Leonberg
Encyclopedia
Leonberg is a town in the German
federal state of Baden-Wuerttemberg about 10 miles to the west of Stuttgart
, the state capital. Approximately 45,000 people live in Leonberg, making it the third biggest borough in the rural district ('Landkreis') of Böblingen
(after Sindelfingen
and Böblingen
to the south).
Leonberg is most famous for its picturesque market square, the centuries old annual horse market, its past role as seat of one of Württemberg's
first parliament
s, and the Pomeranzen garden- Germany's only remaining terraced garden which dates back to the late renaissance
.
river on the lower slopes of a prominent hill known locally as Engelberg (literally: 'Angel Hill'). The Glems flows into Leonberg from the south east before turning north west until it reaches the district of Eltingen. Here it turns north east into the western part of the old town, carving its way along the valley to the district of Höfingen before flowing north east towards Ditzingen
. For administrative purposes the northern districts of Höfingen and Gebersheim belong to Strohgäu.
, starting from the north):
Ditzingen
and Gerlingen
(districts of Ludwigsburg
), Stuttgart
, and then the Böblingen
rural districts of Magstadt
, Renningen
and Rutesheim
.
Although incorporated into Leonberg in 1975, Gebersheim, Höfingen and Warmbronn also count as separate constituencies in local election
s.
The town of Levinberch was founded by Count
Ulrich 1st
of Württemberg
in 1248 where Leonberg still stands today. The position on the brow of the hill was chosen as a defence from enemies to the west, the towns of Markgröningen
, Weil der Stadt
and the counts in Tübingen
and Calw
. At the time, the town was surrounded by stone fortifications with the count's castle in the south west. A moat stood to the east, leading to two gates complete with towers and swing-bridge. The gates and almost all of the walls were demolished in and after 1814/1815 leaving only the coat of arms, still on display in the Altes Rathaus (old town hall)). The moat was filled in 1786.
The only surviving building from the old town fortifications was the "Stonehouse" near the uppermost tower, probably because it was the only one used for housing and was not destroyed by the great fire of 1498. Today it has become the Schwarzer Adler guesthouse and is a defining feature of the old town. According to an analysis carried out in 1999, the wooden-timber gabled roof on top of the Schwarzer Adler was built in the 15th century. Three stories high, it is one of the largest and oldest original timber gable roofs in southern Germany.
A great fire swept through the town in 1498, destroying 46 houses and making around 200 people homeless. Most of the homeless left the town.
During the Holy Roman Empire
, Leonberg fell under the jurisdiction of Esslingen
before finally becoming part of Württemberg
in 1383 when it first gained administrative rights. The population of Leonberg was halved during the Thirty Years' War
as a result of the bubonic plague
.
On 16 November 1457, the first Württemberg
parliament (Württemberg-Urach) convened in Leonberg to administer the custodianship of the underage Eberhardt V
. Although there is no documentary evidence to confirm the fact, many locals claim this parliament met in the "Stonehouse" .
During the era of witch hunts
, the Leonberg governor Lutherus Einhorn sent 15 women to trial under suspicion of witchcraft. Eight women were condemned to death with the full assent of the Leonberg judiciary and the local community.
One of the most famous Württemberg
witch trials in Leonberg took place in 1615 and involved Katharina Kepler
, mother of the royal astronomer Johannes Kepler
. Kepler's mother was nearly tortured to death in the cellars of the "Stonehouse" before being transferred to Güglingen where she was subsequently released in October 1620.
In 1846 the Leonberger
dog breed was first successfully reared by crossing the St. Bernard
with the Newfoundland
and the Great Pyrenees
.
After the rise of the Nazis in 1933, a number of bloody street battles were fought between stormtrooper (Sturmabteilung
) followers, mostly backed by residents from Leonberg who attacked supporters of the German communist party
, mainly resident in Eltingen. In 1938, Eltingen - a staunchly proletarian
community of small landowners - was finally merged with the more bourgeois Leonberg.
Later the same year the Engelberg tunnel
- Germany's first motorway tunnel - was completed. During the Second World War the Engelberg tunnel was used regularly for producing and storing aeroplane parts made by concentration camp prisoners held in Leonberg concentration camp, an outlying camp belonging to Natzweiler-Struthof
concentration camp in Alsace
. The old tunnel was replaced by a new tunnel in the 1990s. Above the tunnel there now stands a memorial to the people who died in Leonberg concentration camp.
By 1961 the population of Leonberg passed the 20,000 mark. Boundary reforms in 1973 resulted in rural districts of Leonberg being merged with the rural districts of Böblingen
in the south and Enzkreis/Ludwigsburg
in the north. Leonberg has existed in its current form since 1975.
In 2004 Leonberg became one of the first communities in Germany to switch its office systems to Linux
and start using freeware
.
¹ Census results
The old town dates back to the Middle Ages
, and includes a historical market square lined by restored half-timbered houses. Standing among them is the old Town Hall (Rathaus) which, with the water tower on Engelberg hill, is considered a defining feature of Leonberg. The birth house of Schelling and the huge Zum Schwarzen Adler guesthouse - the first documented seat of parliament of the County of Württemberg
- are also key features of the old town. Further attractions include the Evangelical Church (Stadtkirche) with its Roman
and Gothic architecture
, and the former Latin school (which was attended by the astronomer and mathematician Johannes Kepler
). The old Latin school now houses the town museum and Schelling memorial chapel. The town park contains a variety of modern sculptures. On the eastern outskirts of Leonberg is the Engelbergtunnel.
Leonberg's Pomeranzengarten is Germany's only remaining terraced garden. Named after the German
word for "bitter orange
", the garden originally dates back to the height of the Renaissance
. It was planted in 1609 next to the palace (Schloss) as a retreat for widows of the Württemberg
duchy. In 1742 it was converted to a fruit and vegetable garden until it was restored in 1980 using the original plans of Heinrich Schickhardt.
