Schierstein - History

History

Before about 2000 years ago, a small Germanic settlement was located north of present-day Schierstein. The inhabitants lived on fishing and hunting. The course of the Rhine at this time extended to the edge of the forest. Here there was a large lake, which extended as far west as the Binger Loch (near Bingen am Rhein). Sand deposits and other evidence indicates that this lake extended as far north as Blierweg (near Autobahn A-66), Nußberg, and Freudenberg. Over the centuries, the channel at Binger Loch grew deeper and consequently the water level and area of the lake decreased. The dry land soon attracted the first settlers to present-day Schierstein.

By that time, the Roman Empire was expanding north, building fortresses beyond the Rhine. A colony of soldiers was established in Schierstein which served as an advanced guard. The colony was established north of the present Schierstein railway station, as shown by archeological finds of bronze, stone, horn and clay discovered there. Also found from this period was a giant Jovian pillar. Such columns were often erected by Roman landowners to show that their property stood under the protection of the deity. The Schiersteiner pillar is completely preserved. It clearly depicts a Germanic view of Jupiter, as a flying rider modelled after the Germanic god Wotan.

Roman rule in Schierstein lasted for almost three and a half centuries. Then the Franks settled in the Rhine Valley. To better manage the Frankish Empire, Charlemagne divided his kingdom into individual "Gaue". Schierstein belonged to Königssondergau, which stretched from Walluf to Kriftel. The region west of Schierstein received its current name of "Rheingau".

The name of Schierstein changed often over time: it was Skerdesstein in 943, Skerdisstein by 1000, and Scerstein in 1015. This last name is similar present-day vernacular pronunciation "Scherstaa". Schierstein means "Fortress of Sherto", suggesting that there was probably a castle here. This assumption is confirmed by Roman bricks found on the grounds of the Söhnlein plant. Documents dating to 1275 show that a court (German Centgericht) functioned here made up of the mayor and seven jury members.

In the following centuries, the small community suffered many armed conflicts, being spared from none of the wars that raged across the Rhineland. The population especially suffered during the Thirty Years War (1618-1648). Up to that time, the farmers had achieved a certain prosperity, but, according to a chronicle of several large estates, almost all were terribly devastated and vineyards left to grow wild. The plague decimated the population and Schierstein fell into large debt. Therefore, the community requested the Count of Nassau Georg August Samuel to allow the town free movement of goods without tax (which he did). Only in 1720 was the community able to cover part of its debts.

From 1745 to 1763, Schierstein was alternately occupied by French and imperial troops and the citizens forced to give them quarter. However, the Protestant Church was constructed at this time.

In the middle of the 19th century, Schierstein began to grow strongly due to the construction of the port. At the beginning of the 20th Century it was connected with Wiesbaden by a tram, via Biebrich. In 1926, Schierstein was incorporated into the city of Wiesbaden.

In 1923, the Schierstein Kaserne was built east of the town center to house occupation troops of the French Army (the 133rd and 243rd Field Artillery Regiments) following World War I. In January 1926, the French troops were replaced in Schierstein by two English infantry companies of the 2nd Battalion, who remained until 1930. In 1938, the Kaserne officially became a German military installation, housing the 12th German Medical Supply Depot. The depot remained at Schierstein until late 1945, when the United States Army forces occupied Wiesbaden. The Schierstein Kaserne eventually became the headquarters of the U.S. Air Force 497th Reconnaissance Technical Group in early 1952, who remained until the site was deactivated on 1 July 1992. The site of the former Kaserne has since been redeveloped as residential housing.