Mühlheim am Main

Mühlheim am Main
Town
Town hall
Coat of arms
Location of Mühlheim am Main within Offenbach district <imagemap>File: Mühlheim am Main in OF.svg | 240x240px poly 217 161 179 167 177 175 168 186 147 185 124 185 106 197 91 194 62 202 55 204 51 199 43 201 24 227 13 222 10 207 16 189 20 181 30 186 39 174 55 159 76 158 110 159 136 154 153 154 165 150 186 148 204 147 210 146 215 144 233 153 233 157 Neu-Isenburg poly 226 171 240 194 235 207 216 216 226 229 226 239 226 274 232 277 230 295 230 316 229 324 215 322 198 327 187 332 180 322 175 303 166 277 153 274 155 271 144 270 138 259 131 250 127 246 110 243 98 237 92 231 82 222 73 215 66 204 77 199 106 198 127 185 148 185 167 187 174 175 179 168 215 162 Dreieich poly 28 232 35 231 49 266 53 266 54 271 59 271 61 274 65 273 64 268 71 268 75 278 63 284 65 290 82 293 101 296 106 299 115 296 122 297 121 302 132 301 132 305 139 309 150 310 159 337 167 337 173 337 176 335 185 334 185 330 178 319 177 310 166 277 153 275 154 271 145 271 136 257 127 247 108 244 95 235 85 224 74 216 69 208 68 200 59 205 51 201 43 203 26 224 Langen poly 28 233 36 231 50 266 53 266 53 271 59 271 60 274 65 273 63 269 73 268 77 279 65 282 67 292 80 293 101 295 110 298 116 295 122 297 121 302 134 301 133 306 139 311 148 311 158 337 152 339 143 341 133 342 133 339 112 335 103 336 82 325 75 325 64 319 62 314 59 313 59 317 48 312 48 309 60 307 59 296 51 281 33 263 28 232 Egelsbach poly 214 323 231 323 230 301 232 281 240 279 249 284 283 274 282 270 287 269 301 241 310 243 320 240 322 247 335 247 336 254 331 257 339 273 336 277 338 283 345 284 345 291 348 298 345 303 353 313 349 316 349 322 345 331 327 339 306 342 302 345 291 335 279 330 273 332 270 326 258 322 244 335 227 342 207 326 Rödermark poly 233 281 238 278 248 284 281 274 277 268 286 267 298 242 312 242 317 238 311 208 304 212 285 202 281 192 265 188 261 190 254 187 241 195 231 211 217 217 228 229 230 227 230 231 226 234 226 245 226 271 233 277 Dietzenbach poly 227 173 240 194 251 191 256 187 260 191 263 187 280 191 283 198 283 204 303 210 319 201 325 196 341 190 348 186 350 179 356 178 367 168 364 161 355 158 345 162 345 160 338 168 325 164 315 153 317 144 315 138 291 137 273 138 272 146 267 149 260 147 262 154 254 154 257 164 249 169 241 170 242 172 227 174 Heusenstamm poly 310 26 336 32 360 38 399 41 396 60 390 73 381 75 381 91 373 95 372 99 360 98 351 104 347 121 340 124 336 130 340 107 316 100 310 87 314 82 304 72 303 59 294 47 308 43 308 26 Mühlheim am Main poly 351 324 378 314 415 311 424 301 438 295 453 280 455 275 464 271 473 261 474 250 465 232 449 207 436 205 436 194 423 193 423 190 429 179 425 175 426 154 427 144 423 141 419 144 406 140 400 140 401 134 393 132 373 144 376 151 366 143 362 156 369 169 359 175 350 180 348 186 323 198 310 208 319 240 328 246 334 247 336 253 332 258 340 273 336 278 341 283 345 284 351 298 345 305 355 312 352 320 Rodgau poly 381 91 372 95 372 99 363 98 358 99 347 121 342 125 337 131 328 134 319 134 315 140 318 144 314 151 319 159 335 167 344 161 353 157 361 160 367 