Beerfelden
Beerfelden (pronunciation: ˈbeːɐˌfɛldən) was a town in the Odenwald in the Odenwaldkreis (district) in Hesse, Germany, 28 km northeast of Heidelberg. On 1 January 2018 Beerfelden, Hesseneck, Rothenberg and Sensbachtal merged to create the town Oberzent. Geography. Location. Beerfelden lies in the Odenwald at elevations from 330 to 540 m. Towards the south stretches the narrow, wooded Gammelsbach Valley, in which are found the Freienstein castle ruins, down to the Neckar. The "Beerfelder Land" is a tourist region that lies between Beerfelden, the communities of Rothenberg, Sensbachtal and Hesseneck in the "Geo-Naturpark Bergstraße-Odenwald" and which is one  of the Odenwald's most richly forested areas. The "Beerfelder Land" lies at elevations from 200 to 555 m above sea level. Within it is the 626 m-high Katzenbuckel near Waldkatzenbach, which is part of a chain of heights running north-south. To the east stands the Krähberg hunting castle ("Jagdschloss") that once belonged to the Counts of Erbach-Fürstenau, under which runs a railway tunnel, the "Krähbergtunnel", which was at the time of its building one of Germany's longest at 3.1 km (elevation: 348 m). Neighbouring communities. Beerfelden borders in the north on the community of Mossautal  and the town of Erbach, in the east on the communities of Hesseneck and Sensbachtal, in the south on the town of Eberbach (Rhein-Neckar-Kreis in Baden-Württemberg) and the community of Rothenberg and in the west on the community of Wald-Michelbach (Kreis Bergstraße). Constituent communities. Beerfelden's "Ortsteile" are Olfen, Airlenbach, Beerfelden, Etzean, Falken-Gesäß, Gammelsbach and Hetzbach. History. Beerfelden was enfeoffed to the Lorsch Monastery as early as the 10th century. It had its first documentary mention under the name "Burrifelden" in 1032 in the Lorsch codex. In 1328, Beerfelden (whose name was then spelt "Baurenfelden ) was granted town rights. In 1806, in the course of the Reichsdeputationshauptschluss", the town passed from the County of Erbach to Hesse. On 29 April 1810, almost the whole town burnt down. The Grand Duke of Hesse and the Count of Erbach-Fürstenau saw to the relief efforts. The Hessian "Brandassekuratorionskasse" paid out 172,802 Gulden for reconstruction. Politics. The municipal election held on 26 March 2006 yielded the following results: Town partnerships. Since 1966, the outlying centre of Olfen has been fostering a partnership with the community of Trévignin in the French department of Savoie. Public institutions. Education. There are  two primary schools in Beerfelden, one in the main town and another in the outlying centre of Gammelsbach. Moreover, the main town is also home to two kindergartens, one municipal and the other Evangelical. There is furthermore a comprehensive school in the main town, named "Oberzent-Schule". Culture and sightseeing. Buildings. Beerfelden has Germany's only completely preserved gallows. They were built in 1597 to replace the simple wooden gallows. The last hanging here took place in 1804 when, it is said, a Gypsy woman was put to death, apparently after she stole a chicken and two loaves of bread  for her sick child. The spot was supposedly chosen for its lovely setting, in the hope that the condemned prisoner's punishment would thereby seem all the worse. It might also have been chosen for the chilling effect that the sight of the hanged criminal would have. There are also the iron bands that hold the six-metre-tall red sandstone posts together. These were replaced long ago. Allegedly, they were torn out in 1814 by some Cossacks who were camping here so that they could shoe their horses. Around the gallows stand seven lindens that serve as a reminder  of the old “Thing’s” jurisdiction. There stood a so-called "Zentlinde" (“tithe linden”), before which sentences were passed. The tree is said to have stood at the town's current outskirts, but no trace of it remains today. Beerfelden also has the "Zwölf-Röhren-Brunnen" (“Twelve-Pipe Spring”), the source of the river Mümling. It was built in 1810. Economy and infrastructure. Tourism. Near Beerfelden, on the "Sensbacher Höhe" (heights) is a winter sport area with a ski run and cross-country skiing trails, which are often not groomed, but are nonetheless gridlocked. When the snowfalls come in winter , the winter sport area is opened. On the only ski run can be found one of the Odenwald's few skilifts. It is 450 m long and reaches 540 m above sea level. Moreover, there are a smaller lift on the slope's lower reaches, a snowmaking facility, floodlights and a snow grooming vehicle. The heights have a state-championship-standard snowboarding and downhill run. Transport. Beerfelden lies on "Bundesstraße" 45, which runs in a great bend round the town. In the outlying centre of Hetzbach is a railway station on the "Odenwaldbahn" (railway; RMV Line 65). The railway connection  from Hetzbach to Beerfelden, opened in 1904, was closed in 1954. It was run in its time by the "Süddeutsche Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft" (SEG, “South German Railway Company”).