Elsenfeld - History

History

The area around Elsenfeld was already settled more than 5,000 years ago. This is witnessed by Linear Pottery culture (Bronze Age) burial finds near Eichelsbach and Rück-Schippach. However, there likely was not continuous habitation before Frankish times.

Barrows near Eichelsbach bear witness to a relatively dense population in the time between 1600 and 700 BC. Only in the late 6th century did the actual era of written history begin here. The oldest settlements in today’s municipal area are Eichelsbach and Schippach. In 1122, Elsenfeld had its first documentary mention. Schippach’s first documentary mention came in 1233, when the Count and Countess of Rieneck expanded the Himmelthal Monastery’s landholdings with estates around Schippach. Rück came to light for the first time about 1270 in the so-called Mainzer Heberolle (“Mainz Levy Roll” – a taxation document). In the mid 13th century, all these places appeared in the Koppelfutter-Verzeichnis (“Paddock Fodder Directory”). Eichelsbach (also then known as Egilespach, Aigilspach or Egilspach) was leibeigen – in serfdom

The area’s landlord was the Archbishop and Elector of Mainz. The resident lords were therefore enfeoffed by Electoral Mainz.

Until the 1803 Reichsdeputationshauptschluss, the community’s development was tightly bound to Klingenberg castle, town, court, Amt and stewardship holdings. The area became in 1803 part of the Principality of Aschaffenburg. In 1804, Elsenfeld passed to the Grand Duchy of Frankfurt and was transferred into the ownership if the Kingdom of Bavaria in 1814. Eichelsbach and the remaining Himmelthal monastic landholdings were definitively delivered from serfdom and socage.

On 30 July 1828, Elsenfeld was separated from the Klingenberg district court and assigned to the Obernburg district court, with which it remained until district reform in 1972.

On 1 July 1971, the formerly self-administering communities of Rück-Schippach and Eichelsbach voluntarily amalgamated with the market community of Elsenfeld.