Location and landscape
Mönchstockheim is a district of the municipality of Sulzheim in the district of Schweinfurt in Bavaria. The village lies in the Steigerwald foothills, also known as the Gerolzhofener Gäu. The Unkenbach runs along the northern edge of the village, while the Seewiesenbach forms a southern stream valley. The landscape is gently undulating and shows only small differences in height between ridges and valleys.
Climate and soils
Mönchstockheim is described as having an unusually dry and warm climate compared with Bavarian average values. The annual precipitation is about 600 millimetres, or slightly more. The average temperatures are approximately −2 to −1 °C in January, 16 to 17 °C in July and 8 °C as the annual mean. In the surrounding area, among other things, sandy to very sandy loams, clayey loams and deep, brown soils occur; in the valley areas, water-influenced soils such as gleys and peaty soils are found.
Viticulture
In the vineyards register, the individual sites Mönchberg and Köhler are listed for Mönchstockheim. Both belong to the Weinpanorama Steigerwald area. Some producers continue to grow Franconian wine in the Mönchstockheim cadastral area, which the municipality characterises as herb-accented and spicy.
Historical development
From 1283 until the secularisation of the Cistercian monastery in 1803, Mönchstockheim belonged to the property of Ebrach Abbey. Ebrach monks laid out a 48-morgen vineyard south of the road to Donnersdorf, which was transferred to the inhabitants in 1793 and had become arable land by 1850. A vineyard located to the north of the road junction remained under cultivation and was historically known as Herrnwingert. On 1 May 1978, Mönchstockheim became part of the municipality of Sulzheim.
