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Alzey
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Alzey (German pronunciation: [ˈaltsaɪ] ⓘ) is a Verband-free town – one belonging to no Verbandsgemeinde – in the Alzey-Worms district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the fifth-largest town in Rhenish Hesse, after Mainz, Worms, Ingelheim am Rhein and Bingen.
Key Information
Alzey is one of the Nibelungenstädte – towns associated with the Nibelungenlied – because it is represented in this work by the character Volker von Alzey. Hence, Alzey is also known as Volkerstadt.
Geography
[edit]Location
[edit]Alzey lies in Rhenish Hesse on the western edge of the northern part of the Upper Rhine Plain. It is surrounded by the northern part of the Alzey Hills, which meets the Rhenish Hesse Hills towards the south and the North Palatine Uplands towards the east. The town is found some 30 km southwest of Mainz and some 22 km (as the crow flies, in each case) northwest of Worms. Through Alzey, in places underground, flows the river Selz, a left-bank tributary to the Rhine.
Climate
[edit]Alzey has an oceanic climate (Köppen: Cfb; Trewartha: Dobk). Yearly precipitation in Alzey amounts to 535.3 millimetres (21.07 in), which is rather low, falling into the lowest fourth of the precipitation chart for all of Germany. At 18% of the German Weather Service's weather stations, even lower figures are recorded. The driest month is April. The most rainfall comes in July. In that month, precipitation is 1.9 times what it is in February. Precipitation varies moderately. At 41% of the weather stations, lower seasonal swings are recorded.
The Alzey weather station has recorded the following extreme values:[3]
- Its highest temperature was 37.8 °C (100.0 °F) on 7 August 2015 and 25 July 2019.
- Its lowest temperature was −25.1 °C (−13.2 °F) on 2 February 1956.
- Its greatest annual precipitation was 733.7 mm (28.89 in) in 1965.
- Its least annual precipitation was 265.2 mm (10.44 in) in 1953.
- The longest annual sunshine was 2214 hours in 2022.
- The shortest annual sunshine was 1400 hours in 1977.
| Climate data for Alzey (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1951–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 15.3 (59.5) |
19.6 (67.3) |
24.8 (76.6) |
29.2 (84.6) |
32.3 (90.1) |
37.8 (100.0) |
38.4 (101.1) |
38.4 (101.1) |
33.0 (91.4) |
27.1 (80.8) |
23.0 (73.4) |
16.7 (62.1) |
38.4 (101.1) |
| Mean maximum °C (°F) | 11.7 (53.1) |
13.5 (56.3) |
18.5 (65.3) |
23.8 (74.8) |
27.9 (82.2) |
31.2 (88.2) |
33.6 (92.5) |
32.8 (91.0) |
27.1 (80.8) |
21.5 (70.7) |
15.7 (60.3) |
12.5 (54.5) |
34.8 (94.6) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 4.3 (39.7) |
6.2 (43.2) |
10.8 (51.4) |
15.7 (60.3) |
19.6 (67.3) |
23.1 (73.6) |
25.7 (78.3) |
25.3 (77.5) |
20.3 (68.5) |
14.4 (57.9) |
8.5 (47.3) |
5.1 (41.2) |
14.9 (58.8) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 1.8 (35.2) |
2.8 (37.0) |
6.2 (43.2) |
10.4 (50.7) |
14.3 (57.7) |
17.5 (63.5) |
19.6 (67.3) |
19.2 (66.6) |
14.9 (58.8) |
10.1 (50.2) |
5.7 (42.3) |
2.7 (36.9) |
10.5 (50.9) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −0.8 (30.6) |
−0.4 (31.3) |
2.1 (35.8) |
5.1 (41.2) |
8.8 (47.8) |
11.9 (53.4) |
13.8 (56.8) |
13.6 (56.5) |
10.0 (50.0) |
6.4 (43.5) |
2.8 (37.0) |
0.2 (32.4) |
6.1 (43.0) |
| Mean minimum °C (°F) | −9.0 (15.8) |
−7.0 (19.4) |
−3.7 (25.3) |
−1.4 (29.5) |
2.6 (36.7) |
6.7 (44.1) |
8.8 (47.8) |
8.4 (47.1) |
4.6 (40.3) |
−0.5 (31.1) |
−3.4 (25.9) |
−7.4 (18.7) |
−11.3 (11.7) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −21.4 (−6.5) |
−25.1 (−13.2) |
−14.2 (6.4) |
−6.1 (21.0) |
−1.7 (28.9) |
1.0 (33.8) |
3.5 (38.3) |
3.5 (38.3) |
−1.4 (29.5) |
−5.9 (21.4) |
−12.4 (9.7) |
−19.4 (−2.9) |
−25.1 (−13.2) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 35.0 (1.38) |
34.6 (1.36) |
36.9 (1.45) |
31.5 (1.24) |
54.3 (2.14) |
49.7 (1.96) |
60.1 (2.37) |
53.0 (2.09) |
44.8 (1.76) |
44.4 (1.75) |
41.6 (1.64) |
49.4 (1.94) |
535.3 (21.07) |
| Average extreme snow depth cm (inches) | 4.3 (1.7) |
3.5 (1.4) |
2.8 (1.1) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
trace | 0.9 (0.4) |
4.3 (1.7) |
9.0 (3.5) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) | 13.6 | 12.3 | 13.1 | 11.1 | 12.6 | 11.5 | 13.1 | 11.8 | 10.8 | 13.0 | 14.5 | 15.1 | 152.5 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 85.3 | 80.9 | 74.0 | 66.8 | 69.0 | 69.2 | 66.6 | 68.3 | 75.0 | 83.3 | 87.3 | 87.3 | 76.1 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 46.5 | 78.5 | 139.5 | 196.6 | 220.2 | 227.3 | 238.3 | 229.9 | 166.9 | 96.5 | 48.2 | 38.8 | 1,727.4 |
| Source: Deutscher Wetterdienst / SKlima.de[3] | |||||||||||||
History
[edit]From the Neolithic to the early first millennium
[edit]

The earliest traces of settlement in the Alzey area go back as far as the Neolithic. Alzey was founded as a vicus (village) in the Roman province of Germania Superior in the lands surrounding Mogontiacum (Mainz).[4]
The name of Alzey is first mentioned on a Nymphenstein (a Roman altar stone dedicated to nymphs),[5] dedicated on 22 November 223 by the Vicani Altiaienses ("Villagers of Alzey").[6] The name Altiaia could well originate from the name of an older, pre-Roman Celtic settlement of about 400 BC, although the name's exact origins have not been passed down to the present day. Over the ruins of the Roman village, which was destroyed about 350, a fort, Castra Alteium, was built about 390. In 406 and 407, the Burgundians, together with the Vandals, crossed the Rhine and settled in Mainz, Alzey and Worms as Roman confederates. The area was secured for them by treaty. In 436, the Burgundian kingdom was destroyed by the Western Roman magister militum Flavius Aëtius with help from Hunnish troops. These events were worked into the Nibelungenlied and form the origin of the legendary figure Volker von Alzey, the gleeman in the Nibelungenlied. After 450, Alzey passed to the Alamanni and the Franks when they took over the land. After Clovis I's death in 511, the Frankish Empire fell apart into separate smaller kingdoms, and Alzey became part of Austrasia, whose capital was at Metz. Following the unification of the Frankish kingdoms in the mid-8th century, Alzey was assigned by the 843 Treaty of Verdun to the Kingdom of the East Franks, a forerunner of the German Empire. In 897, Alzey was first mentioned as an Imperial fief.
