Bensheim

Bensheim is a 40,756 inhabitants town in the area of Bergstraße, at the edge of the Odenwald mountains with views over the Rhine plain, in the southern part of Hesse in Germany (very close to Rhineland-Palatinate and Baden-Württemberg). It's a nice starting point to discover the area of
Bergstraße.

 

 

How do I arrive to Bensheim?

  Bensheim is well connected with other cities in Hesse, Baden-Württemberg and in Rhineland-Palatinate.

• Train: there are often trains to destinations within Hesse like Heppenheim and Lorsch (aprox. 5 minutes), Darmstadt (aprox. 15 minutes) or Frankfurt am Main (aprox. 35 minutes). There are also trains to destinations in other federal states such as Worms (aprox. 30 minutes) and Mainz (aprox. 1 hour) in Rhineland-Palatinate and Mannheim (aprox. 35 minutes) or Heidelberg (aprox. 40 minutes)in Baden-Württemberg. 
• Bus: there are buses to many cities in Hesse and neighbouring states.
• Car: having a car the visitor can reach destinations in Hesse like Heppenheim and Lorsch (aprox. 15 minutes), Darmstadt (aprox. 25 minutes) or Frankfurt am Main (aprox. 45 minutes) and Hanau (aprox. 50 minutes). There are also trains to destinations in other federal states such as Worms (aprox. 30 minutes) and Mainz (aprox. 50 minutes) in Rhineland-Palatinate or Mannheim and Heidelberg (aprox. 35 minutes) in Baden-Württemberg. 

History

South Hesse area was settled quite early on and in 765, Basinsheim was first mentioned in the Lorsch Abbey’s Codex Laureshamensis (the name changed from Basinsheim to Basinusheim, then to Besensheim and finally Bensheim). Town rights were granted early on by Emperor Otto I in 956 and great parts of Bensheim were destroyed in the siege of 1301 by King Albrecht I. Bensheim became then part of the Electorate of Mainz's domains, being part of the domains of the Counts of Katzenelnbogen. When the Katzenelnbogens died out in 1479 Bensheim experienced a boom till 1650 as town of the Electorate of the Palatinate was embroiled in the Bavarian-Palatine war of succession in 1504. The introduction of the Reformation separated the town more with the neighbours and after theThirty Years' War it was once again redeemed by the Archbishopric of Mainz. When the Holy Roman Empire was dissoluted Bensheim passed to the Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt (who joined the Confederation of the Rhine in 1806 and was raised to Grand Duke). In 1918, the Grand Duke was removed and out of the Grand Duchy of Hesse the People's State of Hesse was formed. During Kristallnacht (9 November 1938,) the synagogue was destroyed and in Auerbach, a subcamp of Natzweiler-Struthof Concentration Camp was built. In 1945 many parts of the Old Town were destroyed by incendiary bombs and, after being conquered by the Americans, Bensheim passed to the newly formed state of Hesse.

What can I visit in Bensheim?

  Besnsheim has some half-timbered houses in its Altstadt, most of them located around Marktplatz. 

These are Bensheim's main attractions:

• Bensheim Town Museum (15-18 Thu-Fri, 12-18 Sat-Sun; 2.50€/ 1€  adults/ students and people under 18): museum that shows the history of Bensheim from its first days to industrialization, Nazi period and our days.  It also shows the prehistory and early history of the area, agriculture and viticulture or the local handicrafts from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It can host temporary exhibitions too.
  
• St. Georg Catholic Church: Neo-Classical church built in 1830, oldest Catholic church in town, when the previous church was demolished (except for the church tower). The church was destroyed by fire bombs during an air raid in 1945, rebuilt short afterwards. It's one of the most important churches in southern Hesse and in Bergstraße.
• St. Joseph Hospitalkirche: church with from around 1500, used as a sickroom and only after the construction of a hospital for purely church purposes, extensively renovated In 1869. Its structure is quite simple and built in red-brick.
• All over the town there are many half-timbered houses that make Bensheim an unique town. Some of the most beautiful ones are Walderdorffer Hof (old noble court that is the oldest timber-frame house in southern Hesse, built in 1395), Wambolter Hof, Dalberger Hof, Rodensteiner Hof or Hohenecker Hof.
• Fürstenlager Park: large park that was a former summer residence from 1790 built by the Landgraves and Grand Dukes of Hessen-Darmstadt. It has one of the first English gardens in whole Germany, having also stately houses, monuments and garden temples as well as a number of courtyard buildings (arranged in the shape of a traditional village). 
• Synagoge in Auerbach: synagogue built in 1779, renovated in 1874 and 1911, that wasn't destroyed during the Kristallnacht. Its last service was in 1932.
  
• Ruins of Auerbacher Castle: remains of the Schloss that was built originally by Charlemagne and rebuilt by the Counts of Katzenelnbogen in the 13th century. It's a wonderful location is one of the most popular excursion destinations due to its wonderful location with enjoy a great view over Bergstrasse, Odenwald and the Rhine valley. It has a restaurant too. 

