title: Bechenheim
text: # Bechenheim
  
  Bechenheim is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Alzey-Worms district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Alzey-Land, whose seat is in Alzey.
  
  ## Geography
  
  ### Location
  
  As a winegrowing centre, Bechenheim lies in Germany's biggest winegrowing district, in the southwest of Rhenish Hesse. Bechenheim is Rhenish Hesse's highest winegrowing municipality.
  
  ## History
  
  In 824, Bechenheim had its first documentary mention in a document from Fulda Abbey.
  
  ## Politics
  
  ### Municipal council
  
  The council is made up of 8 council members and the honorary mayor as chairman. The municipal election held on 7 June 2009 yielded the following results:
  
  | | SPD | FWG | Total |
  | - | - | - | - |
  | 2009 | 5 | 3 | 8 seats |
  | 2004 | 3 | 5 | 8 seats |
  
  ### Coat of arms
  
  The municipality's arms might be described thus: Gules a dexter arm embowed armed argent, the hand naked of the same and holding a beaker Or.
  
  ## Economy and infrastructure
  
  ### Winegrowing
  
  Bechenheim belongs to the “Wonnegau Winegrowing Area” (Weinbaubereich Wonnegau) in Rhenish Hesse. Active in the municipality are six winegrowing businesses with 33 ha of vineyard under cultivation. Some 76% of the wine made there is white varieties (as at 2007). In 1979, 22 such businesses were still running, and vineyards covered 32 ha.
  
  