Rechtenbach

Rechtenbach
Municipality
Coat of arms
Location of Rechtenbach within Main-Spessart district
Country	Germany
State	Bavaria
Admin. region	Unterfranken
District	Main-Spessart
Municipal assoc.	Lohr am Main
Government
• Mayor	Helmut Geist (SPD)
Area
• Total	2.09 km2 (0.81 sq mi)
Highest elevation	530 m (1,740 ft)
Lowest elevation	338 m (1,109 ft)
Population  (2023-12-31)
• Total	1,024
• Density	490/km2 (1,300/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes	97848
Dialling codes	09352
Vehicle registration	MSP
Website	www.rechtenbach-spessart.de

Rechtenbach is a community in the Main-Spessart district in the Regierungsbezirk of Lower Franconia (Unterfranken) in Bavaria, Germany and a member of the Verwaltungsgemeinschaft (Administrative Community) of Lohr am Main.

Geography

Location

Rechtenbach lies in der Würzburg Region in the Spessart (range).

The community has only the Gemarkung (traditional rural cadastral area) of Rechtenbach.

History

On 18 August 1522, Rechtenbach had its first documentary mention in a document from Count Philipp of Rieneck, and was an industrial centre in which until 1791, plate glass was made for the mirrors of the Lohr State Manufacturer. As part of the Archbishopric of Mainz, Rechtenbach passed with the 1803 Reichsdeputationshauptschluss to the newly formed Principality of Aschaffenburg, with which it passed in 1814 (by this time it had become a department of the Grand Duchy of Frankfurt) to Bavaria. In the course of administrative reform in Bavaria, the current community came into being with the Gemeindeedikt (“Municipal Edict”) of 1818.

Population development

Within town limits, 1,158 inhabitants were counted in 1970, 1,107 in 1987, 1,096 in 2000 and in 2004 1,059.

Politics

The mayor is Andreas Frech (Freie Wähler).

Municipal taxes in 1999 amounted to €459,000 (converted), of which net business taxes amounted to €30,000.

Coat of arms

The community’s arms might be described thus: Gules a beam hewer’s axe and a glassblower’s pipe with glass surmounting the axe in saltire argent, in chief a fleur-de-lis stalked Or, in base an oakleaf in pale of the last.

As mentioned under History, Rechtenbach was a glassmaking centre. This craft blossomed particularly in the 17th century, when French glassblowers took over at the Rechtenbach glassworks. These craftsmen are recalled in the arms by the fleur-de-lis and the glassblower’s pipe. When the glassworks shut down for good in 1791, many villagers worked as wood hewers and sleeper sawyers while the railway was being built. This is represented in the arms by the beam hewer’s axe. The oakleaf stands for the community’s geographical location in the Spessart and also represents wood’s importance to the local economy. The tinctures gules and argent (red and silver) refer to the former lordship, which was held by Electoral Mainz.

The arms have been borne since 1989.

Economy and infrastructure

According to official statistics, there were 30 workers on the social welfare contribution rolls working in producing businesses in 1998. In trade and transport this was 0. In other areas, 22 workers on the social welfare contribution rolls were employed, and 477 such workers worked from home. There were 14 processing businesses. Two businesses were construction-related, and furthermore, in 1999, there were 7 agricultural operations with a working area of 55 ha, of which 55 ha was meadowland.

Education

In 1999 the following institutions existed in Rechtenbach:

• Kindergartens: 50 places with 33 children

External links

• Community’s official webpage Template:De icon