The Michaelskirche church in Eltingen was built in 1487 with a single nave overlooked by rib vault
ing and a retracted chancel
. The tower is adorned by late gothic
acoustic windows and a polygonal spire.
Other sights include:
of Speyer
and was part of an area governed by archdeacon
St. Trinitatis. As an early member of Württemberg
, in 1535 Duke Ulrich
introduced the Reformation
. For many centuries, Leonberg was predominantly protestant. In 1552 the deanery
was moved to Leonberg with the Stadtkirche becoming the dekanatskirche. After the Second World War the religious community in Leonberg grew quickly as people moved into the area. The Protestant community in the district of Eltingen also dates back to the Reformation, as it does in Gebersheim, Höfingen and Warmbronn.
Catholicism
first arrived in Leonberg in the late 19th century with the first parish set up in 1946 shortly followed by St. Johannes Baptista church in 1950. Today the catholic community belongs to the deanery of Böblingen within the bishopric of Rottenburg-Stuttgart.
Apart from the two main German religions, there are 'free churches' such as the United Methodist Church
(Pauluskirche), the Seventh-day Adventist Church
and the Immanuel Community of Leonberg. There is also a New Apostolic Church
in Leonberg.
.jpg)
s in June 2004, the district council has had 34 seats distributed as follows. The distribution of the seats among the various parties and groups since the election of June 2009 looks like this, changes over 2004 in brackets:
, a type of reeve. By 1535 responsibility was shared by a senior and junior governor both of whom were selected by a local judge. After the 15th century there were two burgomaster
s who were replaced by a type of senior district magistrate ('Oberamtmann') in 1759. There has been a town council in Leonberg since 1312. In 1523 it had eight members.
In 1930 the interim designation of 'town mayor' was replaced by the now common burgomaster
whose status was raised to Oberbürgermeister
(senior mayor) in 1963. He or she is elected for eight years through a direct vote and chairs the borough council.
Local companies include
Leonberg falls within the wine-growing area of Württemberg
called Remstal-Stuttgart. Most of the local vineyards lie to the south of the town in the Feinau area and on the Ehrenberg slopes along the Glems river.
to Stuttgart
, Ulm
, München) and eventually Salzburg
in Austria
and beyond), as well as the A81 going north to south (Würzburg
to Stuttgart
and Singen
). The two motorways meet at the Leonberg intersection which lies to the south of the town. The nearest motorway junction is called Leonberg-Ost (Leonberg East) and plans are in the pipeline for a new junction to the west.
Leonberg is served by the local transport network of Stuttgart and nearby towns, including (since 1978) the S6 S-Bahn Stuttgart travelling from Weil der Stadt
via Leonberg to Stuttgart
city centre. As well as the main stop ("Leonberg"), there are S-Bahn stops in the districts of Höfingen and Silberberg (stop name: Rutesheim). A number of bus lines belonging to local and Stuttgart networks (VVS
) also travel through or terminate in Leonberg.
Leonberg has been a Low Emission Zone
(LEZ) since March 2008, following the suit of other German cities. This affects all vehicles entering the borough of Leonberg "Environmental zone" (Umweltzone), including vehicles from abroad.
The district of Böblingen
funds a vocational college plus the Karl-Georg-Haldenwang-Schule for the disabled.
Leonberg is also home to an Evangelical College for Care Workers.
There is a children's music school in Leonberg which provides tuition in partnership with the Lyra Eltingen music association and Höfingen music association. The Villa Musica also offers tuition through the Stadtkapelle and Liederkranz music associations.
with the following towns: The Neukölln suburb of Berlin
, Germany, since 1970 Belfort
, France
, since 1977 Rovinj
, Croatia
, since 1990 Bad Lobenstein
, Germany
, since 1991
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
federal state of Baden-Wuerttemberg about 10 miles to the west of Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
, the state capital. Approximately 45,000 people live in Leonberg, making it the third biggest borough in the rural district ('Landkreis') of Böblingen
Böblingen
Böblingen is a town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, seat of Böblingen District. Physically Sindelfingen and Böblingen are continuous.-History:Böblingen was founded by Count Wilhelm von Tübingen-Böblingen in 1253. Württemberg acquired the town in 1357, and on 12 May 1525 one of the bloodiest battles...
(after Sindelfingen
Sindelfingen
Sindelfingen is a German town near Stuttgart at the headwaters of the Schwippe that is the site of a Mercedes-Benz assembly plant.-History:* 1155 First documented mention of Sindelfingen...
and Böblingen
Böblingen
Böblingen is a town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, seat of Böblingen District. Physically Sindelfingen and Böblingen are continuous.-History:Böblingen was founded by Count Wilhelm von Tübingen-Böblingen in 1253. Württemberg acquired the town in 1357, and on 12 May 1525 one of the bloodiest battles...
to the south).
Leonberg is most famous for its picturesque market square, the centuries old annual horse market, its past role as seat of one of Württemberg's
Württemberg
Württemberg , formerly known as Wirtemberg or Wurtemberg, is an area and a former state in southwestern Germany, including parts of the regions Swabia and Franconia....
first parliament
Parliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
s, and the Pomeranzen garden- Germany's only remaining terraced garden which dates back to the late renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
.
Geography
Leonberg lies on the east bank of the GlemsGlems
The river Glems is a right tributary of the river Enz in Baden-Württemberg, Germany and around long. The spring is located in the south-west of Stuttgart. On the way to the confluence into the Enz next to Unterriexingen it passes the districts of Böblingen and Ludwigsburg....
river on the lower slopes of a prominent hill known locally as Engelberg (literally: 'Angel Hill'). The Glems flows into Leonberg from the south east before turning north west until it reaches the district of Eltingen. Here it turns north east into the western part of the old town, carving its way along the valley to the district of Höfingen before flowing north east towards Ditzingen
Ditzingen
Ditzingen is a town in the district of Ludwigsburg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated about 10 km northwest of Stuttgart, and 12 km southwest of Ludwigsburg. The Hirschlanden transmitter is located near Ditzingen-Hirschlanden...
