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48-465: Michelstadt is the biggest town in the Odenwaldkreis and borders on the district seat of Erbach . Michelstadt borders in the north on the municipality of Brombachtal , the town of Bad König and the municipality of Lützelbach , in the east on the town of Klingenberg , the market municipalities of Laudenbach and Kleinheubach , the town of Miltenberg , the market municipality of Weilbach ,

96-497: A Roman bath and castra , formerly part of the Neckar-Odenwald Limes . Michelstadt's timber-frame town hall, whose image was used on a Deutsche Post stamp , was built in 1484 in the late Gothic style and later remodelled on the inside many times; from 1743 to 1903 it was covered in shakes . The town hall's main floor served from the beginning as a market hall, and was built using jettying . The back (east) wall

144-468: A Roman Mithraic worship site. The thus channelled Kiliansfloß fed not only the baptismal font, but also all the town's fountains. The Kiliansfloß , however, does not actually rise here, but rather far outside the town. It then disappears into the ground not far from the graveyard, springing up again in the middle of town. The Einhards-Basilika was built by Einhard , Charlemagne's chronicler and confidant. The Carolingian church built between 824 and 827

192-547: A clearing are found the remains of the Roman Castrum of Würzberg, which was built about AD 100 as part of the Neckar-Odenwald- Limes , and was used for about 60 years before the border was shifted farther east. The castrum can only be made out by an earthen wall. The Roman bathhouse, on the other hand, which stands right next to the castrum, has been partially restored; the floors have been replaced and

240-603: A freehold. Einhard also built the Einhardsbasilika . In 819, he bequeathed his Odenwald holdings to Lorsch Abbey and in so doing precisely defined the boundaries of the Mark Michelstadt . Upon Einhard's death on 14 March 840, the monastery came into its inheritance. In the 17th century, the first houses outside the town wall were built. In 1773, a new town gate was built, called the Neutor ("New Gate"). In

288-404: A pattern sculpted in relief ; in brickwork the effect may be achieved by using bricks of different colours, or by allowing certain bricks to protrude from the wall's surface to create a regular diamond-shaped pattern. In English flushwork , limestone and dark knapped flint are used. Windows may be set in a diamond-shaped lattice. In the manuscripts the diapering was used as an alternative to

336-493: A small geometrical or floral pattern that consists of the constant repetition of one or more simple figures or units of design evenly spaced. The term was initially associated with silk with diamond patterns later applied to linen and cotton fabrics of similar designs. In heraldry , diapering is a technique in which those who emblazon, draw, paint, or otherwise depict achievements of arms decorate large areas of flat colour by drawing crosshatches or arabesques . There

384-454: Is any of a wide range of decorative patterns used in a variety of works of art, such as stained glass , heraldic shields , architecture, and silverwork. Its chief use is in the enlivening of plain surfaces. For the full etymology, see " diaper ". The Oxford dictionary gives the Greek dia for "cross" as in "diamond" or "diagonal"; and aspros , Greek for "white". A white diamond or white cloth

432-463: Is from 741, noted by Carloman , who was Charlemagne 's uncle and Mayor of the Palace . Michelstadt is one of the oldest settlements in the inner Odenwald. Its castle grew out of a Frankish baronial estate. This was built into a refuge for the local inhabitants. As a royal estate, Prince Carloman donated it in 741 to Saint Boniface 's pupil Burchard , the first Bishop of Würzburg . This donation

480-427: Is no standard, and each artist is allowed individual idiosyncrasies. With very rare exceptions, diapering is not a part of the blazon , but is mere decoration, or ornamental accessory. Thus a shield with diapering is considered the same as a shield of the same design but without diapering. For this reason diapering must not be so obtrusive or so heavily drawn that it could be mistaken for a substantive charge or for

528-417: Is one of the very few Carolingian buildings that have survived largely intact. The Basilica 's crypt once housed Saints Peter's and Marcellinus's relics , which had been stolen from Rome on Einhard's instructions by his notary Ratleik. His servants' nightmares and the remains' "sweating blood" there, however, made Einhard think that this arrangement did not feel right. He thus transferred himself, his wife,

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576-598: Is still found from time to time in Siberia. Besides the slightly different colour, this is comparable to elephant tusk ivory. Erbach lies on Bundesstraßen 45 and 47, and also on the Odenwald Railway (RMV Line 65; Frankfurt – Darmstadt / Hanau –Erbach– Eberbach ). A planned Bundesstraße 45 bypass proposed since the 1970s has once again been included in Hesse state planning. Diapering#Heraldry Diaper

