11th century: From this time come documents that are known to refer to Schwabenheim. From this time forth, the place has been mentioned by the following names:
1023 – Suabheim
1051 – Suaveheim
1140 – Suapeheim
1200 – Suosabenheim
1328 – Suabeheim
1339 – Schwabeheim
1424 – Schwabneheim
1502 – Surschwabenheim, Sauerschwabenheim
1904 – Beginning in this year, the place is called Schwabenheim an der Selz.
In terms of sovereignty, Schwabenheim belonged as an Imperial Village with Imperial immediacy to the Ingelheimer Grund
Court
As part of the Ingelheimer Grund, Schwabenheim had its own local court on which sat the Ortsschultheiß and eight Schöffen.
The municipality's arms might be described thus: Per pale Or and sable a double-headed Imperial Eagle displayed counterchanged armed, beaked and langued gules. The double-headed eagle motif seen in today's arms goes back to a 15th-century court seal and a municipal seal from 1531. Both these seals showed a one-headed eagle, however. The eagle stood for Schwabenheim's – then still known as Sauer-Schwabenheim – membership among the Imperial Villages of the Ingelheimer Grund that passed in 1407 to the Electorate of the Palatinate. From 1761, the double-headed Imperial Eagle is seen in the seal. Given that the Grand Duchy of Hesse took over Schwabenheim in 1816, and that the National Socialists seized power in 1933, Schwabenheim's arms have been changed a few times. After the Second World War, the municipality bore the old Electorate of the Palatinate arms. This escutcheon, however, satisfied nobody. The unanimous opinion was that the Imperial Eagle belonged back in the arms. At two Wiesbaden state archive councillors’ suggestion in 1983, arms that were party per pale, gold on the dexter side and black on the sinister side with the double-headed Imperial Eagle “counterchanged” were put forth for approval and later the same year, the approval was granted.
The municipality's oldest coat of arms bore an Imperial Eagle on a golden field. In 1742, this was replaced with the arms borne by Elector Karl Philipp of the Palatinate. The double-headed Imperial Eagle is witnessed in the municipal seal beginning in 1761.
Northeast of the village of Schwabenheim is a hiking loop through the Pfauengrund protected area.
Gastronomy
Long established inns can be found in the lordly estates from the 18th century around the marketplace with its market fountain.
Buildings
Furthermore, Schwabenheim has other things worth seeing, like the Irish-Scottish Church with its Carolingian lintel and Viergötterstein, the former provost's residence from the 17th century and the Town Hall built in 1742.
Regular events
On the last weekend in August is the Backesgassefest on Backhausstrasse.
On the third weekend in September is the Schwabenheimer Markt at the marketplace.
On the first weekend in Advent is the Christmas Market at the marketplace.
Economy and infrastructure
Schwabenheim is strongly characterized by agriculture. Dominating this field, as it does throughout Rhenish Hesse, is winegrowing with a cultivated vineyard area of 180 ha. In the Kaiserpfalzwine region, the municipality has a share of the Klostergarten, Schlossberg and Sonnenberg vineyards. Some 25 companies marketing bottled wine make wine of all quality classifications. Besides the standard varieties Silvaner and Müller-Thurgau, newer varieties such as Scheurebe, Faberrebe, Bacchus and Kerner, among others, are grown. Red wine, too – Blauer Portugieser and Pinot noir – is made. Crops of almost all kinds of pomaceous and stone fruits and asparagus fill out the picture of this fruitful hilly landscape. On the old monastery grounds, Intervet Innovation GmbH, a daughter company of Schering-Plough, has established itself. Intervet runs a global research and development centre there for veterinary products with the emphasis on antibiotics and antiparasitics employing 230 workers in Schwabenheim.
Transport
The municipality is crossed by Landesstraße 428. The A 60 and A 63 autobahns can be reached by car in 10 to 20 minutes.