. For administrative purposes the northern districts of Höfingen and Gebersheim belong to Strohgäu.
Neighbouring towns
Leonberg is surrounded by the following communities (clockwiseClockwise
Circular motion can occur in two possible directions. A clockwise motion is one that proceeds in the same direction as a clock's hands: from the top to the right, then down and then to the left, and back to the top...
, starting from the north):
Ditzingen
Ditzingen
Ditzingen is a town in the district of Ludwigsburg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated about 10 km northwest of Stuttgart, and 12 km southwest of Ludwigsburg. The Hirschlanden transmitter is located near Ditzingen-Hirschlanden...
and Gerlingen
Gerlingen
Gerlingen is a town in the district of Ludwigsburg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated 9 km west of Stuttgart, and 15 km southwest of Ludwigsburg, Gerlingen is home to BOSCH appliances....
(districts of Ludwigsburg
Ludwigsburg
Ludwigsburg is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, about north of Stuttgart city centre, near the river Neckar. It is the largest and primary city of the Ludwigsburg urban district with about 87,000 inhabitants...
), Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
, and then the Böblingen
Böblingen
Böblingen is a town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, seat of Böblingen District. Physically Sindelfingen and Böblingen are continuous.-History:Böblingen was founded by Count Wilhelm von Tübingen-Böblingen in 1253. Württemberg acquired the town in 1357, and on 12 May 1525 one of the bloodiest battles...
rural districts of Magstadt
Magstadt
Magstadt is a town in the German Federal state of Baden-Württemberg, in the district Böblingen. It is located between Renningen and Sindelfingen....
, Renningen
Renningen
Renningen is a town in the district of Böblingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated 18 km west of Stuttgart.- Geography :Renningen is located in the west of Stuttgart, between Leonberg and Weil der Stadt on the fringes of the fertile plains of the Neckarland...
and Rutesheim
Rutesheim
Rutesheim is a German town located in Baden-Württemberg in the district of Böblingen.-Location:Rutesheim is situated directly to the Highway 8 , 5 km from the town Leonberg, 18 km from the town Stuttgart and just 22 km from Airport Stuttgart and from the new exhibition center,...
.
Districts
Leonberg merged with the neighbouring town of Eltingen in 1938 which now flows seamlessly into the former old town. Administrative reforms in 1975 also resulted in the districts of Gebersheim, Höfingen and Warmbronn becoming part of Leonberg. Central Leonberg encompasses Silberberg, Ramtel, Gartenstadt and the residential neighbourhoods of Eichenhof, Glemseck, Hinter Ehrenberg, Mahdental and Rappenhof. The district of Höfingen also includes the residential neighbourhoods of Tilgshäusleshof and Wannenhof.Although incorporated into Leonberg in 1975, Gebersheim, Höfingen and Warmbronn also count as separate constituencies in local election
Local election
Local elections vary widely across jurisdictions. In electoral systems that roughly follow the Westminster model, a terminology has evolved with roles such as Mayor or Warden to describe the executive of a city, town or region, although the actual means of elections vary...
s.
History
Count
A count or countess is an aristocratic nobleman in European countries. The word count came into English from the French comte, itself from Latin comes—in its accusative comitem—meaning "companion", and later "companion of the emperor, delegate of the emperor". The adjective form of the word is...
Ulrich 1st
Ulrich I, Count of Württemberg
Ulrich I, Count of Württemberg , also known as “Ulrich der Stifter” or “Ulrich mit dem Daumen”, was count of Württemberg from about 1241 until his death.-Life:...
of Württemberg
Württemberg
Württemberg , formerly known as Wirtemberg or Wurtemberg, is an area and a former state in southwestern Germany, including parts of the regions Swabia and Franconia....
in 1248 where Leonberg still stands today. The position on the brow of the hill was chosen as a defence from enemies to the west, the towns of Markgröningen
Markgröningen
Markgröningen is a town in the district of Ludwigsburg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is known for its fine historic buildings, many in the Fachwerk German architectural style, and its annual Shepherds' Run...
, Weil der Stadt
Weil der Stadt
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 west of Stuttgart city center, and is often called "Gate to the Black Forest"...
and the counts in Tübingen
Tübingen
Tübingen is a traditional university town in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated south of the state capital, Stuttgart, on a ridge between the Neckar and Ammer rivers.-Geography:...
and Calw
Calw
Calw is a municipality in the middle of Baden-Württemberg in the south of Germany, capital of the district Calw. It is located in the northern Black Forest.-History:...
. At the time, the town was surrounded by stone fortifications with the count's castle in the south west. A moat stood to the east, leading to two gates complete with towers and swing-bridge. The gates and almost all of the walls were demolished in and after 1814/1815 leaving only the coat of arms, still on display in the Altes Rathaus (old town hall)). The moat was filled in 1786.
The only surviving building from the old town fortifications was the "Stonehouse" near the uppermost tower, probably because it was the only one used for housing and was not destroyed by the great fire of 1498. Today it has become the Schwarzer Adler guesthouse and is a defining feature of the old town. According to an analysis carried out in 1999, the wooden-timber gabled roof on top of the Schwarzer Adler was built in the 15th century. Three stories high, it is one of the largest and oldest original timber gable roofs in southern Germany.
A great fire swept through the town in 1498, destroying 46 houses and making around 200 people homeless. Most of the homeless left the town.
During the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
, Leonberg fell under the jurisdiction of Esslingen
Esslingen am Neckar
Esslingen am Neckar is a city in the Stuttgart Region of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany, capital of the District of Esslingen as well as the largest city in the district....
before finally becoming part of Württemberg
Württemberg
Württemberg , formerly known as Wirtemberg or Wurtemberg, is an area and a former state in southwestern Germany, including parts of the regions Swabia and Franconia....
in 1383 when it first gained administrative rights. The population of Leonberg was halved during the Thirty Years' War
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
as a result of the bubonic plague
Bubonic plague
Plague is a deadly infectious disease that is caused by the enterobacteria Yersinia pestis, named after the French-Swiss bacteriologist Alexandre Yersin. Primarily carried by rodents and spread to humans via fleas, the disease is notorious throughout history, due to the unrivaled scale of death...
