Leonberg is a town in the
GermanGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
federal state of Baden-Wuerttemberg about 10 miles to the west of
StuttgartStuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
, the state capital. Approximately 45,000 people live in Leonberg, making it the third biggest borough in the rural district ('Landkreis') of
BöblingenBöblingen is a town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, seat of Böblingen District. Physically Sindelfingen and Böblingen are continuous.-History:...
(after
SindelfingenSindelfingen is a German town at the Schwippe river headwaters that has automotive and computer industry.- History :* 1155 First documented mention of Sindelfingen* 1263 Founding of the city by Graf Rudolf von Tübingen-Herrenberg...
and
BöblingenBöblingen is a town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, seat of Böblingen District. Physically Sindelfingen and Böblingen are continuous.-History:...
to the south).
Leonberg is most famous for its picturesque market square, the centuries old annual horse market, its past role as seat of one of
Württemberg'sWürttemberg , formerly known as Wirtemberg, is an area and a former state in southwestern Germany, including parts of the regions Swabia and Franconia....
first
parliamentA parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French parlement, the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at...
s, and the Pomeranzen garden - Germany's only remaining terraced garden which dates back to the late
renaissanceThe Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Florence in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe...
.
Geography
Leonberg lies on the east bank of the Glems river on the lower slopes of a prominent hill known locally as Engelberg (literally: 'Angel Hill'). The Glems flows into Leonberg from the south east before turning north west until it reaches the district of Eltingen. Here it turns north east into the western part of the old town, carving its way along the valley to the district of Höfingen before flowing north east towards
DitzingenDitzingen is a town in the district of Ludwigsburg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated about 10 km northwest of Stuttgart, and 12 km southwest of Ludwigsburg. At Ditzingen-Hirschlanden, there is Hirschlanden transmitter....
. For administrative purposes the northern districts of Höfingen and Gebersheim belong to Strohgäu.
Neighbouring towns
Leonberg is surrounded by the following communities (
clockwiseA clockwise motion is one that proceeds 'like the clock's hands': from the top to the right, then down and then to the left, and back to the top. In a mathematical sense, a circle defined parametrically in a positive Cartesian plane by the equations x = sin t and y = cos t is traced clockwise as...
, starting from the north):
DitzingenDitzingen is a town in the district of Ludwigsburg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated about 10 km northwest of Stuttgart, and 12 km southwest of Ludwigsburg. At Ditzingen-Hirschlanden, there is Hirschlanden transmitter....
and
GerlingenGerlingen is a town in the district of Ludwigsburg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated 9 km west of Stuttgart, and 15 km southwest of Ludwigsburg. It is twinned with the British town Seaham, situated on the coast of north-east England and French town Vesoul....
(districts of
LudwigsburgLudwigsburg is a city in Germany, about north of Stuttgart's city center, near the river Neckar. It is the capital of the Ludwigsburg District , and belongs to the Stuttgart Region in the Administrative region of Stuttgart.- History :The middle of Neckarland, in which Ludwigsburg lies, was...
),
StuttgartStuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
, and then the
BöblingenBöblingen is a town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, seat of Böblingen District. Physically Sindelfingen and Böblingen are continuous.-History:...
rural districts of
MagstadtMagstadt is a town in the German Federal state of Baden-Württemberg, in the district Böblingen. It is located between Renningen and Sindelfingen....
,
RenningenRenningen is a town in the district of Böblingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated 18 km west of Stuttgart.- Geography :Renningen is located in the west of Stuttgart, between Leonberg and Weil der Stadt on the fringes of the fertile plains of the Neckarland...
and
RutesheimRutesheim is a german town located in Baden-Würtemberg in the district of Landkreis Böblingen.- Location :Rutesheim is situated directly to the Highway 8 , 5 km from the town Leonberg, 18 km from the town Stuttgart and just 22 km from Airport Stuttgart and from the new exhibition...
.
Districts
Leonberg merged with the neighbouring town of Eltingen in 1938 which now flows seamlessly into the former old town. Administrative reforms in 1975 also resulted in the districts of Gebersheim, Höfingen and Warmbronn becoming part of Leonberg. Central Leonberg encompasses Silberberg, Ramtel, Gartenstadt and the residential neighbourhoods of Eichenhof, Glemseck, Hinter Ehrenberg, Mahdental and Rappenhof. The district of Höfingen also includes the residential neighbourhoods of Tilgshäusleshof and Wannenhof.
Although incorporated into Leonberg for in 1975, Gebersheim, Höfingen and Warmbronn also count as separate
constituenciesA constituency is any cohesive body of people bound by shared identity, goals, or loyalty. Constituency can be used to describe a business's customer base and shareholders, or a charity's donors or those it serves...
in
local electionLocal elections vary widely across jurisdictions. In electoral systems that roughly follow the Westminster model, a terminology has evolved with roles such as Mayor or to describe the executive of a city or town or region, and Reeve, Alderman or Councillor to describe the legislators who...
s.
History
The town of
Levinberch was founded by
CountA count is a nobleman in European countries; his wife is a countess. The word count came into English from the French comte, itself from Latin comes—in its accusative comitem—meaning "companion", and later "companion of the emperor, delegate of the emperor". The British equivalent is an earl...