12th century to early 20th century
[edit]In 1156, Alzey belonged to the Electorate of the Palatinate, and Konrad von Staufen attained the rank of Count Palatine in the Imperial castle, which had been completed in 1118. In 1277, Alzey attained the rank of town from Rudolf von Habsburg. In 1620, Count Spinola sided with the Catholic Emperor in the Thirty Years' War against the Protestant Electorate of the Palatinate and also conquered Alzey. In 1689, the town and the castle, under the French troops' scorched-earth policy, were burnt down in the Nine Years' War, when Louis XIV's armies had to leave areas conquered earlier. In 1798, areas west of the Rhine, among them those that until this time had been parts of the Electorate of the Palatinate, were annexed to France. Alzey belonged until 1814 to the Department of Mont-Tonnerre (or Donnersberg in German). In 1816, Alzey was attached to the Grand Duchy of Hesse. In 1909, the winemaking school (now the Landesanstalt für Rebenzüchtung) was founded. Its first head was Georg Scheu, after whom the grape variety Scheurebe is named.
Third Reich
[edit]On Kristallnacht (9 November 1938), the Alzey synagogue was destroyed and the fittings were burnt in front of the building. The ruin was removed in the 1950s. A rescued Torah scroll can nowadays be found in the museum. On 8 January 1945, in World War II, the town narrowly missed being destroyed when 36 Boeing B-17 bombers had been sent to take out a railway bridge in Alzey. Owing to bad weather and a landmark misinterpretation – the crew mistook the top of the old watchtower for the church steeple – the bombers ended up dropping their load on the Wartberg, a nearby hill, giving rise to the legend of the Wartbergturm – the old tower – as Alzey's saviour.
Since 1945
[edit]Since 1947, Alzey has no longer been Hessian, but rather it became the seat of Alzey District in the newly formed state of Rhineland-Palatinate.
Since the merger of the old Alzey and Worms Districts in 1969, Alzey has been the seat of the new Alzey-Worms District and the seat of the Verbandsgemeinde of Alzey-Land, although as a Verband-free town, it does not actually belong to the Verbandsgemeinde.
Amalgamations
[edit]On 22 April 1972, the formerly autonomous centres of Weinheim, Heimersheim and Dautenheim were amalgamated with Alzey. The outlying centre of Schafhausen had already been a Stadtteil (constituent community) of Alzey since the Middle Ages.
Religion
[edit]On 31 January 2008, the townsfolk's religious affiliations broke down thus:[7]
- 8,927 Evangelical
- 3,684 Catholic
- 2,996 none or no affiliation established in public law
- 1,322 other affiliations established in public law
- 6,809 other
- 988 no data
- sundry
- 50 Alzey Free Religious-Humanist Association
- 4 Old Catholic
- 2 Jewish
- 1 Mainz Free Religious-Humanist Association
Jewish History
[edit]The town's Jewish congregation is dated to the 14th century. In 1349, during the Black Death, the town's Jews were murdered in the cause of a blood libel.[8] A few years after, the community renewed and a document from 1377 depicted a Jew named Yitschak of Alzey who sued the town of Worms for not paying its debt to him.[8] In 1389, a "Jew Alley" is first mentioned, depicting a kind of Ghetto with a gate, which closes at night.
Jews appeared once again in town only by the 17th century, and the first synagogue was built only by 1791.[9] Several documents from around 1670, depict disputes between Joseph Simon Jessel, a Jew who lived in Alzey and the town butchers, regarding his wish to open a business. On another dispute between him and a neighbor who sold his house to Jessel but refused to evacuate, the verdict blamed both sides - Jessel for it was "unthinkable that a Jew will hit a Christian", and the neighbor for not evacuating the house.[8] Nevertheless, the Count of Palatine Zweibrücken protected the Jews, whose high taxes were a dominant factor of his income. In 1789, there were 21 Jewish households in town.[10] During the 18th century, most of the town Jews were established if not rich. in 1710, a Jew called Simcha Deidesheimer founded a large Matzo factory that existed until 1925 and exported its products to France and Italy.[8] In addition, two brothers named Levy opened a porcelain factory in town in 1770. The community had a local cemetery Alzey was the hometown of well-known family Belmont; In 1844, Jewish Shimon Belmont (the ancestor of American politicians August Belmont and August Belmont JR. was elected as the president of the 'Narhalle' carnival, which he initiated, intended for the town's high classes. He donated some money to the cemetery and other community facilities. Eight of Alzey Jews died as soldiers during World War I.[8] According to town municipality, 76 Jews were expelled from the town to Nazi concentration camps around Europe. In 1954, one Jew returned to Alzey.[8]
Politics
[edit]Town council
[edit]The council is made up of 32 part-time council members who were elected at the municipal election held on 26 May 2019, and the full-time mayor as chairman. The seats are apportioned thus:[11]
| Year | SPD | CDU | FDP | Greens | LINKE | FWG | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 11 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 32 seats |
| 2004 | 12 | 11 | 1 | 2 | - | 6 | 32 seats |
Mayors
[edit]- (1982–1990) Walter Zuber (SPD)
- (1990–2006) Knut Benkert (SPD)
- (2006–2022) Christoph Burkhard (independent CDU candidate)
- (2022–) Steffen Jung (SPD)
Coat of arms
[edit]The town's arms might be described thus: Per fess sable a demi-lion rampant Or armed, langued and crowned gules, and argent a vielle bendwise of the third.
