Roßdorf (bei Darmstadt)

Roßdorf is a municipality in the district of Darmstadt-Dieburg, in Hesse, Germany. It has a population of 12,169 (as of 2007). It is situated 8 km east of Darmstadt.Geographic SituationNeighbouring Towns and MunicipalitiesRoßdorf borders in the north and east on the municipality of Groß-Zimmern, in the southeast on the town of Reinheim, in the south on the town of Ober-Ramstadt, and in the west on the city of Darmstadt.Structure of the MunicipalityThe Municipality of Roßdorf is divided into two parts: Gundernhausen and Roßdorf.Demographic DevelopmentInhabitants: 1575: 500 1635: 50 1814: 2002003: 12,1142005: 12,4342007: 12,169HistoryThe first official mention of Roßdorf is in the year 1250. At this time, Abbot Heinrich vested Counts Diether and Eberhardt I of Katzenelnbogen with the villages of Roßdorf and Gundernhausen. In 1479, the family line died out and the inheritance went to Landgrave Heinrich III of Hesse.In 1621, Bavarian soldiers took up quarters in Roßdorf and plundered the town. In addition, witch-hunts took place, during which the inhabitants were accused of witchcraft. The worst period for Roßdorf was in the years 1634/35, during the Thirty Years' War. The forces of the Holy Roman Empire and Sweden opposed each other in the region, each in turn laying waste to and scavenging the entire countryside and heavily decimating the population. In the summer of 1635, the plague broke out, reducing the number of inhabitants to 50. In 1672, during the Franco-Dutch War, Louis XIV's troops took up quarters. In 1814, Russian soldiers passed through on their way to France.