.
On 16 November 1457, the first Württemberg
Württemberg
Württemberg , formerly known as Wirtemberg or Wurtemberg, is an area and a former state in southwestern Germany, including parts of the regions Swabia and Franconia....
parliament (Württemberg-Urach) convened in Leonberg to administer the custodianship of the underage Eberhardt V
Eberhard I, Duke of Württemberg
Eberhard I of Württemberg . From 1459 till 1495 he was Count Eberhard V. From July 1495 he was the first Duke of Württemberg. He is also known as Eberhard im Bart ....
. Although there is no documentary evidence to confirm the fact, many locals claim this parliament met in the "Stonehouse" .
During the era of witch hunts
Witch-hunt
A witch-hunt is a search for witches or evidence of witchcraft, often involving moral panic, mass hysteria and lynching, but in historical instances also legally sanctioned and involving official witchcraft trials...
, the Leonberg governor Lutherus Einhorn sent 15 women to trial under suspicion of witchcraft. Eight women were condemned to death with the full assent of the Leonberg judiciary and the local community.
One of the most famous Württemberg
Württemberg
Württemberg , formerly known as Wirtemberg or Wurtemberg, is an area and a former state in southwestern Germany, including parts of the regions Swabia and Franconia....
witch trials in Leonberg took place in 1615 and involved Katharina Kepler
Katharina Kepler
Katharina Kepler , born Katharina Guldenmann, was an alleged German witch from Stuttgart, Württemberg, and the mother of the famous astronomer Johannes Kepler....
, mother of the royal astronomer Johannes Kepler
Johannes Kepler
Johannes Kepler was a German mathematician, astronomer and astrologer. A key figure in the 17th century scientific revolution, he is best known for his eponymous laws of planetary motion, codified by later astronomers, based on his works Astronomia nova, Harmonices Mundi, and Epitome of Copernican...
. Kepler's mother was nearly tortured to death in the cellars of the "Stonehouse" before being transferred to Güglingen where she was subsequently released in October 1620.
In 1846 the Leonberger
Leonberger
The Leonberger is a breed of large dog. The breed's name derives from the city of Leonberg in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. According to legend, the Leonberger was ostensibly bred as a 'symbolic dog' that would mimic the lion in the town crest...
dog breed was first successfully reared by crossing the St. Bernard
St. Bernard (dog)
The St. Bernard is a breed of very large working dog from the Italian and Swiss Alps, originally bred for rescue. The breed has become famous through tales of alpine rescues, as well as for its large size.-Appearance:The St. Bernard is a large dog...
with the Newfoundland
Newfoundland (dog)
The Newfoundland is a breed of large dog. Newfoundlands can be black, brown, gray, or black and white. They were originally bred and used as a working dog for fishermen in the Dominion of Newfoundland, now part of Canada. They are known for their giant size, tremendous strength, calm dispositions,...
and the Great Pyrenees
Pyrenean Mountain Dog
The Pyrenean Mountain Dog, known as the Great Pyrenees in North America, is a large breed of dog used as a livestock guardian dog.The Great Pyrenees is a very old breed, and has been used for hundreds of years by shepherds, including those of the Basque people, who inhabit parts of the region in...
.
Sturmabteilung
The Sturmabteilung functioned as a paramilitary organization of the National Socialist German Workers' Party . It played a key role in Adolf Hitler's rise to power in the 1920s and 1930s...
) followers, mostly backed by residents from Leonberg who attacked supporters of the German communist party
Communist Party of Germany
The Communist Party of Germany was a major political party in Germany between 1918 and 1933, and a minor party in West Germany in the postwar period until it was banned in 1956...
, mainly resident in Eltingen. In 1938, Eltingen - a staunchly proletarian
Proletariat
The proletariat is a term used to identify a lower social class, usually the working class; a member of such a class is proletarian...
community of small landowners - was finally merged with the more bourgeois Leonberg.
Later the same year the Engelberg tunnel
Engelberg tunnel
The Engelberg Tunnel is a motorway tunnel on the German A81 Autobahn just to the west of Stuttgart on the outskirts of Leonberg. During World War II it was used as a Nazi forced labor factory for the manufacture and storage of aircraft parts....
- Germany's first motorway tunnel - was completed. During the Second World War the Engelberg tunnel was used regularly for producing and storing aeroplane parts made by concentration camp prisoners held in Leonberg concentration camp, an outlying camp belonging to Natzweiler-Struthof
Natzweiler-Struthof
Natzweiler-Struthof was a German concentration camp located in the Vosges Mountains close to the Alsatian village of Natzwiller in France, and the town of Schirmeck, about 50 km south west from the city of Strasbourg....
concentration camp in Alsace
Alsace
Alsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...
. The old tunnel was replaced by a new tunnel in the 1990s. Above the tunnel there now stands a memorial to the people who died in Leonberg concentration camp.
By 1961 the population of Leonberg passed the 20,000 mark. Boundary reforms in 1973 resulted in rural districts of Leonberg being merged with the rural districts of Böblingen
Böblingen
Böblingen is a town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, seat of Böblingen District. Physically Sindelfingen and Böblingen are continuous.-History:Böblingen was founded by Count Wilhelm von Tübingen-Böblingen in 1253. Württemberg acquired the town in 1357, and on 12 May 1525 one of the bloodiest battles...
in the south and Enzkreis/Ludwigsburg
Ludwigsburg
Ludwigsburg is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, about north of Stuttgart city centre, near the river Neckar. It is the largest and primary city of the Ludwigsburg urban district with about 87,000 inhabitants...
in the north. Leonberg has existed in its current form since 1975.
