Weil der Stadt

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Weil der Stadt
Church of Saints Peter and Paul

Coat of arms
Weil der Stadt
Coordinates: 48°45′3″N 8°52′14″E / 48.75083°N 8.87056°E / 48.75083; 8.87056Coordinates: 48°45′3″N 8°52′14″E / 48.75083°N 8.87056°E / 48.75083; 8.87056
Country Germany
State Baden-Württemberg
Admin. region Stuttgart
District Böblingen
Government
 • Mayor Thilo Schreiber
Area
 • Total 43.17 km2 (16.67 sq mi)
Elevation 406 m (1,332 ft)
Population (2012-12-31)[1]
 • Total 18,356
 • Density 430/km2 (1,100/sq mi)
Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes 71255–71263
Dialling codes 07033
Vehicle registration BB
Website www.weil-der-stadt.de
Imperial City of Weil der Stadt
Reichstadt Weil (der Stadt)
Free Imperial City of the Holy Roman Empire
←
13th century–1803 →
Capital Weil der Stadt
Government Republic
Historical era Middle Ages
 - Founded ca sixth century
 -  Gained Reichsfreiheit before 1275 13th century
 - Gained permanent seat
    in the Imperial Diet
1489
 -  Mediatised to Electorate
    of Württemberg		 1803

Weil der Stadt is a small town of about 19,000 inhabitants, located in the Stuttgart Region of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is about 30 km (19 mi) west of Stuttgart city center, and is often called "Gate to the Black Forest". The town is located in the beautiful valley of the river Würm.

In 1075 A.D., the village "Wile" was first mentioned in a document as the property of the famous monastery Hirsau. Weil der Stadt became an Imperial Free City in the 13th century, but had existed for centuries before as an important trading place.

It was completely destroyed during the Thirty Years' War in 1648 but was subsequently rebuilt, and the center is still dominated by buildings from this period. The city fortifications are still nearly intact with city walls, gates, and several towers called "Red Tower" or "Thief's Tower", "Rope-Maker's Tower", and "Raven's Tower".

Weil der Stadt is best known as the birthplace of both the astronomer Johannes Kepler (1571–1630) and the Protestant reformer Johannes Brenz (1499–1570) of Württemberg. The association with Kepler is the reason for the town's unofficial title ('The Kepler Town Weil der Stadt'). Due to its surroundings and attractive cityscape which is dominated by the church steeple of St. Peter and Paul, Weil der Stadt is a popular destination for excursions in the Stuttgart region.

At the beginning of the 19th century, Weil der Stadt became part of the Kingdom of Württemberg. Since 1952, the town has been part of the German Federal State of Baden-Württemberg.

Since 1973, Weil der Stadt has been part of the district of Böblingen, including the municipalities of Merklingen (not the same as Merklingen in Alb-Donau district), Hausen an der Würm, Schafhausen and Münklingen.

Weil der Stadt is connected to Stuttgart and Calw by federal highway B 295. Weil der Stadt station is on the Black Forest Railway (Württemberg) and is the terminus of line S 6 of the Stuttgart S-Bahn.

Name and history

The original settlement was named Vila, from the Latin villa, which meant "estate, manor" and in late antiquity came to mean "small town". This evolved into Weil. Later the suffix "die Stadt" (the town) was added to distinguish the town from villages of the same name, such as Weil im Dorf and Weil im Schönbuch. The current name is unusual in that it contains the German dative case (the word Stadt is feminine). It arose because the place of issue in official documents was usually given as "gegeben zu Weil, der Stadt" ("issued in Weil, the town"). The Roman origins of the city are immortalized in the coat-of-arms which feature the SPQR motto ("Senatus Populusque Romanus", i. e. Senate and People of Rome).

Events

Weil der Stadt is a stronghold of traditional carnival which is celebrated with a parade in the city center. In contrast to the carnival in the Rhineland, the carnival in Weil der Stadt, called Fasnet, is based on Alemannic (Germanic tribe) traditions which are celebrated in various towns in South Western Germany and Switzerland.

Weil der Stadt escaped destruction in World War II when a French artillery barrage was called off in honor of its being Kepler's birthplace.

References

Borst, Otto and Joachim Feist. Weil der Stadt. Stuttgart: Theiss Verlag, Second Edition 1989.

  1. ↑ [Statistisches Bundesamt – Gemeinden in Deutschland mit Bevölkerung am 31.12.2012 (XLS-Datei; 4,0 MB) (Einwohnerzahlen auf Grundlage des Zensus 2011) "Gemeinden in Deutschland mit Bevölkerung am 31.12.2012"]. Statistisches Bundesamt (in German). 12 November 2013. 

External links

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Swabian League (1488–1534) of the  Holy Roman Empire
Imperial cities
Nobility
Territories
Holy Roman Empire Swabian Circle (1500–1806) of the Holy Roman Empire
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As of 1792

Free Imperial Cities as of 1648
 
Cities that lost Imperial immediacy or were no longer part of the Holy Roman Empire by 1792
Towns and municipalities in Böblingen (district)
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