624-450: Is used on the diagonal, hence the diagonal lattice or reticulation in patterning. In architecture and other decorative arts , diaper is applied as a decorative treatment of a surface with a repeat pattern of squares ( chequers ), rectangles, or lozenges . Diaper was particularly used in medieval stained glass to increase the vividness of a coloured pane, for example the field in a shield of arms. A stone wall may be decorated with such

672-645: The Mittelgebirge Odenwald at elevations between 200 and 560 m in the valley of the Mümling . One geological peculiarity is the creek Erdbach 's complete disappearance within Dorf-Erbach's community area. The Erdbach reappears near Stockheim. There are several places where the Erdbach disappears into the ground. Erbach borders in the north on the town of Michelstadt , in the east on

720-593: The Neoclassical residential wing, the Neues Palais (1810/11) and the late Baroque orangery in the palace park, which was built in the English style. The orangery's upper floor housed the small palace theatre. Schloss Fürstenau is still a dwelling, with the head of the house of the princely Counts of Erbach-Fürstenau and his family still living there. The former Electorate of Mainz defence facility lay on

768-584: The VIAS GmbH stop here. There is also the special landing facility Flugplatz Michelstadt (airfield), which lies roughly 2 km from the town and is run by a club. Erbach (Odenwald) Erbach ( German pronunciation: [ˈɛʁbax] ) is a town and the district seat of the Odenwaldkreis (district) in Hesse , Germany. It has a population of around 14,000. The town lies in

816-611: The gold ground primarily from the late 13th to 15th century, eventually replaced by the landscape background. In Chinese carved lacquer , a convention developed by which the areas of sky, water and floor or ground that would be left largely blank in paintings are filled in with discreet patterns derived from textiles, known as "diaper backgrounds" and also " brocade -grounds" ( 錦地 jǐndì , lit. ‘embroidery[-like] background’); this convention has continued to modern times. They are also used on porcelains, especially borders. Diaper in textiles refers to richly decorated fabrics with

864-543: The 17th century. Indeed, the escutcheon on the Town Hall, pictured in this article, does not show it. The mullets (six-pointed star shapes) come from the Counts' arms, but why the parting per fess (horizontal division across the middle) was chosen is a mystery. Except for diapering , the arms have not changed since the 16th century. Michelstadt's Old Town features many timber-frame houses. Particularly worthy of mention are

912-549: The 19th century, the gate towers were all torn down one after the other. In 1806, Michelstadt, as within the County of Erbach , passed to the Grand Duchy of Hesse . The building of the railway line and its completion through to Darmstadt in 1870 and then Eberbach in 1881 brought Michelstadt a sharp economic upswing. Out of what was once a small farming community grew a sizeable town with important industrial operations on

960-726: The Castrum of Eulbach near the Eulbacher Park , a landscaped English park from the early 19th century with its hunting palace and an adjoining wildlife park. In Michelstadt the two Bundesstraßen 45 and 47 intersect, both are old trade roads from Frankfurt am Main to Augsburg and from Worms to Würzburg respectively. The town is served by a railway station on the Odenwaldbahn (RMV Line 65; Eberbach – Erbach – Michelstadt – Darmstadt – Frankfurt / Hanau ). Regionalbahn , Stadtexpress and Regionalexpress trains of

1008-588: The Rhine until 1806. In 1532 the emperor Charles V made the county a direct fief of the Holy Roman Empire , on account of the services rendered by Count Eberhard during the Palatine Peasants' War . In 1717 the family was divided into the three lines of Erbach-Fürstenau, Erbach-Erbach and Erbach-Schönberg, who rank for precedence, not according to the age of their descent, but according to

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1056-403: The age of the chief of their line. In 1818 the counts of Erbach-Erbach inherited the county of Wartenberg-Roth , and in 1903 the count of Erbach-Schönberg was granted the title of prince (the first Prince was Gustav, husband of Princess Marie of Battenberg ). The county was incorporated with the duchy of Hesse-Darmstadt in the 19th century. The municipal election held on 26 March 2006 yielded

1104-409: The castle have remained almost unchanged since Count Franz I's time (1754–1823). In 2005, the state of Hesse bought the castle for €13,000,000. Within the castle complex is the likewise Late Baroque orangery with the castle garden. In the area of the orangery and the castle garden, a citizens' initiative in the 1970s managed to thwart plans to tear down the orangery and build a highrise hotel on

1152-400: The castle of the princely Counts of Erbach, was built into a residence in the style of the times in the 18th century. Since the noble house did not have the needed materials on hand, only the middle wing of the planned three-winged building was ever built. The façade is to a great extent built out of not sandstone, but rather sheeting or wood coloured to look like it. The antique collections at