142 387 134 393 135 394 130 402 131 402 139 411 141 419 143 424 139 429 128 421 125 410 122 395 115 396 112 391 107 394 104 391 93 Obertshausen poly 472 101 465 102 466 104 460 108 435 107 437 117 427 126 428 132 423 141 427 146 426 177 436 170 445 161 450 148 456 153 462 154 468 155 473 158 482 158 479 146 486 147 490 147 488 162 498 153 506 152 514 156 526 148 530 136 534 130 523 123 492 120 477 117 Hainburg poly 519 157 501 153 491 160 488 166 485 155 490 148 482 145 483 158 475 159 467 155 459 154 449 150 447 159 429 176 424 188 427 192 437 192 438 204 445 206 459 222 466 236 471 247 482 257 508 259 506 218 514 221 519 216 526 210 537 209 550 213 551 222 567 211 569 192 577 183 553 177 530 185 515 179 511 170 515 161 Seligenstadt poly 509 260 506 219 518 222 520 216 527 211 552 215 551 223 569 213 570 195 575 184 585 193 583 216 590 235 586 245 592 256 605 261 608 267 600 275 587 271 582 263 573 257 565 266 557 262 548 264 537 262 519 261 Mainhausen poly 59 358 56 348 95 348 109 345 117 335 139 340 189 332 196 337 196 358 Darmstadt poly -1 348 1 329 28 329 16 325 17 321 24 321 30 312 46 312 57 316 72 321 100 334 116 335 110 344 59 348 59 358 0 357 Darmstadt-Dieburg poly 195 357 197 335 187 332 190 326 207 323 228 341 241 335 256 323 271 325 272 330 289 331 300 344 304 340 325 338 346 330 351 321 382 312 414 310 423 300 435 295 461 272 466 272 474 252 479 256 529 265 567 264 577 326 568 345 577 348 578 359 Darmstadt-Dieburg poly 616 56 564 65 541 93 542 133 530 136 512 170 523 179 531 181 551 177 584 184 587 226 595 236 590 243 599 255 611 265 603 276 585 273 573 259 568 267 578 322 569 342 577 346 577 356 617 357 Bavaria poly 261 0 261 9 266 13 258 17 271 19 308 24 363 36 399 39 396 60 391 72 381 76 382 91 391 92 396 114 421 121 428 125 439 116 434 107 472 102 475 114 510 120 532 129 537 133 542 131 539 94 561 63 615 54 614 0 Main-Kinzig-Kreis poly 261 13 280 22 308 24 308 42 296 45 303 55 301 71 312 80 310 85 315 100 339 106 332 133 318 136 270 135 271 146 263 146 259 151 255 151 256 164 237 172 226 174 218 161 235 156 233 152 214 143 187 147 191 134 189 129 198 122 194 116 208 97 220 92 219 86 207 72 194 72 188 66 219 54 246 67 260 57 245 28 Offenbach am Main poly 0 222 19 222 28 230 30 259 51 280 60 295 60 306 52 308 47 312 28 312 25 320 17 321 15 330 -1 328 Groß-Gerau (district) poly -1 221 12 221 9 211 20 180 28 184 35 173 56 159 114 157 129 152 154 153 161 149 187 147 190 134 188 129 199 123 194 113 209 95 218 90 216 82 207 73 188 66 216 54 251 66 260 57 244 35 247 23 263 14 260 0 0 0 Frankfurt desc bottom-left </imagemap>
Mühlheim am Main Mühlheim am Main
Coordinates: 50°7′N 8°55′E
Country	Germany
State	Hesse
Admin. region	Darmstadt
District	Offenbach
Subdivisions	3 Stadtteile
Government
• Mayor	Dr. Alexander Krey (CDU)
Area
• Total	20.67 km2 (7.98 sq mi)
Elevation	103 m (338 ft)
Population  (2022-12-31)
• Total	29,252
• Density	1,400/km2 (3,700/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes	63165
Dialling codes	06108
Vehicle registration	OF
Website	www.muehlheim.de

