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 of

Lower Franconia Lower Franconia (, ) is one of seven districts of Bavaria, Germany. The districts of Lower, Middle and Upper Franconia make up the region of Franconia. It consists of nine districts and 308 municipalities (including three cities). History After ...

() in

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

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 ...

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

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

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 human settlement or Residential community, community, larger than a hamlet (place), hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located ...

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 ( 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 ...

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 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and t ...

history was characterized by Imperial, 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 , in German language, 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 ...

, 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 chemistr ...

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

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 ...

, 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)