Wikipedia

Oestrich-Winkel

Oestrich-Winkel (German pronunciation: [ˈøːstʁɪç ˈvɪŋkəl]) is a town with roughly 12,000 inhabitants in the Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis in the Regierungsbezirk of Darmstadt in Hesse, Germany.

Oestrich-Winkel
Town
Aerial view of Oestrich and Rhine river
Aerial view of Oestrich and Rhine river
Coat of arms of Oestrich-Winkel
Coat of arms
Location of Oestrich-Winkel within Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis district
Lorch am RheinRüdesheim am RheinGeisenheimOestrich-WinkelKiedrichEltvilleWallufSchlangenbadBad SchwalbachHeidenrodAarbergenHohensteinTaunussteinHünstettenIdsteinNiedernhausenWaldemsRhineland-PalatinateWiesbadenLimburg-WeilburgMain-Taunus-KreisHochtaunuskreisGroß-Gerau (district)
Oestrich-Winkel is located in Germany
Oestrich-Winkel
Oestrich-Winkel
Oestrich-Winkel is located in Hesse
Oestrich-Winkel
Oestrich-Winkel
Coordinates: 50°00′09″N 8°01′03″E / 50.0025°N 8.0175°E / 50.0025; 8.0175
CountryGermany
StateHesse
Admin. regionDarmstadt
DistrictRheingau-Taunus-Kreis
Government
 • Mayor (2019–25) Kay Tenge[1]
Area
 • Total59.53 km2 (22.98 sq mi)
Elevation
84 m (276 ft)
Population
 (2022-12-31)[2]
 • Total11,823
 • Density200/km2 (510/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes
65375
Dialling codes06723
Vehicle registrationRÜD, SWA
Websitewww.oestrich-winkel.de

Geography

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Location

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Oestrich-Winkel, which culturally belongs to the Rheingau region, lies on the Rhine River, 19 km west-southwest of Wiesbaden and 17 km west of Mainz. It is, as a part of the Rheingau wine region, the largest winegrowing town of Hesse.

The coordinates 50°N, 8°E lie right in the stadtteil of Winkel, whose name, coincidentally, is German for “angle”.

Neighbouring municipalities

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Oestrich-Winkel borders in the north on the town of Lorch and the municipalities of Welterod (Rhein-Lahn-Kreis in Rhineland-Palatinate), Heidenrod and Schlangenbad; in the east on the town of Eltville; in the south, across the Rhine, on the town of Ingelheim (Mainz-Bingen district in Rhineland-Palatinate) and in the west on the town of Geisenheim.

Territorial structure

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Oestrich-Winkel as a municipality consists of four Stadtteile:

Hallgarten as the only one of these has the status as an Ortsbezirk.

History

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Oestrich-Winkel was founded on the 1st of July, 1972 by the merger of the municipalities of Mittelheim, Oestrich and Winkel; it was further enlarged by incorporation of Hallgarten in 1977 by law. From the very beginning Oestrich-Winkel was entitled by state government to lead the designation Stadt (town).

The double-barrelled name Oestrich-Winkel has already had a long tradition as the name of the only train station for the East Rhine Railway between Geisenheim and Hattenheim.

Politics

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Mayors

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Kay Tenge (CDU) was elected in 2019 for mayor.[1] Former mayors were:

  • 2013–2019: Michael Heil (CDU)[3]
  • 1995–2013: Paul Weimann (CDU)
  • 1989–1995: Heinz-Dieter Mielke (SPD)
  • 1972–1989: Klaus Frietsch (SPD)

Town council

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The last municipal elections, taking place every five years, yielded the following results:[4][5]

Parties and voter communities %
2021 		Seats
2021 		%
2016 		Seats
2016 		%
2011 		Seats
2011 		%
2006 		Seats
2006 		%
2001 		Seats
2001
CDU Christian Democratic Union of Germany 36,1 11 44,6 14 37,9 14 43,4 16 47,9 18
SPD Social Democratic Party of Germany 34,8 11 30,7 9 29,7 11 29.6 11 31.1 11
GREENS Bündnis 90/Die Grünen 18,4 6 14,9 5 25,4 9 19.1 7 10.8 4
FDP Free Democratic Party 10,6 3 9,8 3 7,0 3 7.9 3 4.3 2
FWG Freie Wählergemeinschaft – – – – – – – – 6.0 2
Total 100.0 31 100.0 31 100.0 37 100.0 37 100.0 37
Voter turnout in % 60,2 55,5 52,8 51.5 60.2

Town partnerships

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The town of Oestrich-Winkel maintains partnerships with the following two places and one military unit:

Coat of arms

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The town's arms might be described thus: Gules a Z reversed with cross stroke argent between two mullets of six Or.

The Z is a variant of a common German heraldic charge known in German as a Wolfsangel or Doppelhaken, and its appearance here apparently refers to its use for dealing with wolves in earlier times (the Wolfsangel is believed to have been used as a wolf trap). The arms themselves go back to the 17th century.

