Geography
Location
The community lies in the Weschnitz vale in the Odenwaldsome 25km North of Heidelbergand about 20km nor’-east of Mannheim. It is on Bundesstra & A ; szlig ; e38, and the river Weschnitz flows through it. The land is hilly, green and dotted with Equus caballus farms and woods.
Neighboring communities
Birkenau boundary lines in the North on the community of M & A ; ouml ; rlenbach, in the E on the community ofAbtsteinach, in the South on the community ofGorxheimertaland in the West on the towns of Weinheimand Hemsbach ( both in Rhein-Neckar-KreisinBaden-W & A ; uuml ; rttemberg ) .
Constituent communities
Birkenau ‘s Ortsteileare Birkenau, Buchklingen, Hornbach, Kallstadt, L & A ; ouml ; hrbach, Nieder-Liebersbach, Reisen and Schnorrenbach.
Climate
Owing to its location near the Bergstra & A ; szlig ; vitamin E, a mild clime prevails in Birkenau, which can frequently be seen in what for Germany is a really early flowering ofalmondtrees.
History
Schloss Birkenau
Birkenau had its first documental reference in 795 in the Lorsch Codexas a cell of the Lorsch Abbey. As one of the Abbey ‘s retentions, it passed into the ownership of the Archbishopric of Mainz in 1232. The Centres of Hornbach and Balzenbach, on the other manus, belonged to Electoral Palatinate, significance that after the Reformation, they belonged to different denominations. In 1532 the town hall was built, and in 1771 the castle, Schloss Birkenau, of the Lords of Wambolt von Umstadt. By 1964, the population had grown to more than 5,000. In 1967 the community was recognized as a recreational resort ( Erholungsort ) and in 1979 as an alfresco resort ( Luftkurort ) . Owing to the lone little touristry, nevertheless, it has non reapplied for this appellation. In 1995, Birkenau celebrated its 1,200-year jubilee.
