Rottenburg am Neckar
Encyclopedia
Rottenburg am Neckar is a medium-sized town in the administrative district (Landkreis) of Tübingen in Baden-Württemberg
, Germany. It rests about 50 km southwest of the provincial capital Stuttgart
and about 12 km southwest of the district town Tübingen
. Rottenburg is the second largest city of the district after Tübingen and makes up a secondary center for the surrounding community. Since May 1, 1972, Rottenburg am Neckar is a district town (Große Kreisstadt). Rottenburg agreed to an administrative collectivity with the municipalities of Hirrlingen
, Neustetten
and Starzach
.
Rottenburg is the seat of a Roman Catholic bishop, being the official centre of the diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart.
Suburban districts of Rottenburg: Bad Niedernau
, Baisingen
, Bieringen
, Dettingen
, Eckenweiler
, Ergenzingen
, Frommenhausen
, Hailfingen
, Hemmendorf
, Kiebingen
, Obernau
, Oberndorf
, Schwalldorf
, Seebronn
, Weiler
, Wendelsheim
and Wurmlingen
.
, and was one of the most important Roman towns in the southwest of Germany. It had a line of walls built to defend it from the attacks of the Alamanni
, who nevertheless destroyed it in 259-260.
The name Rottenburg is thought to derive from a Germanic root that is also present in the English word 'rotten', in an older meaning of 'destroyed'. According to this hypothesis, the town would have received its name when, in the early Middle Ages, Alemannic people founded their settlement in the vicinity of the ruins of Roman Sumelocenna. An alternative etymology of Rottenburg as "red borough" is also considered possible, however.
In the Middle Ages, the town was first governed by the counts of Hohenberg, who, however, were forced to sell it to the Habsburg dynasty in 1381. Rottenburg remained a part of Further Austria
until 1805, when it was assigned to Württemberg
in the Peace of Pressburg
.
Rottenburg became the seat of a Catholic bishop as late as 1821-28, when, after the secularization
and the Napoleonic wars, a reorganisation of Catholic life in south west Germany had become necessary. It was then decided not to choose the more important nearby places of Stuttgart or Tübingen as a diocesan town, as these were firmly protestant.
Spanning various architectural periods, the Stiftskirche St. Moriz incorporates a Gothic
core with elements from an earlier church and a later Baroque hall church. The Gothic feel is what persists, from 14th and 15th centuries frescoes on the pillars to the 15th-century painting of the Four Evangelists
on the ceiling in the choir. In the north aisle stands an ornamented column depicting various princes, donated in 1470 by Archduchess Mechthild, the wife of Ludwig I
and mother of Eberhard the Bearded
. A copy also stands in the city's Marktplatz
.
There are two museums in town, the Sülchgau Museum, specializing in pre- and early history and Roman influences on the area, and the diocesan museum, focusing on ecclesiastical art, painting, and sculpture.
In nearby Weggental is the pilgrimage
church of Wallfahrtskirche St. Maria, rebuilt in 1682-1695 in Baroque
style, but containing a medieval pietà
and a very fine rendition of the Virgin swooning during the deposition
of Christ
from the cross.
A more modern landmark is the Eckenweiler Water Tower. Built of reinforced concrete in the 1970s, its unusual design is notable.
Rottenburg
Bad Niedernau
Ergenzingen
Frommenhausen
Kiebingen
Obernau
Wurmlingen
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...
, Germany. It rests about 50 km southwest of the provincial capital 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 about 12 km southwest of the district town 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:...
. Rottenburg is the second largest city of the district after Tübingen and makes up a secondary center for the surrounding community. Since May 1, 1972, Rottenburg am Neckar is a district town (Große Kreisstadt). Rottenburg agreed to an administrative collectivity with the municipalities of Hirrlingen
Hirrlingen
Hirlingen is a municipality in the district of Tübingen in Baden-Württemberg in Germany....