Culture and sightseeing

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Wine culture

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Weingut H. T. Eser in Oestrich-Winkel

Oestrich-Winkel is characterized by winegrowing. The following places are cultivated:

  • Oestrich: Lenchen, Doosberg, Klosterberg, Pfaffenberg
  • Mittelheim: Edelmann, St. Nikolaus, Goldberg
  • Winkel: Dachsberg, Hasensprung, Gutenberg, Jesuitengarten, Bienengarten, Schloß Vollrads
  • Hallgarten: Jungfer, Würzgarten, Schönhell, Hendelberg, Mehrhölzchen

Sightseeing

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The Oestricher Kran, Oestrich-Winkel's main landmark, is a former wine-loading crane from the 18th century for loading and unloading ships. Completed in 1745, it was working until 1926. Inside the crane are two treadmills in each of which two men used their body weight to work a winch, which could then lift loads onto or off ships. It is the last preserved wine-loading crane on the Rhine's right bank. There were once also such cranes in Lorch, Eltville and Rüdesheim. These cranes can still be found in existence along the Rhine at Andernach (stone; loaded tuff, millstones and wine barrels) and Bingen (wood, loaded mainly wine barrels).

In Mittelheim is found one of Germany's oldest stone churches, St.-Aegidius-Basilika (“Saint Giles’s Basilica”).

In Winkel stands Germany's oldest stone house, the Graues Haus (“Grey House”). For a long time it was believed that Rabanus Maurus lived and in 856 died there. Schloss Vollrads, outside Winkel, with its ancient watertower likewise belongs among the noteworthy sights. On the town's northeast limit near Hattenheim stands Schloss Reichartshausen (founded in the 12th century) with its outbuildings, which about 1900 were remodelled to look like follies. It nowadays houses the European Business School. In the middle of the community stands the Brentanohaus. Here, Goethe spent some time in 1814 as a guest of the Frankfurt banking family Brentano. The family's children were Clemens, Gunda and Bettina Brentano. Karoline von Günderrode, a poet and one of Bettina's friends, stabbed herself here in Winkel in 1806 on the Rhine's bank out of lovesickness and life weariness. Since 2003, the barn across from the Brentanohaus has hosted the cultural and event venue Brentanoscheune (Scheune means “barn”).


  • Oestrich-Winkel
  •  
    St. Martin, Oestrich
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    Oestrich Crane
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    Saint Giles’s Basilica
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    Grey House
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    Rabanus Maurus memorial
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    Schloss Vollrads
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    Schloss Vollrads tower
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    Church of St. Walburga

Regular events

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These include the Lenchenfest (a wine festival),[6] the Dippemarkt (a market with a funfair[7] the Christmas market (Weihnachtsmarkt) and Jazz Week (Jazzwoche).

Rheingau Musik Festival

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The Rheingau Musik Festival has its office in Oestrich in a former winery, the presshouse (Kelterhalle) converted to a hall for intimitate concerts and events.[8] Festival concerts have taken place in the basilica St. Aegidius, such as a recital of Elisabeth Scholl.[9]

Economy and infrastructure

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Education

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Since 1980 Oestrich-Winkel has been the seat of the EBS Universität für Wirtschaft und Recht. Further educational institutions are, among others, the Clemens-Brentano-Schule (primary school and Hauptschule), the Rabanus-Maurus-Schule (primary school and Hauptschule with orientation level) and Hallgarten primary school.

Transport

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Oestrich-Winkel lies right on Bundesstraße 42, which is particularly well developed towards the east, and which seamlessly feeds into the A 66 near Wiesbaden. The town lies on the Frankfurt am Main–Wiesbaden–Oestrich-Winkel–Koblenz railway line and belongs to the Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund. Furthermore, between 6:00 and 21:00, a ferry shuttles across the Rhine between Mittelheim and Ingelheim, where there is a link with the A 60.

Famous people

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Sons and daughters of the town

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  • Richard von Greiffenklau zu Vollrads (1467–1531), Archbishop and Elector of Trier, was born at Schloss Vollrads
  • Peter Spahn (1846–1925), German politician (ZENTRUM), Member of the Reichstag, Member of the Landtag (Prussia), Prussian Justice Minister, was born in Winkel
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Rabanus Maurus, left, Alcuin, center, Martin of Tours (right)

References

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  1. ^ a b "Ergebnisse der letzten Direktwahl aller hessischen Landkreise und Gemeinden" (XLS) (in German). Hessisches Statistisches Landesamt. 5 September 2022. Archived from the original on 13 November 2022. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  2. ^ "Bevölkerung in Hessen am 31.12.2022 nach Gemeinden" (XLS) (in German). Hessisches Statistisches Landesamt. June 2023.
  3. ^ Hessisches Statistisches Landesamt: Direktwahlen in Oestrich-Winkel
  4. ^ Ergebnis der Gemeindewahl am 14. März 2021. In: Hessisches Statistisches Landesamt Archived 2024-01-19 at the Wayback Machine, accessed 24 October 2021
  5. ^ Ergebnis der Gemeindewahl am 6. März 2016. In: Hessisches Statistisches Landesamt Archived 2021-01-30 at the Wayback Machine, accessed 24 October 2021
  6. ^ Information about the Lenchenfest Archived March 2, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ Information about the Dippemarkt), Archived September 12, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ Kelterhalle des Rheingau Musik Festivals, Oestrich on the Rheingau Musik Festival website (German/English)
  9. ^ St. Aegidius, Mittelheim on the Rheingau Musik Festival website (German/English)
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Oestrich-Winkel.
 
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Oestrich-Winkel.
(in German)

Documents

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