Ulrich 1stUlrich I, count of Württemberg, also known as “Ulrich der Stifter” or “Ulrich mit dem Daumen”, was count of Württemberg from about 1241 until his death.-Life:...
of
WürttembergWürttemberg , formerly known as Wirtemberg, is an area and a former state in southwestern Germany, including parts of the regions Swabia and Franconia....
in 1248 where Leonberg still stands today. The position on the brow of the hill was chosen as a defence from enemies to the west, the towns of
MarkgröningenMarkgröningen is a town in the district of Ludwigsburg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located about 16 km northwest of Stuttgart, and 8 km west of Ludwigsburg.- History :...
,
Weil der StadtWeil der Stadt is a small town of somewhat less than 20,000 inhabitants, located in the Stuttgart Region of the German state of Baden-Württemberg...
and the counts in
TübingenTübingen, a traditional university town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, is situated 30 km southwest of Stuttgart, on a ridge between the Neckar and Ammer rivers.-History:...
and
CalwCalw is a municipality in the middle of Baden-Württemberg in the south of Germany, capital of the district Calw. It is located in the northern Black Forest.-History:...
. At the time, the town was surrounded by stone fortifications with the count's castle in the south west. A moat stood to the east, leading to two gates complete with towers and swing-bridge. The gates and almost all of the walls were demolished in and after 1814/1815 leaving only the coat of arms, still on display in the
Altes Rathaus (old town hall)). The moat was filled in 1786.
The only surviving building from the old town fortifications was the "Stonehouse" near the uppermost tower, probably because it was the only one used for housing and was not destroyed by the great fire of 1498. Today it has become the Schwarzer Adler guesthouse and is a defining feature of the old town. According to an analysis carried out in 1999 , the wooden-timber gabled roof on top of the Schwarzer Adler was build in the 15th century. Three stories high, it is one of the largest and oldest original timber gable roofs in southern Germany.
A great fire swept through the town in 1498, destroying 46 houses and making around 200 people homeless. Most of the homeless left the town.
During the
Holy Roman EmpireThe Holy Roman Empire was a union of territories in Central Europe during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period under a Holy Roman Emperor. The first emperor of the Holy Roman Empire was Otto I, crowned in 962. The last was Francis II, who abdicated and dissolved the Empire in 1806 during...
, Leonberg fell under the jurisdiction of
EsslingenEsslingen am Neckar is a city in the Stuttgart Region of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany, capital of the District of Esslingen as well as the largest city in the district....
before finally becoming part of
WürttembergWürttemberg , formerly known as Wirtemberg, is an area and a former state in southwestern Germany, including parts of the regions Swabia and Franconia....
in 1383 when it first gained administrative rights. The population of Leonberg was halved during the
Thirty Years' WarThe Thirty Years' War was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history. The war was fought primarily in Germany and at various points involved most of the countries of Europe...
as a result of the
bubonic plaguePlague is a deadly infectious disease caused by the enterobacteria Yersinia pestis . Plague is a zoonotic, primarily carried by rodents and spread to humans via fleas. Plague is notorious throughout history, due to the unrivaled scale of death and devastation it brought...
.
On 16 November 1457, the first
WürttembergWürttemberg , formerly known as Wirtemberg, is an area and a former state in southwestern Germany, including parts of the regions Swabia and Franconia....
parliament (Württemberg-Urach) convened in Leonberg to administer the custodianship of the underage
Eberhardt VEberhard I . From 1459 till 1495 he was count as Eberhard V. From July 1495 he was the first Duke of Württemberg. He is also known as Eberhard im Bart .- Life :...
. Although there is no documentary evidence to confirm the fact, many locals claim this parliament met in the "Stonehouse" .
During the era of
witch huntsA witch hunt is a search for witches or evidence of witchcraft, often involving moral panic, mass hysteria and lynching, but in historical instances also legally sanctioned and involving official witchcraft trials....
, the Leonberg governor Lutherus Einhorn sent 15 women to trial under suspicion of witchcraft. Eight women were condemned to death with the full assent of the Leonberg judiciary and the local community.
One of the most famous
WürttembergWürttemberg , formerly known as Wirtemberg, is an area and a former state in southwestern Germany, including parts of the regions Swabia and Franconia....
witch trials in Leonberg took place in 1615 and involved
Katharina KeplerKatharina Kepler , born Katharina Guldenmann, was an alleged German witch from Leonberg, Württemberg, and the mother of the famous astronomer Johannes Kepler....
, mother of the royal astronomer
Johannes KeplerJohannes Kepler was a German mathematician, astronomer and astrologer, and key figure in the 17th century scientific revolution. He is best known for his eponymous laws of planetary motion, codified by later astronomers based on his works Astronomia nova, Harmonices Mundi, and Epitome of...
. Kepler's mother was nearly tortured to death in the cellars of the "Stonehouse" before being transferred to Güglingen where she was subsequently released in October 1620.
In 1846 the
LeonbergerThe Leonberger is a very large breed of dog. The breed's name derives from the city of Leonberg in south-west Germany. According to legend, the Leonberger was ostensibly bred as a 'symbolic dog' that would mimic the lion in the town crest.-Appearance:...
dog breed was first successfully reared by crossing the
St. BernardThe St. Bernard Dog is a very large breed of dog, a working dog from the Swiss Alps, originally bred for rescue. The breed has become famous through tales of alpine rescues, as well as for its enormous size.- Appearance :...
with the
NewfoundlandThe Newfoundland is a large, usually black, breed of dog originally used as a working dog in Newfoundland. They are famously known for their giant size and tremendous strength, and for their sweet dispositions, loyalty, and natural water rescue tendencies...
and the
Great PyreneesThe Pyrenean Mountain Dog, known as the Great Pyrenees in the United States, is a large breed of dog, used as a livestock guardian dog....