The lion recalls the town's former overlord, the Electorate of the Palatinate. The vielle, a kind of fiddle, stands for the noble families by the name of Truchseß, or Truchsess (Volker von Alzey), Winter and Wilch, who were formerly resident in the town.
Town partnerships
[edit]
Harpenden, Hertfordshire, England, United Kingdom since 1963
Josselin, Morbihan, France since 1973
Lembeye, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, France, with the outlying centre of Weinheim, since 1980
Rechnitz, Burgenland, Austria since 1981
Kościan, Greater Poland Voivodeship, Poland since 1990
Kamenz, Saxony since 1990
Culture and sightseeing
[edit]Awards and prizes
[edit]The town of Alzey regularly bestows the following awards and prizes:
- Elisabeth-Langgässer-Literaturpreis (since 1988 every three years)
- Georg-Scheu-Plakette (yearly at the winemakers' festival)
Music
[edit]The town's links with wine are even shown in the Alser Lied, a town song, which is always sung on the Friday of the opening of the winemakers' festival. One version sung by former mayor Walter Zuber could be found on the jukebox at the Alzey traditional pub, Zur Gretel for a decade.
Theatre
[edit]- Gerry-Jansen-Theater
Museums
[edit]- Geschichtsmuseum der Stadt Alzey (Town of Alzey History Museum)
Buildings
[edit]-
Alzey Rossmarkt (Horse Market)
-
Alzeyer Fischmarkt (Fish Market)
-
Wartbergturm
-
Alzeyer Schloss (castle)
-
Kleine Kirche ("Little Church")
The Old Town
[edit]Alzey has a well-kept old town with many timber-frame houses, restaurants, cafés and shops, surrounded by ruins of the mediaeval town wall. The town's midpoint is the Rossmarkt ("Horse Market") with the bronze horse by artist Gernot Rumpf. A sculpture of an ondine by Karlheinz Oswald stands at the Fischmarkt ("Fish Market") in front of the old town hall.
Sport
[edit]The Wartbergstadion is the town's biggest sporting facility. It has a type-B competition running track with a large grass playing field, a 400 m loop track, track and field areas (plastic) and stands. Here can also be found the leisure swimming pool Wartbergbad. Nearby there is a riding club with stalls, paddocks and a riding hall, and a tennis club with seven clay courts.
Moreover, Alzey has at its disposal a newly built artificial-turf playing field, which is used mainly by the hockey and football clubs and an American Football club. There is also a multipurpose sporting ground and at schools several more hard courts.
Regular events
[edit]Weinbergshäuschen Wanderung
[edit]The so-called Weinbergshäuschen Wanderung ("Vineyard Cottage Hike"), or Wingertshaisje Wanderung in the local speech, is a hike through the hilly Rhenish-Hessian countryside between Alzey and the outlying centres of Weinheim and Heimersheim. It is held each September on the first Sunday in that month. Along the network of paths, vineyard cottages are operated between 11:00 and 18:00 by winemaking estates and clubs. On offer at these times are both cold and warm foods and drinks, including the Rhenish-Hessian wine typical of the region.
Winemakers' festival
[edit]The Winzerfest is held each year on the third weekend in September and lasts from Friday to the following Tuesday. It is the biggest event of its kind in Alzey. On the wine and sekt terrace are presented selected regional wines. Parallel with this is a yearly market with rides and games of all kinds.
Culinary specialities
[edit]Being the centre of a winegrowing region, the specialities are first and foremost wines and dishes that are made with wine, such as the Backesgrumbeere, a seasoned potato casserole with bacon, wine and sour cream, which is found throughout Rhenish Hesse. The winegrowing engineer Georg Scheu named a variety of grapevine after his workplace, the Perle von Alzey.
Economy and infrastructure
[edit]The town's main branches of industry are winegrowing, the resident specialized clinic, the building firm Wilhelm Faber GmbH & Co. KG, a Schlecker distribution centre, a Plus distribution centre, an administrative seat of the hypermarket chain real,- and Lufthansa daughter companies Lufthansa Technik AERO Alzey and LSG Sky Food. Moreover, Alzey is the region's service provision centre with a very broad array, for the town's size, of shopping, which is concentrated mainly in the industrial area.
Agriculture
[edit]Alzey is characterized by winegrowing and with 769 ha of vineyards currently worked, 69% with white wine varieties and 31% with red, it ranks sixth in size among winegrowing centres in Rhineland-Palatinate, and after Worms (1 490 ha) and Nierstein (783 ha), it is the third biggest winegrowing centre in Rhenish Hesse.
Transport
[edit]Alzey is found near the Autobahnkreuz Alzey, an Autobahn interchange at which the two Autobahnen A 61 (Venlo, Koblenz, Bingen, Alzey, Ludwigshafen, Hockenheim) and A 63 (Mainz, Alzey, Kaiserslautern) cross.
Alzey station has direct connections to Mainz Central Station by Regional-Express and Regionalbahn services on the Alzey–Mainz railway, and on the Rheinhessenbahn (railway) to Bingen and Worms. The Donnersbergbahn has connected Alzey with Kirchheimbolanden again since 1999. On weekends and holidays, trips on the Elsass-Express ("Alsace Express") to Wissembourg are possible.
The town belongs to the VRN. This tariff can also be used for trips to and from the Rhein-Nahe-Nahverkehrsverbund (RNN) area as far as Alzey.
