he received the Goethe Prize on the 250th Anniversary of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's b ...
, Hilde Domin
Hilde Domin (27 July 1909 – 22 February 2006) is the pseudonym of Hilde Palm (née Löwenstein), a Germans, German lyric poet and writer. She was among the most important German language, German-language poets of her time.
Biography
Domin was b ...
, Carola Stern, Marcel Reich-Ranicki and Marion Gräfin Dönhoff Marion or MARION may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
*Marion (band), a British alternative rock group
* ''Marion'' (miniseries), a 1974 miniseries
* ''Marion'' (1920 film), an Italian silent film
* ''Marion'' (2024 film), a UK short
People a ...
.
Buildings
Town wall
A particularity of Freinsheim is the Late Gothic town wall with its towers and gates, which has been almost wholly preserved and is roughly 1 300 m long. It forms the basis of the town's historical appearance. Worthiest of note is the outer gate at the ''Eisentor'' (“Iron Gate”) with its flanking towers and the Electorate of the Palatinate
The Electoral Palatinate was a Imperial State, constituent state of the Holy Roman Empire until it was annexed by the Electorate of Baden in 1803. From the end of the 13th century, its ruler was one of the Prince-electors who elected the Holy ...
coat of arms. The heart of the town is extraordinarily well restored.
Protestant parish church
The old main church of Freinsheim was, until its destruction in 1689, probably a Late Gothic hall church. Today it has a flat ceiling. The lower floor of the tower is still Romanesque.
Former castle
The moated castle, which was held by the Electorate of the Palatinate beginning in 1471, lies outside the town wall. The round moat is still filled with water today. The main building standing today is a private house from the early 19th century.
Wayside shrine
In the vineyards on the road to Ungstein stands a Late Gothic ''Bildstock'' with a Crucifixion group in a frame with a pointed arch. It bears the name ''Schwarzes Kreuz'' (“Black Cross”), after which one of Freinsheim's wineries has named itself.
West tower
The Romanesque ''Westturm'' at the mountain graveyard south of and somewhat outside the town is a former entrance tower to the likewise Romanesque Chapel of Our Lady on the Mountain. Forms on the west portal suggest an origin in the mid 11th century. The original roofing is no longer present.[Lit.: Eduard Finke, DIE ROMANISCHEN KIRCHTÜRME IN DER PFALZ, Mainz 1994]
Regular events
''Rotweinwanderweg''
The ''Rotweinwanderweg'' (“Red Wine Trail”) is held on the fourth weekend in January. It opens on the Friday at dusk with a torchlight hike on which log torches (''Schwedenfeuer'') are made. On the Saturday and Sunday, the hiking takes place in the daytime, during which local winemakers along the trail through the vineyards around Freinsheim offer hikers selected red wines and dishes to go with them.
''Freinsheimer Altstadtfest''
Each year on the first weekend in June, the Freinsheim Old Town Festival is held. Its motto is ''Wein und Kultur auf historischen Plätzen'' (“Wine and culture on historic squares”). In this, the town of Freinsheim places much importance on sophisticated cultural performances, which are then presented at the marketplace, the ''Retzerhof'' or the ''Saarhof''. As a rule, the festival lasts from Friday to Sunday.
''Stadtmauerfest''
The Town Wall Festival held on the third weekend in July in the historic gate is among the region's biggest wine festivals.
''Kulinarischer Weinwanderweg''
The Culinary Wine Trail is held on the fourth weekend in September, running through the town's vineyards. Winemakers and gastronomical businesses offer traditional Palatine cooking, Mediterranean dishes, wine and Federweisser
Federweisser (also Federweißer) is an alcoholic beverage commonly made in continental Europe. It is the product of fermented freshly pressed grape juice, known as must. The term ''Federweisser'' in principle includes all stages of fermentat ...
.
''Weihnachtsmarkt''
The Christmas Market on the four weekends in Advent attracts visitors with its Nativity scene, in which living animals are used.
Economy and infrastructure
Economy
Although winegrowing
Viticulture (, "vine-growing"), viniculture (, "wine-growing"), or winegrowing is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, ...
has been edging fruitgrowing out as the town's main agricultural endeavour since the mid 20th century, the town is nevertheless still the seat of one of Germany's great fruit juice producers. Today, Freinsheim is among the Palatinate’s biggest winegrowing centres. Because of the historic Old Town, meanwhile, tourism
Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...
has also grown into an important economic factor.
Transport
Freinsheim station
Freinsheim station is a station in Freinsheim in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. It is at the junction of the Palatinate Northern Railway and the Freinsheim–Frankenthal railway. The station is one of the most important railway junct ...
is at the junction of the ''Palatine Northern Railway
The Palatine Northern Railway () is a non-electrified single-track main line that connects Neustadt (Weinstr) Hbf with Monsheim in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. It was opened between 1865 and 1873 in three stages. With the replacemen ...
'' (Bad Dürkheim
Bad Dürkheim () is a spa town in the Rhine-Neckar urban agglomeration. It is the seat of the Bad Dürkheim (district), Bad Dürkheim district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, and the site of the discovery of the element caesium, in 1860.
Geogra ...
–Grünstadt
Grünstadt () is a town in the Bad Dürkheim (district), Bad Dürkheim district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany with roughly 13,200 inhabitants. It does not belong to any ''Verbandsgemeinde'' – a kind of collective municipality – but is noneth ...
