Location and landscape
Boxberg is located in the Umpfertal valley, a side valley of the Tauber, in the Tauberland landscape in the German state of Baden in Baden-Württemberg. The town comprises 13 formerly independent municipalities, including Ober- and Unterschüpf. The area is strongly shaped by the Umpfer and its tributary valleys, and features valleys, slopes and elevated high plateaus.
Climate and soils
In Bauland and Tauberland there is a comparatively continental climate, with larger differences in temperature and a rainfall maximum in summer. On the high plateaus, the average annual temperatures are usually about 9 to 10 °C. In Boxberg-Epplingen, Unterer and Mittlerer Muschelkalk and calcareous, mostly stony Rendzinas and Pararendzinas shape the landscape. In the area around Boxberg-Kupprichhausen, Rendzinas, Pararendzinas and Pelosol-Pararendzinas occur, formed from Oberer Muschelkalk.
History and winegrowing
Boxberg was founded in the 7th century as Wanshofen. Between the 12th and 16th centuries, the town was connected with the Lords of Boxberg, the Order of St John, and the Knights of Rosenberg. In 1561, Boxberg came under the Kurpfalz. Since 1806, the town has belonged to Baden. Ober- and Unterschüpf are among the historically oldest settlements in Tauberland; the place name Schüpf is documented in a charter from the year 807.
Winegrowing in Ober- and Unterschüpf
The documented winegrowing is concentrated in Ober- and Unterschüpf. In the 19th century, both districts were shaped by winegrowing, with Unterschüpf also active in the wine trade. In the first half of the 20th century, winegrowing declined significantly. A process of land consolidation and the construction of a frost-protection sprinkler system in the early 1970s helped to revive it. The documented vineyards include Altenberg, Herrenberg and Mühlberg. Owing to the Baden-Franconian history, there is an inherited right in Ober- and Unterschüpf to bottle the local wine in Bocksbeutel bottles.
