Memmelsdorf is a community in the Upper Franconian district of Bamberg bordering in the west directly on the city of Bamberg.
History
As with most places in the Bamberg district, this community's exact founding time cannot be established. However, looking back through the properties of the royal chamber estate in Memmelsdorf yields a founding time sometime about 900. Since there were no local monasteries at that time, there is today a lack of historical accounts about settlement here. About 1120, evidence crops up of Mam’s, Mamo’s or Memo’s village. A Frank by the name of Mamo is the namesake of Memenstorf, Memistorf, Mamestorf or Mamenestorf – the place now known as Memmelsdorf. From road names that have been handed down it is assumed that this founding, lying between two brooks, safeguarded old traffic routes.
Memmelsdorf belonged to the High Monastery at Bamberg and was the seat of a princely Vogt. Since the Reichsdeputationshauptschluss of 1803, the community has belonged to Bavaria. In the course of administrative reform in Bavaria, today's community came into being under the Gemeindeedikt of 1818.
Population development
Constituent communities
Until 1953, the community of Memmelsdorf consisted only of the centre named Memmelsdorf and the nearby Schloss Seehof. Great changes came to the community through administrative reform. Since the voluntary merger with five formerly autonomous communities in 1972, the community of Memmelsdorf has consisted of the following centres, each given here with its own population figure:
Drosendorf 1,374
Kremmeldorf 253
Laubend 144
Lichteneiche 2,171
This centre was founded after the Second World War to house those driven out of formerly German lands east of the Oder and Neiße. The first dwellers moved into their new homes in 1954. Lichteneiche quickly developed into a typical suburban neighbourhood. Important institutions are the home for the elderly, the gliderport and the Sport-Club Lichteneiche.
Meedensdorf 228
Memmelsdorf 3,159
Merkendorf 840
Schloss Seehof 8
Schmerldorf 175
Weichendorf 613
Religion
Memmelsdorf is the seat of the Catholic parish of Maria Himmelfahrt, whose area includes Memmelsdorf and the outlying centres of Drosendorf, Kremmeldorf, Meedensdorf, Schloss Seehof, Schmerldorf and Weichendorf. Since 1974, the parish priest has been Lothar Güthlein. Working with him since September 2006 has been the Pastoralreferent Andreas Lößlein.. Until 1978, the outlying centre of Kremmeldorf partly belonged to the parish of Peulendorf. Within the municipal area there is also the Catholic parish of Kreuzerhöhung Merkendorf, within whose area is found the outlying centre of Laubend. Lichteneiche originally belonged to the Memmelsdorf parish, but is now a Memmelsdorf branch parish. At Whitsun 2006, the Catholic SeelsorgeeinheitPfarreiengemeinschaft Memmelsdorf mit Lichteneiche, Gundelsheim und Merkendorf was founded. The head priest is Father Marianus Schramm from the parish of Gundelsheim. Lichteneiche is the seat of the Evangelical parish of Christi Himmelfahrt.
Catholic churches
Drosendorf: Hl. Dreifaltigkeit
Kremmeldorf: Heiliges Herz Jesu
Laubend: Kapelle Mariä Empfängnis
Lichteneiche: Heilig Geist
Meedensdorf: Kapelle Schmerzhafte Mutter Gottes
Memmelsdorf: Pfarrkirche Mariä Himmelfahrt
Merkendorf: Kreuzerhöhung
Schloss Seehof: Kapelle
Weichendorf: Kapelle Heilige Anna
Evangelical church
Lichteneiche: Christi Himmelfahrt
Politics
Community council
Coat of arms
If Memmelsdorf had its own seal at the time when it belonged to the High Monastery at Bamberg, nothing is now known of it. Only in the time of the Kingdom of Bavaria did the municipal administration bear the then customary service seal. On 5 December 1963, the Bavarian State Ministry of the Interior gave its approval for the community to bear a coat of arms. At the same time, the Ministry also gave its approval for the community to bear a flag. It shows three stripes coloured black, yellow and green, and may be borne with the arms. The Upper Franconian government approved on 1 July 1973 the community council's decision on 30 January 1973 to make the coat of arms valid for the whole, newly expanded community. Memmelsdorf's arms might heraldically be described thus: Party per pale Or and argent, Or a Zentrichter with cloak and hat sable holding in the hand dexter a staff argent and in the sinister a book Or, vert emerging from a three knolled hill vert an oaktree with acorns Or.
