Helmstadt

Sister cities

• Chiusi della Verna

History

A first settling of the region took place at the time of the Linear Pottery culture between 6000 and 4000 BC, as evidenced by archeological findings at the Altersberg, Ameisenberg and in the Hochstatt. For the time after that, no findings are known. Another settlement at the Roth was established at the time of the Urnfield culture between 1200 and 750 BC. During the development of the Roth between 1999 and 2000 AD, excavations were conducted in the area, and numerous shard and pole pit findings were recorded. The existing settlement then grew in size between 750 and 450 BC, at the time of the Hallstatt culture. After that, however, any signs of a settlement disappeared. The area was only settled anew at the beginning of the Middle Ages. The settlers were so-called "Waldsassen"—people settling in the woods—after whom the region was also named in medieval times: Waldsassengau. A formal foundation of the village likely took place between 680 and 750 AD. The first documented mention of the village occurs in 772, under the name of "Adalhalmestat". On 20 January 772, the right to tithe the village and the neighboring Uettingen was transferred from the owner of the villages, a noble clergyman called Alwalah, to the Benedictine Fulda monastery. In the centuries that were to follow, the affiliated daughter monastery of Holzkirchen and the counts of Wertheim shared the power over the village. The associated parish was first mentioned in 1209. At the turn of the years 1466 and 1467, the village was burned down completely as a result of a feud between the count of Wertheim and the Teutonic Order. After the house of the counts of Wertheim had died out in the male line with the death of Michael III, the Bishopric of Würzburg claimed ownership of the village. In 1612, prince-bishop…

Geography

Helmstadt consists of two districts: * Helmstadt * Holzkirchhausen * Holzkirchen * Uettingen * Waldbüttelbrunn * Irtenberger Wald * Altertheim * Neubrunn * Wertheim

Most-observed species

• Zoropsid spider

  Zoropsis spinimana (Dufour, 1820) · Arachnida
  1,475
• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,457
• Great Tit

  Parus major Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,454
• Eurasian Blue Tit

  Cyanistes caeruleus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,434
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,065
• Common Chaffinch

  Fringilla coelebs Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,037
• European Robin

  Erithacus rubecula (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,018
• European Goldfinch

  Carduelis carduelis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,003

Most recent

• M 3.6 — 2014-05-17
  2 km ESE of Pfungstadt, Germany
• M 3.4 — 2010-12-23
  4 km WNW of Mainz, Germany
• M 3.4 — 2010-06-29
  3 km NW of Hochheim am Main, Germany
• M 2.8 — 2008-11-25
  1 km S of Steinmauern, Germany
• M 2.7 — 2008-07-09
  1 km WSW of Dußlingen, Germany
• M 2.5 — 2008-07-03
  2 km W of Dußlingen, Germany