Rüsselsheim am Main Facts for Kids

Rüsselsheim am Main is a large city in Germany. It is located in the Groß-Gerau district within the Rhein-Main region. Rüsselsheim is one of seven special cities in Hessen. This means it handles some jobs that bigger regions usually do. The city sits on the Main River, between the cities of Frankfurt and Mainz. Its suburbs, Bauschheim and Königstädten, are part of Rüsselsheim. The city is known around the world because of the German car company Opel.

A Look at Rüsselsheim's Past
Rüsselsheim's Economy
- Important Companies in Rüsselsheim
Public Places and Fun Things to Do
How the City Grew
- New Areas Added
Cities Rüsselsheim is Connected To
Famous People from Rüsselsheim
- Honorary Citizens
Images for kids

A Look at Rüsselsheim's Past

Rüsselsheim started as a Frankish settlement in the early 400s. The first time "Rucilesheim" was written down was around the year 840. This was in a list of royal hunting areas. The city grew from a settlement belonging to the Count of Katzenelnbogen.

Rüsselsheim around 1655

The city's name changed over many years. It went from Rucilesheim to the Rüsselsheim we know today:

764/5: Rucile(n)sheim
Before 1130: Ruozcelenesheim
1336: Ruzelnsheim
1275: Ruozelsheim
1640: Ruselsem
1840: Rüsselsheim

In 1435, a nobleman named Count John IV of Katzenelnbogen was the first to grow Riesling grapes in Rüsselsheim. Records show he bought new grapevines for 22 Schilling. In the years that followed, Riesling grapes were planted along the Rhine and Mosel rivers. In the 1700s and 1800s, Rüsselsheim helped wine history again. Famous vineyards in the Rheingau region replanted their grapes using vines from Rüsselsheim. After World War I, grape growing stopped in Rüsselsheim. In 1980, the mayor, Dr. Karl-Heinz Storsberg, created a museum vineyard near the castle. It celebrates "550 Years of Riesling."

The city's population was 1,422 by 1829. It then doubled between 1875 and 1914, growing from 3,500 to 8,000 people. At the start of World War II, 16,000 people lived in Rüsselsheim. Only 9,500 remained when the war ended. The population reached a new high of 63,000 people in 1978. This rapid growth after the war was due to people moving from other parts of Germany. Later, many immigrants came because of the jobs at the Opel factories. About 23% of the people in Rüsselsheim were born outside Germany in 2014.

Rüsselsheim's Economy

Rüsselsheim is a great place for businesses. This is thanks to the car maker Opel and its excellent transport links. The city has many motorway connections. It also has direct train lines from Rüsselsheim station to Mainz, Frankfurt am Main, Wiesbaden, and Darmstadt. These connections have helped many businesses set up here. They also attract many people who travel to Rüsselsheim for work.

Important Companies in Rüsselsheim

Opel

Rüsselsheim is most famous for its car company, Opel. The founder, Adam Opel, started as a mechanic. He first built a sewing machine factory. The first cars were made in 1899, after Adam Opel had passed away. His wife and five sons then ran the company.

Hyundai

The European Centre for the Korean car company Hyundai opened in Rüsselsheim in 2003. This is where they do a lot of their technical work for Europe.

Electronic Data Systems

The German office for the outsourcing part of Hewlett-Packard (which used to be EDS) was in Rüsselsheim.

Velodyne Lidar

Velodyne Lidar is a company from the USA that makes lidar technology. Lidar uses light to measure distances. Their European office is located in Rüsselsheim.

Public Places and Fun Things to Do

Culture and Learning

The Rüsselsheim Theatre has 865 seats. People can watch plays, concerts, operas, operettas, musicals, ballet, and dancing there.

The Rüsselsheim Museum is a special place. In 1980, it won an award from the Council of Europe as a "Model Museum." It shows how people have worked and how working conditions have changed from ancient times to today.

Educational Institutions

Hochschule RheinMain (RheinMain University of Applied Sciences)

The Hochschule RheinMain is a technical college with a campus in Rüsselsheim. Many of its technical study programs are located here.

These programs include:

Electrical engineering, information technology, and television engineering
Automotive, industrial, energy, and design engineering
Environmental technology
Physical technology, nanotechnology, computational engineering, and medical technology
Air traffic systems, marketing, and control
Media technology, information technology, and electrical engineering

Sports and Recreation

Event Spaces: The Großsporthalle (also known as Walter-Köbel-Halle) can hold 2,500 people for events. Swimming Pools: You can swim at Freizeitbad an der Lache and Waldschwimmbad. The Opelbad is no longer used. Stadiums: The Stadion am Sommerdamm has a field with seats and a special field for hockey. Boathouses: The Bootshaus des Rudervereins Rüsselsheim am Main is a boathouse for the Rüsselsheim rowing club.

Clubs and Groups

Rüsselsheim has many clubs. Some of these clubs compete in national and international sports leagues.

tg 1862 Rüsselsheim is the city's largest club, with about 4,000 members. It offers 30 sports in 12 different areas. Its volleyball and dancing teams are part of their national leagues.
JC Rüsselsheim offers judo and other martial arts. Some German and even world champions have come from this club.
Rüsselsheimer Ruder-Klub 08 is best known for hockey. Both the women's and men's teams have won German championships. They have also won the European Cup.
Flug-Sport-Club Rüsselsheim is a flying club. They fly from their airfield on the Hoherodskopf.
DPSG Stamm Partner Erde is the Scout Group in Rüsselsheim. It is part of the Deutsche Pfadfinderschaft Sankt Georg, which is the German Catholic Scout Association. This group is also a member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement. It has about 80 members and its main building is at Georg-Jung-Str. 64.

In 2004, the Volunteer Fire Brigade of Rüsselsheim celebrated its 125th birthday.

How the City Grew

New Areas Added

Over the years, Rüsselsheim has grown by adding nearby towns:

1951: Haßloch
1956: Königstädten
1970: Bauschheim

Cities Rüsselsheim is Connected To

Rüsselsheim am Main has sister city relationships with other towns around the world. These connections help build friendships and understanding between different cultures:

Évreux, France (since 1961)
Rugby, England, United Kingdom (since 1977)
Varkaus, Finland (since 1979)
Kecskemét, Hungary (since 1991)

Famous People from Rüsselsheim

Adam Opel (1837–1895), who started the Opel Automobile GmbH company.
Carl von Opel (1869–1927), a banking expert and industrialist.
Fritz von Opel (1899–1971), a physicist.
Wilhelm Hammann (1897–1955), an educator and politician, who lived and passed away here.
Max Tschornicki (1903–1945), a fighter against the Nazis.
Norbert Blüm (1935–2020), a politician from the CDU party.
Klaus Fuchs (1911–1988), a physicist.
Andrea Ypsilanti (born 1957), a politician from the SPD party.
Oliver Hartmann (born 1970), a musician.
Britta Becker (born 1973), a field hockey player.

Honorary Citizens

Ludwig Dörfler, who used to be the mayor of Rüsselsheim.
Roland Plaisance, who used to be the mayor of Rüsselsheim's sister city, Évreux.

Images for kids

Aerial view
Coat of Arms
Location within Groß-Gerau district
Rüsselsheim around 1655

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Rüsselsheim am Main facts for kids

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