Villingen-Schwenningen is the largest city of the Schwarzwald-Baar district located in the south of
Baden-WürttembergBaden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of the Federal Republic of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine—but one which has some of its major cities straddling the banks of the Neckar River...
,
GermanyGermany , 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,...
. It has 81,520 inhabitants (as of 2005).
In the
Middle AgesThe 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...
, Villingen was a town under Austrian lordship. During the
Protestant 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...
it remained
CatholicCatholicism 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...
. Villingen came in the center of international attention when it was besieged by marshal Tallard in 1704. Colonel Von Wilstorff put up a stout defence of the outdated fortifications and after six days the siege failed.
Schwenningen remained a village until the 19th century.
Discussion
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Villingen-Schwenningen is the largest city of the Schwarzwald-Baar district located in the south of
Baden-WürttembergBaden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of the Federal Republic of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine—but one which has some of its major cities straddling the banks of the Neckar River...
,
GermanyGermany , 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,...
. It has 81,520 inhabitants (as of 2005).
History
In the
Middle AgesThe 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...
, Villingen was a town under Austrian lordship. During the
Protestant 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...
it remained
CatholicCatholicism 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...
. Villingen came in the center of international attention when it was besieged by marshal Tallard in 1704. Colonel Von Wilstorff put up a stout defence of the outdated fortifications and after six days the siege failed.
Schwenningen remained a village until the 19th century. In 1858 the first watch factory was established, from which time on watch making and precision mechanics have been important industries.
As part of the Baden-Württemberg territorial reform of 1972, Villingen and Schwenningen were merged with a number of surrounding villages to form the city of Villingen-Schwenningen. Nevertheless, the two halves of the city are separated by a plateau and remain distinct.
Villingen is a big center of the German Carneval. The traditional Narros represent the old citizens of Villingen:
Alt Villingere, Morbili, Hansele, Suribbel.
The town is the birth place of German footballer
Sebastian RudySebastian Rudy is a German footballer who plays as a midfielder for VfB Stuttgart.-Club career:...
and Croatian footballer
Robert ProsinečkiRobert Prosinečki is a Croatian former football midfielder and current assistant manager of the Croatia national football team.-Club career:...
whose parents were working in Germany at the time.
Geography
Villingen-Schwenningen lies on the eastern edge of the
Black ForestThe Black Forest is a wooded mountain range in Baden-Württemberg, southwestern Germany. It is bordered by the Rhine valley to the west and south. The highest peak is the Feldberg with an elevation of 1,493 metres ....
about 700 meters above sea level. The source of the River
NeckarThe Neckar is a long river, mainly flowing through the southwestern state of Baden-Württemberg, but also a short section through Hesse in Germany, a major right tributary of the River Rhine, which it joins at Mannheim...
is in Schwenningen (Schwenninger Moos).
Boroughs
the two big boroughs:
and nine small boroughs
- Obereschach
- Weilersbach
Weilersbach is a borough of the town of Villingen-Schwenningen. Until 1803 Weilersbach was a part of the Rottweiler Bruderschaft. Since 1803, Weilersbach has been a part of Baden. Since 1972 it has been a part of the town of Villingen-Schwenningen....
- Weigheim
- Mühlhausen
- Marbach
- Rietheim
- Pfaffenweiler
- Herzogenweiler
- Tannheim
Places of interest
- Town Wall
- Municipal Art Gallery
- Franziskaner Museum (in German)
- Schwenningen Clock Museum (in German)
- Minster of Our Lady
- Theater am Ring
- Wanne Observation Tower
Wanne observation tower is one of the oldest lattice towers of the world. It was built in 1888 by the observation tower cooperative on 778 meters high Wanne mountain tub east of Villingen, whereby its erection was done by bell foundry Grueninger of Villingen....
, one of the oldest towers built of iron
External links