Public institutions
[edit]- DRK Krankenhaus Alzey (hospital)
- Rheinhessen-Fachklinik Alzey (specialized clinic)
- Seat of Alzey-Worms district council
- Seat of the Verbandsgemeinde of Alzey-Land
- Seat of the branch office of the Bingen-Alzey finance office
Education
[edit]- Primary schools:
- Albert-Schweitzer-Schule
- Nibelungenschule
- St. Marienschule
- Secondary school:
- Gustav-Heinemann-Schulzentrum with:
- Elisabeth Langgässer Gymnasium
- Gymnasium am Römerkastell
- Staatliches Aufbaugymnasium (state training Gymnasium)
- Other:
- two special schools (Volkerschule and Schule im Rotental)
- District music school
- Berufsbildende Schule Alzey (vocational school)
- Rheinhessen Fachklinik nursing school
Famous people
[edit]Honorary citizens
[edit]- Georg Scheu
- Willi Bechtolsheimer
- Kurt Neumann
- Walter Zuber
- Karl-Heinz Kipp
Sons and daughters of the town
[edit]- Felix Adler (1851–1933), philosopher and son of Rabbi Samuel Adler
- August Belmont (1816–1890), German-American banker and politician. He was from the well known Jewish family Belmont in Alzey as a son of Simon Isaac, who had taken the name Belmont under Napoleon's name law.[12]
- Gisela Biedermann (born 1948), Liechtensteiner physician and politician[13]
- Heinrich Claß (1868–1953) was from 1908 to 1939 chairman of the Alldeutscher Verband, the influential nationalistic club in Imperial Germany. Claß was known for, among other things, works published under the pseudonyms Daniel Frymann and Einhart, in which he propagated his extreme nationalistic and expansionist politics.
- Karl-Heinz Kipp (1924–2017), entrepreneur, founder of the Massa-Märkte (now belonging to the Metro Group), ranked 154 on Forbes's list of wealthiest people (2008) with an estimated fortune of US$6,300,000,000.[14]
- Elisabeth Langgässer (1899–1950), writer
- Gunther Metz (born 1967), former professional footballer, active in 1 FC Kaiserslautern and Karlsruher SC in the 1990s, today co-trainer of the Lauterer Amateure.
- Tarkan Tevetoğlu,[15] (born 1972), Turkish pop musician with more than 15 million CDs sold. In Germany he is particularly well known for the title "Şımarık".
Famous people associated with the town
[edit]
- Dr. Samuel Adler (1809–1891) was from 1842 to 1857 Rabbi of Alzey's Jewish community. He was a supporter of the liberal movement in German Jewry and advocated, for example, the use of German in Jewish worship and a greater role for women. Dr. Adler went as a rabbi to the Temple Emanu-El in New York and became head of the USA's leading Jewish Reform community. Services held by Samuel Adler continued to be in his preferred German. His library is as far as has been possible maintained at Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati.
- Ludwig Bamberger (1823–1899), was a revolutionary, banker and politician. He belonged to the Democrats, who faced down Prussian troops at the Schlosspark in Kirchheimbolanden in 1848. Sentenced to death in absentia, Bamberger later became a banker (founding member of Deutsche Bank) and one of the leading liberal politicians after the German Empire was founded in 1871. He is described as the "Father" of the German Mark (founding of an independent issuing bank). He was for many years a Member of the Reichstag for the electoral district of Bingen-Alzey (from 1871 to 1893) and married Anna Belmont from Alzey.
References
[edit]- ^ Wahlen der Bürgermeister der verbandsfreien Gemeinden, Landeswahlleiter Rheinland-Pfalz. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
- ^ Bevölkerungsstand 31. Dezember 2023, Landkreise, Gemeinden, Verbandsgemeinden; Fortschreibung des Zensus 2011 (in German), Statistisches Landesamt Rheinland-Pfalz, 2024
- ^ a b "Monatsauswertung". sklima.de (in German). SKlima. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
- ^ "Alzey - Geschichte der Stadt" (PDF). Retrieved 3 May 2023.
- ^ "Andracor ✦ Der Onlineshop für LARP, Mittelalter und Reenactment". andracor.com. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
- ^ CIL XIII, 06265
- ^ Stand: 31. Januar 2008, Quelle: www.kommwis.de
- ^ a b c d e f "Pinkas Hakehillot Germany: Alzey, Germany".
- ^ "ALZEY - JewishEncyclopedia.com". jewishencyclopedia.com. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
- ^ Palatine Zweibrücken
- ^ Kommunalwahl Rheinland-Pfalz 2009, Stadt- und Gemeinderatswahlen
- ^ Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607-1896. Marquis Who's Who. 1967.
- ^ "Biedermann, Gisela". Historical Encyclopedia of the Principality of Liechtenstein (in German). 19 September 2017. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
- ^ "Karl-Heinz Kipp". Manager Magazin (in German). Retrieved 3 May 2023.
- ^ "Tarkan yeni şarkısı Son Durak'ın çıkış tarihini duyurdu". Gazete Oksijen (in Turkish). 16 November 2022. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
Further reading
[edit]Volker Gallé / Christine Hinkel / Manfred Hinkel / Gisela Kleinknecht / Wulf Kleinknecht: Alzeyer Köpfe. Sutton Verlag, Erfurt 2007, ISBN 978-3-86680-098-4
External links
[edit]- Official website
(in German) - Auswandererliste nach Südbrasilien zu dem Landkreis Alzey-Worms (German) Institut für Geschichtliche Landeskunde an der Universität Mainz.
