Schriesheim

Schriesheim is a town located in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, north of Heidelberg on the Bergstrasse ("Mountain Road") and on Bertha Benz Memorial Route. It has a population of about 15,000, (as of mid-2009. The town's landmark is the Strahlenburg Castle. Locals refer to the town as "Schriese" (phonetically: shree-se)GeographySchriesheim is located on the Bergstrasse at the western end of a valley leading from the Odenwald. A stream known as the "Kanzelbach" flows through it. Its western boundary adjoins the Upper Rhine Valley.SubdivisionsThe city of Schriesheim has three subdivisions: Schriesheim proper, Altenbach and Ursenbach. These subdivisions are geographically identical with what were previously townships of the same name. Except for Schriesheim itself, their official names appear in the form, "Schriesheim, Subdivision of …". At the same time, these subdivisions constitute residential districts, as defined by Baden-Württemberg's municipal code. This means that each has its own village council and municipal administrator overseeing its affairs. The subdivision of Altenbach includes the village of Altenbach, the hamlet of Kohlhof and the Röschbach homestead. The subdivision of Schriesheim includes the town of Schriesheim, the site of the Stam(m)berg retirement community and the houses of the Schriesheim farm. Ursenbach consists of the village of Ursenbach and the Ursenbach farm. In Altenbach, the villages of Ringes und Hohenöd have recently sprung up. Altenbach is located 7 km east of the main town of Schriesheim in the Odenwald, right at the headwaters of the Kanzelbach stream, which there is called the Altenbach, the same name as the town (Alten Bach means "old stream")(12.2 square miles). Of that, 13.1% is devoted to housing and roads, 27.7% is being used for farming, and the remaining 58.6% represents woodland.