Eberbach Old Town

The noble family of the Counts of Lauffen is mentioned in 1196, of whom Conradus called himself “comes de Eberbach” and whose followers also called themselves after “Eberbach” in the 13th century. There is evidence that Eberbach Castle in the Diocese of Worms already existed in the High Middle Ages. The castle was first mentioned in 1227 when Henry VII, a Hohenstaufen, received it as a fief. The expansion of the place into a city probably goes back to him. The imperial tax register from 1241 shows that a city wall was built in Eberbach around this time. This speaks for the rebuilding of the town on the Neckar, while Eberbach must previously have been just a hamlet below the castle. In 1235 the castle became part of the empire. After 1297 the castle was pledged to various pawns. In 1330 the castle and town were pledged to the Counts Palatine of the Rhine, who received the right of patronage in 1361 and ensured the transfer of the imperial city to the Electoral Palatinate by the 16th century. There has been evidence of a Zent in Eberbach since 1360; the mayor of the town was the mayor of the Electoral Palatinate winery. After 1402 the castle was razed by Hans von Hirschhorn.Between 1528 and 1555, the University of Heidelberg moved individual faculties to Eberbach several times because of the plague that prevailed there. As part of the Electoral Palatinate, Eberbach was reformed in the 16th century, but in the course of the Counter-Reformation there was a religious split in the 17th century. The city was only slightly damaged in the Thirty Years' War; However, the population here also suffered and there was great poverty. The population found their livelihood in the timber industry and processing, fishing and shipping.

Great for a break and a stroll through the old town.

Worth a visit.