, Neustetten
Neustetten
Neustetten is a municipality in the district of Tübingen in Baden-Württemberg in Germany...
and Starzach
Starzach
Starzach is a municipality in the district of Tübingen in Baden-Württemberg in Germany....
.
Rottenburg is the seat of a Roman Catholic bishop, being the official centre of the diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart.
Geography
Rottenburg is divided into a city core and seventeen (suburban) districts.Suburban districts of Rottenburg: Bad Niedernau
Bad Niedernau
Bad Niedernau is a suburban district of Rottenburg am Neckar in the administrative district of Tübingen in Baden-Württemberg .- Geography :...
, Baisingen
Baisingen
Baisingen is a suburban district of Rottenburg am Neckar in the administrative district of Tübingen in Baden-Württemberg .- Geography :...
, Bieringen
Bieringen (Rottenburg)
Bieringen is a suburban district of Rottenburg am Neckar in the administrative district of Tübingen in Baden-Württemberg .- Geography :Bieringen is located 9 km southwestern from Rottenburg am Neckar in the Neckar valley....
, Dettingen
Dettingen (Rottenburg)
Dettingen is a suburban district of Rottenburg am Neckar in the administrative district of Tübingen in Baden-Württemberg .- Geography :...
, Eckenweiler
Eckenweiler
Eckenweiler is a suburban district of Rottenburg am Neckar in the administrative district of Tübingen in Baden-Württemberg .- Geography :...
, Ergenzingen
Ergenzingen
Ergenzingen is a suburban district of Rottenburg am Neckar in the administrative district of Tübingen in Baden-Württemberg .- Geography :...
, Frommenhausen
Frommenhausen
Frommenhausen is a suburban district of Rottenburg am Neckar in the administrative district of Tübingen in Baden-Württemberg .- Geography :...
, Hailfingen
Hailfingen
Hailfingen is a suburban district of Rottenburg am Neckar in the administrative district of Tübingen in Baden-Württemberg .- Geography :...
, Hemmendorf
Hemmendorf (Rottenburg)
Hemmendorf is a suburban district of Rottenburg am Neckar in the administrative district of Tübingen in Baden-Württemberg .- Geography :...
, Kiebingen
Kiebingen
Kiebingen is a suburban district of Rottenburg am Neckar in the administrative district of Tübingen in Baden-Württemberg .- Geography :...
, Obernau
Obernau (Rottenburg)
Obernau is a suburban district of Rottenburg am Neckar in the administrative district of Tübingen in Baden-Württemberg .-Geography:...
, Oberndorf
Oberndorf (Rottenburg)
Oberndorf is a suburban district of Rottenburg am Neckar in the administrative district of Tübingen in Baden-Württemberg .-Geography:...
, Schwalldorf
Schwalldorf
Schwalldorf is a suburban district of Rottenburg am Neckar in the administrative district of Tübingen in Baden-Württemberg .- Geography :...
, Seebronn
Seebronn
Seebronn is a suburban district of Rottenburg am Neckar in the administrative district of Tübingen in Baden-Württemberg .- Extent :The area of the district is 811 hectares. Thereof fall 73.0 % upon agriculturally used area, 13.9 % upon forest area, 11.8 % upon settlement area and roads and 1.3 %...
, Weiler
Weiler (Rottenburg)
Weiler is a suburban district of Rottenburg am Neckar in the administrative district of Tübingen in Baden-Württemberg .-Geography:Weiler is located 4 km southern from Rottenburg am Neckar on a plateau with an elevation from 373 to 558 m.-Extent:The area of the district is 384 hectares...
, Wendelsheim
Wendelsheim (Rottenburg)
Wendelsheim is a suburban district of Rottenburg am Neckar in the administrative district of Tübingen in Baden-Württemberg .- Geography :...
and Wurmlingen
Wurmlingen (Rottenburg)
Wurmlingen is a suburban district of Rottenburg am Neckar in the administrative district of Tübingen in Baden-Württemberg .-Geography:...
.
History
Rottenburg was originally founded as a Roman town, Sumelocenna, probably around the year 9898
Year 98 was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Augustus and Traianus...
