Wörth am Main

Wörth am Main

View from the bridge to Erlenbach

Coat of arms
Wörth am Main

Coordinates: 49°47′47″N 9°9′27″E / 49.79639°N 9.15750°E / 49.79639; 9.15750Coordinates: 49°47′47″N 9°9′27″E / 49.79639°N 9.15750°E / 49.79639; 9.15750
Country Germany
State Bavaria
Admin. region Unterfranken
District Miltenberg
Government
  Mayor Erwin Dotzel (CSU)
Area
  Total 15.89 km2 (6.14 sq mi)
Population (2015-12-31)[1]
  Total 4,699
  Density 300/km2 (770/sq mi)
Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes 63939
Dialling codes 09372
Vehicle registration MIL
Website www.woerth-am-main.de

Wörth am Main (officially Wörth a.Main) is a town in the Miltenberg district in the Regierungsbezirk of Lower Franconia (Unterfranken) in Bavaria, Germany. It has a population of around 4,700.

Geography

Location

Wörth am Main lies on the left bank of the Main, nestled between the hills of the Odenwald and Spessart, 13 kilometres (8 miles) northwest of Miltenberg, and 19 kilometres (12 miles) south of Aschaffenburg.

Wörth lies in the Bavarian section of the Naturpark Bergstraße-Odenwald.

History

It is believed that Roman soldiers built a simple earthen-wooden castrum in Wörth as early as Roman Emperor Domitian’s time (AD 81–96), and later a massive stone castrum.

In Frankish times, beginning in the 6th century, Wörth was a centre of royal power and with Saint Martin’s Chapel, in today’s graveyard, it was a jumping-off point for Christian missionary work in the Odenwald.

The town was refounded on its current site in the latter half of the 13th century by the Lords of Breuberg under the overlordship of the Archbishops of Mainz. In 1291, it had its first documentary mention as the town of Werde (“Island”). An important political change was the town’s cession to Bavaria in 1816.

Arts and culture

The old town is characterized by the mediaeval town fortifications and many historic monuments and timber-frame houses. From the former Electoral Mainz castle, the tower with its Renaissance portal is still preserved (today used by businesses).

Wörth lies on the Deutsche Limesstraße ("German Limes Road"). In Wörth is found the archaeological monument that was once a Roman castrum (specifically, a numerus[2] castrum) at a spot where the older border, the Neckar-Odenwald Limes, met the Limes Germanicus following the Main river.

Wörth town forest (1000 ha) offers more than 50 kilometres (31 miles) of signposted hiking trails.

Museums

There are the Schiffahrts- und Schiffbaumuseum Wörth (“Wörth Shipping and Shipbuilding Museum”) in the former Saint Wolfgang’s Church and a small branch office at the community centre with information about the Romans in Wörth.

Buildings

Infrastructure

Transport

Governance

Town twinning

Wörth am Main is twinned with:

Further reading

References

  1. "Fortschreibung des Bevölkerungsstandes". Bayerisches Landesamt für Statistik und Datenverarbeitung (in German). June 2016.
  2. A numerus in the Roman army was a unit with a strength of 200 to 400 men.
  3. "National Commission for Decentralised cooperation". Délégation pour l’Action Extérieure des Collectivités Territoriales (Ministère des Affaires étrangères) (in French). Retrieved 2013-12-26.
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