Perhaps Gonzo or Gunzo was the Frankish person who gave Gonzenheim its name. This place echoes with tales of settlements from prehistoric times. Welcome to Gonzenheim a part of Bad Homburg. It is a place where history whispers from every corner.
Archaeological finds reveal settlements existed here long before records began. Neolithic Bronze Age and Hallstatt period remnants have been found. Even Roman villae rusticae left their mark. Alemannic and Frankish burial gifts discovered in the “Am Schützbrett” field are stored in the Saalburg archive today. Imagine the lives of those who walked this land centuries ago.
The first undisputed mention of Gonzenheim appears in a document from June 5 1367. It details an agreement involving fields and meadows in Ober-Eschbach and Gonzenheim. These lands were pledged as collateral. Feel the weight of history in this ancient agreement.
Around 1525 Gonzenheim embraced Protestantism. Like many towns in the Rhine-Main area Gonzenheim became Prussian in 1866. Then in 1937 Gonzenheim was incorporated into Bad Homburg. This marked a significant change for the town.
After World War II many refugees came to Bad Homburg. In 1953 the Holy Cross Church was built in Gonzenheim for the Catholic population. This church stands as a symbol of resilience.
Gonzenheim has a local council with an advisory board. In the 2021 local elections the voter turnout was 57.96 percent. Karl-Alexander Rastädter was elected as the local representative.
Today Gonzenheim is Bad Homburg’s main economic and administrative center. Its convenient location attracts various companies. Fresenius Baloise Insurance and Maxon Computer all have a presence here.
The town’s most important railway station is in Gonzenheim. It is on the Frankfurt–Friedrichsdorf line. The northern terminus of Frankfurt’s U-Bahn line A2 is also here. The Bad Homburg highway feeder connects Gonzenheim to the A5 and A661 motorways. Gonzenheim is well-connected.
The oldest artifact in the Protestant Church is a gilded silver chalice from 1575. The church’s tower was built in the 1850s. The nave was consecrated on December 23 1877. Louis Jacobi was the architect. A renovation in 2001 restored the 19th-century colors. The classical coffered ceiling features white beams with green red and yellow stencils. The cassette interiors are blue.
Across from the church is the modern Protestant community center. The old rectory next door dates back to 1728. It is now privately owned.
The Holy Cross Church is a branch of Bad Homburg’s main Catholic church St. Marien. The Association Heilig Kreuz secures the church’s existence. The Seventh-day Adventists have a chapel on Feldstrasse called the Advent Chapel.
Since May 2013 the local history museum has been located in the Kitzenhof. The Museum im Kitzenhof displays exhibits from Gonzenheim’s early history.
Northeast of the Bad Homburg Kurpark is the Ellerhöhe. Here stands a 10-meter-high observation tower. It was erected in 1889 by the Bad Homburg Beautification Association.
Gonzenheim seamlessly blends its rich past with modern life. As you leave Gonzenheim remember its layers of history. From ancient settlements to its current role as a key economic hub Gonzenheim continues to evolve.