, and was one of the most important Roman towns in the southwest of Germany. It had a line of walls built to defend it from the attacks of the Alamanni
Alamanni
The Alamanni, Allemanni, or Alemanni were originally an alliance of Germanic tribes located around the upper Rhine river . One of the earliest references to them is the cognomen Alamannicus assumed by Roman Emperor Caracalla, who ruled the Roman Empire from 211 to 217 and claimed thereby to be...
, who nevertheless destroyed it in 259-260.
The name Rottenburg is thought to derive from a Germanic root that is also present in the English word 'rotten', in an older meaning of 'destroyed'. According to this hypothesis, the town would have received its name when, in the early Middle Ages, Alemannic people founded their settlement in the vicinity of the ruins of Roman Sumelocenna. An alternative etymology of Rottenburg as "red borough" is also considered possible, however.
In the Middle Ages, the town was first governed by the counts of Hohenberg, who, however, were forced to sell it to the Habsburg dynasty in 1381. Rottenburg remained a part of Further Austria
Further Austria
Further Austria or Anterior Austria was the collective name for the old possessions of the House of Habsburg in the former Swabian stem duchy of south-western Germany, including territories in the Alsace region west of the Rhine and in Vorarlberg, after the focus of the Habsburgs had moved to the...
until 1805, when it was assigned to 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 the Peace of Pressburg
Peace of Pressburg
The Peace of Pressburg refers to four peace treaties concluded in Pressburg . The fourth Peace of Pressburg of 1805 during the Napoleonic Wars is the best-known.-First:...
.
Rottenburg became the seat of a Catholic bishop as late as 1821-28, when, after the secularization
Secularization
Secularization is the transformation of a society from close identification with religious values and institutions toward non-religious values and secular institutions...
and the Napoleonic wars, a reorganisation of Catholic life in south west Germany had become necessary. It was then decided not to choose the more important nearby places of Stuttgart or Tübingen as a diocesan town, as these were firmly protestant.
Main sights
Dom St. Martin has been the city's cathedral since 1821. Its tower, dating from 1486, is its most prominent feature.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....
core with elements from an earlier church and a later Baroque hall church. The Gothic feel is what persists, from 14th and 15th centuries frescoes on the pillars to the 15th-century painting of the Four Evangelists
Four Evangelists
In Christian tradition the Four Evangelists are Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, the authors attributed with the creation of the four Gospel accounts in the New Testament that bear the following titles:*Gospel according to Matthew*Gospel according to Mark...
on the ceiling in the choir. In the north aisle stands an ornamented column depicting various princes, donated in 1470 by Archduchess Mechthild, the wife of Ludwig I
Ludwig I, Count of Württemberg-Urach
Ludwig I , Count of Württemberg. He was a son of count Eberhard IV and Henriette of Montbéliard. He reigned from 1419 until 1450....
and mother of Eberhard the Bearded
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 ....
. A copy also stands in the city's Marktplatz
Marketplace
A marketplace is the space, actual, virtual or metaphorical, in which a market operates. The term is also used in a trademark law context to denote the actual consumer environment, ie. the 'real world' in which products and services are provided and consumed.-Marketplaces and street markets:A...
.
There are two museums in town, the Sülchgau Museum, specializing in pre- and early history and Roman influences on the area, and the diocesan museum, focusing on ecclesiastical art, painting, and sculpture.
In nearby Weggental is the pilgrimage
Pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...
church of Wallfahrtskirche St. Maria, rebuilt in 1682-1695 in Baroque
Baroque architecture
Baroque architecture is a term used to describe the building style of the Baroque era, begun in late sixteenth century Italy, that took the Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical and theatrical fashion, often to express the triumph of the Catholic Church and...
style, but containing a medieval pietà
Pietà
The Pietà is a subject in Christian art depicting the Virgin Mary cradling the dead body of Jesus, most often found in sculpture. As such, it is a particular form of the Lamentation of Christ, a scene from the Passion of Christ found in cycles of the Life of Christ...
and a very fine rendition of the Virgin swooning during the deposition
Stations of the Cross
Stations of the Cross refers to the depiction of the final hours of Jesus, and the devotion commemorating the Passion. The tradition as chapel devotion began with St...
of Christ
Christ
Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
from the cross.
