Bergstraße Route

Mountain Road is the name of the street, in the south of Hesse and northern Baden- Württemberg in most cases through the federal highway 3 to 68 kilometers in length from Darmstadt including through Heidelberg to Wiesloch along the west foot of the Odenwald (north) and Small Odenwald (south ) and the eastern edge of the upper Rhine Valley leads.

After the mountain road also the natural area mountain road, the South Hessian circle mountain road, the ( independent ) wine region Hessian Mountain Road and the ( non-independent ) wine-growing area Badische mountain road of the wine region of Baden are named.

Course

The mountain road runs almost exactly north-south direction at the junction of the Rhine valley to the west edge of the Odenwald Odenwald and Small. The main reason for the naming was the road layout at the foot of the hills, as the level in which the Rhine and Neckar, and from the Odenwald coming Rhine tributaries - as Lauter River Vltava and Weschnitz - had been looking for new ways again and again in prehistoric times, originally one for the plant road was too wet. Its course is broadly sections present Federal Road 3

The mountain road begins in Darmstadt- Eberstadt and divides behind its outskirts in the "Old Mountain Road" and a little further west running " New mountain road " on. In Zwingenberg both branches unite. However, one can assume that the way leadership in the development time, skirted close to the geographical route of the Odenwald, as the granite of the Near Odenwald still braces about 1 to 1.5 km in the plain at the foot of the mountain chain.

In Lützelsachsen in turn branches off a new mountain road from the old and runs west of the old route to the city entrance Heidelberg - glove home where unite both paths again. The further progress beyond the Neckar from Heidelberg to Nussloch with maximum expansion up to Wiesloch is usually also referred to as a mountain road, although the scenic and climatic characteristic is less pronounced in this section.

The mountain road runs through three counties and two county-level cities: Darmstadt, Darmstadt- Dieburg, Kreisberg Street, Heidelberg and the Rhine -Neckar-Kreis. The northern section is one of Hesse, to the southern Baden-Württemberg. The national border between Heppenheim and Laudenbach.

History

The mountain road has already been used in Roman times as a commercial and military road. The name is attested since the year 1165 ( " bergstrasen "). The name strata montana (as Latinized form of " mountain road " ) comes in contrast not by the Romans but from the age of humanism. From ancient times the names strata publication ( 795), platea montium (819) and montana platea (1002 ) have survived.

Partly because of the above-mentioned changes of river courses, the road layout has changed slightly in some places over the centuries.

In Heppenheim of the old Roman paved road (corner of Charles Street / Karl -Marx -Straße) (area about 20 m²) were in 1955 at Channel work remains discovered and in the Ferdinand Feuerbach plant reburied where they can be visited today.

Towns

The mountain road passes through the following towns and cities ( from north to south ):

In Hesse:

• Darmstadt Darmstadt
• Darmstadt- Eberstadt

• Malchen
• Seeheim
• Jugenheim

• Alsbach

• Auerbach
• Bensheim

In Baden- Württemberg:

• Laudenbach
• Hemsbach
• Weinheim Sulzbach

• Weinheim
• Lützelsachsen
• Hohensachsen

• Großsachsen
• Leutershausen

• Heidelberg Glove Home
• Heidelberg - New Home

• Heidelberg
• Heidelberg -Rohrbach

Mountains and ridges

To the mountains and elevations along the mountain road belong - with height in meters ( m) above mean sea level ( MSL; unless otherwise called out loud):

About 500 m:

• King chair ( 567.8 m), near Heidelberg, inter alia, with Heidelberg Castle, Heidelberg mountain railway and several telecommunications towers
• White stone ( 548.1 m ) in Dossenheim, with lookout tower, communication tower, transmission towers
• Melibokus ( 517.4 m ), in Alsbach and forcing a mountain, with an observation tower, restaurant, former radar tower of the U.S. armed forces

About 400 m:

• High Waid ( 455.1 m ) in Leutershausen and Schriesheim
• Mount of Olives ( 449.7 m ) in Schriesheim, with rays castle on the north foothills of the Schlossberg
• Heiligenberg ( 439.9 m ) in Heidelberg, with ring wall, Heidenloch, Michael Monastery, Heidelberg, Bismarck Tower
• Langenberg ( 421.6 m ) in Seeheim- Jugenheim and Low -Beer Bach, Ilbes Mountain ( 419.7 m ) long mountain crest with the magnetic stones
• Castle Hill (370 m), in low -Beer Bach, with the Frankenstein Castle

About 300 m:

• Michel Berg ( Michael Berg ) ( 375.5 m), near Heidelberg, lower summit of the Holy Mountain, with Stephan monastery and Heilgenbergturm
• Darsberg ( Dagsberg; 373.9 m ) in Jugenheim, with the castle Jossa (ruin, about 290 m ) on a north-west spur
• Saukopf ( 348.2 m ) in Weinheim, with Saukopf tunnel
• Auersberg ( 345.9 m), Auerbach, with Auerbach Castle (fortress ), Communications Tower
• Tannenberg ( 339.5 m ) in Jugenheim, with the Tannenberg castle ( ruin)
• Marienberg ( Seeheim- Jugenheim ) ( 331.6 m ) in Jugenheim, with Heiligenberg Castle and monastery ruins (both on northwest flank / spur )

