Neunkirchen () is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality ...

in the Miltenberg district in the ''

Regierungsbezirk A ' () means "governmental district" and is a type of administrative division in Germany. Four of sixteen ' ( states of Germany) are split into '. Beneath these are rural and urban districts. Saxony has ' (directorate districts) with more res ...

'' of

Lower Franconia Lower Franconia (german: Unterfranken) is one of seven districts of Bavaria, Germany. The districts of Lower, Middle and Upper Franconia make up the region of Franconia. History After the founding of the Kingdom of Bavaria the state was total ...

(''Unterfranken'') in

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total l ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

and a member of the ''Verwaltungsgemeinschaft'' (Administrative Community) of Erftal, whose seat is in

Bürgstadt Bürgstadt is a market community in the Miltenberg district in the '' Regierungsbezirk'' of Lower Franconia (''Unterfranken'') in Bavaria, Germany and the seat of the ''Verwaltungsgemeinschaft'' (Administrative Community) of Erftal. Bürgsta ...

Geography

Location

The rural residential community of Neunkirchen lies in the ''Geo-Naturpark Bergstraße-Odenwald'', between Wertheim and

Miltenberg Miltenberg () is a town in the ''Regierungsbezirk'' of Lower Franconia (''Unterfranken'') in Bavaria, Germany. It is the seat of the Miltenberg (district), like-named district and has a population of over 9,000. Geography Location The old ...

Constituent communities

Neunkirchen's ''

Ortsteil A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

e'' are Neunkirchen, Richelbach and Umpfenbach.

History

In 1232, Neunkirchen had its first documentary mention, and for the longest time in its history had the

Archbishopric of Mainz The Electorate of Mainz (german: Kurfürstentum Mainz or ', la, Electoratus Moguntinus), 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 ...

as its overlord. It was said to be a well-off farming community.

Amalgamations

The greater community of Neunkirchen came into being through the merger of the formerly self-administering communities of Neunkirchen, Richelbach and Umpfenbach on 1 July 1975.

Politics

Town council

The council is made up of 13 council members, counting the part-time mayor. (as at municipal election held on 3 March 2002)

Coat of arms

The community'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 chevron embowed, argent dexter a helm in profile and sinister the head of an abbess's staff gules, and gules a wheel spoked of six of the first. The knight's helmet stands for Umpfenbach, much of whose

mediaeval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

history was characterized by

Imperial Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * Imperial, Texas ...

, knightly fiefholders, the most important among whom were the Barons of Gudenus. They acquired the community quite late in Imperial history, in 1775 and rendered service thereto on into the 20th century. The abbess's staff refers to Richelbach's relationship with the Altmünster Convent, which was founded in the 8th century and known to have been in Riclelbach by the 13th century. The founding Abbess, Bihildis, is Richelbach's church patron. The

Wheel of Mainz The Wheel of Mainz or ''Mainzer Rad'', in German, was the coat of arms of the Archbishopric of Mainz and thus also of the Electorate of Mainz (Kurmainz), in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It consists of a silver wheel with six spokes on a red bac ...

, and also 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 chemist ...

s argent and gules (silver and red) refer to the community's long association with the Electoral state of

Mainz Mainz () is the capital and largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Mainz is on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite to the place that the Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-west, with Ma ...

, which was landlord to almost all of Neunkirchen and the authority that dispensed law. The arms have been borne since 1982.Description and explanation of Neunkirchen’s arms
/ref>

Famous people

Honorary citizens

*1898: Bishop Ferdinand von Schlör, Richelbach *1967: Headteacher Alfred Hauck, Richelbach *1975: Former Mayor Helmut Schell, Neunkirchen *1979: Father Georg Zenkert, Neunkirchen *1985: Former Mayor Rudolf Ditter, Richelbach *2003: Honorary Councillor Fritz Schmidt, Umpfenbach *2006: Honorary Councillor Alfons Wolf, Neunkirchen

References

External links

Community’s official webpage
{{Authority control Miltenberg (district)