A more modern landmark is the Eckenweiler Water Tower. Built of reinforced concrete in the 1970s, its unusual design is notable.
Honorary citizens
The Town of Rottenburg am Neckar and respectively the former municipalities, which have been incorporated, have awarded the honorary citizenship to the following persons:Rottenburg
- 1901: Hermann Friedrich Wittich, Regierungsrat
- 1904: Gustav Holzherr, independent gentleman
- 1909: Karl Bitzenauer, parish priest of the town
- 1924: Paul Wilhelm von Keppler, Bishop of Rottenburg
- 1930: Karl Landsee, merchant
- 1931: Alois Kremmler, Oberstudiendirektor (principal)
- 1931: Eugen BolzEugen BolzEugen Anton Bolz was a German politician and a member of the resistance to the Nazi régime.- Life :Born in Rottenburg am Neckar, Eugen Bolz was his parents' twelfth child. His father, Joseph Bolz, was a salesman. His mother was Maria Theresia Bolz . Bolz studied law in Tübingen and there became a...
(1881–1945 (executed in Berlin-Plötzensee)), politician and member of the resistance - 1947: Johannes Baptista SprollJohannes Baptista SprollJohannes Baptista Sproll was a German Bishop and prominent opponent of the Nazi regime.Sproll was born in Schweinhausen, near Biberach, the son of a street mender, Josef Sproll, and his wife, Anna Maria née Freuer. He attended the Latin school in Biberach and the Gymnasium Ehingen...
, Bishop of Rottenburg - 1947: Max Kottmann, vicar generalVicar generalA vicar general is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop's ordinary executive power over the entire diocese and, thus, is the highest official in a diocese or other particular...
- 1949: Josef Schneider, Mayor of Rottenburg and Kanzleidirektor (retired)
- 1958: Franz Anton Buhl, schoolmaster and local historian
- 1961: Josef Eberle, poet and publisher
- 1967: Alfred Planck, fabrikant
- 1968: Carl Joseph LeiprechtCarl Joseph LeiprechtKarl Joseph Leiprecht was the Bishop of Rottenburg.Born in the town of Hauerz in the Allgäu, Leiprecht studied philosophy and theology at the University of Tübingen from 1923 to 1927. On March 24, 1928, he was ordained a priest by Bishop Johannes Baptista Sproll at the Rottenburg Cathedral...
, Bishop of Rottenburg - 2003: Winfried Löffler, Lord Mayor of Rottenburg (retired)
- 2008: Walter Cardinal Kasper, former Bishop of Rottenburg-Stuttgart and present Cardinal of the Roman Curia
Bad Niedernau
Bad Niedernau
Bad Niedernau is a suburban district of Rottenburg am Neckar in the administrative district of Tübingen in Baden-Württemberg .- Geography :...
- 1891: Kilian von SteinerKilian von SteinerKilian von Steiner was a German banker and industrialist.Born in Laupheim as the eighth child of Jewish merchant Viktor Steiner and his wife Sophie, Kilian Steiner spent his youth in the small Upper Swabian town...
, banker
Ergenzingen
Ergenzingen
Ergenzingen is a suburban district of Rottenburg am Neckar in the administrative district of Tübingen in Baden-Württemberg .- Geography :...
- 1919: Hieronymus Baur, Mayor of Ergenzingen (retired)
- 1961: Alfons Leykauf, parish priest
- 1965: Maximilian Schier, schoolmaster
Frommenhausen
Frommenhausen
Frommenhausen is a suburban district of Rottenburg am Neckar in the administrative district of Tübingen in Baden-Württemberg .- Geography :...
