[citation needed] The town lies at the eastern edge of the Rhine rift on the slopes of the western Odenwald on the Bergstraße.

Under the Odenwald's protection, kiwifruit, almonds, figs and peaches thrive here, giving the Bergstraße the nickname “Germany’s Riviera”.

The many finds from archaeological digs stretch back to the time of the Linear Pottery and Corded Ware cultures (roughly 2500 to 1500 BC), peoples who raised crops and livestock.

It can be inferred from the document text that Otto I, on the occasion of his stay in Frankfurt am Main, with his wife Adelheid’s intervention, awarded the Lorsch Abbey’s oldest market privilege.

When Friedrich II enfeoffed the territory of the now derelict Lorsch Imperial Abbey to Archbishop Siegfried III of Eppstein, Bensheim became part of the Electorate of Mainz's domains and likely received town rights only a few decades later, which is, however, only proved by a certificate issued in 1320.

In the time of the pledging to the counts palatine of the Rhine from 1461 to 1650, Bensheim experienced a boom, but as a Palatinate town, however, it was embroiled in the Bavarian-Palatine war of succession in 1504, and for eleven days was unsuccessfully besieged by the Landgrave of Hesse, who was charged with the execution of the ban of the Empire, and his confederates, the Dukes Henry of Brunswick and Henry of Mecklenburg.

With the introduction of the Reformation in the Landgraviate of Hesse in 1526 and in the County of Erbach in 1544, Bensheim got not only a territorial border with these neighbours, but also a denominational one.

On 20 November 1644, Bensheim was occupied by French and Swedish troops, who were driven out again on 2 December by Bavarian units.

Later, the legend of the Fraa vun Bensem arose (the “woman from Bensheim” is said to have led the Bavarians into town through a secret route).

By the Reichsdeputationshauptschluss in 1803, Bensheim passed to the Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt, who joined the Confederation of the Rhine in 1806 and was raised to Grand Duke.

As the U.S. Army Counter Intelligence Corps agent, Henry Kissinger was the most important representative of the occupying power, after the official town commander.

The municipal election held on 27 March 2011 yielded the following results: The Magistrat (roughly “town executive”) is made up of nine councillors and the mayor Rolf Richter (CDU).

When the Municipal Order of the Grand Duchy of Hesse came into force on 30 June 1821, Bensheim citizens were allowed to choose their mayor.

The German blazon says that the kontos, or lance, is golden, and that the dragon is green, although the achievement shown here, whose source is the town administration itself, shows different tinctures for these two charges.

On 29 April 1956, a Patenschaft (roughly, “sponsorship”) was set up for Sudeten Germans driven out of the town of Arnau (now Hostinné in the Czech Republic) on the Elbe in the Hohenelbe district.

By taking part in various contests, the students at this municipal music school regularly find themselves among the prizewinners at both the state and national level.

Like many territorial overlords of their day, its owners sought the peace of a rural idyll far removed from the pomp and circumstance of court.

Bandsheim (“Band Home”) has afforded the youth music scene an outlet that regularly hosts “newcomer” concerts in Bensheim.

With many live concerts by famous local bands and the guests’ active engagement in political issues, this inn has grown into an attraction for many youths.

[7] In 2010 about 50 young people from the region occupied a derelict army complex in order to establish a self-organised youth centre.

The Bürgerfest (“Citizens’ Festival”), which was introduced on the occasion of the opening of the pedestrian precinct in 1975, has been regularly celebrated in early summer since 1977.

Since 1986, in memory of Gertrud Eysoldt, a German actress and director, the Gertrud-Eysoldt-Ring, one of Germany's most important theatrical prizes, has been awarded yearly.

Bensheim is part of the economically strong Rhine Neckar Area and is together with various neighbouring towns and communities (among others, Heppenheim, Lorsch and Lautertal) identified as a middle centre in South Hesse regional planning.

Kern GmbH manufactures enveloping systems for banks, insurance companies, telecommunications businesses and information technology service providers and is also headquartered in Bensheim.

The cars in the company's national television advertising bear registrations beginning with “HP” (Heppenheim/Kreis Bergstraße) for this reason, which is seldom otherwise seen in this context.

Deutsche Papier Vertriebs GmbH, which belongs to PaperlinX, runs, as a nationally active paper wholesaler, one of Germany's most modern high-bay warehouses.

GGEW, a service-providing business for electricity, natural gas and drinking water, has its head office in Bensheim.

The outlying centre of Auerbach has its own station, Bensheim-Auerbach, on the Frankfurt-Heidelberg line, but only Regionalbahn trains stop there.