Alzey
View on GrokipediaAlzey is a town and administrative seat of the Alzey-Worms district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.[1]
Situated in the southern part of the Rheinhessen wine region, it features a population of 20,302 residents as of December 2024 and serves as a hub for viticulture, including research institutions stemming from a 1916 land donation that established state facilities for wine and fruit cultivation.[2][3][1]
The town's historic core, restored with picturesque half-timbered houses and market squares like the Rossmarkt and Fischmarkt, reflects its medieval development as a chartered town since 1277, with archaeological evidence of Roman-era settlement and artifacts displayed in the local museum.[1][4][5]
Key landmarks include the 13th-century Alzey Castle, originally a Staufen-era structure expanded into a palatine residence and now housing district administrative functions after 20th-century restoration, alongside cultural events such as the annual Wine Festival that highlight its enological prominence.[6][1][7]
Geography
Location and Setting
Alzey is situated in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, within the Alzey-Worms district and the broader Rhenish Hesse (Rheinhessen) region, a prominent wine-growing area.[1][8] The town lies at geographic coordinates approximately 49°45′N 8°07′E, about 30 kilometers southwest of Mainz and 22 kilometers northwest of Worms, positioning it in the northern part of the Wonnegau subregion.[9][10] Its central elevation is around 173 meters (568 feet) above sea level, with surrounding terrain rising to higher points in the nearby hills.[11] The town is traversed by the Selz River, which flows through it partly underground, contributing to its hydrological setting amid a landscape of gentle rolling hills, forests, meadows, and streams.[8][12] This area, sometimes evocatively termed Rhine-Hessian Switzerland, features low-elevation hills (Hügelland) reaching up to 337 meters, dominated by agricultural land dedicated primarily to viticulture in the Rheinhessen wine region, with the eastern horizons marked by the foothills of the Odenwald mountains.[1][12] The topography supports extensive vineyards and arable fields, reflecting the region's fertile loess soils and temperate climate conducive to wine production.[13]Climate and Environment
Alzey experiences an oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb), typical of western Germany, with mild temperatures, moderate rainfall distributed throughout the year, and occasional fog in valleys due to its position in the Upper Rhine Plain. Average annual precipitation totals approximately 700 mm, with the wettest month being December at around 67 mm. Temperatures vary seasonally from winter lows averaging -1°C (30°F) to summer highs around 25°C (77°F), rarely exceeding 31°C (88°F) or dropping below -8°C (17°F).[14][11][15] The local environment is shaped by the Alzey Hills, a region of low rolling terrain rising to elevations of about 200–300 m, interspersed with forests, meadows, and streams that foster biodiversity suited to temperate deciduous woodlands and grasslands. This landscape, part of the broader Rheinhessen area, benefits from fertile loess soils that enable extensive viticulture, with vineyards covering significant portions of the surrounding slopes and contributing to the region's agricultural economy. Streams such as the Gülsterbach and Eckbach drain the area, supporting riparian habitats, while urban green spaces and nearby nature reserves help mitigate development pressures on natural ecosystems.[1]Demographics
Population Statistics
As of 24 May 2023, Alzey recorded an official population of 20,004 residents with principal residence in the town.[16] The German census of 2022 counted 19,035 inhabitants as of 15 May 2022.[17] Covering 35.22 km², this yields a population density of 540.5 inhabitants per square kilometer.[17] Historical data indicate steady growth in recent decades. The population based on the 2011 census stood at 17,646 as of 31 December 2011.[18] From 2011 to 2022, it rose by approximately 7.9%, reflecting net migration and natural increase.[17] Earlier, between 2000 and 2015, growth totaled 13.8%, outpacing the national average of 2.6% over the same period.[19] Longer-term trends show expansion from around 2,556 residents in 1785 amid agricultural and later industrial development.[20]Composition and Trends
As of December 31, 2023, Alzey's population stood at 19,530, marking a continuation of modest growth driven largely by net inward migration amid a negative natural balance of births and deaths.[21] The town's population has risen steadily, with an estimated annual increase of 0.86% between 2022 and 2024, following a 13.8% expansion from 2000 to 2015.[22][23] This trajectory aligns with district-level patterns in Alzey-Worms, where the population grew 0.7% year-over-year in 2023 and 6.6% over the decade from 2013 to 2023, compensating for below-replacement fertility rates common in rural German districts.[21] Demographically, Alzey remains overwhelmingly ethnic German, with limited ethnic diversity reflective of its location in Rhineland-Palatinate's wine-growing region. The proportion of foreign nationals in the encompassing Alzey-Worms district reached 11.6% in 2023, up slightly from prior years but stable relative to national trends; specific figures for Alzey proper are not separately reported but are presumed analogous given the town's role as an administrative hub attracting regional commuters rather than international migrants.[21] No dominant non-EU ethnic groups are documented, though district data indicate typical inflows from EU neighboring states and Turkey, consistent with Germany's overall migration patterns post-2015.[21] Age composition shows hallmarks of demographic aging, mirroring the district where 22.1% of residents were 65 or older in 2023, 58.3% aged 20-64, and 19.6% under 20, yielding a median age of 45 years.[21] This structure underscores rising old-age dependency, with the ratio of those 65+ to working-age adults climbing amid low youth shares, a trend exacerbated by out-migration of younger cohorts to urban centers like Mainz.[21] Recent inflows have somewhat bolstered the working-age segment, but projections suggest sustained pressure on local services without policy interventions to retain families.[21]History
Prehistoric and Roman Origins
Archaeological investigations in the Alzey area reveal evidence of human occupation from the Neolithic period onward, with artifacts from the Bronze and Iron Ages preserved in the Museum der Stadt Alzey, which documents regional cultural development up to the Roman era.[24] Nearby sites, such as the Neolithic burial ground at Flomborn, indicate early farming communities associated with the Linearbandkeramik culture and subsequent Middle Neolithic phases around 4800–4500 BC.[25] During the late Iron Age, the settlement at Alzey likely featured Celtic influences, as epigraphic and material evidence from vici in the Civitas Vangionum suggests relatively Celtic character prior to Roman incorporation.[26] The site developed into a Roman vicus known as Altiaia (or Alteium) within the province of Germania Superior, serving as a civilian settlement linked to the legionary base at Mogontiacum (Mainz) from the 1st century AD.[27] This community supported agricultural and trade activities in the Rhine valley, with stone inscriptions and other finds attesting to its integration into the Roman administrative and economic network.[28] The vicus suffered destruction during Alamannic raids circa 352–353 AD, prompting the construction of the late Roman fort Castra Alteium between 367 and 370 AD as a defensive outpost on the Danube-Iller-Rhine Limes.[29] [30] The castrum, measuring approximately 2 hectares with stone walls, towers, and internal barracks, housed auxiliary troops to counter barbarian threats amid the empire's declining control.[29] It endured multiple destructions—likely from further invasions—and was abandoned by the early 5th century as Roman authority waned in the region.[30] Remnants of the fort's foundations and associated artifacts, including pottery and military equipment, have been excavated and are exhibited locally, underscoring Alzey's role in late imperial frontier defenses.[28]Medieval Development
