Obertshausen

{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2015}} {{Infobox German place |type = Town |image_photo = Obertshausen.jpg |image_caption = Aerial view |image_coa = DEU Obertshausen COA.svg |image_flag = Flagge Obertshausen.svg |image_plan = Obertshausen in OF.svg |state = Hessen |district = Offenbach |coordinates = {{coord|50|4|N|8|50|E|format=dms|display=inline,title}} |elevation = 113 |area = 13.62 |postal_code = 63179 |area_code = 06104 |licence = OF |Gemeindeschlüssel = 06 4 38 010 |divisions = 2 [[Stadtteil]]e |website = [https://www.obertshausen.de/ www.obertshausen.de] |mayor = Manuel Friedrich<ref name=mayors>{{cite web|url=https://statistik.hessen.de/sites/statistik.hessen.de/files/2022-10/direktwahlen_09_2022_10102022.xlsx|title=Ergebnisse der letzten Direktwahl aller hessischen Landkreise und Gemeinden|language=de|date=5 September 2022|publisher=[[Hessisches Statistisches Landesamt]]|format=XLS}}</ref> |leader_term = 2020–26 |party = Independent }} '''Obertshausen''' ({{IPA|de|oːbɐtsˈhaʊzn̩|lang|De-Obertshausen.ogg}}) is a town in the [[Offenbach (district)|Offenbach district]] in the ''[[Regierungsbezirk]]'' in the state of [[Hessen]], [[Germany]]. It has around 24,000 inhabitants.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Obertshausen (Offenbach, Hesse, Germany) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map, Location, Weather and Web Information |url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/germany/hessen/offenbach/06438010__obertshausen/ |access-date=2024-10-03 |website=www.citypopulation.de}}</ref>

===Location=== Obertshausen is one of 13 towns and municipalities in the Offenbach district. The town lies in the thickly wooded eastern part of the Rhine-Main lowland south of the [[Main (river)|Main]] and southeast of [[Frankfurt|Frankfurt am Main]] and [[Offenbach am Main]] at an elevation of 112 m above sea level. Southwest of the town is found [[Darmstadt]], the seat of the like-named ''[[Regierungsbezirk]]''. To the northeast lies the town of [[Hanau]] ([[Main-Kinzig-Kreis]]). Obertshausen lies in the southern part of Hesse, not far from the [[Odenwald]] and the [[Spessart]].

===Municipal area's extent=== The municipal area stretches over 13.7 km2, of which 7.8 km2 is woodland, open land and cropland

===Neighbouring communities=== Obertshausen borders in the northwest on the district-free city of [[Offenbach am Main]] with its outlying centres of Bieber and Tempelsee, in the north on the town of [[Mühlheim am Main|Mühlheim]] (centre of Lämmerspiel), in the northeast on the town of [[Hanau]] ([[Main-Kinzig-Kreis]]) with its outlying centres of Steinheim and Klein-Auheim, in the east on the community of [[Hainburg, Germany|Hainburg]], in the southeast on the town of [[Rodgau]] (centre of Weiskirchen) and in the southwest on the town of [[Heusenstamm]].

===Constituent communities=== Obertshausen's ''[[Ortsteil|Stadtteile]]'' are Obertshausen and Hausen, each of which has roughly the same population.

==History== In 865, Obertshausen had its first documentary mention under the name ''Oberdueshuson'' in a paper from the [[Benedictine]] [[monastery]] at [[Seligenstadt]] as one of the monastery's landholdings. In 1069, [[Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor|Heinrich IV]] donated to Saint Jacob's Monastery in [[Mainz]] some newly cleared land in the Wildbann Dreieich (a royal hunting forest). The land lay near the village of ''Hyson'' in the Maingau. At this time, the Lords of Hagenhausen-Eppstein exercised lordly rights (''Hoheitsrechte'') in Obertshausen and Hausen. In Obertshausen stood a [[moat]]ed [[castle]] shaped like a defensive tower, called the ''Burgk im Hayn'' (or ''Burg im Hayn'' in modern German spelling). The Lords of Hausen, a sideline of those of Hagenhausen, once had holdings here.