.
After the rise of the Nazis in 1933, a number of bloody street battles were fought between stormtrooper (
SturmabteilungThe , abbreviated SA , functioned as a paramilitary organization of the Nazi Party...
) followers, mostly backed by residents from Leonberg who attacked supporters of the
German communist partyThe Communist Party of Germany was a major political party in Germany between 1918 and 1933, and a minor party in West Germany in the postwar period...
, mainly resident in Eltingen. In 1938, Eltingen - a staunchly
proletarianThe proletariat is a term used to identify a lower social class; a member of such a class is proletarian. Originally it was identified as those people who had no wealth other than their sons...
community of small landowners - was finally merged with the more
bourgeois Leonberg.
Later the same year the
Engelberg tunnelThe Engelberg tunnel is a motorway tunnel on the German A81 Autobahn just to the west of Stuttgart on the outskirts of Leonberg. During the Second World War it was used as a Nazi concentration camp outpost for the manufacture and storage of aircraft parts.The name is sometimes used to refer to the...
- Germany's first motorway tunnel - was completed. During the Second World War the Engelberg tunnel was used regularly for producing and storing aeroplane parts made by concentration camp prisoners held in Leonberg concentration camp, an outlying camp belonging to
Natzweiler-StruthofNatzweiler-Struthof was a German concentration and extermination camp located in the Vosges Mountains close to the Alsatian village of Natzwiller in France, and the town of Schirmeck, about 50 km south west from the city of Strasbourg....
concentration camp in
AlsaceAlsace is the fourth-smallest of the 26 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the sixth-most densely populated region in France , with 222 inhabitants per km²...
. The old tunnel was replaced by a new tunnel in the 1990s. Above the tunnel there now stands a memorial to the people who died in Leonberg concentration camp.
By 1961 the population of Leonberg passed the 20,000 mark. Boundary reforms in 1973 resulted in rural districts of Leonberg being merged with the rural districts of
BöblingenBöblingen is a town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, seat of Böblingen District. Physically Sindelfingen and Böblingen are continuous.-History:...
in the south and Enzkreis/
LudwigsburgLudwigsburg is a city in Germany, about north of Stuttgart's city center, near the river Neckar. It is the capital of the Ludwigsburg District , and belongs to the Stuttgart Region in the Administrative region of Stuttgart.- History :The middle of Neckarland, in which Ludwigsburg lies, was...
in the north. Leonberg has existed in its current form since 1975.
In 2004 Leonberg became one of the first communities in Germany to switch its office systems to
LinuxLinux is a generic term referring to Unix-like computer operating systems based on the Linux kernel. Their development is one of the most prominent examples of free and open source software collaboration; typically all the underlying source code can be used, freely modified, and redistributed,...
and start using
freewareFreeware is computer software that is available for use at no cost or for an optional fee.The opposite of Freeware is Payware.-History:...
.
Religion
Leonberg used to fall into the
bishopricIn some forms of Christianity, a diocese is an administrative territorial unit administered by a bishop. It is also referred to as a bishopric or Episcopal Area or episcopal see, though strictly the term episcopal see refers to the domain of ecclesiastical authority officially held by the bishop,...
of
SpeyerSpeyer is a city in Germany with approx. 50,000 inhabitants, located beside the river Rhine. It lies 25 km south of Ludwigshafen and Mannheim. Its oldest known name was Civitas Nemetum, named by a Teutonic tribe, the Nemeter, settling in this area...
and was part of an area governed by
archdeaconA position of archdeacon is a senior position in Anglicanism, Syrian Malabar Nasrani, and in some other Christian denominations, above that of most clergy and below a bishop. In the High Middle Ages it was the most senior diocesan position below a bishop in the Roman Catholic Church...
St. Trinitatis. As an early member of
WürttembergWürttemberg , formerly known as Wirtemberg, is an area and a former state in southwestern Germany, including parts of the regions Swabia and Franconia....
, in 1535 Duke
UlrichHerzog Ulrich von Württemberg succeeded his kinsman Eberhard II as Duke of Württemberg in 1498, being declared of age in 1503.-Early life:...
introduced the
ReformationThe Protestant Reformation was a Christian reform movement in Europe which is generally deemed to have begun with Martin Luther's Ninety-Five Theses in 1517 although a number of precursors such as Jan Hus predate that event...
. For many centuries, Leonberg was predominantly protestant. In 1552 the
deaneryDeanery is an ecclesiastical entity in both the Catholic Church and the Church of England. They see over the church and its contents.- Catholic usage :...
was moved to Leonberg with the Stadtkirche becoming the dekanatskirche. After the Second World War the religious community in Leonberg grew quickly as people moved into the area. The Protestant community in the district of Eltingen also dates back to the Reformation, as it does in Gebersheim, Höfingen and Warmbronn.
CatholicismCatholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole...
first arrived in Leonberg in the late 19th century with the first parish set up in 1946 shortly followed by St. Johannes Baptista church in 1950. Today the catholic community belongs to the deanery of Böblingen within the bishopric of Rottenburg-Stuttgart.