Alzey first appears in medieval records in 897 as an imperial fief (Reichslehen), indicating its early significance under Carolingian rule.[31] Following the decline of Roman infrastructure, the settlement likely reverted to a more agrarian existence before regaining prominence in the High Middle Ages. By the 12th century, Alzey emerged as a key political center within the Holy Roman Empire, with the construction of the Staufen imperial castle (Reichsburg) between 1116 and 1118.[32] This fortress served as a strategic residence and administrative hub. In 1156, Conrad of Staufen, later Conrad III, received the dignity of Pfalzgraf (Count Palatine of the Rhine) at the completed Reichsburg, establishing Alzey as the "birthplace of the Electoral Palatinate" (Geburtsstätte der Kurpfalz).[32] The town gained city rights in 1277 from Rudolf I of Habsburg, fostering urban development including markets and fortifications.[32] Medieval Alzey functioned as a spiritual center, hosting or neighboring seven monasteries that supported ecclesiastical influence and local economy through agriculture and pilgrimage.[33] Literary references, such as the character Volker von Alzey in the Nibelungenlied around 1200, underscore its cultural ties to epic traditions.[32] The 13th-century castle complex formed the nucleus of the Rhenish Palatinate, serving as a secondary residence for counts palatine and reinforcing Alzey's role in regional governance.[6] Surrounding medieval city walls, now in ruins, protected the growing settlement, which featured half-timbered structures and evolved into a hub for trade in wine and grains amid the fertile Rheinhessen landscape.[34] By the late Middle Ages, Alzey had solidified as a residence for Palatinate nobility, blending military, administrative, and religious functions.[35]Early Modern to 19th Century
In the early modern period, Alzey remained under the rule of the Electoral Palatinate, where the Wittelsbach dynasty expanded the medieval Staufen castle into a representative palace complex during the 15th and 16th centuries, serving as a favored residence for figures such as Elector Palatine Ruprecht III.[6] The town adopted Calvinism following the Palatinate's official shift to the Reformed faith in 1563, though religious tensions persisted amid the Reformation's broader conflicts. Local economy centered on crafts, trade, and viticulture, with guilds regulating handwerk and gewerbe activities that sustained urban life despite periodic disruptions.[36] The Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) brought severe devastation when Spanish forces under Count Ambrosio Spinola captured Alzey in 1620 on behalf of the Catholic Habsburg Emperor, targeting the Protestant Palatinate.[4] Post-war recovery was slow; however, Elector Karl Ludwig granted toleration to Anabaptists in 1657, allowing Mennonite settlement and contributing to gradual repopulation.[37] Further ruin struck during the Nine Years' War (1688–1697), known as the Palatinate War of Succession, when French troops under Louis XIV systematically destroyed the castle and much of the town, including burning structures in Alzey alongside regional centers like Worms and Speyer.[6] [38] Quaker William Penn visited Alzey in 1670, recruiting emigrants for Pennsylvania amid ongoing economic pressures.[39] The late 18th century saw French revolutionary forces annex the left bank of the Rhine, incorporating Alzey into the Department of Mont-Tonnerre (Donnersberg) in 1798 as part of Napoleon's reorganization, with administrative centers in Mainz.[40] This period introduced metric systems, secular governance, and conscription, disrupting traditional structures but fostering some administrative modernization. Following Napoleon's defeat, the Congress of Vienna reassigned Alzey in 1815 to the Grand Duchy of Hesse-Darmstadt, where it became the seat of the Rheinhessen district (Kreis Alzey) in 1816, integrating into a Hessian province focused on agrarian reform and emerging rail connections by mid-century.[40] Emigration surged in the 19th century due to overpopulation, crop failures, and political unrest, with many Alzey residents departing for North America, as documented in local wanderungsgeschichte records.[39] The Jewish community, reestablished post-Thirty Years' War, expanded steadily from the late 18th century, reaching about 50 families by the 1830s under improved protections.[41]20th Century up to World War I
At the beginning of the 20th century, Alzey functioned as the administrative center of the Kreis Alzey in the Grand Duchy of Hesse, a constituent state of the German Empire. The town's population expanded from 6,500 residents in 1900 to 8,329 by 1910, driven by agricultural prosperity in the Rheinhessen wine region and modest industrialization.[4] This growth coincided with urban extension beyond the medieval city walls around 1900, accommodating increasing settlement and infrastructure needs.[32] Key developments included the reconstruction of Alzey Castle between 1900 and 1903, restoring the 13th-century structure that had served as a palatine residence and later administrative seat.[32] From 1906 to 1908, construction of the Landesheil- und Pflegeanstalt, a state-run facility for psychiatric care and nursing, addressed growing demands for public health services in the expanding district.[32] In 1909, the Rebschule Alzey was established as part of a broader German initiative to found 23 vine nurseries following the phylloxera epidemic, with Georg Scheu appointed as its first director to focus on breeding resistant grape varieties suited to Rheinhessen soils.[32][42] This institution laid foundational work for viticultural innovation, emphasizing empirical selection of hybrids for yield and disease resistance. The local Jewish community, numbering about 320 in both 1900 and 1910, maintained stability amid these changes, centered around longstanding religious and commercial roles.[4]Interwar Period and Nazi Era
