Mörlenbach

Mörlenbach
Municipality
Old town hall
Coat of arms
Location of Mörlenbach within Bergstraße district <imagemap>File: Mörlenbach in HP.svg | 240x240px poly 165 34 175 53 194 43 199 50 219 59 276 59 288 71 233 95 185 105 185 101 159 101 141 88 136 68 Groß-Rohrheim poly 326 52 311 64 328 82 348 67 374 68 378 79 421 58 Zwingenberg poly 135 67 144 93 181 101 190 105 231 92 246 147 222 138 203 162 173 147 129 141 58 175 34 125 68 92 Biblis poly 221 319 257 362 292 408 334 408 375 374 359 285 294 300 251 295 Viernheim poly 144 142 148 175 127 200 110 200 120 208 136 225 181 248 258 236 276 236 328 217 319 246 332 246 346 286 300 297 254 295 221 317 170 291 125 298 53 177 127 141 Lampertheim poly 145 144 145 178 127 200 114 203 125 211 133 221 182 249 257 233 239 178 257 165 257 157 240 157 236 166 224 171 Bürstadt poly 289 71 322 131 291 166 280 196 248 202 242 178 259 160 243 159 237 168 219 165 218 169 203 162 219 139 243 145 233 93 Einhausen poly 316 134 338 128 341 136 328 148 329 162 340 160 353 182 350 197 356 252 343 264 335 243 319 251 328 215 282 236 259 234 249 203 282 196 289 166 Lorsch poly 289 71 322 128 335 131 338 136 326 145 340 159 351 184 512 136 507 113 488 108 467 113 437 105 461 58 409 59 380 77 375 67 347 65 325 83 307 50 Bensheim poly 497 7 469 25 479 47 457 61 437 99 467 113 488 107 509 117 512 136 524 138 532 126 532 113 596 56 587 52 552 64 521 33 503 24 Lautertal poly 621 37 532 111 526 134 596 151 620 129 607 114 627 105 636 92 610 67 623 49 Lindenfels poly 353 181 525 135 524 160 535 182 526 190 531 200 526 217 482 237 357 251 Heppenheim poly 488 233 481 258 466 267 449 239 Heppenheim poly 526 136 599 151 620 122 656 147 667 147 673 165 697 169 715 178 740 172 740 187 679 194 669 178 656 200 635 228 620 236 544 214 561 196 547 172 528 154 Fürth poly 721 188 682 194 666 177 636 220 633 260 696 273 700 263 722 260 730 245 736 233 724 209 713 200 Grasellenbach poly 529 157 553 177 559 197 541 211 621 236 632 231 632 264 633 282 608 298 565 277 571 255 553 248 553 236 507 224 528 220 Rimbach poly 501 224 552 234 549 248 567 249 567 274 624 312 610 317 592 352 578 340 567 350 555 352 562 314 532 300 521 304 488 270 483 249 Mörlenbach poly 635 261 694 271 699 264 722 260 722 246 746 261 728 263 740 313 733 326 749 393 774 405 758 436 691 441 661 460 647 435 647 403 624 399 636 384 608 319 626 319 610 298 635 282 Wald-Michelbach poly 492 274 521 303 529 298 559 317 553 353 568 353 577 340 596 360 589 384 498 363 467 310 Birkenau poly 604 319 590 415 618 421 632 401 635 383 Abtsteinach poly 498 363 592 381 589 417 501 417 Gorxheimertal poly 756 467 801 485 820 522 765 549 758 544 746 576 702 534 691 524 667 528 654 501 691 476 703 504 733 494 Hirschhorn poly 664 525 691 522 697 570 715 581 719 595 690 624 667 601 651 622 626 608 657 587 672 556 Neckarsteinach poly 696 533 745 567 719 589 700 571 Michelbuch poly 200 0 12 1 4 644 221 651 228 550 159 533 181 498 107 355 129 306 36 120 135 70 Rhineland-Palatinate poly 126 298 181 292 216 319 288 405 344 408 384 366 365 282 347 280 347 264 449 242 466 266 485 266 485 286 470 289 495 386 501 414 611 423 639 403 647 432 661 463 749 438 756 470 704 507 713 488 690 473 651 498 669 559 620 613 645 624 669 605 690 626 755 564 826 522 799 495 837 442 939 441 936 644 224 650 Baden-Württemberg poly 199 0 166 37 176 55 197 42 200 52 276 58 288 71 310 43 303 0 Groß-Gerau (district) poly 304 0 310 43 461 58 476 49 472 22 498 7 509 31 526 33 550 61 581 52 624 39 673 1 Darmstadt-Dieburg poly 673 0 626 37 626 47 613 59 635 85 629 110 607 113 664 145 682 171 743 174 740 190 713 199 728 211 739 234 730 248 748 263 731 264 742 314 736 331 749 390 773 406 758 467 805 485 837 442 937 441 940 0 Odenwaldkreis desc bottom-left </imagemap>
Mörlenbach Mörlenbach
Coordinates: 49°35′57″N 8°44′5″E
Country	Germany
State	Hesse
Admin. region	Darmstadt
District	Bergstraße
Subdivisions	7 parts
Government
• Mayor (2021–27)	Erik Kadesch
Area
• Total	27.22 km2 (10.51 sq mi)
Elevation	160 m (520 ft)
Population  (2022-12-31)
• Total	10,166
• Density	370/km2 (970/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes	69509
Dialling codes	06209, 06201 (Rohrbach)
Vehicle registration	HP
Website	www.moerlenbach.de

Mörlenbach is a municipality in the Bergstraße district in southern Hesse, Germany.

