Station: [12] Medieval and Modern Times in Dotzheim

F: Johann Christian Reinhold Luja, who arrived in Dotzheim as pastor in 1818, invested an extraordinary amount of time and energy into exploring the history of the place. He encouraged excavations, was a founder member and secretary of the “Association for Nassau Antiquities Studies and History Research” and published several essays on historical subjects. You’ll find a round-up of Pastor Luja’s work in this room, right next to the door.

M: Do you remember the theory about the origin of the place name “Dotzheim”? On the wall to your left, we go back to the earliest days of the village. The legendary “Tuzzo” character lived in the 7th century AD. The first time the settlement was mentioned in a document was in 1128. There’s evidence of a clan called the “Knights of Dotzheim” in the Rheingau region from the 14th century. Later, Dotzheim came under the influence of the Princes, and subsequently the Dukes, of Nassau.

F: Over the centuries, there have always been a few Jewish families living in the village. For example, the Herxheimer family produced several scholars. The later chief rabbi and scholar of Reform Judaism, Dr. Salomon Herxheimer, was born in Dotzheim in 1801. A generation later, Salomon Herxheim’s nephew was born in the upper part of Römergasse and was named after his uncle. Dr. Salomon Herxheimer junior, his brother Karl and his son Gotthold went on to become celebrated physicians.

Under the Nazi regime, all the members of Dotzheim’s Jewish community were either forced to emigrate, or killed in the concentration camps. Today, a memorial plaque in the Old Town Hall serves as a reminder of those murdered villagers.

The next display is on the left of the window – it deals with the Christian religion.

M.: Originally, Dotzheim was a purely Protestant village. The first Roman Catholics only arrived in the mid-19th century. The small village church in the center of Dotzheim dates to the beginning of the 18th century, but earlier structures on the same site can be traced back to the 12th century. By 1184, just over 50 years after the first mention of the parish of Dotzheim, there’s evidence of a church building in the center of the village. Take a look at this wall to meet some of the most important Protestant pastors. First of all, Pastor Luja from the early 19th century. His predecessor, Pastor Heydenreich, later rose to become regional bishop of Nassau. Pastor Dr. Rudolf Eibach had the cure of the parish during World War One, became a consistorial councilor, and arranged for the construction of a new parish hall. Pastor Romberg, finally, was active in the Confessing Church movement during the Third Reich. He was forcibly transferred and suffered reprisals.

Please move on into the next room, where we’ll find out about “satellites”.