In the 16th century, Schriesheim was affected by the checkered history of the
Reformation in the
Electoral Palatinate. In 1556 the Reformation was launched, and after 1560, the Electoral Palatinate adopted
Calvinism, but then under Count Palatine
Louis VI, Elector Palatine, it returned to Lutheranism, only to return the Swiss Reformed Church from 1583 on under acting regent
John Casimir and
Frederick IV. In the first half of the 17th century, the Elector Palatine became the leader of the German Protestants. Shortly after the
Thirty Years' War, Schriesheim's dramatically reduced population (only 20% had survived the Thirty Years' War) was purely
Reformed, that is Calvinist, but in the years that followed,
Catholics,
Lutherans and
Jews moved in alongside the favored Reformed
Swiss immigrants to replenish the population. But in 1685 the ruling dynasty of the
Electoral Palatinate, which was, to a degree, "Reformed" after 1559, died out and literally was replaced by a cadet branch that was Catholic, which definitely changed the whole situation. Suddenly the small Catholic minority in the village was favored by the authorities, and Catholic officials moved in. Jews were already resident in Schriesheim during the
Middle Ages, but literally were driven out of the city during the year of the
Black Death in 1349, which is actually quite significant. Jews were again documented in Schriesheim during the 15th century. In 1644, when the village was abandoned during the Thirty Years' War, the Jews also disappeared, or had been thought to have disappeared. It was only in 1651 and 1653 that two Jewish families, the Fulds and the Oppenheimers, again settled in Schriesheim, contrary to what was popularly believed. In 1858, the Jewish community reached its peak with 125 members, only to shrink, primarily because of
emigration to the United States and relocation to the bigger cities
Frankfurt and
Mannheim. At the start of 1933, only 38 Jews were still living in Schriesheim, almost all of whom had left by 1938. By September 1939, no Jews were living in Schriesheim anymore. Only four of those were still living in
Europe at the start of the
Second World War. One died a natural death of old age, and two others were successful in emigrating to
New York. Only Levi Schlösser fell victim to the
Holocaust. In 1705/1706, the
Pietistic community built up around
Alexander Mack, which, in 1708 led to the introduction of
adult baptism in this community, which gave them the nickname \"
Dunkers\" and \"dippers\". Soon, as a result of growing persecution, this community had to flee and eventually emigrated to America, where they formed the
Church of the Brethren with its many offshoots, among them the
Old German Baptist Brethren. Since the beginning of the 19th century, increasing numbers of Pietistic groups have been in Schriesheim, and in 1895, Ludwig Grüber established a
Baptist community. After the Second World War, a
New Apostolic Community was formed in Schriesheim. A Muslim mosque is also located in the community, founded by immigrants.
Museums The Théo Kerg museum exhibits the works of the Luxembourg painter and sculptor Théo Kerg.
Famous residents •
Alexander Mack (1679–1735),
Pietist, and emigrant to the United States of America, •
Alfred Herbst (?-1943)
Baptist pacifist and opponent of Hitler, murdered in the Görden quarter of
Brandenburg an der Havel •
Reiner Kröhnert (born 1958), stand-up comedian •
Adam Miller (pioneer) Honorary citizens • 1993: Peter Hartmann (1914–2018), longtime alderman of the
Free Voter Party, acting mayor, deputy mayor from 1954-1993, centenarian ==References==