Sponheim is a municipality in the district of Bad Kreuznach in Rhineland-Palatinate, in western Germany.
Sponheim | |
|---|---|
 View of Sponheim with the abbey | |
 Coat of arms | |
Location of Sponheim within Bad Kreuznach district  | |
| Country | Germany |
| State | Rhineland-Palatinate |
| District | Bad Kreuznach |
| Municipal assoc. | Rüdesheim |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Michael Berghof (SPD) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 14.35 km2 (5.54 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 230 m (750 ft) |
| Population (2022-12-31)[1] | |
| • Total | 756 |
| • Density | 53/km2 (140/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| Postal codes | 55595 |
| Dialling codes | 06758 |
| Vehicle registration | KH |
| Website | www.sponheim.de |
History
Sponheim was the capital of the County of Sponheim. There was a Benedictine abbey here which was founded in 1101 by Stephan II, Count of Sponheim not far from the countly residence at Castle Sponheim. Johannes Trithemius was one of the abbots. Traveling from university to his home town in 1482, he was surprised by a snowstorm and took refuge in the Benedictine abbey of Sponheim near Bad Kreuznach. He decided to stay and was elected abbot in 1483, at the age of twenty-one. In his time, the abbey library increased from around fifty items to more than two thousand. However, his efforts did not meet with praise, and his reputation as a magician did not further his acceptance. Increasing differences with the convent led to his resignation in 1506.
 | This Bad Kreuznach district location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
- ^ "Bevölkerungsstand 2022, Kreise, Gemeinden, Verbandsgemeinden" (PDF) (in German). Statistisches Landesamt Rheinland-Pfalz. 2023.