In 2004 Leonberg became one of the first communities in Germany to switch its office systems to Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
and start using freeware
Freeware
Freeware is computer software that is available for use at no cost or for an optional fee, but usually with one or more restricted usage rights. Freeware is in contrast to commercial software, which is typically sold for profit, but might be distributed for a business or commercial purpose in the...
.
Population Development
The population figures are estimates, census results (¹) or official updates of the respective statistical offices (only primary residences).
|
|
¹ Census results
Main sights
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
, and includes a historical market square lined by restored half-timbered houses. Standing among them is the old Town Hall (Rathaus) which, with the water tower on Engelberg hill, is considered a defining feature of Leonberg. The birth house of Schelling and the huge Zum Schwarzen Adler guesthouse - the first documented seat of parliament of the County of Württemberg
Württemberg
Württemberg , formerly known as Wirtemberg or Wurtemberg, is an area and a former state in southwestern Germany, including parts of the regions Swabia and Franconia....
- are also key features of the old town. Further attractions include the Evangelical Church (Stadtkirche) with its Roman
Roman architecture
Ancient Roman architecture adopted certain aspects of Ancient Greek architecture, creating a new architectural style. The Romans were indebted to their Etruscan neighbors and forefathers who supplied them with a wealth of knowledge essential for future architectural solutions, such as hydraulics...
and Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
, and the former Latin school (which was attended by the astronomer and mathematician Johannes Kepler
Johannes Kepler
Johannes Kepler was a German mathematician, astronomer and astrologer. A key figure in the 17th century scientific revolution, he is best known for his eponymous laws of planetary motion, codified by later astronomers, based on his works Astronomia nova, Harmonices Mundi, and Epitome of Copernican...
). The old Latin school now houses the town museum and Schelling memorial chapel. The town park contains a variety of modern sculptures. On the eastern outskirts of Leonberg is the Engelbergtunnel.
Leonberg's Pomeranzengarten is Germany's only remaining terraced garden. Named after the German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
word for "bitter orange
Bitter orange
The name "bitter orange", also known as Seville orange, sour orange, bigarade orange, and marmalade orange, refers to a citrus tree and its fruit. Many varieties of bitter orange are used for their essential oil, which is used in perfume and as a flavoring...
", the garden originally dates back to the height of the Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
. It was planted in 1609 next to the palace (Schloss) as a retreat for widows of the Württemberg
Württemberg
Württemberg , formerly known as Wirtemberg or Wurtemberg, is an area and a former state in southwestern Germany, including parts of the regions Swabia and Franconia....
duchy. In 1742 it was converted to a fruit and vegetable garden until it was restored in 1980 using the original plans of Heinrich Schickhardt.
The Michaelskirche church in Eltingen was built in 1487 with a single nave overlooked by rib vault
Rib vault
The intersection of two or three barrel vaults produces a rib vault or ribbed vault when they are edged with an armature of piped masonry often carved in decorative patterns; compare groin vault, an older form of vault construction...
ing and a retracted chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
. The tower is adorned by late gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
acoustic windows and a polygonal spire.
Other sights include:
- The Evangelical Church in Gebersheim was built in 1588. The nave was removed in 1968 and extended. The tower is still decorated with pre-Reformation frescoFrescoFresco is any of several related mural painting types, executed on plaster on walls or ceilings. The word fresco comes from the Greek word affresca which derives from the Latin word for "fresh". Frescoes first developed in the ancient world and continued to be popular through the Renaissance...
s. - The farmhouse museum (Bauernhausmuseum) was opened in 1995.
- The parish church in Höfingen has a gothicGothic architectureGothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
nave. The west tower with its polygonal spire dates back to 18 century. - In Warmbronn there is a museum dedicated to the author Christian Wagner. The evangelical church was built in classicalClassicismClassicism, in the arts, refers generally to a high regard for classical antiquity, as setting standards for taste which the classicists seek to emulate. The art of classicism typically seeks to be formal and restrained: of the Discobolus Sir Kenneth Clark observed, "if we object to his restraint...
style in 1784. - The lake house ("Seehaus") in Glemseck was built by the royal architect Heinrich Schickhardt in 1609 for Sibylla of AnhaltSibylla of AnhaltSibylla of Anhalt was an Ascanian princess of Anhalt who became Duchess of Württemberg by marriage to Duke Frederick I. She was the fourth daughter of Joachim Ernest, Prince of Anhalt, by his first wife Agnes, daughter of Wolfgang I, Count of Barby-Mühlingen.-Life:Sibylla was born in Bernburg in...
.
Religion
Leonberg used to fall into the bishopricDiocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
of Speyer
Speyer
Speyer is a city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany with approximately 50,000 inhabitants. Located beside the river Rhine, Speyer is 25 km south of Ludwigshafen and Mannheim. Founded by the Romans, it is one of Germany's oldest cities...
and was part of an area governed by archdeacon
Archdeacon
An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in Anglicanism, Syrian Malabar Nasrani, Chaldean Catholic, and some other Christian denominations, above that of most clergy and below a bishop. In the High Middle Ages it was the most senior diocesan position below a bishop in the Roman Catholic Church...
St. Trinitatis. As an early member of Württemberg
Württemberg
Württemberg , formerly known as Wirtemberg or Wurtemberg, is an area and a former state in southwestern Germany, including parts of the regions Swabia and Franconia....
, in 1535 Duke Ulrich
Ulrich, Duke of Württemberg
Herzog Ulrich von Württemberg succeeded his kinsman Eberhard II as Duke of Württemberg in 1498, being declared of age in 1503.-Early life:...
introduced the Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
. For many centuries, Leonberg was predominantly protestant. In 1552 the deanery
Deanery
A Deanery is an ecclesiastical entity in both the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residence of a Dean.- Catholic usage :...
was moved to Leonberg with the Stadtkirche becoming the dekanatskirche. After the Second World War the religious community in Leonberg grew quickly as people moved into the area. The Protestant community in the district of Eltingen also dates back to the Reformation, as it does in Gebersheim, Höfingen and Warmbronn.
