Friesenheimer Insel

Originally a meander of the Rhine, the Friesenheimer Insel is now a man-made island. It sits northeast of where the Neckar River flows into the Rhine. This island, near Neckarstadt, lies between Rhine kilometer markers 428 and 431, opposite the BASF chemical plant. The main shipping access is in the north near Sandhofen. Road traffic accesses the Friesenheimer Insel via bridges in the south. The Friesenheimer Insel’s transformation from part of the Rhine’s left bank to an island began in the 19th century. A project straightened the Rhine, creating the “Friesenheimer Durchstich”. This cut-off separated the western part from the left bank, forming the Friesenheimer Insel. Imagine the Palatinate farmers who once tended fields here. Suddenly, they needed ferries to reach their land. The land originally belonged to left-bank Friesenheim. Around 1800, France annexed the Rhine’s left bank. The Friesenheimer Insel became part of the Donnersberg Department. The northern part fell under Oppau’s jurisdiction, while the south remained with Friesenheim. After belonging to the Bavarian Palatinate from 1816, the Friesenheimer Insel became part of Baden in 1862. In 1895, the city of Mannheim purchased the Friesenheimer Insel from the then-independent municipality of Sandhofen. Mannheim then embarked on constructing the industrial harbor. Today, the Friesenheimer Insel is a district in northwest Mannheim, nestled between the Rhine, the old Rhine (Altrhein), and the Neckar. The Altrhein continued to serve as part of the harbor and remains a less noticeable feature of the area. The Friesenheimer Insel belongs to the Neckarstadt-West district. A ferry, the Emma, connects Sandhofen to the Friesenheimer Insel across the Altrhein. Built in 1897, the Emma is Germany’s oldest functioning ferry.