Geography

Location

The community lies in the Odenwald some 25 km north of Heidelberg and about 30 km northeast of Mannheim, as well as lying 8 km southeast of Heppenheim. It is found on Bundesstraße 38 and through it flow the Weschnitz and the community’s namesake, the Mörlenbach.

Neighbouring communities

Mörlenbach borders in the north on the community of Rimbach, in the east on the communities of Wald-Michelbach and Abtsteinach, in the south on the community of Birkenau, in the west on the town of Hemsbach and the community of Laudenbach (both in the Rhein-Neckar-Kreis in Baden-Württemberg), and in the northwest on the town of Heppenheim.

Constituent communities

Mörlenbach’s Ortsteile are Mörlenbach-Mitte, Weiher, Bonsweiher, Ober-Mumbach, Kleinbreitenbach, Großbreitenbach, Vöckelsbach, Ober-Liebersbach, Geisenbach, Rohrbach, Bettenbach and Juhöhe.

Climate

Owing to its location on the Bergstraße, a mild climate prevails in Mörlenbach, which often leads to what, in Germany, is a very early blossoming of the almond trees.

Panorama of Mörlenbach

History

In 795, Mörlenbach had its first documentary mention. In the 13th century, Mörlenbach gained strategic importance because it lay between Electorate of the Palatinate and the Archbishopric of Mainz. In 1995, Mörlenbach celebrated its 1,200 year jubilee. In the course of municipal reform, the outlying centres were amalgamated into Mörlenbach in 1970 and 1971.

Politics

New Town Hall of 1978

Community council

The municipal election held on 26 March 2006 yielded the following results:

Parties and voter communities		% 2006	Seats 2006	% 2001	Seats 2001
CDU	Christian Democratic Union of Germany	42.7	13	41.6	15
SPD	Social Democratic Party of Germany	23.8	8	27.3	10
GREENS	Bündnis 90/Die Grünen	10.3	3	7.4	3
BV	Bürgervereinigung	10.1	3	13.6	5
UFW/FWG	Unabhängige Freie Wähler/ Freie Wählergemeinschaft	7.3	2	6.6	3
FDP	Free Democratic Party	5.8	2	3.5	1
Total		100.0	31	100.0	37
Voter turnout in %		47.7		54.0

Mayor

The mayor is chosen in a direct election for a term of six years. Since 1991, Lothar Knopf has been Mörlenbach’s mayor. Since 2015, Jens Helmstädter is Mörlenbach’s mayor.

Coat of arms

The community’s arms might be described thus: Gules three bells argent in triangle inverted.

The three bells are the subject of a local legend, according to which they were plunged into a pond during the Thirty Years' War lest they be stolen by invaders sacking the community. Later, however, even after an intensive search, they were not found again.

Town partnerships

• Großbreitenbach, Thuringia
• Aszófő, Veszprém, Hungary
• Gárdony-Agárd, Fejér, Hungary
• Gondreville, Meurthe-et-Moselle, France

Culture and sightseeing

Buildings

On the marketplace with its village fountain are found the Old and New town halls, the Catholic church and a restored remnant of a defensive wall from the 13th century.

Cross from 1822

Saint Bartholomew’s Catholic Parish Church

Community centre

The Old Town Hall comes from the year 1504, according to the lintel, although the timber framing was heavily modified in the late 17th century. Until 1930 or 1931 it was used as a school and a teacher’s house, but was then built into the mayor’s administrative seat, which was moved to the newly built New Town Hall in 1978. Now renovated both inside and outside, it is now used for, among other things, performing civil marriages.

The Catholic Saint Bartholomew’s Parish Church (Pfarrkirche St. Bartholomäus) from the 12th and 13th centuries houses among other artworks three altars, among them one by Michel Erhart from 1494 and a 400-year-old organ from the chapel of the Friedrichsbau, a Renaissance building at Heidelberg Castle.

In Mörlenbach are found several crosses made of red sandstone, like the one before the Catholic Church’s southern transept from 1822.

The community centre (Bürgerhaus), completed in 1994 offers room for up to 900 persons and is used for a broad spectrum of events.

Regular events

Each year on the last weekend in August, the Mörlenbach church consecration festival (Kerwe), whose centre forms the “festival village”, is held.

On the first weekend in Advent each year, the Mörlenbach Advent Market is held at the Town Hall.

Every other year, in the centre of Mörlenbach, trade, craft and industry stage the Krämermarkt (“Traders’ Market”), which is as much a performance as it is the upholding of old customs.

Culture and sightseeing

Education

• 6 kindergartens
• 1 primary school
• 1 school for help with learning (Weschnitztalschule)

B38 running through the community

Transport

Owing to Mörlenbach’s central location in the Weschnitz valley, it is a transport hub. Through Mörlenbach runs Bundesstraße 38, which is the main traffic artery in the Rhine-Neckar agglomeration. In the heart of the community, the L 3120, coming from the Überwald, meets the B 38 and runs farther on to Heppenheim. The Saukopftunnel, dedicated in 1999, links Mörlenbach directly to the Autobahn network.

The B 38a bypass is in planning and should lead to a lightening of the traffic load within the community. The planning was however delayed by discrepancies between the supporters of different alternatives for realizing the project, with environmental groups favouring a tunnel under the community (Variant W4) and the community itself advocating a detour around the community (Variant O2).

Mörlenbach lies in the area of the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Neckar (“Rhine-Neckar Transport Network”). Mörlenbach railway station is on the Weschnitztalbahn (Weinheim–Fürth (Odenwald)) and is served hourly – half-hourly at weekday peak times – by DB Regio AG Regionalbahn trains. The station is the former junction where the now disused Überwaldbahn branched off for Wald-Michelbach.

External links

• (in German)
• Mörlenbach at Curlie (in German)