Groß-Gerau

Groß-Gerau (German: [ɡroːsˈɡeːrau]) is the district seat of the Groß-Gerau district, lying in the southern Frankfurt Rhein-Main Region in Hesse, Germany, and serving as a hub for the surrounding area. In 1994, the town hosted the 34th Hessentag state festival.

Geography

Location

Groß-Gerau lies in the north of the Hessisches Ried, the northeastern section of the Rhine rift.

Neighbouring communities

Groß-Gerau borders in the north on the community of Nauheim, in the northeast on the town of Mörfelden-Walldorf, in the east on the community of Büttelborn, in the southeast on the town of Griesheim (Darmstadt-Dieburg), in the south on the community of Riedstadt and in the west on the community of Trebur.

Constituent communities

Groß-Gerau consists of the centres of Berkach, Dornberg, Dornheim, Auf Esch, Groß-Gerau and Wallerstädten.

History

Already by Roman times, the area forming today's town of Groß-Gerau had great importance. A fort in the area of the constituent community of Auf Esch ensured a bridgehead for the Roman provincial capital of Moguntiacum (Mainz), even before the Limes was established and southern Hesse became Roman. Federal Highway (Bundesstraße) B44 from the southern tip of the old pheasantry (at Auf Esch) to Dornheim corresponds exactly with the old Roman road from Mainz through Groß-Gerau to Ladenburg. It led to the fort's south gate. With the founding of the Civitas Auderiensium (Dieburg), the fort was forsaken. The camp (vicus) remained and became a market village. The fact that this vicus and the later mentioned Wasserburg Dornberg (moat-ringed castle) corresponded very closely in location would be no accident.

Groß-Gerau (district)

Groß-Gerau is a Kreis (district) in the south of Hesse (Hessen in German), Germany. Neighboring districts are Main-Taunus, district-free Frankfurt, Darmstadt-Dieburg, Bergstraße, Alzey-Worms, Mainz-Bingen, and the district-free cities Mainz and Wiesbaden.

History

The historic roots of the district is the Gerauer Mark, which was first mentioned in 910. Starting in 1066 the counts of Katzenelnbogen became the rulers of the area, until in 1479 it came to Hesse.

The district was formed in 1832. The eastern part was moved to the Darmstadt-Dieburg district in 1874, and Gernsheim was included, which gave the district its current size.

Partnerships

In 1979, the district started a partnership with the Cheshire county (UK). Other partnerships are with the district Weimarer Land in Thuringia, Germany, the municipality Masatepe in Nicaragua, and the Polish district Klodzko.

Geography

The district is located in the upper Rhine valley. The river Main forms the northern boundary of the district, the river Rhine the western border. In the east the Odenwald mountains rise at the district boundary.