- ?: Rudolf Franziskus de Paula Joseph Fidel Freiherr von Wagner, Warminister of Württemberg
- 1908: Ludwig Franz Freiherr von Wagner, Lieutenant General
Kiebingen
Kiebingen
Kiebingen is a suburban district of Rottenburg am Neckar in the administrative district of Tübingen in Baden-Württemberg .- Geography :...
- 1938: Karl Franz Ferdinand Viktor Osterwald, factory manager of the power station
Obernau
Obernau (Rottenburg)
Obernau is a suburban district of Rottenburg am Neckar in the administrative district of Tübingen in Baden-Württemberg .-Geography:...
- ?: Ignaz Kleiner, parish priest
- 1947: Otto Heine, parish priest
Wurmlingen
Wurmlingen (Rottenburg)
Wurmlingen is a suburban district of Rottenburg am Neckar in the administrative district of Tübingen in Baden-Württemberg .-Geography:...
- 1905: Sebastian Bauer, dean
- 1953: Franz Josef Fischer, auxiliary bishop
- 1968: Stefan Kruschina, parish priest
Sons and daughters of the town
Prominent persons that were born in Rottenburg:- Meinrad von Einsiedeln (ca. 797–861), hermit
- Albert II. von Hohenberg, (1303–1359), Bishop of Freising
- Franz Anton HoffmeisterFranz Anton HoffmeisterFranz Anton Hoffmeister was a German composer and music publisher.Born in Rottenburg am Neckar, he went to Vienna at the age of fourteen to study law...
(1754–1812), composer and music publisher - Ottilie WildermuthOttilie WildermuthOttilie Wildermuth, née Rooschüz was a German writer, particularly notable for her children's books.-Life:...
(1817–1877), authoress - Theodor Schnell der Ältere (1836–1909), sculptor and church outfitter
- Eugen BolzEugen BolzEugen Anton Bolz was a German politician and a member of the resistance to the Nazi régime.- Life :Born in Rottenburg am Neckar, Eugen Bolz was his parents' twelfth child. His father, Joseph Bolz, was a salesman. His mother was Maria Theresia Bolz . Bolz studied law in Tübingen and there became a...
(1881–1945), politician (ZentrumCentre Party (Germany)The German Centre Party was a Catholic political party in Germany during the Kaiserreich and the Weimar Republic. Formed in 1870, it battled the Kulturkampf which the Prussian government launched to reduce the power of the Catholic Church...
) see: honorary citizens - Josef Eberle (also known as Sebastian Blau, 1901–1986), publicist, poet and newspaper publisher (Stuttgarter ZeitungStuttgarter ZeitungThe Stuttgarter Zeitung is a German-language daily newspaper edited in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, with a run of about 200,000 sold copies daily....
) see: honorary citizens - Walter Bader (1901–1986), archaeologist and preservationist
- Ewald Bucher (1914–1991), politician (FDPFree Democratic Party (Germany)The Free Democratic Party , abbreviated to FDP, is a centre-right classical liberal political party in Germany. It is led by Philipp Rösler and currently serves as the junior coalition partner to the Union in the German federal government...
/DVPDemocratic People's Party (Germany)Democratic People's Party was the name of two liberal parties in southern Germany. It is not to be confused with the Deutsche Volkspartei of 1918 which used the same abbreviation DVP....
), Member of the West German Parliament, West German Minister of Justice, West German Minister for regional planning, construction and urban development - Dieter Planck (* 1944), president of the state office for preservation of historical monuments in Baden-Württemberg
- Winfried Hermann (* 1952), politician (GreensAlliance '90/The GreensAlliance '90/The Greens is a green political party in Germany, formed from the merger of the German Green Party and Alliance 90 in 1993. Its leaders are Claudia Roth and Cem Özdemir...
), current member of the German Parliament
Gallery
| Railway station in Rottenburg | Eckenweiler water tower | Gothic fountain | Episcopal Palace at the Eugen-Bolz-Square |
External links
- http://www.rottenburg.de
- Various memorials in Rottenburg at the Sites of Memory page