Ottersheim

For Ottersheim in the district of Germersheim, see Ottersheim bei Landau.

Ottersheim
Municipality
panoramic view
Coat of arms
Location of Ottersheim within Donnersbergkreis district
Ottersheim Show map of Germany Ottersheim Show map of Rhineland-Palatinate
Coordinates: 49°37′32″N08°06′30″E / 49.62556°N 8.10833°E / 49.62556; 8.10833
Country	Germany
State	Rhineland-Palatinate
District	Donnersbergkreis
Municipal assoc.	Göllheim
Government
•  Mayor (2019–24)	Rüdiger Kragl [1]
Area
• Total	2.74 km2 (1.06 sq mi)
Elevation	233 m (764 ft)
Population  (2022-12-31) [2]
• Total	361
• Density	130/km2 (340/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes	67308
Dialling codes	06355
Vehicle registration	KIB
Website	www.goellheim.de

Ottersheim is a municipality in the Donnersbergkreis district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.

Geography

The village is situated in the northern part of the Palatinate about 20 km (13 mi) west of Worms and 40 km (25 mi) east of Kaiserslautern.

Neighbouring municipalities are Immesheim, Bubenheim, Kindenheim, Biedesheim and Rüssingen.

History

Ottersheim was already settled during Roman times, as proven by sarcophagi found in the late 19th century. It was first mentioned in the Lorsch codex in 772. In medieval times the village belonged to multiple dominions until it came under the sole reign of the Electoral Palatinate in 1481. Regarding this, Ottersheim has close ties to neigbouring Immesheim.

The village developed around two centers, which grew together in the 19th century.

After the War of the First Coalition Ottersheim was occupied and later annexed by France with the Treaty of Campo Formio in 1797. From 1798 to 1814 it belonged to the French Departement du Mont-Tonnerre. After the Congress of Vienna the region was first given to Austria (1815) and later to Bavaria (1816).

After World War II Ottersheim became part of Rhineland-Palatinate (1946). Since 1969 it belongs to the Donnersbergkreis district.

Religion

Ottersheim is a catholic village. The local parish church St. Amandus was built in the late 19th century. It is known as „Dom vom Violental“ (Violental Cathedral), due to its big proportions.

St. Amandus church

Infrastructure

The next train station that is regularly served by passenger rail service is located in Ebertsheim, 8 km (5 mi) south of Ottersheim. The village‘s only bus stop is served by line 904 of the VRN. ^[3]

References

1. Direktwahlen 2019, Donnersbergkreis, Landeswahlleiter Rheinland-Pfalz, accessed 9 August 2021.
2. "Bevölkerungsstand 2022, Kreise, Gemeinden, Verbandsgemeinden" (PDF) (in German). Statistisches Landesamt Rheinland-Pfalz. 2023.
3. "Liniennetzplan Donnersbergkreis" (PDF). vrn.de. Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Neckar GmbH. Retrieved 2025-02-13.