Elevations below 300 m:

• Schlossberg ( 294.6 m ), in Heppenheim, with the strong castle, Youth
• Huben Hecke ( 269.1 m ) in Heppenheim and Hambach
• Hemsberg ( 262.2 m ) in Bensheim, with Bismarck tower (partly staffed), with radio mast / tower
• Kirchberg ( 220.6 m ) in Bensheim, with Kirchberghäuschen (Restaurant )
• Schlossberg ( 220.5 m ) in Weinheim, with Windeck Castle (fortress )
• Steinkopf ( 201.0 m ), in Heppenheim, with radio mast / tower
• Hohberg ( 185.6 m ) in Bensheim, with radio mast / tower

Nature Spatial allocation

The landscape on the mountain road is in the geography major unit group Northern Upper Rhine Lowland (No. 22) as of the Rhine valley to the Odenwald and the Kleiner Odenwald via conductive hillside under the name of mountain road, the natural spatial main unit 226

Landscape

After the mountain road and the landscape is named in their immediate vicinity. It is characterized by a particularly mild and sunny climate (about 1500 hours of sunshine a year) and the earliest beginning of spring from Germany. The meeting with favorable soil conditions ( fertile loess soil ) makes the mountain road to one of the richest fruit gardens in Germany with viticulture, fruit, almonds, chestnuts and walnuts. As a wine region, the mountain road is divided into two, into a northern Hesse and southern Baden section. Famous mountain road is famous for its almond trees that thrive here and already blooming in March. But other Mediterranean plants such as figs and olive trees grow here.

Emperor Joseph II (1765-1790) should, therefore, when he took on the way back from Frankfurt on the mountain road maintenance, have exclaimed: " Here, Germany is beginning to be Italy ".

The mountain road is highly developed and industrialized as part of the metropolitan area Rhein- Main-Neckar. In addition, tourism has a meaning. The main attractions in addition to the landscape itself are Heidelberg Heidelberg Castle and Heidelberg old town, the Art Nouveau Centre Darmstadt Mathildenhoehe and Darmstadt artists' colony, the chain of castles along the western edge of the Odenwald - Castle Frankenstein near Darmstadt -Eberstadt, the ruins of Tannenberg and the ruins of the castle Jossa in Seeheim- Jugenheim that Alsbacher lock on Alsbach, the Auerbach Castle Auerbach, the strong castle on Heppenheim, the guard castle and the Windeck about Weinheim, the Strahlenburg about Schriesheim, the ruins looking castle on Dossenheim - and the picturesque old town areas in many cities and towns especially the almost completely preserved ( with the exception of city walls ) old town of Heppenheim with magnificent town Hall, Market Square, " Cathedral of the mountain road " and numerous medieval half-timbered houses; Furthermore, the old towns of forcing mountain ( with remnants of the old city walls), Bensheim and Weinheim. Even the small Heiligenberg Castle on Jugenheim, which belonged to the family of Battenberg, which now with anglisiertem name Mountbatten belongs to the English royal family, as well as the Prince camp, one of the first health resorts in the valley about Auerbach.

A prominent landmark in near the mountain road is originally from the Carolingian period gatehouse of the lost Lorsch, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Settlement history

The Bergsträßer area was settled very early. The numerous archaeological finds date back to the time of agriculture and animal husbandry driving band and Corded Ware culture (ca. 2500-1500 BC). In Roman times, the settlement was further advanced and different-sized farms, called villae rusticae created after Christ constituted the dominant economic units in the mountainous edge of the mountain road between 120 to 260. The most significant excavation of a villa rustica at the Mountain Road is located in Hirschberg. Here is the complete plan of a high-specification Roman bath and the main building was excavated with multi- space program and an ornamental pond in the years 1984 to 1987. On Hemsberg between Bensheim and Heppenheim remains of a Roman villa were also discovered. However Durable urban settlements were not in the Roman period on the mountain road, but in the nearby area ( Lopodunum / Ladenburg and Borbetomagus / Worms). In contrast, the mountain road was early a center of advancing since the 5th century Franks, from whose time comes the first mention of almost all cities and towns on the mountain road ( the oldest of Heppenheim and Weinheim in the deed of July 17, 755 ).

Events

Every two years, the Hessian Mountain Road Darmstadt- Eberstadt to Heppenheim on a Sunday 10-18 clock closed to car traffic. Under the motto course mountain road the main road 3 then part of cyclists, walkers and inline skaters. About 100 local clubs, groups, institutions, retailers, growers and restaurateurs worry on the approximately 30 -kilometer track for entertainment and care.

For the first time the event took place in 1993. Originally on a yearly basis, the event now held every two - year cycle in May. The last dates were:

• On May 22, 2005
• On May 6, 2007
• 17 May 2009
• 15 May 2011