Apart from the two main German religions, there are 'free churches' such as the
United Methodist ChurchThe United Methodist Church is a Methodist Christian denomination which traces its roots back to the evangelical, holiness, revival movement of John and Charles Wesley within the Anglican Church. As such, the church's theological orientation is decidedly Wesleyan. It contains both liturgical and...
(Pauluskirche), the
Seventh-day Adventist ChurchThe Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Christian denomination which is distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath, and by its emphasis on the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ. It is the eighth largest international body of...
and the Immanuel Community of Leonberg. There is also a
New Apostolic ChurchThe New Apostolic Church is a chiliastic church, numbered to Protestantism as a free church of the Catholic Apostolic Churches or Irvingism. The church has been existing since 1879 in Germany and since 1897 in the Netherlands...
in Leonberg.
Communities now merged into Leonberg
1938: Eltingen
1975: Gebersheim, Höfingen, Warmbronn and Silberberg (formerly part of
RenningenRenningen is a town in the district of Böblingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated 18 km west of Stuttgart.- Geography :Renningen is located in the west of Stuttgart, between Leonberg and Weil der Stadt on the fringes of the fertile plains of the Neckarland...
, subsequently amalgamated with the Silberberg area of Leonberg)
Population
Population numbers are partly based on historical estimates, partly derived from census data (¹) or official figures capturing people with a main domicile in Leonberg.
| Year |
Inhabitants |
| 1470 |
900 |
| 1630 |
1250 |
| 1640 |
630 |
| 1703 |
1076 |
| 1803 |
1611 |
| 1843 |
2195 |
| 1861 |
2167 |
| December 1871 |
2061 |
| December 1880 ¹ |
2226 |
| December 1890 ¹ |
2472 |
| December 1900 ¹ |
2524 |
| December 1910 ¹ |
2923 |
| June 1925 ¹ |
3200 |
|
| Year |
Inhabitants |
| June 1933 ¹ |
3698 |
| May 1939 ¹ |
8335 |
| 1946 |
10,329 |
| September 1950 ¹ |
12,430 |
| June 1961 ¹ |
20,330 |
| May 1970 ¹ |
24,995 |
| December 1975 |
35,731 |
| December 1980 |
38,927 |
| May 1987 ¹ |
40,303 |
| December 1990 |
42,654 |
| December 1995 |
43,748 |
| December 2000 |
44,354 |
| December 2005 |
45,624 |
|
¹
Census data
Borough council
Since the latest round of
local electionLocal elections vary widely across jurisdictions. In electoral systems that roughly follow the Westminster model, a terminology has evolved with roles such as Mayor or to describe the executive of a city or town or region, and Reeve, Alderman or Councillor to describe the legislators who...
s in June 2004, the district council has had 34 seats broken down as follows (changes vs. 1999 shown were possible in brackets):
- CDU 28.3% (-5.7); 10 seats (-6)
- Freie Wähler 27.0% (+4.5); 7 seats
- SPD 20.4% (-3.5); 7 seats (-4)
- GABL 14.9% (+5.0); 5 seats
- FDP
FDP may refer to:Political parties:*The Freie Demokratische Partei, a German political party*The Freisinnig-Demokratische Partei, a Swiss political party*The former Freie Demokratische Partei, of the former East Germany, GDR*Florida Democratic Party...
/DVPDVP can refer to any of the following:* Delivery versus payment, reduces settlement risk* DVP Media, a multimedia company in Australia* Don Valley Parkway, a municipal expressway in Toronto...
9.4% (+2.5); 3 seats (=)
- SALZ (abbreviation in German
German is a West Germanic language, thus related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. It is one of the world's major languages and the most widely spoken first language in the European Union. Around the world, German is spoken by approximately 105 million native speakers and also by...
for "Town: work, life, future"); 2 seats
Town mayors
A head of local administration - an executive official called the Schultheiss - was first appointed in Leonberg in 1304. In 1425 this was replaced by a
VogtA Vogt in the Holy Roman Empire was the title of a reeve, an overlord exerting guardianship or military protection as well as secular justice over a certain territory...
, a type of reeve. By 1535 responsibility was shared by a senior and junior governor both of whom were selected by a local judge. After the 15th century there were two
burgomasterBurgomaster is the English form, rendering various terms in or derived from the German language word for the chief magistrate and/or chairman of the executive council of a sub-national level of administration All contemporary titles...
s who were replaced by a type of senior district magistrate ('Oberamtmann') in 1759. There has been a town council in Leonberg since 1312. In 1523 it had eight members.
In 1930 the interim designation of 'town mayor' was replaced by the now common
burgomasterBurgomaster is the English form, rendering various terms in or derived from the German language word for the chief magistrate and/or chairman of the executive council of a sub-national level of administration All contemporary titles...
whose status was raised to
OberbürgermeisterThe Lord Mayor is the title of the Mayor of a major city, with special recognition.* In England, Wales and Northern Ireland it is a purely ceremonial post, see Mayors in the United Kingdom, list of cities in the United Kingdom, especially Lord Mayor of the City of London The Lord Mayor is the title...
(senior mayor) in 1963. He or she is elected for eight years through a direct vote and chairs the borough council.
