History

Buchen - a medieval town

Buchen was first mentioned in official records in the year 773/774, in the register of the Lorsch Monastery, known as the Lorscher Codex. Back then, it was called Buchheim. Charlemagne had just been crowned King of the Franks.

Once it's on the map, the back-and-forth begins. After all, someone has to own the town. The first lords are the monks of the Abbey of Amorbach. When the monastery passes into the hands of the Bishopric of Würzburg shortly before the first millennium, Buchen’s inhabitants are taken along with it. Then, things quiet down for a while.

That is, until the much-praised Emperor Barbarossa grants the Lords of Dürn jurisdiction and advocacy rights over Buchen. The Dürn family elevate Buchen to the status of a town – without much concern for the fact that this was actually a privilege reserved for the king. The granting of town rights is first mentioned in a document from 1280.

Meanwhile, in Bödigheim, building is in full swing: the Rüdt von Collenberg family construct a fortified castle with a keep and all the trimmings, nestled into the hillside. But defensive structures are nothing new in this region: the ancient Romans had already fortified themselves behind a stone wall – the Limes, remnants of which are still well preserved and can be visited today, for example in the district of Hettingen.

In 1303/1309, the Lords of Dürn sell their privileges over Buchen to the Archbishop of Mainz, whose reign lasts for 500 years. Peace at last? Not quite. For a long time, Buchen prospers so much that, according to legend, its streets are paved with silver coins. But things take a turn during the Peasants’ Wars, in which the local farmers are heavily involved.

In what is now the museum courtyard, they compel Götz von Berlichingen – against his will – to serve as their commander. But the time is not yet ripe for civil rights or self-determination. The rebellion ends badly for the insurgents.

After the war, the once-wealthy “little town of silver” is harshly punished by the authorities, losing many of its municipal privileges. But despite this setback, the town quickly recovers. Business is booming – as we might say today – and the population rises sharply, until the year 1635.

What the Thirty Years’ War fails to destroy, the plague finishes off in just a few weeks. Around 1,300 locals and refugees perish in misery. And then, in 1717, half the town burns down after lightning strikes the town church.

At the beginning of the 19th century, the stable political structures start to shift once again. The Electorate of Mainz is dissolved, and Buchen is incorporated into the newly formed Principality of Leiningen. Just three years later, in 1806, the Grand Duchy of Baden annexes the town. Yet the fighting spirit of its people remains unbroken.

1848 – Revolution in Buchen. The long-overdue abolition of the tithe and freedom from usurious interest rates spark renewed rebellion. The farmers rise up once again, storm the Leiningen tax office, throw the files out of the windows, and burn them.

Despite the revolution’s failure, the concessions granted are not taken away, and are even enshrined into law later on. Conclusion: life in Buchen was anything but peaceful and quiet.

Even when, between 1971 and 1975, thirteen surrounding villages are incorporated into Buchen as part of the municipal reform – some voluntarily, some not – resistance and disputes follow. But things never again escalated like they did during the Peasants’ Wars or the 1848 revolution. Time really does heal most wounds.

Much of what makes Buchen appealing today stems from the intellectual legacy of its ancestors, a heritage that lives on. True, the town never produced one of the true greats – a Goethe or a Beethoven – but it has nonetheless been home to an impressive number of notable individuals, both born here and adopted residents who decided to stay.

Among them: the architect Egon Eiermann, the writer Juliana von Stockhausen, the painters Ludwig Schwerin and Wilhelm Schnarrenberger, the composer Joseph Martin Kraus, the abbot and scholar Gottfried Bessel, the humanist Conrad Wimpina, and Albrecht Pilgrim von Buochein, the minstrel whose work is represented by three poems in the famous Codex Manesse.

Werner Doyé