Flonheim

Flonheim

Coat of arms
Flonheim

Coordinates: 49°47′6″N 8°2′24″E / 49.78500°N 8.04000°E / 49.78500; 8.04000Coordinates: 49°47′6″N 8°2′24″E / 49.78500°N 8.04000°E / 49.78500; 8.04000
Country Germany
State Rhineland-Palatinate
District Alzey-Worms
Municipal assoc. Alzey-Land
Government
 • Mayor Ute Hübner (SPD)
Area
 • Total 14.95 km2 (5.77 sq mi)
Population (2015-12-31)[1]
 • Total 2,702
 • Density 180/km2 (470/sq mi)
Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes 55237
Dialling codes 06734
Vehicle registration AZ
Website www.flonheim.de

Flonheim is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Alzey-Worms district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.

Geography

Location

The municipality lies in the middle of Rhenish Hesse near the Rhine Valley. Through Flonheim flows the river Wiesbach.

Geology

In Flonheim’s municipal area is an old sandstone quarry at which, until the earlier half of the 20th century, Flonheim sandstone was quarried.

Climate

Yearly precipitation in Flonheim amounts to 532 mm, which is rather low, falling into the lowest tenth of the precipitation chart for all Germany. At 7% of the German Weather Service’s weather stations, even lower figures are recorded. The driest month is January. The most rainfall comes in June. In that month, precipitation is twice what it is in January. Precipitation hardly varies over the year. At 28% of the weather stations, lower seasonal swings are recorded.

Neighbouring municipalities

Flonheim’s neighbours are Armsheim, Bornheim, Uffhofen (since 7 June 1969 amalgamated with Flonheim) and Wendelsheim.

History

As early as Roman times, sandstone was being quarried in what is now Flonheim’s municipal area. Some sculptural finds are on display at the Alzey Museum, such as a Viergötterstein (a “four-god stone”, a pedestal on which a Jupiter Column was customarily stood). There has also been a wealth of grave finds from Frankish times, especially a princely grave from the 7th century furnished with weapons.

In 764, Flonheim had its first documentary mention as Flonenheim. In 960 Flonheim was mentioned as the seat of the Emichonen (later called the Counts of Flonheim). About 1133, Waldgrave Emich II endowed an Augustinian church canonical foundation (monastery), which was dissolved in 1554. About 1300, the village was fortified. Until the French Revolution (1792) Flonheim was the seat of a comital Amt.

Halitherium found near Flonheim (Mainz Basin)

In Flonheim stood an early postal station on the roughly 920 km-long Habsburg postal route running from Innsbruck to Mechelen (north of Brussels), which was run by the family Taxis. It is known that the postal station was running from 1506 to about 1558.

During building work, a fossilized sea cow was unearthed in Flonheim. This is now on display at the Senckenberg Museum in Frankfurt.

Amalgamations

In the course of administrative reform, the two municipalities of Uffhofen and Flonheim were merged on 7 June 1969 into today’s municipality of Flonheim.

Politics

Municipal council

The council is made up of 20 council members, who were elected at the municipal election held on 7 June 2009, and the honorary mayor as chairwoman.

The municipal election held on 7 June 2009 yielded the following results:[2]

SPD CDU FWG Total
2009 11 4 5 20 seats
2004 11 4 5 20 seats

Coat of arms

The municipality’s arms might be described thus: Quarterly, first and fourth sable a lion rampant guardant argent langued gules, second Or a lion rampant of the third armed and crowned of the second, and third Or two fish addorsed hauriant of the third.

Town partnerships

Culture and sightseeing

Cinema

In Flonheim is one of Germany’s oldest cinemas (1923), and until his death, Flonheim also had Germany’s oldest projectionist, Hans Frank (1915-2008).[3][4][5]

Flooring (13th century) from the former monastery church

Buildings

Regular events

Economy and infrastructure

Transport

The Autobahn A 61 with its Bornheim interchange runs by about 5 km away. The A 63 can be reached through the Autobahnkreuz Alzey, an Autobahn junction. Local public transport is limited to buslines run by Omnibusverkehr Rhein-Nahe, notably to the town of Alzey.

There was once a railway station on the Wiesbachtalbahn in Flonheim.

Education

Famous people

Sons and daughters of the town

References

  1. ↑ "Gemeinden in Deutschland mit Bevölkerung am 31. Dezember 2015" (PDF). Statistisches Bundesamt (in German). 2016.
  2. ↑ Kommunalwahl Rheinland-Pfalz 2009, Gemeinderat
  3. ↑ Flonheimer Filmtheater Frank
  4. ↑ Das Flonheimer Filmtheater 1923-2004
  5. ↑ „Hans im Glück“ Film über den ältesten Filmvorführer im SWR Fernsehen
  6. ↑ Picture of relief on Langgasse
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