Culture and sightseeing
Buildings
Pfarrkirche Mariä Himmelfahrt
Schloss Seehof was the Bamberg Prince-Bishops’ former summer residence and hunting lodge
Sport
The club Sportverein 1923 e. V. offers many departments. From football to bowling, chess and baseball, every sportsman and sportswoman can follow his or her interests. Over the last few years, various teams from one department or another have made their way into the national leagues, with the first team from the baseball department even reaching the Second Bundesliga. A yearly sporting high point is the Quattroball-Turnier staged by SC Memmelsdorf 1997 e. V. To this meet come up to 400 players in about 100 teams from all over Germany to play the champions in the four different disciplines, volleyball, basketball, handball and soccer fussball. The crush of competitors at this tournament is so great that for some years now, participants have had to have their names drawn by lottery to make it onto the contest list. The winner of Quattroball-Turnier 2008 is named Funky Fresh Crew. In the finals of the tournament they lost only one point in soccer against Hamsteraggregat. As the most valuable Player of the tournament was named Helmut Weiss.
Clubs
Memmelsdorf is also well known for its successful carnival club Memmelsdorfer Carnevals Club. The yearly Prunksitzungen in the Seehofhalle Memmelsdorf are known and loved Bavaria-wide. The MCC is the main participant in the Shrovetide parades in Memmelsdorf and in the city of Bamberg.
Economy and infrastructure
Economy
Most working people are employed at large firms in Bamberg or at Michelin in Hallstadt. Business life in Memmelsdorf is based on many small businesses, which keep the local community supplied with its needs. Major firms in the community are found mainly in the building industry. The biggest employer, with roughly 150 workers, is Firma Fösel.
Breweries
There are 5 breweries:
Drei Kronen in Memmelsdorf
Höhn in Memmelsdorf
Göller in Drosendorf
Hummel in Merkendorf
Wagner in Merkendorf
In Memmelsdorf there was once the Brauerei zum Ochsen, whose building now houses a branch of the Sparkasse Bamberg. Also, until the 1990s there was the Brauerei Leicht. In Drosendorf until the 1970s there was the Brauerei zur Krone. In Kremmeldorf there was the Brauerei Zeiß, which is nowadays only run as an inn, as is the former Brauerei Dillig in Laubend.
Transport
The community of Memmelsdorf lies six kilometres east of the city of Bamberg on Staatsstraße 2190. The community can be reached by the Autobahnen A 70' and A 73'. East of the A 70/A 73 cloverleaf interchange is the Bamberg-Memmelsdorf exit, right at which lies the centre of Lichteneiche. From there it is two kilometres to Memmelsdorf. All the community's centres are linked by the Bamberg city bus network.
Public institutions
In the community is found a home for the elderly offering roughly 50 senior citizens a place. In the 1980s, the Seehofhalle, a multipurpose hall in which sporting and cultural events take place, was built. The Memmelsdorf municipal library has for many years been borne by the Catholic parish church foundation and the municipality, and been in the care of the Sankt Michaelsbund, Landesverband Bayern e. V.. In 2005, about 1,000 users had access to more than 12,000 books, from among which there were roughly 32,000 loans. Another likewise successful library is found in Lichteneiche. Both libraries logged all together about 15,000 visits in 2005.
Education
Ferdinand-Dietz-Volksschule Memmelsdorf, Pödeldorfer Straße 13
Grund- und Teilhauptschule Drosendorf-Merkendorf Stuhlbrüderweg 31, Drosendorf; Am Sportplatz 10, Merkendorf