| Image Coa: | Wappen von Frammersbach.svg |
| Coordinates: | 50.0667°N 37°W |
| Image Plan: | Frammersbach in MSP.svg |
| State: | Bavaria |
| Region: | Lower Franconia |
| District: | Main-Spessart |
| Elevation: | 246 |
| Area: | 19.20 |
| Postal Code: | 97833 |
| Area Code: | 0 93 55 |
| Licence: | MSP |
| Gemeindeschlüssel: | 09 6 77 129 |
| Website: | www.frammersbach.de |
| Mayor: | Christian Holzemer[1] |
| Leader Term: | 2022 - 28 |
| Party: | SPD |
Frammersbach is a market community in the Main-Spessart district in the Regierungsbezirk of Lower Franconia (Unterfranken) in Bavaria, Germany. In the early modern period, people from Frammersbach achieved international renown as drivers of wagons on the most important trans-European trade routes. Today, Frammersbach has a population of around 4,500.
This state-recognized resort (staatlich anerkannter Erholungsort) lies between Würzburg und Aschaffenburg, in the middle of the Spessart Nature Park (Naturpark Spessart).
The municipal territory borders on the state of Hesse in places and is not continuous: Habichsthal is separated from Frammersbach proper by the wooded unincorporated area of the . On all other sides, the village is surrounded by the (located in the neighbouring Aschaffenburg district).
Frammersbach is located in the valley of the Lohr river, while Habichsthal lies in a side valley of the Aubach, which flows into the Lohr at Partenstein. Out of a total municipal area of around 2,000 hectares, about 700 hectares are covered by communally-owned forest.
Nearby hills are the, and the Hermannskoppe.
The community has the following Gemarkungen (traditional rural cadastral areas): Frammersbach and Habichsthal. These are also Frammersbach's two Ortsteile (boroughs).
The former villages Herbertshain, Hofreith and Schwartel have been absorbed into Frammersbach proper.
The neighbouring communities are from the north, clockwise: Flörsbachtal (Hesse), the unincorporated areas and Frammersbacher Forst, Partenstein, (unincorporated area), Wiesthal, Heinrichsthaler Forst (unincorporated area), again Frammersbacher Forst and finally Wiesen.
There have been archaeological finds in the area dating to the Stone Age, the Bronze Age, and the Iron Age.
The locality was systematically settled at the time when the Franks took the land. In around 500, a hunting outpost was established at the site of today's parish church. Through the 8th century, this was gradually expanded into a Zehnthof (tithe court) and fortified by an earthen rampart. Around 1000 a wall with five or six towers was constructed inside the rampart. The tithe court of Frammersbach belonged to the Catholic parish of Lohrhaupten (Flörsbachtal).
In 1314, Herbertshain is first mentioned in a surviving record. Until recently, the earliest mention of Frammersbach itself was thought to have been in 1339. However, new evidence suggests it was in fact also mentioned in 1314.[2]
In 1553, Frammersbach converted to Protestantism under the Counts of Rieneck. After the family died out, Frammersbach fell to the Archbishop of Mainz in 1559. In 1605, the village reverted to Catholicism.[3]
A window on village life is found in the Sechserbuch[4] – a book mainly about Frammersbach's Feldgeschworene, the traditional boundary keepers who decided where the community’s limits were and who were charged with marking them – which describes the state of affairs in a Spessart community in the waning years of the Middle Ages and the onset of the modern era, in particular the records of the decisions of the village court between 1572 and 1764.
In that early modern period — beginning in the 15th century — carters from Frammersbach dominated the long distance trade on two of the most important European routes: from Nuremberg to Antwerp and from Leipzig to Frankfurt (following the Via Regia). There were two reasons for the prominent role played by the people from this small town. For one, Frammersbach was well connected to the major trade routes by the Wiesener Strasse and then the Birkenhainer Strasse. Secondly, the Counts of Rieneck recognized the economic potential of the long distance trade and supported it. The carters built on these advantages by establishing an international acclaim for their performance. In 1522, two of them managed twice to cover 100 kilometres in a single day's travel, when the normal speed for carts was around 30 kilometres a day.[5]
During the Thirty Years' War, the village was sacked by Swedish troops and was temporarily completely depopulated in 1635.[3] The town was resettled, however, and in 1665 Frammersbach was granted the status of Markt.
In 1803, with the Reichsdeputationshauptschluss, the former Amt of the Archbishopric of Mainz passed, along with the village, to Prince Primate Karl von Dalberg newly formed Principality of Aschaffenburg (1803–10), with which in 1814 it passed to the Kingdom of Bavaria under the terms of the Treaties of Paris, having previously been part of the Grand Duchy of Frankfurt (1810-4).
In the 20th century, home tailoring became an important industry in Frammersbach, as did a clothing factory owned by .
In 1952, the community's official name was set to be Markt Frammersbach. On 1 January 1975, Habichsthal was merged with Frammersbach.[6] At the same time, it was awarded the status of resort.[3]
The market community of Frammersbach has grown into a commercial centre and has regional supply functions for the community of Partenstein lying to the south and the community of Flörsbachtal lying to the north, just across the boundary in Hesse as well as the community of Jossgrund. The feeder area of the lesser centre of Frammersbach is home to roughly 18,500 inhabitants. Frammersbach lies on the Partenstein-Frammersbach-Wiesen-Aschaffenburg regional development axis.
In Frammersbach 45 local clubs are currently active.
The community’s arms might be described thus: Per pale argent a waggoner vert and gules in chief a wheel of the first spoked of six and in base three closets Or.
The wheel is the Wheel of Mainz, and the closets (that is, narrow horizontal bars) are drawn from the arms borne by the Counts of Rieneck, which themselves go back to those borne by the Counts of Loon.
Orbec, France, since 1988
Mecseknádasd, Hungary, since 2003The latter place is home to descendants of emigrants from Frammersbach who still speak a dialect of German rather like the one spoken in Frammersbach.[11]
Jáchymov, Czech RepublicThis is a sponsorship arrangement initiated on 14 May 1977 by former citizens from St. Joachimsthal's (now called Jáchymov) outlying centre of Dürnberg (now called Suchá) who after being driven out of their old homeland came to live in Frammersbach. Both regions were protected forests (Bannwälder) where one could settle only on the edges. In both areas was an Eselsweg (“ass’s way”) and in each was a village with a greater than average number of people working in goods transport, Frammersbach in the Spessart and Reischdorf (now called Rusová) in the Ore Mountains.
Through Frammersbach run, going north-south, and Staatsstraße (State Road) 2305, going east-west.
The nearest Autobahn interchanges are:
Frammersbach is linked to local transport on weekdays through the following bus routes:
Frammersbach has no direct link to the DB railway network. The nearest railway station is at Partenstein, 5 km away. Railway goods transport is handled through the station at Lohr am Main, 13 km away. Both stations lie on DB’s Nuremberg-Frankfurt mainline.
The nearest airport is Frankfurt Airport, which can be reached on the A 3 or the A 66. The distance is about 80 km, while Nuremberg Airport lies roughly 160 km away.