Following the end of World War I, Alzey, located in the occupied Rhineland region of Rheinhessen, fell under French military administration as part of the Allied occupation stipulated by the Treaty of Versailles, beginning in December 1918 and lasting until the withdrawal of foreign troops around 1929.[43] This period brought economic strain from reparations and hyperinflation, exacerbating local tensions in a predominantly agricultural area focused on viticulture and trade.[31] Politically, the region saw early Nazi activity; the local NSDAP Kreisleiter in Alzey, Dr. Karl Schilling, was convicted by a French military court in 1924 for subversive actions but released under the terms of the London Agreement.[44] By the early 1930s, the NSDAP's rise intensified political polarization in Alzey and surrounding areas, which harbored Nazi strongholds, culminating in Adolf Hitler's campaign speech in the town on June 14, 1932.[31][45] After the Nazi seizure of power in 1933, Alzey aligned with national policies of Gleichschaltung, including the promotion of viticulture through state propaganda and ideological integration into the Reichsnährstand to bolster autarky.[46] Antisemitic measures escalated, leading to the aryanization of Jewish businesses by November 1938 and the destruction of the local synagogue during the Kristallnacht pogrom on November 9–10, 1938, after which its interior fittings were publicly burned.[45] The Jewish community, which had served as a rabbinical seat until 1933, effectively dissolved by 1938 amid deportations and emigration pressures.[47] In the Rheinhessen-Fachklinik (formerly Heil- und Pflegeanstalt), Nazi racial hygiene programs resulted in the forced sterilization of 229 patients and the murder of 453 others under the euthanasia decree, often via deportation to extermination centers or lethal injections disguised as "mercy deaths," reflecting the regime's systematic elimination of those deemed "life-unworthy of life."[48] During World War II, Alzey contributed to the war economy through local industries and agriculture but faced minimal direct combat until late stages. On January 8, 1945, 36 U.S. Boeing B-17 bombers targeted a nearby railway bridge but, hampered by poor visibility and mistaking the Wartbergturm for a church steeple, diverted their payload to the adjacent Wartberg hill, averting widespread destruction of the town center.[45] Isolated acts of resistance occurred, such as attempts to shelter Jews in 1942, though largely unsuccessful amid Gestapo enforcement.[49] The Nazi era in Alzey thus mirrored broader Third Reich patterns of ideological conformity, persecution, and wartime mobilization, with local institutions complicit in genocidal policies.[48]Post-World War II Reconstruction
Alzey sustained limited destruction during World War II, with air raids from 1940 to 1945 causing the complete loss of 34 residential buildings, partial damage to 40, and minor impacts on 198 others, in addition to 4 public structures being totally destroyed.[50] This amounted to approximately 16% overall devastation, sparing the town from the extensive ruin seen in major urban centers.[50] American forces entered Alzey on March 17, 1945, liberating it from Nazi control and initiating the transition to Allied occupation, which soon shifted to French administration overseeing local governance and denazification efforts.[51] Reconstruction prioritized restoring essential infrastructure and housing amid postwar shortages, with the French zone's policies emphasizing political purging alongside basic material recovery.[50] A prominent example of postwar rebuilding was the Wartbergturm, demolished in a January 8, 1945, bombing raid that local tradition holds diverted explosives from the town center, earning it the moniker "Saviour of Alzey."[52] The tower underwent reconstruction immediately after 1945 as an act of communal thanks, though an initial effort collapsed in a storm, prompting a redesigned modern version on the original foundation.[52] The 1948 currency reform further supported economic revival, stabilizing finances in Alzey's agriculture and wine sectors and enabling steady progress toward normalcy by the early 1950s.[50]Recent Administrative Changes
The Landkreis Alzey-Worms was formed on 7 June 1969 as part of Rhineland-Palatinate's territorial administrative reform, merging the former Landkreis Alzey with the rural portions of Landkreis Worms (excluding areas annexed to the city of Worms) to streamline district-level governance and reduce administrative fragmentation post-World War II.[53] Alzey, already a significant regional center, was designated the district's administrative seat, enhancing its role in local coordination without altering the town's municipal boundaries.[21] A further restructuring occurred on 1 January 2000 with the dissolution of Rhineland-Palatinate's Regierungsbezirke, including the Rheinhessen-Pfalz district encompassing Alzey-Worms, under the Verwaltungsorganisationsreformgesetz.[54] This eliminated the intermediate regional administrative tier, reallocating supervisory and coordination functions directly to state ministries in Mainz and district offices, aiming to improve efficiency and cut overhead in a decentralized federal system.[55] Subsequent reforms, such as the 2010 Kommunal- und Verwaltungsreformgesetz, emphasized task-sharing between state, districts, and communes while enabling voluntary municipal mergers to address demographic pressures, but Alzey experienced no boundary adjustments or loss of its verbandsfreie status.[56] The town's independent administrative framework has remained stable, reflecting its population size exceeding 18,000 and central position in the district.[21]Religion
Historical Religious Landscape
In the medieval period, Alzey exhibited a predominantly Catholic religious landscape, characterized by the presence of seven churches and chapels within the town. Three of these were affiliated with monasteries, reflecting the era's monastic influence, while one served the castle and another the hospital, underscoring the integration of ecclesiastical structures into civic and noble life. This configuration aligned with the broader spiritual wealth of Alzey from approximately 1200 to 1550, during which the town hosted multiple religious foundations amid its growth as a regional center.[57][58] The introduction of the Reformation in 1556, under Count Palatine Ottheinrich, marked a pivotal shift, establishing Protestantism—initially Lutheran—in the Alzey bailiwick as part of the Electoral Palatinate's adoption of the new faith. Subsequent confessional fluctuations occurred, with oscillations between Lutheran and Calvinist dominance among the Christian populace. The Thirty Years' War disrupted this, as Spanish Catholic forces under Count Spinola occupied Alzey from 1620 to around 1644, enforcing temporary Catholic control and contributing to population decline through conflict and resettlement.[59][60] Post-war recovery saw Protestantism regain prominence, evidenced by the construction of the Kleine Kirche in 1728–1729 as a Lutheran place of worship, smaller in scale compared to existing structures. Catholicism reemerged publicly after 1685 under the Catholic Pfalz-Neuburg line, enabling the founding of a Capuchin monastery in 1686 and the confirmation of 379 Catholics by Mainz auxiliary bishop Matthias Starck in 1687; the monastery served 47 communities until its dissolution in 1797 amid Napoleonic secularizations. A Protestant church union in 1822 further consolidated Lutheran and Reformed elements, shaping the mixed denominational profile that persisted into the modern era.[61][62][60]Jewish History in Alzey
