Renchen

Renchen is a town in the Ortenau district in Baden-Württemberg and comprises the local divisions of Erlach and Ulm as well as the settlement of Maiwald. The town lies at the transition from the Renchtal to the Upper Rhine plain and the foothills of the Black Forest. Its climate is described as mild and is influenced by air from the Rhine valley.

While the areas in the Rhine plain are predominantly flat, Ulm extends into the foothill zone and into higher-lying terrain. The geotope Kutzenstein above Renchen-Ulm reaches 325 metres and lies on the border with Waldulm. In the plains of the Lower Rhine area, the subsoil is shaped by Quaternary and Pliocene sands and gravels of the Upper Rhine Graben. The Kutzenstein consists of coarse-grained grey granite, which is locally called Schwartenmagen granite.

Fruit growing and viticulture are among Renchen’s significant agricultural activities; especially in the Ulm district, larger areas of vineyards extend. Renchen lies in the winegrowing region Baden and in the Ortenau winegrowing area. A winegrowing operation based in Renchen-Erlach documents for the Renchtal grape varieties Grauburgunder, Weißburgunder, Müller-Thurgau, Riesling and Spätburgunder. The wines described there are characterised as fruity and slender, with a more pronounced acidity and a mineral character from weathered granite soil.

Renchen was first mentioned in documents in 1115 and was granted town rights on 10 May 1326. The Renchen Agreement of 25 May 1525, according to the town’s presentation of history, brought the Peasants’ War in the Margraviate of Baden and the Ortenau to an end.