Odenwald is an electoral constituency (German: Wahlkreis) represented in the Bundestag. It elects one member via first-past-the-post voting. Under the current constituency numbering system, it is designated as constituency 186. It is located in southern Hesse, comprising the district of Odenwaldkreis and eastern parts of the districts of Darmstadt-Dieburg and Landkreis Offenbach.
Odenwald was created for the inaugural 1949 federal election. From 2021 to 2025, it was represented by Jens Zimmermann of the Social Democratic Party (SPD). Since 2025 it has been represented by Patricia Lips of the CDU.
Geography Odenwald is located in southern Hesse. As of the 2021 federal election, it comprises the entirety of the Odenwaldkreis district as well as the municipalities of Babenhausen, Dieburg, Fischbachtal, Groß-Bieberau, Groß-Umstadt, Groß-Zimmern, Otzberg, Reinheim, and Schaafheim from the Darmstadt-Dieburg district and the municipalities of Hainburg, Mainhausen, Rodgau, Rödermark, and Seligenstadt from the Landkreis Offenbach district.
History Odenwald was created in 1949, then known as Dieburg. It acquired its current name in the 1980 election. In the 1949 election, it was Hesse constituency 21 in the numbering system. From 1953 through 1976, it was number 146. From 1980 through 1998, it was number 144. In the 2002 and 2005 elections, it was number 188. In the 2009 through 2021 elections, it was number 187. From the 2025 election, it has been number 186.
Originally, the constituency comprised the districts of Dieburg and Erbach. In the 1965 through 1972 elections, it comprised the districts of Dieburg and Erbach as well as the municipalities of Dietzenbach, Dreieichenhain, Dudenhofen, Froschhausen, Götzenhain, Hainhausen, Hainstadt, Jügesheim, Klein-Auheim, Klein-Krotzenburg, Klein-Welzheim, Mainflingen, Offenthal, Rembrücken, Seligenstadt, Steinheim am Main, Weiskirchen, and Zellhausen from the Landkreis Offenbach district. In the 1976 through 1994 elections, it acquired a configuration very similar to its current borders, but including the municipalities of Dietzenbach from the Landkreis Offenbach district and Eppertshausen and Münster (Hessen) from the Darmstadt-Dieburg district. In the 1994 election, it lost the municipality of Dietzenbach. In the 2002 election, it lost the municipalities of Eppertshausen and Münster (Hessen).
Election Name Borders 1949 Dieburg Dieburg district Erbach district 1953 146 1957 1961 1965 Dieburg district Erbach district Landkreis Offenbach district (only Dietzenbach, Dreieichenhain, Dudenhofen, Froschhausen, Götzenhain, Hainhausen, Hainstadt, Jügesheim, Klein-Auheim, Klein-Krotzenburg, Klein-Welzheim, Mainflingen, Offenthal, Rembrücken, Seligenstadt, Steinheim am Main, Weiskirchen, and Zellhausen municipalities) 1969 1972 1976 Odenwaldkreis district Darmstadt-Dieburg district (only Babenhausen, Dieburg, Eppertshausen, Fischbachtal, Groß-Bieberau, Groß-Umstadt, Groß-Zimmern, Münster (Hessen), Otzberg, Reinheim, and Schaafheim municipalities) Landkreis Offenbach district (only Dietzenbach, Hainburg, Mainhausen, Rodgau, Rödermark, and Seligenstadt municipalities) 1980 144 Odenwald 1983 1987 1990 1994 Odenwaldkreis district Darmstadt-Dieburg district (only Babenhausen, Dieburg, Eppertshausen, Fischbachtal, Groß-Bieberau, Groß-Umstadt, Groß-Zimmern, Münster (Hessen), Otzberg, Reinheim, and Schaafheim municipalities) Landkreis Offenbach district (only Hainburg, Mainhausen, Rodgau, Rödermark, and Seligenstadt municipalities) 1998 2002 188 Odenwaldkreis district Darmstadt-Dieburg district (only Babenhausen, Dieburg, Fischbachtal, Groß-Bieberau, Groß-Umstadt, Groß-Zimmern, Otzberg, Reinheim, and Schaafheim municipalities) Landkreis Offenbach district (only Hainburg, Mainhausen, Rodgau, Rödermark, and Seligenstadt municipalities) 2005 2009 187 2013 2017 2021 2025 186
Members The constituency was first represented by Heinrich Ritzel of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) from 1949 to 1965. He was succeeded by fellow SPD member Willi Bäuerle from 1965 to 1976. Heinrich Klein of the SPD then served two terms as representative before Alexander Warrikoff of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) won the constituency in 1983. He served until 1994, and was succeeded by Wolfgang Steiger for a single term. Adelheid D. Tröscher was elected for the SPD in 1998 and served until 2002, followed by fellow SPD member Erika Ober until 2005. Patricia Lips was elected in 2005, and re-elected in 2009, 2013, and 2017. Jens Zimmermann won the constituency for the SPD in 2021.
Election Member Party % 1949 Heinrich Ritzel SPD 36.6 1953 39.9 1957 45.3 1961 47.2 1965 Willi Bäuerle SPD 47.5 1969 50.5 1972 53.0 1976 Heinrich Klein SPD 46.9 1980 49.3 1983 Alexander Warrikoff CDU 49.4 1987 45.7 1990 44.7 1994 Wolfgang Steiger CDU 45.5 1998 Adelheid D. Tröscher SPD 44.9 2002 Erika Ober SPD 45.6 2005 Patricia Lips CDU 42.0 2009 40.4 2013 46.9 2017 36.1 2021 Jens Zimmermann SPD 32.3 2025 Patricia Lips CDU 34.0
Election results 2025 election
2021 election
2017 election
2013 election
2009 election
2005 election
References