1200-830: The following buildings, some within the old town, others in the surrounding countryside: The historic Town Hall, the Diebsturm ("Thief's Tower") at the town wall, the Kellereihof (a Frankish, early mediaeval castle complex refurbished in an early Renaissance style) in the town wall ring, the late Gothic town church (late 13th century), the Einhards-Basilika , the palace of the Counts at Erbach-Fürstenau ( Schloss Fürstenau , within which are parts of an old moated castle in Michelstadt-Steinbach), Jagdschloss Eulbach with an English landscape garden and

1248-609: The following results: Buschmann was re-elected in 2012 with 52.7% of the votes. The town's arms might heraldically be described thus: Gules a bend wavy azure, thereon three mullets of six gules. The wavy bend is taken to be a brook, and the mullets of six (six-pointed stars) were inspired by the arms formerly borne by the princely Counts of Erbach, who were lords of the Odenwald until 1806. Erbach has partnerships with four towns in Europe: Erbach Palace ,

1296-424: The foundation of the centuries-old ironworking . A new economic era began. From the clothweavers' and dyers' guild grew a cloth factory; from foundries grew machine factories. Ivory carving was a starting point for businesses in the souvenir industry and plastics processing. In 1962, the town hosted the second Hessentag state festival. In 2007, a decision to merge the town with the neighbouring town of Erbach

1344-593: The gigantic Renaissance-style gateway arch (1588) between the moated castle's two western corner towers which replaced the castle wall and opened the gloomy, dank courtyard back up to the former castle garden, to the Renaissance palace mill, a former mint (today a run-of-the-river hydroelectric station ), to the Baroque Kavaliershaus (a palace outbuilding for staff and guests) on the Mümling, to

1392-645: The late 14th century. Since the 1970s the library has been housed in a storehouse specially converted for it at the Michelstadt coaching inn that belonged to the Thurn und Taxis noble family, who played a key rôle in European postal services in the 16th century. The former church on this spot was built over a brook that comes up here, called the Kiliansfloß , an early Celtic - Germanic worship site and later

1440-573: The market town of Kirchzell (in Miltenberg district in Bavaria), in the south on the community of Hesseneck and the town of Beerfelden and in the west on the community of Mossautal (all three in the Odenwaldkreis ). A planned merger with the neighbouring town of Michelstadt was blocked in November 2007 by a referendum ( Bürgerentscheid ). For the time being, ways are being sought to deepen

1488-550: The outlying centre of Steinbach was built by the Electorate of Mainz in the 14th century to protect the neighboring Steinbach Monastery and the surrounding estates against the Electoral Palatinate . The construction on feudal land of the lords of Erbach , who were fiefs of the counts palatine, led to complications that were first resolved with the granting of a fiefdom and later the pledging to Erbach. The castle

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1536-455: The property of the Schenk of Erbach (a forefather of the noble family, which at that time had not yet branched) and passed into his ownership in 1355. Public access to the ground and is possible by day. At the outer bailey with its gateway arch from 1765 some visual artists have taken up residence (in among other places the former stables from after 1765). Right near Würzberg, in the middle of

1584-520: The relics and his seat to Ober-Mulinheim am Main, now known as Seligenstadt , which thereby became a pilgrimage site with a new, larger basilica. The story that has been handed down says that the relics hidden from Rome were transported to Saint-Maurice-en-Valais , now in Switzerland , whence they were then brought to Michelstadt by a cheering pilgrimage procession. The Basilica in Steinbach

1632-483: The site The memorial on the castle square to Count Franz I – the last ruling count – that was knocked off its pedestal and thereby broken was repaired and set back in place with support from two Darmstadt artists and some Erbach citizens. The work was financed through grants from the Landesamt für Denkmalpflege ("State Office for Care of Monuments") as well as donations. The Erbacher Wiesenmarkt ("meadow market")

1680-575: The site of a former wooden church. The nave's columns and the two aisles' walls were built in 1475. The quire dates from 1461; the antechoir's north wall is even older – Carolingian. Until the 1970s, the church housed one of the most valuable libraries in Germany in its belltower containing more than a thousand volumes belonging to Michelstadt-born Nicolaus Matz, who was capitular in Speyer , and who bequeathed this collection to his hometown and its citizens in

1728-492: The town of Amorbach and the market municipality of Kirchzell (all seven in Miltenberg district in Bavaria ), in the south on the town of Erbach , and in the west on the municipalities of Mossautal and Reichelsheim . Michelstadt's Stadtteile , besides the main town, also called Michelstadt, are Rehbach, Steinbach, Steinbuch, Stockheim, Vielbrunn, Weiten-Gesäß and Würzberg. The first documentary mention of Michelstadt

