Messel

Messel is a municipality in the district of Darmstadt- Dieburg in the state of Hesse, northeast of Darmstadt.

2.1 Prehistory
2.2 Territorial History
2.3 Historical Place Names
2.4 Population development
2.5 History of Religion

Geography

Geographical Location

The municipality is located 172 m above sea level, 9 km northeast of Darmstadt.

Neighboring communities

Messel is bordered to the north by the cities Dreieich and Rödermark (both Offenbach district ) and the community Eppertshausen, on the east by the municipality of Münster and the city Dieburg, to the south by the town of Gross -Zimmern, the latter all in the district of Darmstadt- Dieburg, as well as in west on the district-free city of Darmstadt.

Community structure

Messel consists of the main town of Messel and the living space Messel Pit ( not to be confused with the UNESCO World Heritage Site Messel Pit ).

History

Prehistory

The district of Messel was visited before the Neolithic people and also permanently settled from the Neolithic period. Archaeological finds indicate that, as a Beaker, who was found at Moret- lane.

In the Iron Age Celts settled in the room Messel. They have also left many traces. Was greatly influenced by the Roman occupation of southern Hesse, the neighboring Dieburg developed into a commercial center. Pottery, coins and handicrafts from this period have survived. A complete change took place with the beginning of the Germanic migrations. 260 AD by the Alamanni broke the limit. The Roman Empire was on its right bank of the Rhine.

Territorial history

With the onset of the Early Middle Ages Südhessen came under Frankish influence. With the Christianization and the structure of the church, the area received - even at Messel - a new structure. The monastery Lorsch, heavily promoted by the Carolingian rulers, was the regional power and culture. Thus, the earliest mention of Messel from the year 800 comes from an entry in the Lorsch Codex.

At the northwest edge of the village in the area of today's sports ground in the hallway " Ringelwoog " a moated castle was built. They dated to the period around 1100. It is an indication of the construction under Abbot Anselm of Lorsch ago. From the castle no longer remains above ground are obtained.

After the dissolution of the monastery Lorsch 1232 whose entire possessions fell to the Archbishopric of Mainz. 1303 the village belonged to Mark Roeder. 1403 hen Groschlag received the advocacy of the site by the Earl of Katzenelenbogen fief. 1455 allowed the Emperor Frederick III. the Archbishop of Mainz increasing the country duty to Messel and Hesse. 1490 enfeoffed Landgraf Wilhelm II of Hesse Ludwig Groschlag goods in Messel. 1495 belonged Oswalt Groschlag a pond in Messel. The Lords of Groschlag so accumulated a number of rights in Messel and were so until 1799 local lords, the year in which the last male member of the family died.

Now Messel was awarded as fief to the kurmainzischen Minister Franz Joseph Martin of Albini ( 1748-1816 ). The wanted the Messel as local lords but do not recognize, but they paid homage on May 31, 1799 daughters of the last of the family Groschlag. Albini enforced its recognition, however, by the occupation of the town with 50 Mainz Hussars. However Albini remained only until 1806 local Lord, the place fell to the Grand Duchy of Hesse. The Albini were, however, until 1821 Patrimonial and thus court masters of the place. Since the times of the Grand Duchy Messel was one of the following administrative units:

1821: District District lengths in the province Starkenburgring the Grand Duchy of Hesse;
1832: Groß -Gerau with the introduction of circles in the Grand Duchy of Hesse;
1848: Darmstadt Region, while the division of the province Stark castle in government districts;
1852: Circle Darmstadt, with the abolition of the administrative districts by the end of the province Starkenburgring;
From 1938 in Darmstadt, than in the course of municipal reform in 1938, the three Hessian provinces Starkenburgring, Rheinhessen and Oberhessen be resolved in circles,
1977: Circle darmstadt the castle, in which the circle Darmstadt rises in the course of municipal reform in Hesse.

Until 1838 the parish of Ober-Roden held the small tithes in Messel. Mid-19th century, the population increased significantly. After several bad harvests and famine left nearly 10 % of the population their home and emigrated to America.