Mayors since 1888
- 1888-1903: Jakob Rüth
- 1903-1919: Rudolf Roth
- 1919-1932: Gotthilf Funck
- 1933-1934: Rudolf Abele
- 1934-1945: Erwin Spindler
- 1945: Hugo Wendel
- 1945-1947: Gotthold Ege
- 1947-1948: Imanuel Schäfer
- 1948-1953: Carl Schmincke
- 1953-1969: Otto Rexer
- 1969-1993: Dr. Dieter Ortlieb
- since 1993: Bernhard Schuler
Coat of arms and flag
The Leonberg
coat of armsA coat of arms, more properly called an armorial achievement, armorial bearings or often just arms for short, in European tradition, is a design belonging to a particular person and used by them in a wide variety of ways. Historically, they were used by knights to identify them apart from enemy...
consists of a black, three-tailed, red-clawed, red-tongued lion pacing upright on a gold background. The town flag is black and gold. The coat of arms and flag have been in use in Leonberg for centuries.
Twin towns
Leonberg is
twinnedTwin town may refer to:*Sister cities*Cândido Godói, a town in Brazil known for its unusually high twin population*Twinsburg, Ohio, location of an annual twin convention*Twin Town, a 1997 film...
with the following towns:
- Berlin the Neukölln suburb of Berlin
Neukölln is the eighth borough of Berlin, located in the southeastern part of the city. It features many Gründerzeit buildings and has one of the highest percentage of immigrants in Berlin....
, since 1970
- France Belfort
Belfort is a town and commune of north-eastern France, préfecture of the Territoire de Belfort département in the Franche-Comté région. Population : 50,417...
, FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
, since 1977
- Croatia Rovinj
Rovinj is a city in Croatia situated on the north Adriatic Sea with a population of 13,562 . It is located on the western coast of the Istrian peninsula and is a popular tourist resort and an active fishing port...
, CroatiaCroatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a country in southeast Europe, at the crossroads of the Pannonian Plain, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean Sea. Its capital is Zagreb...
, since 1990
- Thuringia Bad Lobenstein
Bad Lobenstein is a town in the Saale-Orla-Kreis district, in Thuringia, Germany with a population of circa 7,000 inhabitants. The town, grouped round a rock, upon which stand the ruins of an old castle, is exceedingly picturesque. It contains a spacious parish church, a palace , and a hydropathic...
, ThuringiaThe Free State of Thuringia is located in central Germany. It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen
Bundesländer...
, since 1991
Local economy and transport
Transport
Leonberg is connected to the German motorway system (
AutobahnAutobahn is the German word for a major high-speed road restricted to motor vehicles capable of driving at least 60 km/h and having full control of access, similar to a motorway or freeway in English-speaking countries.In most countries, it usually refers to the German autobahn specifically...
) by the nearby A8 going from west to east (
KarlsruheKarlsruhe is a city in the south west of Germany, in the Bundesland Baden-Württemberg, located near the French-German border....
to
StuttgartStuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
,
UlmUlm is a city in the German Bundesland of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the River Danube. The city, whose population is estimated at 120,000 , forms an urban district of its own and is the administrative seat of the Alb-Donau district. Ulm, founded around 850, is rich in history and traditions...
, München) and eventually
Salzburg' is the fourth-largest city in Austria and the capital of the federal state of Salzburg. Salzburg's "Old Town" with its world famous baroque architecture is one of the best-preserved city centres north of the Alps, and was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. The city is noted for its...
in
AustriaAustria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.3 million people in Central Europe. It borders both Germany and the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west...
and beyond), as well as the A81 going north to south (
WürzburgWürzburg is a city in the region of Franconia which lies in the northern tip of Bavaria, Germany. Located on the Main River, it is the capital of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. The regional dialect is Franconian....
to
StuttgartStuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
and
SingenSingen is an industrial city in the very south of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany and just north of the German-Swiss border. It is also situated within close proximity of Lake Constance and is the most important city in the Hegau area...
). The two motorways meet at the Leonberg intersection which lies to the south of the town. The nearest motorway junction is called Leonberg-Ost (Leonberg East) and plans are in the pipeline for a new junction to the west.
Leonberg is served by the local transport network of Stuttgart and nearby towns, including (since 1978) the S6 S-Bahn Stuttgart travelling from
Weil der StadtWeil der Stadt is a small town of somewhat less than 20,000 inhabitants, located in the Stuttgart Region of the German state of Baden-Württemberg...
via Leonberg to
StuttgartStuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
city centre. As well as the main stop ("Leonberg"), there are S-Bahn stops in the districts of Höfingen and Silberberg (stop name: Rutesheim). A number of bus lines belonging to local and Stuttgart networks (
VVSThe Verkehrs- und Tarifverbund Stuttgart is a regional transport cooperative that coordinates tickets and fares among all transport operators in the metropolitan area of Stuttgart in Germany...
) also travel through or terminate in Leonberg.
Clean air zone
Leonberg has been a
Low Emission ZoneA Low Emission Zone is a geographically defined area which seeks to restrict or deter access by specific polluting vehicles or only allow low or zero emission vehicles, with the aim of improving the air quality.-Europe-Wide:Over 70 cities and towns in 8 countries around Europe operate or are...
(LEZ) since March 2008, following the suit of other German cities. This affects all vehicles entering the borough of Leonberg "Environmental zone" (
Umweltzone), including vehicles from abroad.
Local companies
GEZE, a leading regional supplier of door closing and security solutions founded in 1863 and employing 1900 people, has its headquarters in Leonberg.
