Location and municipality
Friesenheim is a municipality with an area of 3.47 km² in the district of Mainz-Bingen in Rhineland-Palatinate, and belongs to the Rhein-Selz collective municipality. The municipality is located in the Selz valley; the Selz flows through the town. On 31 March 2026, Friesenheim had 723 inhabitants. The region is Rheinhessen.
Climate and soils
The catchment area of the Selz, to which Friesenheim belongs, has a warm, dry climate with around 500 millimetres of annual rainfall. The vineyard sites Altdörr, Bergpfad and Knopf are on marl and pelo-sol soils formed from calcareous, clayey deposits of the Tertiary sea. The deep, calcareous clay contains clay that can hold water, is only limited in its permeability to water and air, and has a high level of nutrients and lime.
Viticulture
In the 2024 vineyard directory, in the Friesenheim cadastral area, Altdörr with 39.5 hectares, Bergpfad with 69.7 hectares and Knopf with 12.8 hectares are listed as planted areas. All three sites, in the specified growing area of Rheinhessen, belong to the area of Nierstein and the Großlage Gutes Domtal. Altdörr is named after the occurrence of hawthorn hedges in the former field division, Bergpfad after a nearby path of the same name, and Knopf after the rounded shape of the hill. In Bergpfad, Riesling, Burgundy varieties and aromatic grape varieties are grown for white and red wine. Area designations in Rheinhessen are permitted for quality wine and Prädikatswein, but not for table wine.
History
Archaeological finds from the Friesenheim area include remains of the Rössen culture from around 4600 to 4300 BC, grave goods from the late La Tène period, as well as coins and ceramics from the Roman period. Rheinhessen’s Friesenheim was first mentioned in 1190 in the fief register of Werner II of Bolanden.