In the [[Middle Ages]], feudal lords changed very often. The [[Lords of Eppstein]], Ullrich von Hanau and Archbishop Conrad III of Mainz were some of the land's owners. In 1425, Hausen and Obertshausen, as part of the ''[[Amt (country subdivision)|Amt]]'' of Steinheim, w sold by the Lords of Eppstein to [[Archbishopric of Mainz|Electoral Mainz]]. The [[Thirty Years' War]] and the [[Plague (disease)|Plague]] in 1636 took a heavy toll on the population. [[File:SC 203090 - Lt. Payne of 2510 E. 8th St., Dallas, Texas, 3rd U.S. Army, and interpreter Pfc. Herman Horne of 306 W. 97th St., New York City, gives orders to the mayor of Obertshausen (49913144141).jpg|left|thumb|3rd U.S. Army soldiers order the mayor of Obertshausen that all arms are to be turned in immediately. 2 April 1945]] In 1664, Archbishop [[Johann Philipp von Schönborn|Johann Philipp]] of Mainz sold his brother Philipp Erwin of Schönborn the two villages for 9,000 [[South German gulden|Gulden]]. In 1806, the [[House of Schönborn|Schönborn]] ''Amt'' of Heusenstamm with Hausen and Obertshausen was [[German mediatisation|mediatized]] into the [[County of Isenburg|Principality of Isenburg]], which was in turn mediatised ten years later. Both places then passed with the Isenburg ''Amt'' of Offenbach to the [[Grand Duchy of Hesse]], and as of 1945, to the [[States of Germany|state]] of Hesse. From the Middle Ages until 1819, Obertshausen and Hausen belonged to the Biebermark, an area held in common with several other villages. In 1819, the Biebermark was divided among the member villages.

In 1896, the Offenbach-[[Dieburg]] railway opened with a railway station in Obertshausen.

In the course of municipal reform in Hesse, the two formerly self-administering communities of Obertshausen and Hausen were merged. At first, the new community was named Hausen. On 1 January 1978, however, it was named Obertshausen. The two centres are separated from each other by ''[[Bundesstraße]]'' 448. On 29 September 1979, the Hesse state government granted Obertshausen town rights.

===Population development=== In 1576 there were 10 households in Hausen and 27 in Obertshausen. In 1834, Hausen's population had risen to 444 and Obertshausen's to 554. These figures have risen to many times these old levels over the years since then. By 1939, the figures had become 2,034 and 2,444 respectively. On 30 June 2007, the town as a whole had 25,314 inhabitants, of whom 12,668 lived in Hausen and 12,646 in Obertshausen.

'''Inhabitants''' (each time as at 31 December) *1998 – 24,522 *1999 – 24,577 *2000 – 24,658 *2001 – 24,676 *2002 – 24,521 *2003 – 24,484 *2004 – 24,532 *2005 – 25,434 *2006 – 24,210

==Politics== [[Image:Obertshausen Rathaus 20070914.JPG|thumb|250px|Obertshausen Town Hall]]

===Town council=== {{update section|date=May 2017}}

The municipal election held on 26 March 2006 yielded the following results: {| class="wikitable" |--- class="hintergrundfarbe5" |colspan="2" | '''Parties and voter communities''' |align="center" | '''% 2006''' |align="center" | '''Seats 2006''' |align="center" | '''% 2001''' |align="center" | '''Seats 2001''' |---- |CDU |[[Christian Democratic Union of Germany]] |align="right" |49.9 |align="right" |18 |align="right" |51.8 |align="right" |19 |---- |SPD |[[Social Democratic Party of Germany]] |align="right" |19.3 |align="right" |7 |align="right" |25.6 |align="right" |10 |---- |GREENS |[[Bündnis 90/Die Grünen]] |align="right" |10.3 |align="right" |4 |align="right" |9.9 |align="right" |4 |---- |FDP |[[Free Democratic Party (Germany)|Free Democratic Party]] |align="right" |10.6 |align="right" |4 |align="right" |6.3 |align="right" |2 |---- |Bürger |Bürger für Obertshausen |align="right" |9.9 |align="right" |4 |align="right" |6.3 |align="right" |2 |--- class="hintergrundfarbe5" |colspan="2" |'''Total''' |align="right" |'''100.0''' |align="right" |'''37''' |align="right" |'''100.0''' |align="right" |'''37''' |--- class="hintergrundfarbe5" |colspan="2" |'''Voter turnout in %''' |colspan="2" align="right" |'''42.5''' |colspan="2" align="right" |'''51.0''' |---- |}

