Schriesheim (; South Franconian: ''Schriese'') is a town located in

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg ( ; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a states of Germany, German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million i ...

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 part of the Rhein-Neckar-Kreis and the

Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region The Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region (, ), often referred to as the Rhein-Neckar Triangle, is a polycentric metropolitan region located in south western Germany, between the Frankfurt/Rhine-Main region to the north and the Stuttgart Region to ...

Geography

Schriesheim lies on the Bergstraße, at the western edge of the

Odenwald The Odenwald () is a low mountain range in the Germany, German states of Hesse, Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. Location The Odenwald is located between the Upper Rhine Plain with the Bergstraße Route, Bergstraße and the ''Hessisches Ried' ...

, on the small river

Kanzelbach The Kanzelbach, called Kandelbach in Ladenburg, is a river in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It flows into the Neckar in Ladenburg. See also *List of rivers of Baden-Württemberg A list of rivers of Baden-Württemberg, Germany: A *Aal (Kocher), ...

. It is 4 km east of

Ladenburg Ladenburg () is a town in northwestern Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It lies on the right bank of the river Neckar, northwest of Heidelberg and east of Mannheim. The town's history goes back to the Celtic and Roman Ages, when it was called L ...

, 14 km east of

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 ...

and 8 km north of

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; ; ) is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fifth-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with a population of about 163,000, of which roughly a quarter consists of studen ...

Climate

Schriesheim belongs, like the city of

, to the warmest part of Germany. The amount of precipitation increases from west to east and ranges between 650 and 800 mm. The nearest weather station, located in Heidelberg, recorded an average temperature of 11.1 °C and average precipitation of 745 mm per year between the years 1971 and 2000. The warmest month is July with an average temperature of 20.1 °C while the coldest month is January with an average temperature of 2.5 °C.www.klimadiagramme.de
/ref> A severe winter frost in early 1956 destroyed many fruit trees, especially

plum A plum is a fruit of some species in Prunus subg. Prunus, ''Prunus'' subg. ''Prunus'.'' Dried plums are often called prunes, though in the United States they may be labeled as 'dried plums', especially during the 21st century. Plums are ...

trees. Figs have been grown within the borders of the city for many years.

History

Population

Politics

City Council

The

city council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough counc ...

has 28 members and is elected directly by the populace for 5-year terms. The mayor is a de facto member of the council and its head. Since the 2004 election, the distribution of seats is as follows: *Green List of Schriesheim

Mayor

The

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

is chosen by direct ballot for a term of 8 years. In November 2021 Christoph Oeldorf was elected mayor. He succeeded Hansjörg Höfer (Greens), who had been in office since 1 February 2006. Previous Mayors: 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 ...

, the mayoral election of 1952 produced a scandal that received notice in the international press (for example, the

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

). Back then, Fritz Urban was victorious. Urban, who stemmed from an old Schriesheim family of lawyers, some of whom had previously stood for mayoral office, had back in 1933 become

NSDAP The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party ( or NSDAP), was a far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported the ideology of Nazism. Its precursor, the German Workers ...

- local group leader, then a few days after the seizure of power by the National Socialist Party, had become mayor and had held that office until 1945 when the Occupying Forces reinstalled George Rufer, who had already been mayor from 1920 until 1933. Fritz Urban then was not permitted to take office. The role of mayor was temporarily taken over by Acting Mayor Martin Ringelspacher until new elections took place in 1954.

Religion

In the 16th century, Schriesheim was affected by the checkered history of the

Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

in the

Electoral Palatinate The Electoral Palatinate was a 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 Roman Empero ...

. In 1556 the Reformation was launched, and after 1560, the Electoral Palatinate adopted

Calvinism Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Christian, Presbyteri ...

, but then under Count Palatine Louis VI, Elector Palatine, it returned to Lutheranism, only to return the Swiss Reformed Church from 1583 on under acting regent John Casimir and Frederick IV. In the first half of the 17th century, the Elector Palatine became the leader of the German Protestants. Shortly after 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 History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...

, Schriesheim's dramatically reduced population (only 20% had survived the Thirty Years' War) was purely Reformed, that is Calvinist, but in the years that followed,

Catholics The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

Lutherans Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched the Reformation in 15 ...

and

Jews Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

moved in alongside the favored Reformed

Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...

immigrants to replenish the population. But in 1685 the ruling dynasty of the

, which was, to a degree, "Reformed" after 1559, died out and literally was replaced by a cadet branch that was Catholic, which definitely changed the whole situation. Suddenly the small Catholic minority in the village was favored by the authorities, and Catholic officials moved in. Jews were already resident in Schriesheim during the

Middle Ages 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 ...