The earliest documented Jewish presence in Alzey dates to 1260, when Jews participated alongside other citizens in purchasing town privileges from the Count Palatine.[4] Jews primarily earned livelihoods through money lending during the 13th century.[4] Persecutions occurred amid the Black Death in 1348, followed by expulsion in 1391 under Count Ruprecht II.[63] Sporadic Jewish residence persisted into the 16th century without an organized community.[63] An organized Jewish community formed around 1700, with Jessel Belmont serving as the first recorded parnas until his death in 1738.[63] Population growth faced restrictions, including a 1748 decree by Elector Karl Theodor limiting families to three, preventing new settlers until vacancies arose.[41] By 1772, nine Jewish households existed; this rose to 30 by 1807.[63] A cemetery was established in the 17th century and remains extant.[4] The first synagogue was constructed in 1791 by Elijah Simeon Belmont.[63][41] The community expanded in the 19th century, reaching approximately 200 members by mid-century and 331 (about 6% of the total population) in 1880.[63] A new synagogue was consecrated in 1854.[63] Rabbis included Dr. Samuel Adler (1842–1856), who later moved to Temple Emanu-El in New York; Dr. David Rothschild (1862–1891); and Dr. Joseph Levy from 1891.[41] By 1901, around 320 Jews lived in Alzey out of 6,500 inhabitants.[41] The population peaked mid-19th century before declining to 240 in 1926 and 197 in 1933.[63] Nazi persecution accelerated after 1933, prompting emigration that reduced the community to fewer than 100 by November 1938, when the synagogue was burned during Kristallnacht.[63][4] By 1939, only 72 Jews remained, most of whom later emigrated or were deported.[63] The final 41 Jews were deported to extermination camps between 1942 and 1943, effectively ending the community.[63] No organized Jewish life has reconstituted in Alzey postwar.[4]Politics and Administration
Local Governance Structure
Alzey's local governance follows the framework of Rhineland-Palatinate's municipal code, with executive authority vested in a directly elected full-time mayor (Bürgermeister) who heads the city administration and chairs the city council (Stadtrat).[64] The current mayor, Steffen Jung, oversees daily operations, implements council decisions, manages the budget, and represents the city in external affairs, including partnerships and legal matters.[64][65] The legislative body, the Stadtrat, consists of 36 honorary council members elected via personalized proportional representation for five-year terms, with the most recent election held in 2024 yielding six political factions.[66] The council approves ordinances, budgets, and major policies, such as urban development and public services, while the mayor holds veto power subject to council override.[66] Operational duties are delegated to specialized committees (Ausschüsse), including those for central services and finances, citizen services, construction, environment, and climate protection, auditing, school oversight, and apportionment, enabling focused deliberation on delegated agenda items per the city's main bylaws.[66] The administration supports these bodies through departments handling public services, though detailed internal organization is outlined in official schematics without public specification of departmental heads beyond the mayor's oversight.[67] Alzey maintains affiliated public companies for tasks like housing and event management, supervised by the council.[66]Mayors and Elections
The mayor (Bürgermeister) of Alzey, as the administrative head of the city, is elected directly by eligible voters for a standard term of five years under Rhineland-Palatinate's municipal election law, which mandates majority voting with possible runoff elections.[68] Steffen Jung of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) has held the office since September 1, 2022.[64] He won the March 6, 2022, election with 3,811 votes (55.8 percent), defeating incumbent Christoph Burkhard's 3,020 votes (44.2 percent) in a direct runoff; voter turnout was 6,909 out of 14,327 eligible participants (48.2 percent).[68] Burkhard, an independent candidate backed by the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), previously served from September 1, 2006, to August 31, 2022, a 16-year tenure marked by local development initiatives.| Mayor | Party/Affiliation | Term |
|---|---|---|
| Walter Zuber | SPD | 1982–1990[69] |
| Knut Benkert | SPD | 1990–2006[70] |
| Christoph Burkhard | Independent (CDU-supported) | 2006–2022 |
| Steffen Jung | SPD | 2022–present[64] |
Heraldry and Symbols
The coat of arms of Alzey features a per fess division into black over silver. The upper black field displays a golden lion issuant from the line of partition, crowned and armed in red, symbolizing the town's former allegiance to the Electoral Palatinate (Kurpfalz). The lower silver field bears a red fiddle (Fiedel) placed bendwise to dexter, referencing the instrument's longstanding use in the city's seals since the 14th century.[72] Early seals of Alzey from the medieval period initially depicted a bunch of grapes, reflecting the region's viticultural economy as a primary source of income. By the 14th century, these were supplanted by the fiddle, potentially as a canting emblem alluding to "Alz-ey" through phonetic or symbolic association with stringed instruments. The Palatine lion was incorporated later to denote territorial history, with an early combined depiction appearing in 1478 where the lion grasps the fiddle. The modern configuration, integrating both elements without the lion holding the instrument, was officially adopted in 1955.[73] Alzey's flag derives from the coat of arms, consisting of black and white (silver) horizontal stripes bearing the centered shield. This design underscores the bicolored partition and maintains heraldic continuity in civic representations. No other prominent municipal symbols, such as distinct emblems or mottos, are officially documented beyond the armorial bearings and their derivatives.[73]International Partnerships
Alzey participates in several town twinning partnerships, primarily with European municipalities, aimed at promoting cultural exchange, youth programs, and mutual understanding through visits, joint events, and collaborative projects. These initiatives, common in post-World War II Germany to build international relations, have been maintained since the 1960s, with Alzey currently holding six such agreements.[74] The partnerships include:| Partner City | Country | Established | Key Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harpenden | United Kingdom | 10 September 1963 | Focuses on community visits and cultural events; recent exchanges include a 2025 program hosting English visitors for five days, emphasizing friendship groups like "Friends of Alzey."[74] [75] |
| Josselin | France | 2 September 1973 | Emphasizes historical and cultural ties; regular exchanges support educational and tourism initiatives.[74] |
| Lembeye | France | 15 June 1980 | Specific to Alzey's Weinheim district; involves annual visits and celebrations, such as the 40th anniversary in 2023 with French delegations attending local events.[76] [77] |
| Rechnitz | Austria | 1980s (exact date unspecified in records) | Centers on regional similarities in viticulture and heritage; supports ongoing social and economic dialogues.[74] |
| Kamenz | Germany (Saxony) | 29 June 1990 | Intra-German partnership revitalized in 2024 after periods of dormancy; focuses on shared post-reunification experiences, with recent discussions on joint projects in education and tourism attended by delegations.[78] [74] |
| Kościan | Poland | 1990s (tied to district-level ties since 2001) | Builds on broader regional cooperation; emphasizes economic and cultural exchanges within the context of European integration.[79] [74] |