===Mayor=== Mayoral elections take place in Obertshausen every six years. The most recent mayors were:<ref name=mayors /> * 2002–2014: Bernd Roth (CDU) * 2014–2020: Roger Winter (independent) * 2020–incumbent: Manuel Friedrich (independent)

===Coat of arms=== The town’s [[Coat of arms|arms]] might be described thus: Party per fess abased dancetty of three, gules a lion passant crowned Or, his paws on the peaks of the parting, argent in base an oak sprig with two leaves and one acorn vert.

===Flag=== The town's flag has a white field in the middle flanked by a red stripe at each side, and in the upper half are the town's arms.

==Culture and sightseeing==

===Museums=== * ''Heimatmuseum'' at ''Karl-Mayer-Haus'' with permanent and changing exhibits on local history.

===Events=== * At the Hausen ''Bürgerhaus'' (community centre), mainly in the winter months, theatrical and [[cabaret]] productions regularly take place. * In the session chamber at the Town Hall on Beethovenstraße, except during summer holidays, older films are shown fortnightly for children and youth. * With the Hausen ''Bürgerhaus'' and the Obertshausen multipurpose hall, there are venues for major events and concerts at the town's disposal.

===Buildings=== * ''Hausener Marktplatz'' (marketplace) with its artwork consisting of three hands, each holding a coat of arms, both Obertshausen's, and its two earlier partner towns'. * Remains of the ''Burg im Hain'' (castle) * [[Roman Catholicism|Catholic]] church ''Herz Jesu'' ''([[Sacred Heart]])'' in Obertshausen, Bahnhofstraße * Catholic ''St. Josef-Kirche'' in Hausen, Seligenstädter Straße * Catholic ''St. Pius-Kirche'' in Hausen, Gumbertseestraße * Catholic church [[Thomas More|''St. Thomas Morus'']] in Obertshausen, Berliner Straße * [[Protestant Church in Hesse and Nassau|Protestant]] ''Waldkirche'' („Forest Church”) in Hausen, Schönbornstraße * Small chapel in Obertshausen, Heusenstammer Straße <gallery> Image:Obertshausen Katholische Kirche 20070914.JPG|Herz Jesu Image:Thomas-Morus.JPG|St. Thomas Morus Image:Obertshausen Evangelische Kirche 20070914.JPG|Waldkirche Image:KapelleObertshausen.JPG|Chapel </gallery>

===Parks=== * ''Waldpark'' Sainte Geneviève des Bois in Hausen with children's [[playground]] and kiosk * Leisure park in Obertshausen with adventure playground and ice-cream café and kiosk across the street * [[Miniature golf]] course at the Hausen community centre (''Bürgerhaus'')

===Sport=== [[Image:Erlebnisbad Obertshausen.jpg|thumb|monte mare adventure pool Obertshausen]] The ''monte mare'' is an outdoor swimming pool, leisure pool and [[sauna]]. Originally opened under the name ''Atlantis'', after the operator's insolvency in 2005 it became part of the monte mare Group.

There is also a sport centre at the ''Waldschwimmbad'' ("Forest swimming pool")

===Clubs=== Obertshausen has 124 registered clubs.

==Economy and infrastructure== [[Image:Obertshausen Bahnhof 20070914.JPG|thumb|Railway station]]

===Transport=== Since late 2003, the town has been linked by line S1 to the [[Rhine-Main S-Bahn]] network. The Wiesbaden-Frankfurt-Offenbach-Rodgau-Rödermark-Ober Roden route runs through Obertshausen. At one time, Obertshausen was linked to the railway network by the ''Rodgaubahn''. Lying right on the [[Bundesautobahn 3|A 3]] is [[Frankfurt Airport]], which through the [[Frankfurter Kreuz]] can be reached in a short time, as can likewise [[Frankfurt Egelsbach Airport]]. Obertshausen benefits from its proximity to the economic hub of Frankfurt am Main and the Frankfurt Rhine Main Region, as well as the good transport connections.