1776-407: The town the nickname Elfenbeinstadt ("Ivory Town"). Many artists made their homes here and today their works and activities can still be admired at the town's Deutsches Elfenbeinmuseum Erbach . Owing to widespread bans since 1989, aimed at protecting animals, on dealing in ivory, nowadays comparable materials such as animal horns are used. Very popular as a material is prehistoric mammoth tusk, which

1824-541: The two towns' cooperation, and possibly consider a merger once again in a few years' time. Since the amalgamations within the framework of municipal reform in 1972, the district seat of Erbach has been made up of twelve Stadtteile : Erbach has long been the residence of the Counts of Erbach , who trace their descent back to the 12th century, and who held the office of cup-bearer to the Electors Palatine of

1872-516: The wall has been built back up to a height of about a metre. Despite the bath's small size, which was only meant for the fort's 120-man garrison, the design of a Roman bathhouse is easily recognizable. Not far from the outlying centre of Vielbrunn, in the area around the former hunting palace of the Princes of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg , traces of the Castrum of Hainhaus can still be found. Furthermore, on Michelstadt's eastern outskirts can be found

1920-639: Was apparently meant for Bishop Burchard personally, for the Michelnstat area passed back to the Frankish Crown upon Burchard's death in 791. In 815, the Michlinstat area was donated once again. In recognition of his great merit as confidant at Charlemagne's court, Einhard acquired the main town and all land within two leagues (roughly 15 km) from Charlemagne's son, Louis the Pious , as

1968-433: Was converted, expanded, and rededicated many times and later served first as a hospital and then in the 17th century as a barn. Once it was rediscovered in 1873 as being Carolingian, the exploration and safeguarding of the parts of the basilica that were still intact began. The Einhards-Basilika was until 1967 owned by the princely Counts of Erbach-Fürstenau. The grounds are now owned by the state of Hesse. The castle in

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2016-454: Was divided into Erbach- Erbach , Erbach-Fürstenau, and Erbach-Schönberg (Schönberg near Bensheim ). 1806 the counties were mediatised . The palace complex is a series of building styles which includes remains of the old Electorate of Mainz border fortifications and moated castle (about 1300) on the north side to the Gothic works by the stonecutters who came from Strasbourg to Steinbach, to

2064-474: Was first mentioned in 1310. In 1317 Eberhard VI. of Erbach was mentioned as Burgmann to the count palatine. After the castle had initially been granted to Erbach as a Mainz fief, the lords of Erbach acquired Fürstenau in 1355 and finally in 1454. The County of Erbach became an Imperial state within the Franconian Circle in 1532. Erbach- Breuberg partitioned from Erbach in 1647. In 1717 Erbach

2112-487: Was held under the Michelstadt revolutionary and lawyer Ludwig Bogen's leadership. The Deutsches Elfenbeinmuseum Erbach ("Erbach German Ivory Museum ") has been in existence since 1966 and is unique in Europe. Its exhibits are almost exclusively ivory . Visitors can also watch the resident carvers as they go about their artistic work. Franz I, the last ruling count (1754–1823), introduced ivory carving in 1783, thus giving

2160-524: Was originally called the Eulbacher Markt or Eulbacher Wiesen(Vieh-)markt . Eulbach is an outlying centre of the neighbouring town of Michelstadt. It was once a regionally very important livestock, horse and farm market. The livestock and farm market was only moved to Erbach sometime in the late 19th or early 20th century by the Counts of Eulbach. Until about 1960, the livestock and horse market with its associated horseracing and other horse sports

2208-425: Was originally part of the graveyard wall, upon which the ground floor's upper bressumer was laid. To this day it is unknown who the master builder was, although it is assumed that the driving force behind the project could have been Schenk Adolar von Erbach and Bishop Johann von Dalberg (his adviser). The town church, completed in 1490, was built to replace a Carolingian stone church by Einhard, itself built on

2256-685: Was the main part of the Eulbacher Markt . The Schützenhaus ("Marksmen's House") standing on the way into the Wiesenmarkt , however, suggests that the Eulbacher Markt , at least in part, must already have been held in Erbach as early as the mid 19th century: it was here that the Democratic Revolutionaries met in 1848 and on what is now the market grounds beside the Schützenhaus that the Odenwald "Moot" ( Volksversammlung )

2304-401: Was thwarted by a civic vote. The municipal elections held 2006 and 2016 yielded the following results: List of elected mayors of Michelstadt: The town's arms might be described as per fess azure two mullets. Michelstadt was granted these arms in 1541 along with its new seal by Count Georg of Erbach. The diapering in the lower half of the escutcheon is unhistoric, and only appeared in

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