Fürth, Hesse

The community lies in the UNESCO Geo-Naturpark Bergstraße-Odenwald on the Weschnitz, a small river that empties into Rhine near Biblis. Fürth is the northernmost and highest community in the Weschnitz valley, which stretches southwestwards to Weinheim.

Fürth borders in the north on the town of Lindenfels and the community of Reichelsheim, in the east on the community of Mossautal (both in the Odenwaldkreis), in the southeast on the community of Grasellenbach, in the south on the community of Rimbach and in the west on the town of Heppenheim.

Fürth's eleven Ortsteile are Brombach, Ellenbach, Erlenbach, Fahrenbach, Kröckelbach, Krumbach, Linnenbach, Lörzenbach, Seidenbach, Steinbach and Weschnitz.

In Fürth, in the Odenwald, a notably cooler climate prevails than on the neighbouring Bergstraße. In the winter months, this is often clearly shown in the higher snowfall in Fürth. On the other hand, the community is also favoured by the weather owing to its sheltered location, and is often spared storms.

The municipal election held on 26 March 2006 yielded the following results:

The mayor is chosen in a direct election for a term of six years. Since 7 September 2008, the mayor has been Volker Oehlenschläger (CDU). He received 54.8% of the vote.

The community's arms might be described thus: Argent a cross fitchy gules, thereupon a letter F argent.

The cross fitchy (that is, with a point on the bottom arm; called a Nagelkreuz [“nailcross”] or a Fußspitzkreuz [“foot point cross”] in German) recalls the Lorsch Abbey’s former landlordship. The lowercase F in Antiqua script was already borne in an earlier court coat of arms from 1626. The arms were approved in 1926.

Saint John the Baptist’s Parish Church (Pfarrkirche St. Johannes d.T. ) was newly built in 1752 as a one-room church with a quire that is three-sided on the outside and in plain Baroque style. It is marked on the west façade by an open-air staircase (the statues, however, are new). The belltower is in the Romanesque Revival style and dates from 1866–68. The expansion on the south side was carried out in 1960–61.

Timber-frame houses from the 18th and early 19th centuries enrich the townscape. A further highlight is the artistic path in the Steinbach meadows, which a few years ago was furnished with wonderful stone figures by distinguished artists.

Also worth seeing is the Bergtierpark (“Mountain Animal Park”), to be found in the constituent community of Erlenbach. It has on show mountain creatures from five parts of the Earth and is open the year round.

Standing as an extensive art gallery is the Kunstwanderweg (“artistic path”) from Fürth to Lindenfels, built in 2007 and beginning at the town hall[3]

Fürth railway station is the end of the Weschnitztalbahn, beyond which there are half-hourly Regionalbahn trains to Weinheim.

Fürth has two primary schools, the Müller-Guttenbrunn-Schule and the Schule am Katzenberg in the constituent community of Erlenbach. The former elementary school Paul-Joseph-Schule in Erlenbach lost this name in 1973 when it merged with the school in Rimbach-Mitlechtern. It was named after the former teacher Paul Joseph, notwithstanding that in the time of National Socialism, he had been known as a fervent Adolf Hitler stalwart and Party member. There is also an integrated comprehensive school, the Heinrich-Böll-Schule with some 900 students.