Ruins of Auerbacher Castle

Walderdorffer Hof

 

Königshalle at Lorsch Abbey

There's a mountainous road route, Bergstraße, that goes from southern Hesse to northern Baden-Württemberg, beginning in Darmstadt and finishing in Heidelberg. In the north of Bensheim there are some nice towns, such as Zwingenberg and Seeheim-Jugenheim, but in the south of of Bensheim are located the nicest towns. One of them is Lorsch (13,703 inhabitants), a beautiful town located on 9 km southwest from Bensheim. It has a lot of picturesque buildings, mostly located around Marktplatz, but the main reason to visit Lorsch is to discover its UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1991, Lorsch Abbey (10-17 Tue-Sun; 3€/ 2€  adults/ reduced). This former Imperial abbey was one of the most renowned monasteries of the Carolingian Empire that, despite being in its ruined state, remains being one most important pre-Romanesque–Carolingian style buildings in Germany. The abbey produced great chonicles that have helped to understand early medieval Germany such as Lorscher Codex (1170s) or the Codex Aureus of Lorsch. The ancient entrance hall, Königshalle, built in the 9th century by king Louis II, is the oldest largely intact monument of Carolingian architecture. The complex has a museum that shows monastic history and folklore, a reminiscent herb garden and its tobacco museum. The town has the 18th century Lorsch Old Town Hall, that nowadays works as Tourist Information Office.

Marktplatz in Heppenheim

Continuing on the route, 10 km east, the visitor reaches Heppenheim (26,097 inhabitants), a town on the western edge of the Odenwald mountain range with an impressing Alstadt that has been largely preserved. The most impressing site is Marktplatz, with the fountain Marktbrunnen surrounded by half-timbered buildings. One of the main buildings in the square is Heppenheim Town Hall (built in 1561 but rebuilt in as a Baroque half-timbered Rathaus in 1705). The town has other interesting things to see such as St. Peter Catholic Church, a Neo-Gothic church built in the early 20th century. It's sometimes nicknamed as the Cathedral of the Bergstraße because of its size. To know more about the history of the town it can be visited the Museum of History and Folklore of Heppenheim (8-15 Mon-Fri, 10-13 Sat), located in a timber-framed building, Kurmainzer Amtshof, built in 1239. On the outskirts of the town it can be seen Starkenburg (8-15 Mon-Fri, 10-13 Sat), a Burg was built in 1065 to protect Lorsch Abbey and fell into disrepair in 1768 untill being restored in the year 1877. The large tower can be climbed on Sundays upon request and today the castle is used as a youth hostel and a restaurant.

Michelstadt Town Hall

Outside the route it can be found Michelstadt (16,007 inhabitants), town in the region of Odenwald located 35 km far from Darmstadt that is close to the meeting point of Hesse with Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. The highlight of the town is its picturesque medieval town center where it can be seen Michelstadt Town Hall (a half-timbered building in late-Gothic style that has been a city landmark since 1484), Michelstadt Lutheran Church (church completed in 1490, built to replace a Carolingian church, that until the 1970s housed one of the most valuable libraries in Germany belonging to Nicolaus Matz), the Museum of the Synagoge of Michelstadt (late Baroque synagogue built in 1791 that exhibits cult objects to commemorate the former Jewish residents) or remains of the town wall with a gate and a defensive tower. The Altstadt has many timbered houses and some of the squares keep old fountaines such as Marktbrunnen or Schwiegermutterbrunnen. Outside the center of the town the visitor can reach the Basilica of Einhard (10-17 Tue-Sun from Apr to Oct; 10-16 Tue-Sun from Nov to Mar; 3.50€/ 2€  adults/ students and people under 18), a Carolingian church built between 824 and 827 by Einhard (Charlemagne's chronicler and confidant) that is one few Carolingian buildings that have survived largely intact

Palace of the Counts of Erbach-Fürstenau

(although it was converted, expanded and rededicated many times until 1873). Next to it is located the Palace of the Counts of Erbach-Fürstenau, a Schloss complex with a series of building styles that includes remains of the old Electorate of Mainz border fortifications and moated castle, the gigantic Renaissance style gateway arch, to the Renaissance palace mill, a former mint, the Baroque Kavaliershaus (a palace outbuilding for staff and guests), the Neoclassical residential wing, the Neues Palais and the late Baroque orangery in the palace park in English style. The princely Counts of Erbach-Fürstenau still live at Fürstenau Palace but public access to the ground and is possible by day. In the district of Würzberg remains of a Roman fort, Römerkastell, which was built as part of the Neckar-Odenwald-Lines around the year 100 AD and a small Roman bathhouse.

Where can I eat in Bensheim?

Bensheim has some nice restaurants such as Blauer Aff (Kappengasse 2).

Posted in: Europe,Germany,Hesse