Brackenheim

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Arms
Arms of Brackenheim
Basis data
Federal state: Baden-Württemberg
Administrative region: Stuttgart
District: Heilbronn
Coordinates: Template:Koordinate Text Artikel
Elevation: 192 ü. NN
Area: 45,74 km²
Inhabitants: 15.104 (Dec 31st, 2005)
Population density: 330 inhabitants per km²
Post code: 74336
Dialling code: 07135
Vehicle registration plate: HN
Municipal key: 08 1 25 013
Town structure: 8 districts
Address of the
town council:
Marktplatz 1
74336 Brackenheim
Website: www.brackenheim.de
E-Mail-Address: info@brackenheim.de
Politics
Mayor: Rolf Kieser
Position of Brackenheim
in the District of Heilbronn

Brackenheim is a town in the district of Heilbronn, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated 15 km southwest of Heilbronn. With an area of 826 hectare of wine, it's the biggest wine-growing municipality of Württemberg.

Contents

[edit] Geography

[edit] Geographical position

Brackenheim is situated on the river Zaber in the Zabergäu in southwestern district of Heilbronn. The landscape is characterized by intensive wine-growing.

[edit] Neighbouring municipalities

Neighbouring towns and municipalities (clockwise): Cleebronn, Güglingen, Eppingen, Schwaigern, Nordheim, Lauffen (Neckar) (all district of Heilbronn), Kirchheim (Neckar) and Bönnigheim (both Ludwigsburg (district)).

[edit] Town structure

Apart from Brackenheim itself, it consists of the districts Botenheim, Dürrenzimmern, Hausen an der Zaber, Haberschlacht, Meimsheim, Neipperg and Stockheim.

[edit] History

Brackenheim from north-east, author unknown, aquarell with pencil, about 1820
Brackenheim from north-east, author unknown, aquarell with pencil, about 1820

The communal land of Brackenheim is populated for 5,000-6,000 years. Botenheim and Meimsheim were mentioned in the twelfth century, Brackenheim was mentioned documentary in 1246. Brackenheim received its town rights by King Rudolf I. von Habsburg in 1280. After a big town fire in 1691 burning down 112 houses, the town had to be rebuilt in big parts.

Due to the communal reform from 1971 to 1974, the previous independent communities now representing districts were incorporated. The active construction of building areas has grown partly the districts together and led to a huge increase of the population in Brackenheim. During 1995-2004 the town increased about 2,700 inhabitants.

[edit] Religions

Brackenheim is the seat of Church District Brackenheim of the Protestant Church of Württemberg. In Brackenheim, Botenheim, Dürrenzimmern, Hausen, Meimsheim and Neipperg there are separate parishs of each of these districts. In Stockheim there is the Catholic Parish St. Ulrich, which also contains Haberschlacht and a district of Eppingen called Kleingartach. Neipperg belongs to the Parish St. Martinus in Schwaigern, the parish of Brackenheim contains the remaining districts. Both a free church and a methodistic church is represented.

[edit] Politics

[edit] District council

By the municipal election of June 13th, 2004, the district council of Brackenheim got 30 seats. The election result is as follows:

  • CDU.........38.8% ...(-4.7)...12 seats (-2)
  • FWB........33.6% ...(-3.9)...10 seats (-1)
  • SPD.........17.8% ...(-1.2)...5 seats .(-1)
  • Liste 21......9.8% ...(+9.8)..3 seats .(+3)

Further member of the district council and its chairman is the mayor.

[edit] Arms

Blazon: In red a silver hound with a black collar. The municipality colours are white and red.

Even the oldest preserved seal of the thirteenth century shows a hound. In the course of the centuries, the dog was employed in different positions - standing, striding, jumping and so on - and with different extras like a collar or a necklace. In 1953, the arms were laid down in the current form by the district council.

[edit] Town twinnings

  • 1962: The contemporary district Neipperg concluded a partnership with the French municipality Marsan (département Gers).
  • 1978: Brackenheim concluded a partnership with the French town Charnay-lés-Mâcon (département Saône-et-Loire).
  • 1996: The town concluded a further partnership with the Italian municipality Castagnole delle Lanze (Province Asti).
  • 2001: The town concluded a friendship treaty with the Polish municipality Zbrosławice (Voivodship Upper Silesia).

Besides there are friendly relationships with Le Lude (France) and Port Talbot (Wales).

[edit] Culture and sights

Reconstruction of Hausen's Roman Jupitergigantensäule in Stuttgart at the Neues Schloss
Reconstruction of Hausen's Roman Jupitergigantensäule in Stuttgart at the Neues Schloss

By the chapel in the castle, the association Kulturforum Brackenheim e. V. has its own scene with 200 seats for its disposal since 1994. It's employed to show concert, cabaret and theatre games.

[edit] Museums

The 1968 created urban Theodor-Heuss-Museum shows the life of Theodor Heuss, the considerable son of this town. There are also native country museums in Brackenheim and its district Botenheim.

[edit] Buildings

At the graveyard of Brackenheim stands the first parish church, today's Protestant Johanniskirche, a Romance church with Gothic choir contenting wall drawings of the 13. and 14. century. During the reformation the onetime Gothic Jakobus Chapel was held up to the town church, founded about 1200.

The Brackenheim Castle in the south of the old part of town was builded 1556-1559 instead of an old castle. After a fire, parts of the castle were rebuilded in 1677-1685. In Botenheim there are the Gothic Marienkirche builded 1350 and the Gülthaus of 1605. Dürrenzimmern shows its church of the 12. century and the onetime town hall of 1731. Apart from that there are many churches in the districts of Brackenheim, emphasizing the Stocksberg Castle of the 16. century near Stockheim.

[edit] Protection of nature

In Brackenheim there are the nature reserves Zaberauen (near Botenheim) and Haberschlachter Tal (near Dürrenzimmern and Haberschlacht).

[edit] Personalities

[edit] Sons of the town

[edit] Economy and infrastructure

[edit] Wine-growing

Brackenheim is the biggest wine-growing municipality of Württemberg. Wine-growing was proved there for 700 years. Numerous sorts of wine on 826 hectare are growing. Apart from 3 wine-cellars having 1200 members there are more than 30 self-marketers taking care of their wine marketing for themselves.

[edit] Traffic

There are connections to the long-distance traffic in Lauffen (Neckar) (B27) and Schwaigern (B293). Public transport is ensured by buses. There are connections to the rail network in Lauffen (Neckar) and Schwaigern, too.

[edit] Institutions and court

In the urban hospital builded in the 1960s there are 130 beds and 240 employees. The district court of Brackenheim with one judge is one of the smallest in Baden-Württemberg. Brackenheim also has a swim hall.

[edit] Education

The Theodor-Heuss-Schule is an elementary and secondary school. There are elementary schools in Botenheim, Dürrenzimmern, Hausen an der Zaber, Meimsheim, Neipperg and Stockheim as well. The Zabergäu-Gymnasium Brackenheim (grammar school) is visited by nearly 1000 students from all over the Zabergäu. The urban library having more than 13.000 media is open to the public.

[edit] External link

  • [1] The official website of Brackenheim (in German).


Coordinates: 49°05′N, 9°04′E