Catholicism
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
first arrived in Leonberg in the late 19th century with the first parish set up in 1946 shortly followed by St. Johannes Baptista church in 1950. Today the catholic community belongs to the deanery of Böblingen within the bishopric of Rottenburg-Stuttgart.
Apart from the two main German religions, there are 'free churches' such as the United Methodist Church
United Methodist Church
The United Methodist Church is a Methodist Christian denomination which is both mainline Protestant and evangelical. Founded in 1968 by the union of The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church, the UMC traces its roots back to the revival movement of John and Charles Wesley...
(Pauluskirche), the Seventh-day Adventist Church
Seventh-day Adventist Church
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Protestant Christian denomination distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath, and by its emphasis on the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ...
and the Immanuel Community of Leonberg. There is also a New Apostolic Church
New Apostolic Church
The New Apostolic Church is a chiliastic church, converted to Protestantism as a free church from the Catholic Apostolic Church. The church has existed since 1879 in Germany and since 1897 in the Netherlands...
in Leonberg.
Borough council
Since the latest round of local electionLocal election
Local elections vary widely across jurisdictions. In electoral systems that roughly follow the Westminster model, a terminology has evolved with roles such as Mayor or Warden to describe the executive of a city, town or region, although the actual means of elections vary...
s in June 2004, the district council has had 34 seats distributed as follows. The distribution of the seats among the various parties and groups since the election of June 2009 looks like this, changes over 2004 in brackets:
- CDU 20,6 % (−7,7) – 7 seats (−3)
- FWV 18,4 % (−1,8) – 7 seats (±0)
- SPD 17,3 % (−4,0) – 6 seats (−1)
- GABL (Grün-Alternative Bürger-Liste Leonberg) 16,2 % (+1,3) – 6 seats (+1)
- FDP 11,7 % (+2,3) – 4 seats (+1)
- Neue Liste Leonberg 10,5 % (+10,5) − 3 seats (+3)
- SALZ (abbreviation in GermanGerman languageGerman is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
for "Town: work, life, future") 5,0 % (−0,5) – 1 seats (−1)
Town mayors
A head of local administration - an executive official called the Schultheiss - was first appointed in Leonberg in 1304. In 1425 this was replaced by a VogtVogt
A Vogt ; plural Vögte; Dutch voogd; Danish foged; ; ultimately from Latin [ad]vocatus) in the Holy Roman Empire was the German title of a reeve or advocate, an overlord exerting guardianship or military protection as well as secular justice...
, a type of reeve. By 1535 responsibility was shared by a senior and junior governor both of whom were selected by a local judge. After the 15th century there were two burgomaster
Burgomaster
Burgomaster is the English form of various terms in or derived from Germanic languages for the chief magistrate or chairman of the executive council of a sub-national level of administration...
s who were replaced by a type of senior district magistrate ('Oberamtmann') in 1759. There has been a town council in Leonberg since 1312. In 1523 it had eight members.
In 1930 the interim designation of 'town mayor' was replaced by the now common burgomaster
Burgomaster
Burgomaster is the English form of various terms in or derived from Germanic languages for the chief magistrate or chairman of the executive council of a sub-national level of administration...
whose status was raised to Oberbürgermeister
Lord Mayor
The Lord Mayor is the title of the Mayor of a major city, with special recognition.-Commonwealth of Nations:* In Australia it is a political position. Australian cities with Lord Mayors: Adelaide, Brisbane, Darwin, Hobart, Melbourne, Newcastle, Parramatta, Perth, Sydney, and Wollongong...
(senior mayor) in 1963. He or she is elected for eight years through a direct vote and chairs the borough council.
Communities now merged into Leonberg
- Eltingen (1938)
- Gebersheim, Höfingen, Warmbronn and Silberberg (formerly part of RenningenRenningenRenningen is a town in the district of Böblingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated 18 km west of Stuttgart.- Geography :Renningen is located in the west of Stuttgart, between Leonberg and Weil der Stadt on the fringes of the fertile plains of the Neckarland...
, subsequently amalgamated with the Silberberg area of Leonberg; 1975)
Economy
- GEZE, a regional supplier of door closing and security solutions founded in 1863 and employing 1900 people, has its headquarters in Leonberg.
- Since the 1990s, Robert Bosch GmbHRobert Bosch GmbHRobert Bosch GmbH is a multinational engineering and electronics company headquartered in Gerlingen, near Stuttgart, Germany. It is the world's largest supplier of automotive components...
has employed just under 1000 people at its administration and development centre on a site formerly used by MotometerMotometerMotometer is a brand, known for measuring and displaying instruments for workshops and vehicle equipment. The originally independent company was founded at the beginning of the 20th century in the area of Stuttgart...
. - The oldest savings bank in Leonberg, the Leonberger Bausparkasse, was founded in 1924 as the Christian Emergency Confederation for Mutual Support. The bank was taken over in 2001 by the Wüstenrot savings bank.
- Software company caatoosee, formerly based in Stuttgart, is headquartered in premises once occupied by Philipp Holzmann in Leonberg.
- The traditional piano maker, Pfeiffer, relocated from Stuttgart to Leonberg in 1994. The organ maker, Mühleisen, is also based in Leonberg.
- LEWA, an international supplier of processing pumps and metering systems has its headquarters in Leonberg. In 2009 the company employed about 400 people in the town.
Leonberg falls within the wine-growing area of Württemberg
Württemberg (wine region)
Württemberg is a region for quality wine in Germany, and is located in the historical region of Württemberg in southwestern Germany, which today forms part of the federal state of Baden-Württemberg. Under German wine legislation, Württemberg and Baden are separate wine regions.With under vine in...
called Remstal-Stuttgart. Most of the local vineyards lie to the south of the town in the Feinau area and on the Ehrenberg slopes along the Glems river.