, but literally were driven out of the city during the year of the

Black Death The Black Death was a bubonic plague pandemic that occurred in Europe from 1346 to 1353. It was one of the list of epidemics, most fatal pandemics in human history; as many as people perished, perhaps 50% of Europe's 14th century population. ...

in 1349, which is actually quite significant. Jews were again documented in Schriesheim during the 15th century. In 1644, when the village was abandoned during the Thirty Years' War, the Jews also disappeared, or had been thought to have disappeared. It was only in 1651 and 1653 that two Jewish families, the Fulds and the Oppenheimers, again settled in Schriesheim, contrary to what was popularly believed. In 1858, the Jewish community reached its peak with 125 members, only to shrink, primarily because of

emigration Emigration is the act of leaving a resident country or place of residence with the intent to settle elsewhere (to permanently leave a country). Conversely, immigration describes the movement of people into one country from another (to permanentl ...

to the United States and relocation to the bigger cities

Frankfurt 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 ...

and

. At the start of 1933, only 38 Jews were still living in Schriesheim, almost all of whom had left by 1938. By September 1939, no Jews were living in Schriesheim anymore. Only four of those were still living in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

at the start of the

. One died a natural death of old age, and two others were successful in emigrating to New York. Only Levi Schlösser fell victim to the

Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

. In 1705/1706, the Pietistic community built up around

Alexander Mack Alexander Mack ( 27 July 1679 – 19 January 1735) was a German clergyman and the leader and first Minister (Christianity), minister of the Schwarzenau Brethren (or Schwarzenau Brethren, German Baptists) in the Schwarzenau, Kreis Siegen-Wi ...

, which, in 1708 led to the introduction of

adult baptism Believer's baptism (also called credobaptism, from the Latin word meaning "I believe") is the practice of baptizing those who are able to make a conscious profession of faith, as contrasted to the practice of baptizing infants. Credobaptists b ...

in this community, which gave them the nickname \" Dunkers\" and \"dippers\". Soon, as a result of growing persecution, this community had to flee and eventually emigrated to America, where they formed the

Church of the Brethren The Church of the Brethren is an Anabaptist Christian denomination in the Schwarzenau Brethren tradition ( "Schwarzenau New Baptists") that was organized in 1708 by Alexander Mack in Schwarzenau, Germany during the Radical Pietist revival. ...

with its many offshoots, among them the Old German Baptist Brethren. Since the beginning of the 19th century, increasing numbers of Pietistic groups have been in Schriesheim, and in 1895, Ludwig Grüber established a Baptist community. After the Second World War, a New Apostolic Community was formed in Schriesheim. A Muslim mosque is also located in the community, founded by immigrants.

Museums

The Théo Kerg museum exhibits the works of the Luxembourg painter and sculptor Théo Kerg.

Famous residents

(1679–1735),

Pietist Pietism (), also known as Pietistic Lutheranism, is a movement within Lutheranism that combines its emphasis on biblical doctrine with an emphasis on individual piety and living a holy Christianity, Christian life. Although the movement is ali ...

, and emigrant to the United States of America, * Alfred Herbst (?-1943)

Baptist Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...

pacifist Pacifism is the opposition to war or violence. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaigner Émile Arnaud and adopted by other peace activists at the tenth Universal Peace Congress in Glasgow in 1901. A related term is ''a ...

and opponent of Hitler, murdered in the Görden quarter of

Brandenburg an der Havel Brandenburg an der Havel (; ) is a town in Brandenburg, Germany, which served as the capital of the Margraviate of Brandenburg until it was replaced by Berlin in 1417. With a population of 72,040 (as of 2020), it is located on the banks of the ...

* Reiner Kröhnert (born 1958), stand-up comedian *

Adam Miller (pioneer) With residency beginning in 1727, Adam Miller (Mueller) is recognized as the first permanent white settler in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, US. Born in 1703 in Schriesheim, Germany, Miller immigrated to America as a young married man, settlin ...

Honorary citizens

* 1993: Peter Hartmann (1914–2018), longtime alderman of the Free Voter Party, acting mayor, deputy mayor from 1954-1993, centenarian

References

Literature

External links

*
Schriesheim, Germany, celebrates the grape
article in Stars and Stripes {{Use dmy dates, date=December 2020 Rhein-Neckar-Kreis Holocaust locations in Germany