Since the 1990s,
Robert Bosch GmbHRobert Bosch GmbH is a German diversified technology-based corporation which was started in 1886 by Robert Bosch in Stuttgart, Germany.Robert Bosch GmbH is the world's largest supplier of automobile components and has business relationships with virtually every automobile company in the world. The...
has employed just under 1000 people at its administration and development centre on a site formerly used by
MotometerMotometer is a brand, known for measuring and displaying instruments for workshops and vehicle equipment. The originally independent company was founded at the beginning of the 20th century in the area of Stuttgart...
.
The oldest savings bank in Leonberg, the Leonberger Bausparkasse, was founded in 1924 as the
Christian Emergency Confederation for Mutual Support. The bank was taken over in 2001 by the Wüstenrot savings bank.
Software company caatoosee, formerly based in Stuttgart, is headquartered in premises once occupied by Philipp Holzmann in Leonberg.
The traditional piano maker, Pfeiffer, relocated from Stuttgart to Leonberg in 1994. The organ maker, Mühleisen, is also based in Leonberg.
Leonberg falls within the wine-growing area of
WürttembergWürttemberg is a region for quality wine in Germany, and is located in the historical region of Württemberg in southwestern Germany, which today forms part of the federal state of Baden-Württemberg. Under German wine legislation, Württemberg and Baden are separate wine regions.With under vine in...
called Remstal-Stuttgart. Most of the local vineyards lie to the south of the town in the Feinau area and on the Ehrenberg slopes along the Glems river.
LEWA, an international supplier of processing pumps and metering systems has its headquarters in Leonberg. In 2009 the company employed about 400 people in the town.
Education
All types of schools common to Germany are found in Leonberg:
- "Gymnasium" (grammar school)
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally schools teaching classical languages but more recently academically-oriented types of secondary school.The original purpose of...
: Albert-Schweitzer-Gymnasium, Johannes-Kepler-Gymnasium
- "Realschule" (restricted entry, vocationally-orientated secondary school)
The Realschule is a type of secondary school in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein. It has also existed in Croatia , Denmark , Sweden , Hungary and Russian Empire .-Germany:In the German secondary school system, the Realschule is ranked between Hauptschule and Gymnasium...
: Ostertag-Realschule, Pestalozzischule (sponsored school)
- Primary/Hauptschule (unlimited entry senior school)
A "Hauptschule" is a secondary school in Germany and Austria, starting after 4 years of elementary schooling. Any student who went to a German elementary school can go to a Hauptschule afterwards, whereas students who want to attend a Realschule or Gymnasium need to have good marks in order to do so...
: August Lämmle, Schellingschule, Höfingen
- Primary school: Mörikeschule, Sophie-Scholl-Schule, Spitalschule plus schools in Gebersheim and Warmbronn.
The district of
BöblingenBöblingen is a town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, seat of Böblingen District. Physically Sindelfingen and Böblingen are continuous.-History:...
funds a vocational college plus the Karl-Georg-Haldenwang-Schule for the disabled.
Leonberg is also home to an Evangelical College for Care Workers.
Theatre
The theatre in the Spitalhof stages musicals, plays, amateur theatre, concerts and children's events with regular visits from touring theatres also performing in the town auditorium (Stadthalle).
Music
Music societies have a strong tradition in Leonberg with the oldest society, 'Lyra Eltingen', dating back to 1897.. The Leonberg symphony orchestra was founded in 1970 as a youth orchestra. Today it comprises 70 musicians and is conducted by Alexander Adiarte.
There is a children's music school in Leonberg which provides tuition in partnership with the Lyra Eltingen music association and Höfingen music association. The Villa Musica also offers tuition through the Stadtkapelle and Liederkranz music associations.
Landmarks and architecture
- The old town dates back to the middle ages
The Middle Ages of European history is a period of European history covering roughly a millennium in the 5th century through 16th centuries. More specific starting and ending points are sometimes adopted by scholars to suit their respective specializations or current focus...
and attracts many visitors with its historical market square lined by carefully restored half-timbered houses. Standing among them is the old Town Hall ('Rathaus') which, with the water tower on Engelberg hill, is considered a defining feature of Leonberg. The birth house of Schelling and the huge Zum Schwarzen Adler guesthouse - the first documented seat of parliament of the County of WürttembergWürttemberg , formerly known as Wirtemberg, is an area and a former state in southwestern Germany, including parts of the regions Swabia and Franconia....
- are also key features of the old town. Further attractions include the Evangelical Church ('Stadtkirche') with its RomanThe architecture of Ancient Rome at first adopted the external Greek architecture for their own purposes, which were so different from Greek buildings as to create a new architectural style. The two styles are often considered one body of classical architecture...
and Gothic architectureGothic architecture is a style of architecture which flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
, and the former Latin school (which was attended by the astronomer and mathematician Kepler. The old Latin school now houses the town museum and Schelling memorial chapel. The town park contains a variety of modern sculptures. On the eastern outskirts of Leonberg is the Engelbergtunnel.
- The district of Eltingen is described in local literature as "southern Germany's prettiest village high street". The Michaelskirche church in Eltingen was built in 1487 with a single nave overlooked by rib vault
The intersection of two or three barrel vaults produces a rib-vault or ribbed vault when they are edged with an armature of piped masonry often carved in decorative patterns; compare groin vault, an older form of vault construction...
ing and a retracted chancelIn architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse....