) and the Freinsheim–Frankenthal railway
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...
line, affording direct links towards Neustadt, Frankenthal
Frankenthal (Pfalz) (; ) is a town in southwestern Germany, in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate.
History
Frankenthal was first mentioned in 772. In 1119 an Augustinians, Augustinian monastery was built here, the ruins of which — known, aft ...
and, by way of Grünstadt
Grünstadt () is a town in the Bad Dürkheim (district), Bad Dürkheim district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany with roughly 13,200 inhabitants. It does not belong to any ''Verbandsgemeinde'' – a kind of collective municipality – but is noneth ...
, to Monsheim
Monsheim is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Alzey-Worms district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.
Geography
Location
Monsheim lies in the southern Wonnegau ...
or Ramsen.
From both Neustadt and Frankenthal run long-distance links towards Mannheim, Saarbrücken and Mainz
Mainz (; #Names and etymology, see below) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and with around 223,000 inhabitants, it is List of cities in Germany by population, Germany's 35th-largest city. It lies in ...
.
Over the nearby ''Bundesstraße
''Bundesstraße'' (, ), abbreviated ''B'', is the denotation for German and Austrian national highways.
Germany
Germany's ''Bundesstraßen'' network has a total length of about 40,000 km.
German ''Bundesstraßen'' are labelled with re ...
'' 271, Freinsheim is linked to the Autobahn
The (; German , ) is the federal controlled-access highway system in Germany. The official term is (abbreviated ''BAB''), which translates as 'federal motorway'. The literal meaning of the word is 'Federal Auto(mobile) Track'.
Much of t ...
en A 6 (Mannheim
Mannheim (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: or ), officially the University City of Mannheim (), is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, second-largest city in Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart, the States of Ger ...
–Saarbrücken
Saarbrücken (; Rhenish Franconian: ''Sabrigge'' ; ; ; ; ) is the capital and largest List of cities and towns in Germany, city of the state of Saarland, Germany. Saarbrücken has 181,959 inhabitants and is Saarland's administrative, commerci ...
), A 61 (Koblenz
Koblenz ( , , ; Moselle Franconian language, Moselle Franconian: ''Kowelenz'') is a German city on the banks of the Rhine (Middle Rhine) and the Moselle, a multinational tributary.
Koblenz was established as a Roman Empire, Roman military p ...
–Speyer
Speyer (, older spelling ; ; ), historically known in English as Spires, is a city in Rhineland-Palatinate in the western part of the Germany, Federal Republic of Germany with approximately 50,000 inhabitants. Located on the left bank of the r ...
) and A 65 (Ludwigshafen
Ludwigshafen, officially Ludwigshafen am Rhein (; meaning "Ludwig I of Bavaria, Ludwig's Port upon the Rhine"; Palatine German dialects, Palatine German: ''Ludwichshafe''), is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in the German state of Rh ...
–Karlsruhe
Karlsruhe ( ; ; ; South Franconian German, South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, third-largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, after its capital Stuttgart a ...
).
Except on the main thoroughfares (''Landesstraßen'', or State Roads), the whole town is either a 30 km/h zone or a zone with traffic-calming measures in place.
Famous people
Sons and daughters of the town
* Jacob Gottfried Weber (1779–1839), trained jurist, was a musician at the Mannheim Conservatory.
* Philipp Lorenz Geiger (1785–1836), chemist and pharmacist
* Philipp Tillmann (1809–died after 1881), politician
* Philipp Merkle (1811–1899), German-American Freethinker and preacher
* Hermann Sinsheimer (1883–1950), journalist and jurist, was editor-in-chief of Simplicissimus
:''Simplicissimus is also a name for the 1668 novel ''Der abenteuerliche Simplicissimus, Simplicius Simplicissimus'' and its protagonist.''
''Simplicissimus'' () was a German language, German weekly satire, satirical magazine, founded by Albert ...
; in his honour Freinsheim awards the ''Hermann-Sinsheimer-Preis''. In his ''Am Schwarzen Kreuz'' (“At the Black Cross”) stories, Sinsheimer wrote down his memories of his childhood in Freinsheim.
* Franz Lind (1900–1966), painter and sculptor
* Manfred Scherer (1951–), politician (CDU)
Famous people associated with the town
* Emil Bert Hartwig (1907–1996), painter, student of the master Paul Klee, lived in Freinsheim and died there.
* (1897–1994), painter and graphic artist, grew up in Freinsheim.
Further reading
* Hermann Sinsheimer: ''Gelebt im Paradies'', Beschreibung einer Kindheit und Jugend im Freinsheim des ausgehenden 19. Jahrhunderts. München 1953,
* Alexander Thon: ''Freinsheim''. In: Jürgen Keddigkeit (ed.): ''Pfälzisches Burgenlexikon''. Beiträge zur pfälzischen Geschichte Bd. 12/2, Institut für Pfälzische Geschichte und Volkskunde, Kaiserslautern 2002, , .
* Clemens Jöckle: ''Freinsheim''. Schnell & Steiner, Regensburg 1998
* Eduard Finke: " Die romanischen Kirchtürme in der Pfalz", Mainz 1994, .
References
External links
Town’s official webpage
{{Authority control
Bad Dürkheim (district)