Mönchberg
Encyclopedia
Mönchberg is a market community in the Miltenberg district
in the Regierungsbezirk
of Lower Franconia
(Unterfranken) in Bavaria
, Germany
, the of the Verwaltungsgemeinschaft (Administrative Community) of Mönchberg and a state-recognized open-air resort (Luftkurort).
(range), 13 km from the district seat of Miltenberg
, 30 km from Aschaffenburg
, 69 km from Frankfurt am Main
and 76 km from Würzburg
.
and Erlenbach
(with the outlying centres of Mechenhard and Streit), in the north on Eschau
, in the east on Collenberg
(on the Main) and in the south on Röllbach
.
to Aschaffenburg. Its original name was Manno Gebur, meaning “Manno’s Building”, after the station’s first owner. In the Middle Ages
, Mönchberg was granted town rights along with its own jurisdiction by Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor
. The settlement in the Spessart earned its livelihood through forestry and handicrafts. Because the town lay far off the trade routes and so far from the settled areas on the Main, however, Mönchberg could develop no further in the end and therefore had to give up its town rights, which today are granted strictly to communities with a population of 5,000 or more. Market rights, however, the community got to keep.
The old town wall is still preserved, and can be seen, for instance, at the music pavilion in the rosegarden. Furthermore, the community has many mediaeval buildings and timber-frame
houses, as well as a big Baroque
parish church.
might be described thus: Per pale, dexter argent a pikestaff issuant from base sable bladed azure and tasselled Or, sinister gules in chief a crown Or, in base a wheel spoked of six of the first.
The pikestaff and the crown both refer to the Carolingian
king’s soldier-farmers (Wehrbauern) who settled the community. The community’s overlords changed several times throughout its history, and several times it belonged to the Archbishopric of Mainz
, ending up in Mainz’s hands for good, or at least until the Old Empire’s
1803 downfall, in 1720. The so-called Wheel of Mainz
refers to this state.
The arms have been borne since 1965.
). Further leisure facilities on offer are tennis courts, a music pavilion and a Kneipp
pool facility.
Because it has been recognized as an open-air resort (Luftkurort) and because of its location in the Spessart, Mönchberg is a popular destination for hikers and tourists. In and around Mönchberg, 90 km of hiking trails have been laid out.
Furthermore, there are many outing destinations nearby, such as the moated castle of Mespelbrunn
, the district seat of Miltenberg
, and the winemaking centre of Klingenberg
.
Miltenberg (district)
Miltenberg is an administrative district in Bavaria, Germany. It is bounded by the city of Aschaffenburg, the districts of Aschaffenburg and Main-Spessart, and the states of Baden-Württemberg and Hesse .-History:During the Middle Ages there was continuous...
in the Regierungsbezirk
Regierungsbezirk
In Germany, a Government District, in German: Regierungsbezirk – is a subdivision of certain federal states .They are above the Kreise, Landkreise, and kreisfreie Städte...
of Lower Franconia
Lower Franconia
Lower Franconia is one of the three administrative regions of Franconia in Bavaria , Germany ....
(Unterfranken) in Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, the of the Verwaltungsgemeinschaft (Administrative Community) of Mönchberg and a state-recognized open-air resort (Luftkurort).
Location
Mönchberg lies in the Bavarian part of the SpessartSpessart
The Spessart is a low mountain range in northwestern Bavaria and southern Hesse, Germany. It is bordered on three sides by the Main River. The two most important towns located at the foot of the Spessart are Aschaffenburg and Würzburg....
(range), 13 km from the district seat of Miltenberg
Miltenberg
Miltenberg is the seat of the like-named district in the Regierungsbezirk of Lower Franconia in Bavaria, Germany.- Location :...
, 30 km from Aschaffenburg
Aschaffenburg
Aschaffenburg is a city in northwest Bavaria, Germany. The town of Aschaffenburg is not considered part of the district of Aschaffenburg, but is the administrative seat.Aschaffenburg is known as the Tor zum Spessart or "gate to the Spessart"...
, 69 km from Frankfurt am Main
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
and 76 km from Würzburg
Würzburg
Würzburg is a city in the region of Franconia which lies in the northern tip of Bavaria, Germany. Located at the Main River, it is the capital of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. The regional dialect is Franconian....
.
Neighbouring communities
Mönchberg borders in the west on KlingenbergKlingenberg am Main
Klingenberg am Main is a town in the Miltenberg district in the Regierungsbezirk of Lower Franconia in Bavaria, Germany.- Location :...
and Erlenbach
Erlenbach am Main
Erlenbach am Main is the biggest town in the Miltenberg district in the Regierungsbezirk of Lower Franconia in Bavaria, Germany. It harbours one of the Miltenberg district’s two hospitals, and is well known for its good wine...
(with the outlying centres of Mechenhard and Streit), in the north on Eschau
Eschau
Eschau is a market community in the Miltenberg district in the Regierungsbezirk of Lower Franconia in Bavaria, Germany.- Location :Eschau lies in the Bavarian Lower Main Region....
, in the east on Collenberg
Collenberg
Collenberg is a community in the Miltenberg district in the Regierungsbezirk of Lower Franconia in Bavaria, Germany.- Location :Collenberg lies on the Main, 13 km away from Miltenberg and 18 km from Wertheim...