. The tower is adorned by late gothicGothic architecture is a style of architecture which flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
acoustic windows and a polygonal spire.
- The Evangelical Church in Gebersheim was built in 1588. The nave was removed in 1968 and extended. The tower is still decorated with pre-Reformation fresco
Fresco is any of several related painting types, done on plaster on walls or ceilings. The word fresco comes from the Italian word affresco which derives from the adjective fresco , which has Latin origins...
s.
- The farmhouse museum (Bauernhausmuseum) was opened in 1995.
- The parish church in Höfingen has a gothic
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture which flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
nave. The west tower with its polygonal spire dates back to 18 century.
- In Warmbronn there is a museum dedicated to the author Christian Wagner. The evangelical church was built in classical
Classicism, in the arts, refers generally to a high regard for classical antiquity, as setting standards for taste which the classicists seek to emulate. The art of classicism typically seeks to be formal and restrained: of the Discobolus Sir Kenneth Clark observed, "if we object to his restraint...
style in 1784.
- The lake house ("Seehaus") in Glemseck was built by the royal architect Heinrich Schickhardt in 1609 for Sibylla of Anhalt
Sibylla of Anhalt , was by birth member of the House of Ascania and Princess of Anhalt and after her marriage Duchess of Württemberg....
.
The Pomeranzen garden
Leonberg's 'Pomeranzengarten' is Germany's only remaining terraced garden. Named after the
GermanGerman is a West Germanic language, thus related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. It is one of the world's major languages and the most widely spoken first language in the European Union. Around the world, German is spoken by approximately 105 million native speakers and also by...
word for
bitter orangeThe name "bitter orange", also known as Seville orange, sour orange, bigarade orange, and marmalade orange,refers to a citrus tree and its fruit. Many varieties of bitter oranges are used for their essential oil, which is used in perfume and as a flavoring...
, the garden originally dates back to the height of the
RenaissanceThe Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Florence in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe...
. It was planted in 1609 next to the palace ('Schloss') as a retreat for widows of the
WürttembergWürttemberg , formerly known as Wirtemberg, is an area and a former state in southwestern Germany, including parts of the regions Swabia and Franconia....
duchy. In 1742 it was converted to a fruit and vegetable garden until it was restored in 1980 using the original plans of Heinrich Schickhardt.
Leonberg horse market
Leonberg's famous horse market takes place every year in February. The traditional fair is staged in the old town centring on the old market square. The first horse market was arranged with the permission of Duke Frederick Carl on 15 February 1684. To mark the occasion, a ceremonial procession marches through the old town on the second Tuesday of the month. The horse market attracts huge crowds and is so important to local tradition that civil servants are granted half a day's leave to attend. Schools in Leonberg are closed for the whole day. In modern times the scope of the fair has been expanded to include sports, seminars on horseriding and breeding, an amusement fair and a flea market.
Other regular events
- The market square festival ("Marktplatzfest")
- Eltingen street festival ("Strassenfest")
- New Year's Eve celebrations on the market square in Leonberg and Eltingen
- Children's festival in the town park
Honorary citizens of the town
- 1875: Otto and Louise Abel, deacon
- 1885: Karl von Varnbüler, Government Minister (honorary citizen of Höfingen)
- 1879: Johann Friedrich Ostertag, pastor and author (honorary citizen of Eltingen)
- 1922: Karl Maier, headmaster
- 1924: Karl Hegele, instigated many local development projects
- 1937: Dr. Jonathan Schmid, Minister of the Interior, Minister of Economic Affairs (subsequently annulled posthumously)
- 1948: Hermann Kerler, governor
- 1951: Prof. August Lämmle, traditional poet
- 1952: Heinrich Längerer, industrialist
- 1958: Carl Gottlob Müller, bank director
- 1962: Heinrich Staudt, automotive Master of Crafts
- 1964: Reinhold Vöster, industrialist
- 1969: Emil Bammesberger, industrialist
- 1998: Albrecht Goes, vicar
- 2000: Frei Otto, co-architect of the Olympic Stadium
The Olympiastadion is a stadium located in Munich, Germany. Situated at the heart of the Olympiapark München in northern Munich, the stadium was built as the main venue for the 1972 Summer Olympics....
in MunichMunich is the capital city of Bavaria, Germany. It is located on the River Isar north of the Bavarian Alps. Munich is the third largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Hamburg...
Famous residents/people born in Leonberg
- Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling
Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling , later von Schelling, was a German philosopher. Standard histories of philosophy make him the midpoint in the development of German Idealism, situating him between Fichte, his mentor prior to 1800, and Hegel, his former university roommate and erstwhile friend...
, b. 27 Jan 1775 in Bad RagazBad Ragaz is a municipality in the Wahlkreis of Sarganserland in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland.It is the home of a famous natural spring and is a popular spa and health resort destination...
, SwitzerlandSwitzerland , officially the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 states named cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities...
, d. 20 Aug 1854 - a main proponent of German idealismGerman idealism was a philosophical movement that emerged in Germany in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. It developed out of the work of Immanuel Kant in the 1780s and 1790s, and was closely linked both with romanticism and the revolutionary politics of the Enlightenment...
.
- Gustav Griesinger, b. 27 Jan 1804 in Ravensburg
Ravensburg is a town in Upper Swabia in Southern Germany, capital of the district of Ravensburg, Baden-Württemberg. Population: 48,000 ....