Mühlheim am Main is a town of roughly 28,500 inhabitants on the Main’s left bank in the Offenbach district in the Regierungsbezirk of Darmstadt in Hesse, Germany. Its municipal area measures 20.67 km² (including outlying centres’ areas).

Geography

Location

Mühlheim is one of 13 towns and communities in the Offenbach district. It lies in the Frankfurt Rhine Main Region south of the Main between Offenbach am Main and Hanau in the historic Maingau region. The Bieber empties into the Rodau within town limits, and the Rodau then empties into the Main.

Population development

(each time at 31 December)

• 1998 - 26,124
• 1999 - 26,210
• 2000 - 26,082
• 2001 - 26,210
• 2002 - 26,396
• 2003 - 26,436
• 2004 - 26,557
• 2005 - 26,582
• 2006 - 26,625
• 2007 - 28,279

Neighbouring communities

Mühlheim borders in the north, along the Main, on the town of Maintal, in the east on the town of Hanau (both in Main-Kinzig-Kreis), in the south on the town of Obertshausen (Offenbach district) and in the west on the district-free city of Offenbach.

Constituent communities

Mühlheim's Stadtteile are Mühlheim, Dietesheim and Lämmerspiel. The main centre itself also has an Old Town and an inner town, as well as residential neighbourhoods named Markwald and Rote Warte.

• 
  St. Markus in Mühlheim
• 
  St. Markus in Mühlheim, within
• 
  St. Markus parochial centre
• 
  View of St. Markus, towards the Main in the northwest
• 
  View of St. Markus, towards the east
• 
  Mühlheim Town Hall
• 
  Dietesheim community core
• 
  Landhaus Hotel Waitz in Lämmerspiel

History

Emperor Louis the Pious donated in 815 Untermühlheim together with Obermühlheim (today called Seligenstadt), which were then in the Frankish Maingau to Einhard. The name Mühlheim goes back to the ten mills (Mühlen in German) which in earlier times stood on the banks of the brooks Rodau and Bieber. Today, though, only one mill has been preserved, the Brückenmühle. This can be visited each year on Whit Monday (German Mill Day).

Brückenmühle

For a long time in the Middle Ages Mühlheim was Mother Church to the surrounding places of Bürgel, Offenbach, Bieber, Heusenstamm, Dietesheim and Lämmerspiel. The spiritual court for the affiliated communities belonging to the Mother Church sat in this time in Mühlheim. From the 14th century, the Lords of Hagenhausen-Eppstein exercised lordly rights (Hoheitsrechte) in Mühlheim. From the Middle Ages until 1819, Mühlheim and the once self-administering communities of Dietesheim and Lämmerspiel belonged to the Biebermark (a communally owned cadastral area), and the outlying woodlands belonged to the Wildbann Dreieich, a royal hunting forest. Within current town limits once lay a place called Meielsheim.

In 1435, Mühlheim, as was so with many places in the area, was sold along with the Amt of Steinheim by the Lords of Eppstein to the Electorate of Mainz. After the Archbishopric of Mainz was secularized, Mühlheim became Hessian. In 1819, after the Biebermark was partitioned, Mühlheim got what is today called the Markwald (forest). In 1873, the Frankfurt-Hanau railway by way of Mühlheim was brought into service. Ever since 1939, when in the framework of National Socialist administrative reform the rural community of Mühlheim and the village of Dietesheim were forcibly merged to become the town of Mühlheim am Main, Mühlheim has had town rights. In 1977, in the framework of municipal reform, Lämmerspiel was amalgamated with the town.

Politics

Town council

The municipal election held on 27 March 2011 yielded the following results:

Parties and voter communities		% 2011	Seats 2011	% 2006	Seats 2006	% 2001	Seats 2001
CDU	Christian Democratic Union of Germany	30.7	14	37.4	17	40.4	18
SPD	Social Democratic Party of Germany	41.3	19	40.2	18	39.4	18
GREENS	Bündnis 90/Die Grünen	13.7	6	8.0	3	9.0	4
FDP	Free Democratic Party	2.4	1	3.6	2	2.5	1
BÜRGER	BÜRGER FÜR MÜHLHEIM e. V.	12.0	5	10.7	5	8.0	4
FWG	Freie Wählergemeinschaft Mühlheim a. Main e.V.	–	–	–	–	0.6	0
Total		100.0	45	100.0	45	100.0	45
Voter turnout in %		44.0		46.6		50.3

Coat of arms

The town's arms might be described thus: Azure a six-spoked waterwheel argent with twelve buckets, in chief three Immertreu of the second with centres Or.