Transport
Leonberg is connected to the German motorway system (Autobahn) by the nearby A8 going from west to east (KarlsruheKarlsruhe
The City of Karlsruhe is a city in the southwest of Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg, located near the French-German border.Karlsruhe was founded in 1715 as Karlsruhe Palace, when Germany was a series of principalities and city states...
to Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
, Ulm
Ulm
Ulm is a city in the federal German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the River Danube. The city, whose population is estimated at 120,000 , forms an urban district of its own and is the administrative seat of the Alb-Donau district. Ulm, founded around 850, is rich in history and...
, München) and eventually Salzburg
Salzburg
-Population development:In 1935, the population significantly increased when Salzburg absorbed adjacent municipalities. After World War II, numerous refugees found a new home in the city. New residential space was created for American soldiers of the postwar Occupation, and could be used for...
in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
and beyond), as well as the A81 going north to south (Würzburg
Würzburg
Würzburg is a city in the region of Franconia which lies in the northern tip of Bavaria, Germany. Located at the Main River, it is the capital of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. The regional dialect is Franconian....
to Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
and Singen
Singen
Singen is an industrial city in the very south of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany and just north of the German-Swiss border.-Location:...
). The two motorways meet at the Leonberg intersection which lies to the south of the town. The nearest motorway junction is called Leonberg-Ost (Leonberg East) and plans are in the pipeline for a new junction to the west.
Leonberg is served by the local transport network of Stuttgart and nearby towns, including (since 1978) the S6 S-Bahn Stuttgart travelling from Weil der Stadt
Weil der Stadt
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 west of Stuttgart city center, and is often called "Gate to the Black Forest"...
via Leonberg to Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
city centre. As well as the main stop ("Leonberg"), there are S-Bahn stops in the districts of Höfingen and Silberberg (stop name: Rutesheim). A number of bus lines belonging to local and Stuttgart networks (VVS
Verkehrs- und Tarifverbund Stuttgart
The Verkehrs- und Tarifverbund Stuttgart is a regional transport cooperative that coordinates tickets and fares among all transport operators in the metropolitan area of Stuttgart in Germany...
) also travel through or terminate in Leonberg.
Leonberg has been a Low Emission Zone
Low Emission Zone
A Low-Emission Zone is a geographically defined area which seeks to restrict or deter access by specific polluting vehicles or only allow low emitting vehicles, such as regular or plug-in hybrids, or zero-emission vehicles, such as all-electric vehicles, with the aim of improving the air...
(LEZ) since March 2008, following the suit of other German cities. This affects all vehicles entering the borough of Leonberg "Environmental zone" (Umweltzone), including vehicles from abroad.
Education
All types of schools common to Germany are found in Leonberg:- "Gymnasium" (grammar school)Grammar schoolA grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
: Albert-Schweitzer-Gymnasium, Johannes-Kepler-Gymnasium - "Realschule" (restricted entry, vocationally-orientated secondary school)RealschuleThe Realschule is a type of secondary school in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein. It has also existed in Croatia , Denmark , Sweden , Hungary and in the Russian Empire .-History:The Realschule was an outgrowth of the rationalism and empiricism of the seventeenth and...
: Ostertag-Realschule, Pestalozzischule (sponsored school) - Primary/Hauptschule (unlimited entry senior school)HauptschuleA Hauptschule is a secondary school in Germany and Austria, starting after 4 years of elementary schooling, which offers Lower Secondary Education according to the International Standard Classification of Education...
: August Lämmle, Schellingschule, Höfingen - Primary school: Mörikeschule, Sophie-Scholl-Schule, Spitalschule plus schools in Gebersheim and Warmbronn.
The district of Böblingen
Böblingen
Böblingen is a town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, seat of Böblingen District. Physically Sindelfingen and Böblingen are continuous.-History:Böblingen was founded by Count Wilhelm von Tübingen-Böblingen in 1253. Württemberg acquired the town in 1357, and on 12 May 1525 one of the bloodiest battles...
funds a vocational college plus the Karl-Georg-Haldenwang-Schule for the disabled.
Leonberg is also home to an Evangelical College for Care Workers.
Leonberg horse market
Leonberg's famous horse market takes place every year in February. The traditional fair is staged in the old town centring on the old market square. The first horse market was arranged with the permission of Duke Frederick Charles on 15 February 1684. To mark the occasion, a ceremonial procession marches through the old town on the second Tuesday of the month. The horse market attracts huge crowds and is so important to local tradition that civil servants are granted half a day's leave to attend. Schools in Leonberg are closed for the whole day. In modern times the scope of the fair has been expanded to include sports, seminars on horseriding and breeding, an amusement fair and a flea market.Theatre
The theatre in the Spitalhof stages musicals, plays, amateur theatre, concerts and children's events with regular visits from touring theatres also performing in the town auditorium (Stadthalle).Music
Music societies have a strong tradition in Leonberg with the oldest society, 'Lyra Eltingen', dating back to 1897. The Leonberg symphony orchestra was founded in 1970 as a youth orchestra. Today it comprises 70 musicians and is conducted by Alexander Adiarte.There is a children's music school in Leonberg which provides tuition in partnership with the Lyra Eltingen music association and Höfingen music association. The Villa Musica also offers tuition through the Stadtkapelle and Liederkranz music associations.
Other regular events
- The market square festival ("Marktplatzfest")
- Eltingen street festival ("Strassenfest")
- New Year's Eve celebrations on the market square in Leonberg and Eltingen
- Children's festival in the town park
Famous people associated with Leonberg
- Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph SchellingFriedrich Wilhelm Joseph SchellingFriedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling , later von Schelling, was a German philosopher. Standard histories of philosophy make him the midpoint in the development of German idealism, situating him between Fichte, his mentor prior to 1800, and Hegel, his former university roommate and erstwhile friend...
