The town began as a Benedictine monastery, which bit by bit grew into a settlement until in 1253 it was raised to the status of a town. Over the years, the town changed hands several times. It was part of the Bishopric of Würzburg until 1656, when it became part of the Archbishopric of Mainz. As a result of the 1803 German Mediatisation the Archbishopric of Mainz was secularized, and Amorbach became the residence town of the short-lived Principality of Leiningen. Only in 1816 did it become part of the Kingdom of Bavaria. In 1965, Amorbach attained the status of a climatic spa.
Amalgamations
The following settlements have been amalgamated with the town:
1 April 1973: Boxbrunn
1 January 1975: Beuchen
1 January 1976: Neudorf
1 January 1976: Reichartshausen
Economy
Today Amorbach relies on the tourist business with its state recognition as a climatic spa and its many Baroque buildings. Amorbach is the family seat of the princely Haus zu Leiningen. In 1992, the town was awarded the Europa Nostra Medal.
Arts and culture
Abbey church
The Benedictine abbey, formerly owned by the princely Haus zu Leiningen with its library, and the abbey church with its Stumm organ draw thousands of visitors each year.
The late-Baroque hall church replaced an earlier one, St. Gangolf and St. Sebastian, documented for 1182. It was built in 1751-3 by local Oberamtmann Johann Franz Wolfgang Damian von Ostein and his brother and Archbishop, Johann Friedrich Karl von Ostein. The design was based on plans by Anselm Franz von Ritter zu Groenesteyn, building work was supervised by his apprentice Alexander Jakob Schmidt. The design was inspired by St. Peter's Church at Mainz. The interior reflects Rococo style and the onset of the Neoclassical style. Ceiling frescoes by Johannes Zick show the lives of St. Gangolf and Saint Sebastian as well as King David as the "father" of Solomon's Temple. Oil paintings in the choir by depict the legendary beginnings of Amorbach. The marble high altar was made by Georg Schrantz, while Josef Keilwerth added the four statues. The cross by J.B. Berg dates from 1808. The side altars were originally used in the predecessor building. The organ also dates from 1720, but was located at Neustadt am Main Abbey until 1806, when it was bought by the Amorbach parish. The church has two pulpits, made from stucco by Antonio Rossi. St. Gangolf is the Catholic parish church of Amorbach.
The tithe barn in Amorbach, built in 1488, has for five hundred years played a central role in the town. Originally built to store tithes in the form of produce for the prince, it was – after extensive remodelling in the 1960s – run as a cinema. The Kulturkreis Zehntscheuer Amorbach e.V., which outfitted the building in 1991 as a cabaret theatre maintains and renovates the building, which stands in the historical town centre. In 2001, this club bought the tithe barn.
Regular events
Amorbach Abbey Concerts in the former Benedictine abbey church
Cabaret programme at the cabaret theatre Zehntscheuer Amorbach
Daily at 12:00 and 15:00, the Stumm organ with its 5,116 pipes is played
Each year on Mother’s Day, the so-called Gangolfsritt, a procession of horses through the town, takes place.
Infrastructure
Transport
In Amorbach, Bundesstraße 469 meets Bundesstraße 47. The railway station lies on the Seckach−Miltenberg railway line, also known as the Madonnenlandbahn.
