Partenstein

History

The beginnings of Partenstein go back to at least the Middle Ages. The Burg Bartenstein (castle) was built around 1180 by the Counts of Rieneck for hunting and to protect the Wiesener Strasse connecting the village of Langenprozelten on the river Main to the valley of the Kinzig. The Rienecks had vast landholdings, and, during the 13th century, began an expansionist policy. From their main seat of Rieneck, in the east of the Spessart, they expanded, building castles to settle and incorporate additional land. The first documentary mention of Partenstein is a commentary in 1233 on the disputes that inevitably arose between the Rieneck family and the Archbishops of Mainz, who were rivals for local hegemony. At that time, the Spessart was nearly unpopulated. The Rieneck family bequeathed a one-half share of Partenstein in 1277 to the Lords of Hanau. The other half thereafter belonged to the Archbishopric of Mainz. Both halves were ruled together as a condominium. The first church here was a chapel inside the castle called the Parish of Partenstein, and a Gothic church was built soon afterwards, in 1471. In 1553, the number of inhabitants in the town had reached 450, and, when the last Count of Rieneck died in 1559, the land was bequeathed to the Archbishops of Mainz. A fire burnt down a large part of the village ten years later. In 1684, there came a territorial exchange between the County of Hanau and the Archbishopric of Mainz: the Hanau half of the Amt of Partenstein was ceded to the Archbishopric for a one-half share of the Amt of Bieber, likewise ruled together with Mainz. In the Thirty Years' War, with quartering of soldiers in the city, supplies were looted, cattle were slaughtered, and the place became susceptible to epidemics and disease. In December 1631, the…

Geography

Partenstein lies in the Main Spessart Region in the middle of the Spessart (range) on the left bank of the river Lohr, some 7 km northwest of the town of Lohr am Main. The community has the following Gemarkungen (traditional rural cadastral areas): Partenstein, Partensteiner Forst.

Most-observed species

• Eurasian Green Woodpecker

  Picus viridis Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  890
• Red Kite

  Milvus milvus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  817
• Eurasian Kestrel

  Falco tinnunculus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  790
• Common Buzzard

  Buteo buteo (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  777
• Eurasian Jay

  Garrulus glandarius (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  774
• Common Wood-Pigeon

  Columba palumbus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  763
• Eurasian Nuthatch

  Sitta europaea Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  697
• Mistle Thrush

  Turdus viscivorus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  679

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 2.6 — 2008-05-06
  3 km SSW of Völkershausen, Germany
• M 2.6 — 2006-09-24
  2 km SE of Neustadt (Hessen), Germany
• M 3.2 — 2005-09-22
  2 km SSW of Völkershausen, Germany