, b. 27 Jan 1775 in Bad RagazBad RagazBad Ragaz is a municipality in the Wahlkreis of Sarganserland in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland.It is the home of a famous natural spring and is a popular spa and health resort destination. Bad Ragaz is also surprisingly known as one of the best pizza towns in all of Europe...
, SwitzerlandSwitzerlandSwitzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, d. 20 Aug 1854 - a main proponent of German idealismGerman idealismGerman idealism was a philosophical movement that emerged in Germany in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. It developed out of the work of Immanuel Kant in the 1780s and 1790s, and was closely linked both with romanticism and the revolutionary politics of the Enlightenment...
. - Martin WinterkornMartin WinterkornMartin Winterkorn is the Chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG, the parent company of the Volkswagen Group, and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Audi and Porsche Automobil Holding SE....
, b. 24 May 1947 in Leonberg, chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG - Erwin StaudtErwin StaudtErwin Staudt is a former president of VfB Stuttgart. Staudt had studied economy and was manager at IBM.He was elected as president of VfB Stuttgart on 26 June 2003. On 17 July 2011 he did not participate again in the election of the president.-External links:*...
, b. 25 Feb 1948, football manager, President of VfB StuttgartVfB StuttgartVerein für Bewegungsspiele Stuttgart 1893 e. V., commonly known as VfB Stuttgart, is a German sports club based in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg. The club is best known for its football team, which has participated in all but two Bundesliga seasons...
(football club), former manager at IBMIBMInternational Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
Germany - Eva BriegelEva BriegelEva Briegel is a German singer and member of the rock band Juli.-Early life:Briegel's family lived in Böblingen in 1978, when Eva was born. In 1982 they moved to Langgöns, Hessen, where Eva attended primary school, before moving to Linden where Eva attended the Anne-Frank-Schule...
, b. 1978, musician, singer in the German pop group JuliJuli (band)Juli a German alternative pop band from Gießen, Hesse, consisting of singer Eva Briegel, guitarists Jonas Pfetzing and Simon Triebel, bassist Andreas "Dedi" Herde and drummer Marcel Römer... - Dennis HillebrandDennis HillebrandDennis Hillebrand is a German football player, he is currently playing for FC Rot-Weiss Erfurt.-External links:...
, b. 1979 football player
Others
- After the death of her husband, Duke Friedrich I of WürttembergFrederick I, Duke of WürttembergFriedrich I of Württemberg was the son of Georg of Mömpelgard and his wife Barbara of Hesse, daughter of Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse....
, his widow Duchess SybillaSibylla of AnhaltSibylla of Anhalt was an Ascanian princess of Anhalt who became Duchess of Württemberg by marriage to Duke Frederick I. She was the fourth daughter of Joachim Ernest, Prince of Anhalt, by his first wife Agnes, daughter of Wolfgang I, Count of Barby-Mühlingen.-Life:Sibylla was born in Bernburg in...
moved to Leonberg in 1609. The architect Heinrich Schickhardt built the Pomeranzengarten at her request as well as the Lake House ("Seehaus"). - Katharina KeplerKatharina KeplerKatharina Kepler , born Katharina Guldenmann, was an alleged German witch from Stuttgart, Württemberg, and the mother of the famous astronomer Johannes Kepler....
, mother of the astronomer Johannes KeplerJohannes KeplerJohannes Kepler was a German mathematician, astronomer and astrologer. A key figure in the 17th century scientific revolution, he is best known for his eponymous laws of planetary motion, codified by later astronomers, based on his works Astronomia nova, Harmonices Mundi, and Epitome of Copernican...
, was pardoned after 14 months' captivity following a witch trialWitch trialA witch trial is a legal proceeding that is part of a witch-hunt. * Witch trials in Early Modern Europe, 15th–18th centuries** Salzburg witch trials - 1675-1690, Salzburg, Austria** Spa witch trial - 1616, Belgium...
thus escaping being burnt at the stake. - Elisabeth Dorothea Schiller, the mother of Friedrich SchillerFriedrich SchillerJohann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller was a German poet, philosopher, historian, and playwright. During the last seventeen years of his life , Schiller struck up a productive, if complicated, friendship with already famous and influential Johann Wolfgang von Goethe...
spent the last years of her life in Leonberg Palace between 1796 and 1801.
International relations
Leonberg is twinnedTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with the following towns: The Neukölln suburb of Berlin
Neukölln
Neukölln is the eighth borough of Berlin, located in the southeastern part of the city and was part of the former American sector under the Four-Power occupation of the city...
, Germany, since 1970 Belfort
Belfort
Belfort is a commune in the Territoire de Belfort department in Franche-Comté in northeastern France and is the prefecture of the department. It is located on the Savoureuse, on the strategically important natural route between the Rhine and the Rhône – the Belfort Gap or Burgundian Gate .-...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, since 1977 Rovinj
Rovinj
Rovinj is a city in Croatia situated on the north Adriatic Sea with a population of 13,562 . It is located on the western coast of the Istrian peninsula and is a popular tourist resort and an active fishing port...
, Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
, since 1990 Bad Lobenstein
Bad Lobenstein
Bad Lobenstein is a town in the Saale-Orla-Kreis district, in Thuringia, Germany with a population of circa 7,000 inhabitants. The town, grouped round a rock, upon which stand the ruins of an old castle, is exceedingly picturesque. It contains a spacious parish church, a palace , and a hydropathic...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, since 1991
Sources
- Württembergisches Städtebuch; Vol. IV, Sub-Volume on Baden-Württemberg No. 2 in the "Deutsches Städtebuch" published by Erich Keyser, 1961
- S. Lorenz, G. Scholz (pub.): Böblingen. Vom Mammutzahn zum Mikrochip. 2003, ISBN 3-935129-09-2
- Bärbel Häcker: Leise, leise, da liegt wieder einer ... Im Leonberg der Weimarer Republik. 2005, ISBN 3-00-017095-2