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Rüdigheim, Amöneburg, Hesse, Germany

Katholische Pfarrkirche "St. Antonius der Einsiedler" in Rüdigheim (Amöneburg)
Catholic Parish Church of St. Anthony the Hermit (translation), Rüdigheim (Amöneburg). 1

Rüdigheim is a community within the town of Amöneburg in the central Hessian district of Marburg-Biedenkopf, Hesse, Germany about 6 miles south of Kirchhain and 9 miles east of Marburg. [Not to be confused with Rüdigheim, Neuberg, Main-Kinzig, Hesse, Germany].

Several Generations of our early Dörr ancestors were born and lived in Rüdigheim. A German cousin, who currently lives in Niederklein, informed me that the Dörr family roots go as far back as 1496 in Rüdigheim.

History of Rüdigheim

The first documented mention of the place is in the year 1248 under the name Rudencheim. This was a Mainz property in the surrounding area of Amöneburg.  Up until 1802, the area was controlled by the Electorate of Mainz, which fought the Hessians frequently. Although Kirchhain was less than 4 miles north of Rüdigheim, Kirchhain was controlled by the separate fighting Electorates: Kirchhain by Hesse; Rüdigheim and Niederklein by Mainz.

Early written records show Rüdigheim was like other places in the area, Catholic. With the evangelization of the area by Boniface in 721, it became the central hub of Catholics in Upper Hesse. The surrounding area of Rüdigheim is a charming region characterized by Christian customs. Over the centuries, from place to place, a considerable number of architectural witnesses of Christian tradition emerged, including corridors, shrines, chapels, grottos and churches.

History of Amöneburg

As seen in the interesting photo’s below: 

The first photo is of Amöneburg in 1640  

The second is a current photo “Panoramic view of the city of Amöneburg from the southeast. In the foreground the town of Schweinsberg (partial view) and in the middle distance the town of Rüdigheim” [toward the base of the mountain on this side].  

1640 Amöneburg
View of Amöneburg 1640. 2
Amöneburg & Rüdigheim, Germany
Panoramic view of the city of Amöneburg from the southeast. In the foreground the town of Schweinsberg (partial view) and in the middle distance the town of Rüdigheim. 3

Amöneburg lies on a mountain and is built around the castle of the same name, Burg Amöneburg. It lies on a basalt cone that can be seen from a great distance, below which flows the river Ohm, a tributary to the Lahn. From the Vogelsberg (a large volcanic mountain range in the German Central Uplands), Amöneburg is split by the Amöneburg Basin, a hollow suspected of being a meteorite crater, in the southwest rise the Lahn Mountains.

In 1971 the following towns were merged to form the newly formed township of Amöneburg:

  • Rüdigheim
  • Erfurtshasen
  • Mardorf
  • Roßdorf


In the north, Amöneburg borders the town of Kirchhain, in the east the town of Stadtallendorf, in the southeast the town of Homberg, and in the west the community of Ebsdorfergrund. 

Findings from digs have suggested that the area was already settled in the New Stone Age/ It is supposed that in Celtic times there was a town (or oppidum a large fortified Iron Age settlement or town). At the beginning of the 12th century, much of Hesse belonged to Thuringia. The Thrinian lands, however, were so widely scattered that quite often they were interspersed with estates belonging to the Archbishopric of Mainz and its vassals. The parish of Amöneburg belonged to the archbishopric until 1803.

Amöneburg’s rectangular market square was laid out in the shape (see 1640 view of Amöneburg above), in the 18th century.  The Adjoining Church is a neo-Gothic basilica. On its north side stands the 14th century tower with its Barouque cupola.

Aroudn the knoll that forms the townsite runds the town wall, still preserved to a great extent. A loop road offers good views of the surrounding countryside.

At the southeastern foot of the crags on which the town is built lies the Brückermühle, an old mill with an old stone bridge across the river Ohm, which was an historically important crossing. It is known from the Hessians and Brunswickers’ fight against the French in 1762, recalled nowadays by a Baroque obelisk in the yard outside the Brückerwirtshaus  (inn).  

In June 1646 Imperialist forces took the town by treaty.

Around Amöneburg, the abandoned communities of Brück, Brunsfort, Gerende, Heuchelheim, Lindau, Radenhausen and Wanehusen may be found.

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Rüdigheim Place Name Timeline

Below is the place name timeline as best as I could figure it out for the town of Rüdigheim.

14th and 15th century: Rüdigheim, Amöneburg, Mainz, Holy Roman Empire.

1355 – Possession of Gilbrecht of Nordeck (Amöneburger Burgmann) and later the heir.

1383 – Possession goes in parts to Walprecht of Seelheim.

1394 – Possession of the Adolf Rau of Holzhausen.

1411-1486 – Possession of Schenken zu Schweinsberg.

1525 – Rüdigheim, Amöneburg, Mainz, Prussia, Holy Roman Empire.

1802 – Rüdigheim, Amöneburg, Hesse-Cassel, Prussia, Holy Roman Empire.

1803 – Rüdigheim, Cassel, Hesse-Cassel, Holy Roman Empire.

1806 – Rüdigheim, Amöneburg, Cassel, Hesse-Cassel, Prussia, Confederation of the Rhine.

1807 – Rüdigheim, Marburg, Werra, Westphalia, Prussia, Confederation of the Rhine.

1815 – Rüdigheim, Amöneburg, Hesse-Cassel, Prussia, German Confederation.

1821 – Rüdigheim, Kirchhain, Oberhessen, Hesse-Cassel, German confederation,

1868 – Rüdigheim, Kirchhain, Hesse-Nassau, Prussia, North German Confederation.

1918 – Rüdigheim, Kirchhain, Hesse-Nassau, Prussia, Germany.

1932 – Rüdigheim, Marburg, Hesse-Nassau, Prussia, Germany.

1944 – Rüdigheim, Marburg, Kurhessen, Free State of Prussia, Germany.

1945 – Rüdigheim, Marburg, Kassel, Greater Hesse, American Occupation Zone.

1946 – Rüdigheim, Marburg, Kassel, Hesse, American Occupation Zone.

1949 – Rüdigheim, Marburg, Hesse, Germany.

1971 – Amöneburg, Marburg, Hesse, Germany (the communities Erfurtshausen, Mardorf, Roßdorf and Rüdigheim were merged to form the newly formed township of Amöneburg.

1974 – Amöneburg, Amöneburg, Marburg-Biedenkopf, Hesse, Germany.

1981 – Amöneburg, Marburg-Biedenkopf, Hesse, Germany.  Admin Region: Gießen.

 

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Attributes:

  1. St. Anthony’s Catholic Church. Rüdigheim (Amöneburg), Hesse, Germany. By Hydro – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25616809 Accessed 29 Jun 2019).
  2. View of Amöneburg 1640. By Martin Zeiller – scan eines Originalbuchs durch http://www.digitalis.uni-koeln.de/digitaletexte.html, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1297184
  3. Panoramic view of the city of Amöneburg from the southeast. In the foreground the town of Schweinsberg (partial view) and in the middle distance the town of Rüdigheim. Photo of Amöneburg, Wikimedia: By © Heinrich Stürzl / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=95085725

Disclosure:
The family Information was retrieved from a variety of family trees, webgens and family stories. I will note citations as appropriate and hope the information assists you in your research, but please do not use this as proven evidence. Feedback is welcome!

Pat Burns. Copyright © 2024. All Rights Reserved.
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