Donauwörth

Donauwörth

Reichsstrasse, Donauwörth

Coat of arms
Donauwörth

Coordinates: 48°42′N 10°48′E / 48.700°N 10.800°ECoordinates: 48°42′N 10°48′E / 48.700°N 10.800°E
Country Germany
State Bavaria
Admin. region Schwaben
District Donau-Ries
Government
 • Lord Mayor Armin Neudert (CSU)
Area
 • Total 77.02 km2 (29.74 sq mi)
Population (2013-12-31)[1]
 • Total 18,550
 • Density 240/km2 (620/sq mi)
Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes 86609
Dialling codes 0906
Vehicle registration DON
Website www.donauwoerth.de

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 fishermen where the Danube (Donau) and Wörnitz rivers meet. The city is part of the scenic route called "Romantische Straße" (Romantic Road)

The city is situated between Munich and Nuremberg, 46 km north of Augsburg.

History

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 an annual Markus procession, causing a riot to break out.

Donauwörth was later the scene of the Battle of Schellenberg (or Battle of Donauwörth) on 2 July 1704, during the War of the Spanish Succession (1702–1713). The battle was named after the village and high ground behind the city. 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 any problem. About 5,000 French troops drowned while trying to escape.

Notable citizens

Twin towns — sister cities

Donauwörth is twinned with:

Kloster Heilig Kreuz church, Decorations above the main altar.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Fortschreibung des Bevölkerungsstandes". Bayerisches Landesamt für Statistik und Datenverarbeitung (in German). 31 December 2013.

External links