Sponheim

Municipality in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany

(2019–24) Bernhard Haas^[1]Area • Total14.35 km² (5.54 sq mi)Elevation230 m (750 ft)Population • Total756 • Density53/km² (140/sq mi)Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET) • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)Postal codesDialling codes06758Vehicle registrationKHWebsitewww.sponheim.de

Sponheim is a municipality in the district of Bad Kreuznach in Rhineland-Palatinate in western Germany.

History

Sponheim was the capital of the County of Sponheim.

Sponheim Abbey

There was a Benedictine abbey which was founded in 1101 by Stephan II, Count of Sponheim not far from the comital residence at Castle Sponheim. Johannes Trithemius was one of the abbots.^[3] 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 were not met with praise, and his reputation as a magician did not further his acceptance. Increasing differences with the convent led to his resignation in 1506.

See also

• County of Sponheim
• House of Sponheim

References