Location and landscape
Haßmersheim lies in the Neckar valley in the Neckar-Odenwald district. The municipality is bounded to the east by the Neckar and is located in a hilly transition zone between the natural regions of Bauland and Kraichgau.
Elevation and geology
The municipal area includes lower-lying parts of the Neckar valley and higher hills. According to municipal information, elevations range from 151 to 297 metres above sea level; the local gazetteer records a maximum height of about 354 metres at Finkenfeld. The terrain is shaped by elevations of main shell limestone, valley areas covered with loess and, in the south-west, by layers of the Lower Keuper that are partly overlain by loess. In the vineyard landscape near Hochhausen, there are vineyard walls and stone ridges made of shell limestone.
Former vineyard sites
The plots Hohberg and Kirchweinberg belong to a former vineyard slope south of Steinbach, which extends across Haßmersheim and Neckarzimmern. Vineyard cultivation on this slope up to almost the Michaelsberg had been abandoned. As a result of removing emerging scrub, the former vineyard areas were reopened and dry and calcareous unimproved grasslands were developed to strengthen the habitat-network.
Historical connection to the Neckar
Haßmersheim was first mentioned in 774 in a donation document from the Lorsch monastery. The municipality’s historical identity was closely linked to the Neckar as well as to fishing and shipping. From a wine law perspective, Haßmersheim belongs to the Baden wine-growing region, Kraichgau area, and to the Großlage Stiftsberg.
