Wiesbaden-Dotzheim
Dotzheim is a western borough of Wiesbaden, capital of the state of Hesse, Germany. It is the second largest borough of the city by area and, with over 27,000 inhabitants the second-most populated of Wiesbaden's suburban boroughs. It was the largest village in the former Duchy of Nassau. The formerly independent village was incorporated into Wiesbaden in 1928. Geography Location Dotzheim is located in the northwest of Wiesbaden. To the north and northwest are the wooded slopes of the Hochtaunus, or High Taunus Mountains. The primary peaks along its northern boundary are Hohe Wurzel (618 m) and Schläferskopf (454 m). The Weilburger Tal (Wielburg Valley), a valley complex formed by the Wielburger Bach stream and its tributaries, leads south from the mountains. After passing through the old village center, the stream enters the more extensive Belzbachtal. The ridges that border the Belzbach valley are the Schiersteiner Hang (Schierstein Slope) on the west and the Wiesbadener Kessel on the east. As the Belzbach enters the borough of Biebrich, it becomes the Mosbach, which flows into the Rhine at Biebrich Castle. Neighboring communities Dotzheim is bordered on the northwest by the municipality of Taunusstein and on the other sides by other boroughs of Wiesbaden. These are Klarenthal and Rheingauviertel to the northeast, Biebrich to the southeast, Schierstein to the south, and Frauenstein to the southwest. History Early history The oldest evidence of settlement in the Belzbachtal comes from five closely spaced Celtic stone box graves (or cists) discovered in the area of Hohlstraße 3. The graves, made of uncut slabs of quartzite, are from the La Tène culture of the Late Iron Age - about 400 BC. There is also evidence of settlement from the Roman era. In 222, the first year of the reign of Emperor Severus Alexander, Fortunatus and Sejus dedicated an altar, a fragment of which was discovered. After the collapse of Roman rule in the area and Frankish king Clovis I Merovingian’s later defeat of the Alamanni, Frankish settlement of the area began, especially under King Dagobert I (623 to 638). At that time, it is conjectured, a nobleman named Tuzzo or Tuozo settled in the Belzbachtal and gave his name to the place - Tuozesheim became Tozesheim and eventually Dotzheim. The first written document which mentions Dotzheim dates to only 1128. At this time the Archbishop of Mainz, Adalbert I von Saarbrücken, gave the Mainz Cathedral the income from the possessions of the local landowners. In another document, dated 21 November 1184, Pope Lucius III (1181 to 1185) in Verona confirmed the Mainz Benedictine monastery of St. Alban’s possession of 25 churches, including that of Dotzheim. The monastery of Vögte was established in Dotzheim, to which such well-known families such as the Treasurer of Worms, the Brömser of Rüdesheim, and the Knight of Sickingen belonged. Besides the clergy of Mainz (the Mainz Cathedral, St. Alban’s, St. Clare’s, and the Karthäuser Monasteries, and St. John's Convent), the monasteries of Eberbach and Klarenthal also received income from Dotzheim. In