Dietzenbach () is the seat of Offenbach district in the Regierungsbezirk of Darmstadt in Hesse, Germany and lies roughly 12 km southeast of Frankfurt am Main on the waterstream Bieber. Before the Second World War, the current town was a farming village with not quite 4,000 inhabitants. However, after the war, there was a considerable upswing in the population due to refugees settling in the community. From the 1970s onwards, Dietzenbach's population rose rapidly, reaching some 33,000 by 2006. Just under a third of the inhabitants have roots in more than a hundred nations outside Germany. Agricultural buildings are nowadays seldom seen in Dietzenbach.
In 2001, Dietzenbach hosted the 41st Hessentag state festival.
Geography
Climate
Lying in the Upper Rhine Plain, the climate of the Offenbach (district) is temperate and influenced through southwestern trade winds. The temperature differences during the year are less. In Dietzenbach, the average temperature of the warmest month is 26 °C, in the central valleys they are three degrees Celsius higher. The partly over 40 meters deep quarries, which are typical for the Kreis Offenbacher pinewood forests and forest lakes, creating an own microclimate, which are snowless during the whole year. Looking back on the history of Dietzenbach, this is exactly the reason why its hills are just perfect for growing vineyards, even in planting tropical plants. There is a lightly marked rainy period over the whole year.
The amount of precipitation during the year is throughout the whole region very variable. More than 33.6 inches of rainfalls are there in the forests of Mühlheim, while in the surroundings of Rödermark averages are of 50.4 inches. Between late summer and early fall season, the occurrence of storms in the region is higher than during the rest of the year. In this time there can be danger through tornadoes or downbursts. On 18 August 2019 a tornado or downburst caused severe damage to the city.
Neighbouring communities
Dietzenbach borders in the north on the town of Heusenstamm, in the east on the town of Rodgau, in the south on the town of Rödermark and in the west on the town of Dreieich.
Constituent communities
The town of Dietzenbach is made up of a number of Stadtteile, although not all places listed here have this official designation.
Steinberg
Steinberg is a constituent community. Parts of the north industrial area are found here, as well as daycare centres (Kindertagesstätten) 3,5 and 11, the Siedlerstraße Seniors’ Centre and four schools: Astrid-Lindgren-Schule (primary school), Regenbogenschule (primary school), Helen-Keller-Schule (special school) and Heinrich-Mann-Schule (coöperative comprehensive school with Gymnasium upper level). Furthermore, there is a sporting ground on Limesstraße. In the centre is the Steinberg Shopping Centre. Just under 12,000 people live in Steinberg.
Neue Stadtmitte
Between Steinberg and the old town centre, a new building area has sprung up over the years, in whose centre the town administration and Dietzenbach's community centre have settled. It is known as the Neue Stadtmitte – the New Town Centre.
Before this, the most prominent feature was a shopping centre with a big supermarket, filling station and carpark, which the locals over time came to see as an eyesore for its rather unappealing 1970s architecture and the company's neglect of the building.
Sales dealings kept delaying any new development. Finally, in late 2005, agreements between the town and the Dutch Ten Brinke Group were signed.
After the old toom Markt closed in mid-2005, the whole building complex was torn down in autumn 2006 to make way for a new shopping centre. The foundation stone was laid on 4 December 2006, and on 29 November 2007, the shopping centre opened, and was given the name Rathaus-Center.
The Ten Brinke Group, the €37,500,000 project's investor, built a 230 m-long and 101 m broad building in which are found, on 8 000 m² a toom Markt, and on 4 000 m² a Media-Markt. The rest of the 21 000 m² is shared among C&A (1 600 m²), Deichmann (two units of 500 m² each), the clothing chain Ernsting's Family (200 m²), other shops and various catering businesses.
Hexenberg
Hexenberg, whose name is German for “Witches’ Mountain”, is a constituent community. It is named after the highest elevation in Offenbach district. The buildings are mostly relatively low one-family and multiple-family dwellings as well as a few smaller shops in the middle of the community.