Culture and sightseeing

Theatre

The travesti theatre Gerda’s kleine Weltbühne (Gerda's Little World Stage”) has for more than 30 years been a constant in Mühlheim's cultural life, and been known far beyond Mühlheim and very popular. Its shows are often fully booked months ahead of time.

In the “SCHANZ” cultural hall, the converted former apprentice's workshop of the firm Stahl-Schanz, the Kulturfabrik EigenArt e.V. (a club) has been staging theatrical, cabaret and musical events weekly since 1998.

Museums

Mühlheim has its own town museum. Moreover, there are also private collections, among them Mühlheim entrepreneur Hans-Günter Zach's Rolls-Royce Museum, visits to which are on request, upon payment of a donation for social purposes.

Buildings

Mühlheim's watertower, an historic basalt structure near the Mühlheim railway station, is a widely visible landmark of the town, and is still in use.

Natural monuments

The conservation area Dietesheimer Steinbrüche (“Dietesheim Quarries”) represents a natural backdrop that is unique in the Frankfurt Rhine Main Region. It is the former basalt quarries in the outlying centre of Dietesheim, which, after basalt mining was given up, was renaturalized and opened to the public. Particularly impressive are the basalt cliffs at the Vogelsberger See (lake).

• 
  Mouth of the Bieber into the Rodau
• 
  Mouth of the Rodau into the Main near Mühlheim

Sport

Besides various sport fields for ball sports, there are both an indoor and an outdoor swimming pool in the outlying centre of Lämmerspiel. On the Main, there are rowing sports. Furthermore, it is possible to engage in shooting sports at the Schützengemeinschaft Mühlheim-Dietesheim under Deutscher Schützenbund rules, as well as, in some departments, under Bund Deutscher Sportschützen or Deutschen Schießsport Union rules. Further clubs in Dietesheim, Mühlheim and Lämmerspiel have tennis, table tennis and Kickers-Viktoria Mühlheim 1910 (football).

Regular events

Carnival parade on Shrove Monday 2018

The Fasching (Shrovetide) parades through the centres of Dietesheim and Mühlheim on Shrove Monday (Rosenmontag) and the one through Lämmerspiel on Shrove Tuesday draw a great number of visitors each year from the whole region.

In late July, the cultural club Artificial Family e. V. stages a popular music festival in the former quarries, the Steinbruchfestival (“Quarry Festival”). Also widely popular and well attended in the region is the kermis (Kerb) in the outlying centre of Dietesheim, held each year on the weekend after 15 August. In the main centre of Mühlheim, the Old Town Festival (Altstadtfest) and the Christmas Market (Weihnachtsmarkt) are very popular, too.

Every June the Schützengemeinschaft Mühlheim-Dietesheim (sport shooting club) stages its company and club cup tournament. Eligible to enter are all Mühlheim clubs (about 150) and businesses.

Religion

Catholic parish church St. Markus

Roman Catholicism

As an Electoral Mainz holding, Mühlheim was long a purely Catholic place. The two parishes of St. Maximilian Kolbe and St. Markus as well as the ones in the outlying centres belong as parts of the Deanery of Rodgau to the Diocese of Mainz.

Evangelical Church

The Evangelical parishes of Friedensgemeinde (“Peace Parish”) and Dietrich-Bonhoeffer-Gemeinde are part of the Evangelical Church in Hesse and Nassau.

Free churches

The Seventh-day Adventist Church and the Evangelical Methodist Church have congregations in town.

Others

The Jehovah's Witnesses have a Kingdom Hall in Mühlheim.

Economy and infrastructure

Until the late 1970s, Mühlheim was an important industrial centre in the Offenbach district. In particular, basalt production at the quarries in Dietesheim, the chemical industry (Leonhardt dyeworks as well as rubber processing), gravel quarrying, leatherworking metal industries and the electrical industry were important factors in the economy. Since the end of the 1970s, a broad array of midsized businesses has settled in Mühlheim. Great industrial works are today seldom seen in Mühlheim.

Transport

Like many places in the Offenbach district, Mühlheim is also affected by a high traffic load and its attendant noise pollution. Owing to its location between Offenbach and Hanau, there is quite a high load on Bundesstraße 43. Running parallel to this for the most part is the busy Frankfurt-Fulda railway line, and Mühlheim also lies right on the approach to Frankfurt Airport.