Within the town run several buslines, among them the Offenbach route 120, which links Obertshausen to the town's other centre, Hausen, and also [[Mühlheim am Main|Mühlheim]] and [[Offenbach am Main|Offenbach]].

===Economy=== For a long time Obertshausen, alongside Offenbach am Main, was a national centre for leather goods production. Still today, there are leather goods factories that export their goods worldwide. With the decline of the leather goods industry, mechanical engineering has come to dominate the town's industry today. Many inhabitants also find jobs in nearby Frankfurt am Main. ''{{Interlanguage link|Purchasing power (consumption)|de|3=Kaufkraft (Konsum)|lt=Kaufkraft}}'' (purchasing power) in Obertshausen in 2003 averaged €19,315 per inhabitant, putting it at 116.3% of the countrywide average.

===Established businesses=== * {{Interlanguage link|Karl Mayer Textilmaschinenfabrik|de}} (textile machine manufacturer) * Magna Exterior Systems GmbH * Holzland Becker GmbH & Co. KG * Feintool * PICARD Lederwaren GmbH & Co. KG (leather goods) * YMOS AG, former car supply industry

===Media=== * ''Offenbach-Post'' – the publishing house has its headquarters in Offenbach am Main and it reports regularly about Obertshausen in the regional section. * ''Heimatbote'' – Regional newspaper for Obertshausen, reports about events in Obertshausen (in the interim under the Offenbach-Post's umbrella) * ''Dreieich-Spiegel'' * ''Dreieich-Zeitung''

===Schools===

====Primary schools==== * [[Friedrich Fröbel|Friedrich-Fröbel]]-Schule * [[Joseph Freiherr von Eichendorff|Joseph-von-Eichendorff]]-Schule * Sonnentauschule * Waldschule

====Secondary schools==== * Georg-Kerschensteiner-Schule * [[Hermann Hesse|Hermann-Hesse]]-Schule

===Kindergartens=== In the constituent community of Hausen, three municipal [[kindergarten]]s and one [[Roman Catholicism|Catholic]] one are available. Obertshausen has three municipal kindergartens and two ecclesiastical ones. Moreover, the district's first [[forest kindergarten]] is in the town.

==Twin towns – sister cities== {{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany}} Obertshausen is [[Sister city|twinned]] with:<ref>{{cite web |title=Partnerstädte|url=https://www.obertshausen.de/de/stadtleben/partnerstaedte|website=obertshausen.de|publisher=Obertshausen|language=de|access-date=2021-02-28}}</ref> *{{flagicon|FRA}} [[Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois, Essonne|Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois]], France (1971) *{{flagicon|AUT}} [[Laakirchen]], Austria (1972) *{{flagicon|GER}} [[Meiningen]], Germany (2007)

==Notable people== *{{Interlanguage link|Walter Picard|de}} (1923–2000), paedagogue and politician (CDU), Member of the Bundestag *[[Sven Väth]] (born 1964), DJ and musician, pioneer of the German [[Techno]] scene *[[Finn Wiebelhaus]] (born 2006), racing driver

===Honorary citizens=== * Hildegard Bühl * Peter Döbert (1907–1994) * Robert Flügel (1909–1990) * Kurt Formhals (1914–2009) * Heide Heß (born 1940) * Johann Karl Kämmerer (1870–1957) * Valentin Mahr (1908–1972) * Karl Mayer (1909–1995) * Ulrich Mayer * Robert Pappert (1930–2010) * Josef Pieroth (1885–1957) * Robert Roth (1929–2015) * Eric Christian Schreiber, Sr. (1921–2008) * Pfarrer Peter Valentin Schwahn (1889–1964) * Marie Friederike Vetter (1904–1995) * Leonhard Wilhelm (1883–1960) * Jakob Wolf (1899–1982)

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== {{Commons category|Obertshausen}} *{{Official website}} {{in lang|de}} {{in lang|de}}

[[Category:Offenbach (district)]]