Amorbach

Amorbach

View of Amorbach

Coat of arms
Amorbach

Coordinates: 49°38′N 9°13′E / 49.633°N 9.217°E / 49.633; 9.217Coordinates: 49°38′N 9°13′E / 49.633°N 9.217°E / 49.633; 9.217
Country Germany
State Bavaria
Admin. region Unterfranken
District Miltenberg
Government
 • Mayor Peter Schmitt (CSU)
Area
 • Total 50.92 km2 (19.66 sq mi)
Elevation 165 m (541 ft)
Population (2015-12-31)[1]
 • Total 3,984
 • Density 78/km2 (200/sq mi)
Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes 63916
Dialling codes 09373
Vehicle registration MIL
Website amorbach.de

Amorbach is a town in the Miltenberg district in the Regierungsbezirk of Lower Franconia (Unterfranken) in Bavaria, Germany, with some 4,000 inhabitants. It is situated on the small river Mud, in the northeastern part of the Odenwald.

History

Map of the Principality of Leiningen

The town began as a Benedictine monastery (Amorbach Abbey or Kloster Amorbach), which bit by bit grew into a settlement until in 1253 it was raised to the status of a town. Over the years, the town changed hands several times. It was part of the Bishopric of Würzburg until 1656, when it became part of the Archbishopric of Mainz. As a result of the 1803 German Mediatisation the Archbishopric of Mainz was secularized, and Amorbach became the residence town of the short-lived Principality of Leiningen. Only in 1816 did it become part of the Kingdom of Bavaria. In 1965, Amorbach attained the status of climatic spa (Luftkurort).

Amalgamations

The following settlements have been amalgamated with the town:

Economy

Today Amorbach relies on the tourist business with its state recognition as an climatic spa (Luftkurort) and its many Baroque buildings.

Amorbach is the family seat of the princely Haus zu Leiningen. In 1992, the town was awarded the Europa Nostra Medal.

Arts and culture

Possible appearance of Amorbach Abbey in 1735
Abbey church

Abbey church

Main article: Amorbach Abbey

The Benedictine abbey, formerly owned by the princely Haus zu Leiningen with its library, and the abbey church with its Stumm organ draw thousands of visitors each year.

Parish church St. Gangolf

St. Gangolf

The late-Baroque hall church St. Gangolf replaced an earlier one, St. Gangolf and St. Sebastian, documented for 1182. It was built in 1751-3 by local Oberamtmann Johann Franz Wolfgang Damian von Ostein and his brother and Archbishop, Johann Friedrich Karl von Ostein. The design was based on plans by Anselm Franz von Ritter zu Groenesteyn, building work was supervised by his apprentice Alexander Jakob Schmidt. The design was inspired by St. Peter's Church at Mainz. The interior reflects Rococo style and the onset of the Neoclassical style. Ceiling frescoes by Johannes Zick show the lives of St. Gangolf (Gangulphus) and Saint Sebastian as well as King David as the "father" of Solomon's Temple. Oil paintings in the choir by Konrad Huber depict the legendary beginnings of Amorbach. The marble high altar was made by Georg Schrantz, while Josef Keilwerth added the four statues. The cross by J.B. Berg dates from 1808. The side altars (1720) were originally used in the predecessor building. The organ also dates from 1720, but was located at Neustadt am Main Abbey until 1806, when it was bought by the Amorbach parish. The church has two pulpits, made from stucco by Antonio Rossi.[2]:84-5

St. Gangolf is the Catholic parish church of Amorbach.

Museums

Berger Collection with teapot museum

The Sammlung Berger mit Teekannenmuseum is a museum of art and teapots. Besides impressive exhibits of modern art by Arman, Michael Buthe, Chagall, Christo, Keith Haring, Otto Reichart, Rebecca Horn, Yves Klein, Roy Lichtenstein, Nam June Paik, Niki de Saint-Phalle, H. A. Schult, Daniel Spoerri, Ben Vautier, Dick Higgins and others, the museum also shows a teapot collection of 2,467 teapots from throughout the world and roughly 500 miniature teapots.

Tithe barn

The tithe barn in Amorbach, built in 1488, has for five hundred years played a central role in the town. Originally built to store tithes in the form of produce for the prince, it was – after extensive remodelling in the 1960s – run as a cinema.

The Kulturkreis Zehntscheuer Amorbach e.V. (“Amorbach Tithe Barn Cultural Circle”), which outfitted the building in 1991 as a cabaret theatre maintains and renovates the building, which stands in the historical town centre. In 2001, this club bought the tithe barn.

Regular events

The yearly Mother’s Day Gangolfsritt

Infrastructure

Transport

In Amorbach, Bundesstraße 469 meets Bundesstraße 47. The railway station lies on the Seckach−Miltenberg railway line (KBS 709), also known as the Madonnenlandbahn.

Education

Notable people

Sons and daughters of the town

Died in Amorbach

Further reading

References

  1. ↑ "Fortschreibung des Bevölkerungsstandes". Bayerisches Landesamt für Statistik und Datenverarbeitung (in German). June 2016.
  2. ↑ Dettelbacher, Werner (1974). Franken - Kunst, Geschichte und Landschaft (German). Dumont Verlag. ISBN 3-7701-0746-2.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Amorbach.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/13/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.