(on the Main) and in the south on Röllbach
Röllbach
Röllbach is a municipality in the Miltenberg district in the Regierungsbezirk of Lower Franconia in Bavaria, Germany and a member of the Verwaltungsgemeinschaft of Mönchberg.- Location :...
.
Constituent communities
The outlying centre, or Ortsteil, of Schmachtenberg, was amalgamated in 1978.Mönchberg
The community was originally a postal station on the way from Würzburg by way of WertheimWertheim
Wertheim may refer to:* Wertheim vacuum cleaner, a brand of vacuum cleaner* Wertheim am Main, Baden-Württemberg, Germany* Wertheim , a chain of German department stores...
to Aschaffenburg. Its original name was Manno Gebur, meaning “Manno’s Building”, after the station’s first owner. In the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
, Mönchberg was granted town rights along with its own jurisdiction by Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles IV , born Wenceslaus , was the second king of Bohemia from the House of Luxembourg, and the first king of Bohemia to also become Holy Roman Emperor....
. The settlement in the Spessart earned its livelihood through forestry and handicrafts. Because the town lay far off the trade routes and so far from the settled areas on the Main, however, Mönchberg could develop no further in the end and therefore had to give up its town rights, which today are granted strictly to communities with a population of 5,000 or more. Market rights, however, the community got to keep.
The old town wall is still preserved, and can be seen, for instance, at the music pavilion in the rosegarden. Furthermore, the community has many mediaeval buildings and timber-frame
Timber framing
Timber framing , or half-timbering, also called in North America "post-and-beam" construction, is the method of creating structures using heavy squared off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden pegs . It is commonplace in large barns...
houses, as well as a big Baroque
Baroque architecture
Baroque architecture is a term used to describe the building style of the Baroque era, begun in late sixteenth century Italy, that took the Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical and theatrical fashion, often to express the triumph of the Catholic Church and...
parish church.
Schmachtenberg
The village of Schmachtenberg had its first documentary mention in 1298. The stately Baroque church was built between 1759 and 1761. Until after the Second World War, Schmachtenberg was wholly agriculturally based, and in 1978, the formerly self-administering community was amalgamated with Mönchberg. In 1997, Schmachtenberg was enlarged by a new building area. The place features a lively club life and currently has roughly 450 inhabitants.Community council
The council is made up of 14 council members with seats apportioned thus:- CSUChristian Social Union of BavariaThe Christian Social Union in Bavaria is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It operates only in the state of Bavaria, while its sister party, the Christian Democratic Union , operates in the other 15 states of Germany...
: 7 seats - Bürgerblock Mönchberg (BBM): 5 seats
- Wählergemeinschaft Schmachtenberg (WGS): 2 seats
Coat of arms
The community’s armsCoat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
might be described thus: Per pale, dexter argent a pikestaff issuant from base sable bladed azure and tasselled Or, sinister gules in chief a crown Or, in base a wheel spoked of six of the first.
The pikestaff and the crown both refer to the Carolingian
Carolingian
The Carolingian dynasty was a Frankish noble family with origins in the Arnulfing and Pippinid clans of the 7th century AD. The name "Carolingian", Medieval Latin karolingi, an altered form of an unattested Old High German *karling, kerling The Carolingian dynasty (known variously as the...
king’s soldier-farmers (Wehrbauern) who settled the community. The community’s overlords changed several times throughout its history, and several times it belonged to the Archbishopric of Mainz
Archbishopric of Mainz
The Archbishopric of Mainz or Electorate of Mainz was an influential ecclesiastic and secular prince-bishopric in the Holy Roman Empire between 780–82 and 1802. In the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy, the Archbishop of Mainz was the primas Germaniae, the substitute of the Pope north of the Alps...
, ending up in Mainz’s hands for good, or at least until the Old Empire’s
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
1803 downfall, in 1720. The so-called Wheel of Mainz
Wheel of Mainz
thumb|150px|version until 1992thumb|150px|version from 1992 - 2008thumb|150px|version from 2008The 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 , in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It consists of a silver wheel...
refers to this state.
The arms have been borne since 1965.
Leisure and tourism
The market community’s main draw is the Spessartbad (swimming poolSwimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...
). Further leisure facilities on offer are tennis courts, a music pavilion and a Kneipp
Sebastian Kneipp
Sebastian Kneipp was a Bavarian priest and one of the founders of the Naturopathic medicine movement...
pool facility.
Because it has been recognized as an open-air resort (Luftkurort) and because of its location in the Spessart, Mönchberg is a popular destination for hikers and tourists. In and around Mönchberg, 90 km of hiking trails have been laid out.
Furthermore, there are many outing destinations nearby, such as the moated castle of Mespelbrunn
Mespelbrunn
Mespelbrunn is a community in the Aschaffenburg district in the Regierungsbezirk of Lower Franconia in Bavaria, Germany and a member of the Verwaltungsgemeinschaft of Mespelbrunn, whose seat is in Heimbuchenthal.-Amalgamations:The community was formed out of the former communities of Hessenthal...
, the district seat of Miltenberg
Miltenberg
Miltenberg is the seat of the like-named district in the Regierungsbezirk of Lower Franconia in Bavaria, Germany.- Location :...
, and the winemaking centre of Klingenberg
Klingenberg am Main
Klingenberg am Main is a town in the Miltenberg district in the Regierungsbezirk of Lower Franconia in Bavaria, Germany.- Location :...
.