Another big change came with the discovery of oil shale deposits that have been exploited since the 1870s by the union Messel in the Messel Pit. Subsequently manufacturing plants that were together with the mine for nearly a century, the main employer in the town arose.

In the course of municipal reform in Hesse, the municipality has been greatly expanded on 1 January 1977 by the Law on the reorganization of the districts of Darmstadt and Dieburg and the city of Darmstadt south. Until then, the southern boundaries border corridor to the receiving waters, who accompanied the edge of the forest to the southwest, about hundred meters south of the station Messel under crossed the Roßdörfer road and a few hundred meters followed in the eastern part of the directed to the southeast Zeilharder through the groves of Dieburger marrow and in the western part further from led right into the Sülzbach or Silzbach flowing towards Wixhausen to the west. By law, the district Zeilharder forest into which to south, the previously independent municipalities Zeilhard, Georgenhausen and small rooms divided into approximately equal width strips from north and the south of subsequent district Spachbrücker forest that formed the communal forest of Spachbrücken were incorporated into the municipality of Messel. The nearly 500 -meter-wide strip of woods of the village of Klein - rooms north of Spachbrücker and small carpenter boundary path included, in particular the center of the fossil finding site of Messel Pit and the housing estate south of the station Messel at the Roßdörfer road then about 300 inhabitants.

Historically place names

In the historical documents of the place is occupied over the centuries under different local names:

Massila ( 800 )
Massilia ( 813)
Stehelin mesela ( 1105)
Messela ( 1303)
Measuring ele ( 1308)
Messel ( 1358 )
Messeln ( 1438 )
Messel (1454 )
Meschell (1688 )
Mesßel (1688 )
Mescheln (1722)

Population Development

Documented population figures are:

History of Religion

When a church was built in Messel for the first time, is not known. The steeple of the Protestant church today dates from the mid 15th century. The church was under the patronage of the Apostle Bartholomew. She was initially a branch church of Ober-Roden. Even before 1550 Messel was elevated to an independent parish. Church Safety Authority was in the early modern period, the Archdeacon of St. Peter and Alexander, Aschaffenburg, Country Chapter Rodgau.

With the Reformation, the Messel church was converted to the Lutheran faith, also the Lutheran Count of Hanau -Lichtenberg had the right of presentation for the priest. 1560 was small rooms - maybe that's why - released from the Archbishop of Mainz from the Pfarrverband.

A Jewish community existed in Messel probably been around since the 15th century, your share of the population in Messel varied between 10 and 20%. The synagogue of Messel was one of the oldest in the territory of the Grand Duchy. 1830 It was replaced by a new building of wooden houses Gasse 20. In the era of National Socialism and profaned privatized, the building, a half-timbered house, demolished in the 1970s.

As a Roman Catholic church, first in 1945, inaugurated Anthony Chapel served in the district of Messel. In 1957, the St. Boniface Church was consecrated in Messel.

Policy

The municipal election held on March 27, 2011 here had the following result:

Traffic

The Messel station is located in the district of Messel Pit, on the Main- Rhine railway, between Aschaffenburg and Wiesbaden Darmstadt and Mainz. The rail connection was established in 1858. Train station can be reached from Messel from a combined foot and bicycle path. Consist Park Ride parking is available on site. In addition, the station of buses to Darmstadt - Kranichstein is ( there connection to the tram Darmstadt ) is approached, Darmstadt - Oberwaldhaus and to Rödermark. On the weekends there are bus services to individual Heusenstamm over Dreieich - Offenthal.

Attractions

Messel is famous mainly because of the fossil site Grube Messel, which was declared by UNESCO in 1995 as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Since 2010, there is at the entrance of the pit a visitor information center.

The Fossil and Heritage Museum presents an exhibition Messel fossils finds, mining, industrial and history of Messel. The museum is located in the oldest known schoolhouse of the community, a building that was built in 1785.

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