Mühlheim station

Since 1995, Mühlheim has had at its disposal two S-Bahn stations: one in Mühlheim, which replaced the old Mühlheim station, and the other, newly built one in the outlying centre of Dietesheim. Both stations are served by Rhine-Main S-Bahn lines S8 and S9, putting downtown Offenbach only 5 minutes away, downtown Frankfurt 20 minutes away and Frankfurt Airport 35 minutes away. With the beginning of S-Bahn service, the town bus network was also brought into service, which, most importantly, linked the outlying centre of Lämmerspiel to the local public transport network.

Moreover, the Offenbach buslines 103, 107 and 120 come to and pass through Mühlheim.

The Maintal-Dörnigheim Ferry, a cable ferry across the Main, links Mühlheim with the Dörnigheim district of the town of Maintal on the opposite bank.

Media

Among the local media is the daily newspaper Offenbach-Post. Complementing this is the monthly Die lokale Zeitung für Mühlheim, Dietesheim und Lämmerspiel (Zeitung means “newspaper”) with reports about people and events. There are, moreover, several advertising fliers. Reporting at greater length about Mühlheim are the weekly papers Dreieich-Zeitung and Stadtpost Mühlheim. Less often, reports about Mühlheim may be found in the local sections of the Frankfurter Rundschau. There is more often Mühlheim news in the Rhein-Main-Zeitung that comes with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

Education

Mühlheim has the following public schools:

• Friedrich-Ebert-Gymnasium (Mühlheim)
• Friedrich-Ebert-Schule (Hauptschule and Realschule, Mühlheim)
• Goetheschule (primary school with special education class, Mühlheim)
• Johann-Heinrich-Wichern-Schule (school for children with learning difficulties, Dietesheim)
• Markwaldschule (primary school, Markwald neighbourhood)
• Rote-Warte-Schule (primary school, Rote Warte neighbourhood)
• Brüder-Grimm-Schule (primary school, Lämmerspiel)
• Geschwister-Scholl-Schule (primary school, Dietesheim)
• Montessori-Schule Mühlheim (primary school, Nähe Markwald)

In Mühlheim, the first – and thus far only – Montessori primary school in the Offenbach district has been open since 2006. At this school, which is sponsored privately, more than 40 pupils from the first to fourth school years are currently (August 2008) taught in mixed-age classes.

Also, a department of the Verwaltungsfachhochschule Wiesbaden (“Wiesbaden Administration Technical College”), the Wiesbaden Police College, and the Police dog school in Mühlheim am Main are all resident.

Finally, Mühlheim is also home to a folk high school and a music school.

Twin towns – sister cities

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany

Mühlheim am Main is twinned with:

• Saint-Priest, France (1964)

Notable people

The composer Paul Hindemith attended a music school in Mühlheim during five years of his childhood. Here he learnt to play the violin from notes. Also, Napoleon supposedly once stayed here overnight in Mühlheim during a campaign.

Honorary citizens

Among honorary citizens are Bruno Polga, former mayor of the French partner town of St.-Priest, retired district chief (Landrat) Walter Schmitt (SPD), retired first councillor Horst Lehr (SPD), Reinhold Latzke (SPD) and Irmgard Sondergeld (CDU).

Mühlentaler and other awards

The Mühlentaler is an award given out by the town of Mühlheim to selected citizens who have served particularly well in shaping the town, for instance, through its clubs.

Moreover, there are the following awards and honours for those who have shown themselves worthy: the Ehrenurkunde (“Certificate of Honour”), the Ehrenbrief der Stadt Mühlheim (“Letter of Honour of the Town of Mühlheim”), the Ehrenplakette in Bronze (“Badge of Honour in Bronze”) and the Ehrenplakette in Silber (“Badge of Honour in Silver”). It is the Magistrat (roughly, town executive) that decides whom to honour, except for the Ehrenplakette in Silber and the status of honorary citizen. The choice of recipients of these honours is determined by the full town council.

External links

• Media related to Mühlheim am Main at Wikimedia Commons
• Mühlheim am Main at Curlie (in German)