, d. 24 Feb 1888 - BurschenschaftGerman Burschenschaften are a special type of Studentenverbindungen . Burschenschaften were founded in the 19th century as associations of university students inspired by liberal and nationalistic ideas.-Beginnings 1815- c...
and poet
- Christian Hoffmann, b. 2 Dec 1815, d. 8 Dec 1885 - founder of German temple colonies in the Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name used, among others, to describe a geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands.As a geographical term, Palestine can also refer to 'ancient Palestine,' an area...
- Christian Wagner, author, b. 5 Aug 1835 in Warmbronn, poet and argriculturalist
- Erwin Schoettle, b. 18 Oct 1899, d. 25 Jan 1976 in Baden-Baden
Baden-Baden is a town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located on the western foothills of the Black Forest, on the banks of the Oos River, in the region of Karlsruhe.- History :The German word 'Baden' translates as 'to bath/bathe'...
, politician (SPD), Member of Parliament, Vice-President of the German ParliamentThe President of the Bundestag presides over the sessions of the Bundestag, the parliament of Germany, with functions similar to that of a speaker in other countries. In the German order of precedence, his office is ranked second after the President and before the Chancellor...
, fighter in the German ResistanceThe German Resistance was the opposition by individuals and groups in Nazi Germany to the regime of Adolf Hitler between 1933 and 1945. Some of these engaged in active plans to remove Hitler from power and overthrow his regime...
.
- Rolf Sauerwein, b. 1942 artist
- Prof. Dr. Martin Winterkorn, b. 24 May 1948 Member of the Board of Directors, Volkswagen AG
- Erwin Staudt
Erwin Staudt is the current president of VfB Stuttgart. Staudt had studied economy and was manager at IBM....
, b. 25 Feb 1948, football manager, President of VfB StuttgartVerein für Bewegungsspiele Stuttgart 1893 e. V., commonly known as VfB Stuttgart, is a German sports club based in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg. The club is best known for its football team, which has participated in all but two Bundesliga seasons...
(football club), former manager at IBMInternational Business Machines Corporation, abbreviated IBM, is a multinational computer technology and IT consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, Town of North Castle, New York, United States. The company is one of the few information technology companies with a continuous history dating...
Germany
- Günther Lohre, b. 1953 pole vaulter, Olympic athlete, several times German champion, spokesperson of the German field athletics team
- Kerstin Braun, b. 1970, photographer
- Vanessa Jopp, b. 1971, film director
- Tim Eitel, b. 1971, painter
- Eva Briegel
Eva Briegel is a German singer and member of the rock band Juli.-Early life:Briegel's family lived in Böblingen in 1978, when Eva was born. In 1982 they moved to Langgöns, Hesse, where Eva attended primary school, before moving to Linden where Eva attended the Anne-Frank-Schule...
, b. 1978, musician, singer in the German pop group JuliJuli is a German rock/pop band from Gießen, Hesse, consisting of singer Eva Briegel, guitarists Jonas Pfetzing and Simon Triebel, bassist Andreas "Dedi" Herde and drummer Marcel Römer...
- Dennis Hillebrand
Dennis Hillebrand is a German football player. He is currently a free agent.-External links:...
, b. 1979 football player
Others
- After the death of her husband, Duke Friedrich I of Württemberg
Friedrich I, Duke of Württemberg was the son of Georg of Mömpelgard and his wife Barbara of Hesse, daughter of Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse....
, his widow Duchess SybillaSibylla of Anhalt , was by birth member of the House of Ascania and Princess of Anhalt and after her marriage Duchess of Württemberg....
moved to Leonberg in 1609. The architect Heinrich Schickhardt built the Pomeranzengarten at her request as well as the Lake House ("Seehaus").
- Katharina Kepler
Katharina Kepler , born Katharina Guldenmann, was an alleged German witch from Leonberg, Württemberg, and the mother of the famous astronomer Johannes Kepler....
, mother of the astronomer Johannes KeplerJohannes Kepler was a German mathematician, astronomer and astrologer, and key figure in the 17th century scientific revolution. He is best known for his eponymous laws of planetary motion, codified by later astronomers based on his works Astronomia nova, Harmonices Mundi, and Epitome of...
, was pardoned after 14 months' captivity following a witch trialA witch trial is a legal proceeding that is part of a witch-hunt. * Witch trials in Early Modern Europe, 15th–18th centuries** Salzburg witch trials - 1675-1690, Salzburg, Austria** Spa witch trial - 1616, Belgium...
thus escaping being burnt at the stake.
- Elisabeth Dorothea Schiller, the mother of Friedrich Schiller
Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller [johan/joːhan krɪstɔf friːtʁɪç fɔn ʃɪləʁ/ʃɪlɐ] was a German poet, philosopher, historian, and playwright...
spent the last years of her life in Leonberg Palace between 1796 and 1801.
German literature
- Württembergisches Städtebuch; Vol. IV, Sub-Volume on Baden-Württemberg No. 2 in the "Deutsches Städtebuch" published by Erich Keyser, 1961
- S. Lorenz, G. Scholz (pub.): Böblingen. Vom Mammutzahn zum Mikrochip. 2003, ISBN 3-935129-09-2
- Bärbel Häcker: Leise, leise, da liegt wieder einer ... Im Leonberg der Weimarer Republik. 2005, ISBN 3-00-017095-2
External links