Location and classification
Rottenberg is a parish village in the market town of Hösbach, in the Aschaffenburg district, Regierungsbezirk Unterfranken, Bavaria. The recorded coordinates are 50.04087° north latitude and 9.23069° east longitude.
Gräfenberg and landscape
South of Rottenberg, the Gräfenberg rises as a remnant hill to about 360 metres above sea level and around 50 metres above the adjoining Zechstein belt. It belongs to the natural region of the Vorderer Spessart and lies close to the watershed between the drainage systems of Aschaff and Kahl.
The Gräfenberg consists of red Buntsandstein and is the only sandstone elevation in the Rottenberg district. It is embedded in limestone that is mined commercially. In the wider area, metamorphic rocks of the crystalline Vorder Spessart as well as limestone and dolomite formations also occur.
Vine growing
Vine growing is documented on the south-west-facing slope of the Gräfenberg near Rottenberg. The officially listed vineyard site Gräfenstein belongs to Hösbach-Rottenberg in the Alzenau wine-growing region within the protected wine-growing area Franken and has no major-sites designation. The name may be used as a geographical designation if at least 85 percent of the grapes come from the above-mentioned area; for Qualitätswein, an official inspection number is additionally required.
History
On 1 May 1978, Rottenberg was incorporated into the market town of Hösbach and retained Rottenberg as the name of a locality. On the Gräfenberg, an early high-medieval castle site was investigated archaeologically in 2007.
