Oppenheim

For other uses, seeOppenheim (disambiguation).

Oppenheim (German:[ˈɔpn̩haɪm]^ⓘor[ˈɔpm̩haɪm]) is a town in theMainz-Bingen district of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.

Oppenheim
Town
Aerial view 2007
Coat of arms
Location of Oppenheim within Mainz-Bingen district
Oppenheim Show map of Germany Oppenheim Show map of Rhineland-Palatinate
Coordinates:49°51′20″N08°21′37″E / 49.85556°N 8.36028°E /49.85556; 8.36028
Country	Germany
State	Rhineland-Palatinate
District	Mainz-Bingen
Municipal assoc.	Rhein-Selz
Government
• Mayor(2019–24)	Walter Jertz^[1]
Area
• Total	7.09 km² (2.74 sq mi)
Elevation	100 m (300 ft)
Population (2022-12-31)^[2]
• Total	7,560
• Density	1,100/km² (2,800/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes	55276
Dialling codes	06133
Vehicle registration	MZ
Website	www.stadt-oppenheim.de

Geography

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Location

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The town lies on theUpper Rhine inRhenish Hesse betweenMainz andWorms. It is the seat of theVerbandsgemeinde (special administrative district).

History

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In 765, the first documented mention of theFrankish village was recorded in theLorsch Codex, in connection with an endowment byCharlemagne to theLorsch Abbey. Further portions of Oppenheim were added to the endowment in 774. In 1008, Oppenheim was granted market rights. In October 1076 Oppenheim gained special importance in theInvestiture Controversy. At the princely session ofTrebur and Oppenheim, the princes called onKing Henry IV to undertake the "Walk to Canossa". After Oppenheim was returned to theEmpire in 1147, it became aFree Imperial City in 1225, during theStaufer EmperorFrederick II's reign. At this time, the town was important for its imperial castle and theBurgmannen who lived there.

In the 14th century, the town was pledged to theElectorate of Mainz and beginning in 1398, it belonged to the territory of theElectoral Palatinate.

In 1621, the Oppenheim town chronicle reports a great fire in which the Oppenheim Town Hall was almost completely destroyed. The ElectoralOberamt archive, too, was lost in the fire, and so it was moved to Mainz.^{[clarification needed]}

On 14 September 1620,Spanish troops overran the town in theThirty Years' War. The Spaniards occupied Oppenheim until 1632. In 1688,French troops overran the town in theNine Years' War (1688–1697). On 31 May 1689, Landskrone Castle and the town were utterly destroyed by the French under GeneralMélac. Until 1797, Oppenheim remained anElectoral Palatinate holding. After being in French hands, Oppenheim passed, in 1816, to theGrand Duchy of Hesse-Darmstadt. It remained Hessian until 1945.

In March 1945, troops of the3rd Army under GeneralGeorge S. Patton managed to build a crossing over the Rhine near Oppenheim and to occupy it.

Twin cities

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Coat of arms

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The town'sarms might be described thus: Or an eagle displayed sable.

All town seals up until 1925 showed a crowned king's head, but for one, from 1266, that showed the Emperor on his throne. Nevertheless, the town adopted arms with this composition while still using the king's head seal. The arms have not changed since their adoption.

The arms have been borne since 1609.^[3]

Culture

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Katharinenkirche

Katharinenkirche is aGothic church.

Economy and infrastructure

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Public institutions

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The administration of theVerbandsgemeinde of Nierstein-Oppenheim is based in Oppenheim.

Notable people

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Kaspar Sturm [de] guidedMartin Luther to theDiet of Worms

Johann von Dalberg (1455–1503), bishop and politician.
Kaspar Sturm [de] (1481–1523),herald who guidedMartin Luther to theDiet of Worms and back.
Paul Wallot (1841–1912), German architect, designer of the Reichstag building in Berlin.
Johanna Senfter (1879–1961), 20th century composer

People who have worked there

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Friedrich Koch, (1786–1865), apothecary, inventor of industrialquinine manufacture.

Madern Gerthener (b. about 1360; d. 1430), City master builder, sculptor
Johannes Pauli (b. 1450/54; d. after 1530), friar, writer.
Jakob Köbel (1460–1535), publisher and quiet.
Anton Praetorius (1560–1613), clergyman, fighter against witch trials and torture.
Johann Theodor de Bry (1561–1623), publisher, Matthäus Merian's father-in-law.
Matthäus Merian (1593–1650), copper engraver.