Villingen-Schwenningen

Villingen-Schwenningen

View of Villingen

Coat of arms
Villingen-Schwenningen

Coordinates: 48°03′37″N 08°27′31″E / 48.06028°N 8.45861°E / 48.06028; 8.45861Coordinates: 48°03′37″N 08°27′31″E / 48.06028°N 8.45861°E / 48.06028; 8.45861
Country Germany
State Baden-Württemberg
Admin. region Freiburg
District Schwarzwald-Baar-Kreis
Government
 • Mayor Dr. Rupert Kubon (SPD)
Area
 • Total 165.47 km2 (63.89 sq mi)
Population (2013-12-31)[1]
 • Total 81,128
 • Density 490/km2 (1,300/sq mi)
Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes 78001–78056
Dialling codes 07721, 07720, 07425, 07705
Vehicle registration VS
Website http://www.villingen-schwenningen.de

Villingen-Schwenningen (German pronunciation: [ˈfɪlɪŋən ˈʃvɛnɪŋən]) is a city in the Schwarzwald-Baar district in southern Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It has 80,941 inhabitants (as of 2009).

History

Villingen

In the Middle Ages Villingen was a town under Austrian lordship. During the Protestant Reformation it remained Catholic. Villingen came to 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 Colonel Von Wilstorff put up a stout defence of the outdated fortifications, and after six days the siege failed.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, and watchmaking and precision mechanics have been important industries ever since.

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 major center of German Carneval celebrations. The traditional Narros represent the old citizens of Villingen: Alt Villingere, Morbili, Hansele, Suribbel.

Since 1904, Villingen-Schwenningen has also been home to the hockey team the Schwenninger Wild Wings which competes in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga.

Geography

Villingen-Schwenningen lies on the eastern edge of the Black Forest about 700 m (2,300 ft) above sea level. The source of the River Neckar is in Schwenningen (Schwenninger Moos).

Boroughs

Main sights

International relations/sister cities

Famous people

References

  1. ↑ "Gemeinden in Deutschland mit Bevölkerung am 31. Dezember 2013 (Einwohnerzahlen auf Grundlage des Zensus 2011)". Statistisches Bundesamt (in German). 2014.

External links

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