Donauwörth

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The title of this article contains the character ö. Where it is unavailable or not desired, the name may be represented as Donauwoerth.

Coordinates: 48°42′N 10°48′E

Donauwörth


Country	Germany
State	Bavaria
Administrative region	Swabia
District	Donau-Ries
Population	18,200 (2006)
Area	77.02 km²
Population density	238 /km²
Elevation	401 m
Coordinates	48°42′ N 10°48′ E
Postal code	86609
Area code	0906
Licence plate code	DON
Mayor	Armin Neudert (CSU)
Website	donauwoerth.de

Known as Nordschwabens freundliche Mitte (North Swabia's Friendly Center), Donauwörth is a city in the German State of Bavaria (Bayern), in the region of Swabia (Schwaben). It is said to have been founded by two fisherman where the Danube (Donau) and Wörnitz rivers meet.

It is historically important to Germany as the site of one of the incidents which led to the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648). In 1606, the Lutheran majority barred the Catholic residents of the town from holding a procession, causing a violent riot to break out.

Donauwörth was again the scene of war in 1704, the War of the Spanish Succession (1702-1713). The Duke of Marlborough was marching from Flanders to Bavaria and came to the Danube river. The French decided to make a crossing of the Danube at Donauwörth, where they were surprised by Marlborough's troops and after heavy fighting pulled back. This allowed Marlborough to capture Donauwörth and cross the Danube without problems.