Schwalldorf
Encyclopedia
Schwalldorf (ˈʃvaldɔʁf) is a suburban district of Rottenburg am Neckar
Rottenburg am Neckar
Rottenburg am Neckar is a medium-sized town in the administrative district 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...

 in the administrative district of Tübingen
Tübingen (district)
Tübingen is a district in the middle of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Neighboring districts are Böblingen, Reutlingen, Zollernalbkreis and Freudenstadt.-History:...

 in Baden-Württemberg (Germany).

Geography

Schwalldorf is located 7 km (4.35 mi) southwestern from Rottenburg am Neckar
Rottenburg am Neckar
Rottenburg am Neckar is a medium-sized town in the administrative district 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...

 on the Gäu-Plateau with an elevation from 360 to 492 m.

Extent

The area of the district is 581 hectares (1,435.7 acre). Thereof fall 65.1% upon agriculturally used area, 25.6% upon forest area, 8.6% upon settlement area and roads, and 2.2% upon other.

Neighbour localities

The territories of the following villages adjoin to Schwalldorf , they are called clockwise beginning in the north: Bad Niedernau
Bad Niedernau
Bad Niedernau is a suburban district of Rottenburg am Neckar in the administrative district of Tübingen in Baden-Württemberg .- Geography :...

, 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...

, Dettingen
Dettingen (Rottenburg)
Dettingen is a suburban district of Rottenburg am Neckar in the administrative district of Tübingen in Baden-Württemberg .- Geography :...

, Hirrlingen
Hirrlingen
Hirlingen is a municipality in the district of Tübingen in Baden-Württemberg in Germany....

, Frommenhausen
Frommenhausen
Frommenhausen 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....

 and Obernau
Obernau (Rottenburg)
Obernau is a suburban district of Rottenburg am Neckar in the administrative district of Tübingen in Baden-Württemberg .-Geography:...

 (all in the admin. district of Tübingen
Tübingen (district)
Tübingen is a district in the middle of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Neighboring districts are Böblingen, Reutlingen, Zollernalbkreis and Freudenstadt.-History:...

). All bordering villages, except for Hirrlingen
Hirrlingen
Hirlingen is a municipality in the district of Tübingen in Baden-Württemberg in Germany....

, are suburbs of Rottenburg am Neckar
Rottenburg am Neckar
Rottenburg am Neckar is a medium-sized town in the administrative district 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...

.

Population

With a population of 781 people (31 January 2008) Schwalldorf is among the smaller districts of Rottenburg. At an area of 5.81 km² (2.2 sq mi) this corresponds to a population density of 134 people per km², or 348 per sq mi.

Faiths

The population of the village is predominantly Roman Catholic. About 100 people are evangelical. A small amount are undenominational or members of another denomination.

History

Around 1100 Schwalldorf was mentioned for the first time on a paper of the Hirsau Abbey
Hirsau Abbey
Hirsau Abbey, formerly known as Hirschau Abbey, was once one of the most prominent Benedictine abbeys of Germany. It was located in the town of Hirsau, in the Diocese of Speyer, near Calw in the present Baden-Württemberg.-History:...

 (ger.: Kloster Hirsau). In that document a nobleman "Fridericus de Swaldorff" (Frederic of Schwalldorf) was called. The first official reference in a deed of gift dates from 7 July 1304. Heinrich der Amman (Henry the Amman) the reeve of the Counts of Hohenberg
Counts of Hohenberg (Swabia)
The Counts of Hohenberg were an ancient swabian dynasty in the southwest of the present-day Germany, in the State of Baden-Württemberg. In the 13th century the dynasty of Hohenberg was one of the most prominent lineages in Southwestern Germany. In 1381 however, Rudolf III...

 made a present to the domician nunnery in Kirchberg
Kirchberg convent
The Kirchberg convent is a monastery located in Sulz am Neckar in Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany. The monastery is considered to be one of the most historically important religious buildings in Baden-Wuerttemberg...

. He gave them a manor in Schwalldorf. Due to that document the village celebrated its 700th anniversary in 2004.

However, it is assumed, that the village is much older. The suffix "-dorf", gives a reason to suppose an appearance in the 7th or 8th century. Scores of excavation findings allude to that too. But the only real record is the deed of gift from the 7 July 1304.

In 1357 a chapel was mentioned. At that time Schwalldorf has been a subsidiary of the parish
Parish (Catholic Church)
In the Roman Catholic Church, a parish is the lowest ecclesiastical geographical subdivision: from ecclesiastical province to diocese to deanery to parish.-Requirements:A parish needs two things under common law to become a parish...

 of Dettingen
Dettingen (Rottenburg)
Dettingen is a suburban district of Rottenburg am Neckar in the administrative district of Tübingen in Baden-Württemberg .- Geography :...

, which belonged to the commandry
Commandry (feudalism)
Commandry , or commandery , was the smallest division of the European landed estate or manor under the control of a commendator, or commander, of an order of knights...

 of the Knights Hospitaller
Knights Hospitaller
The Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta , also known as the Sovereign Military Order of Malta , Order of Malta or Knights of Malta, is a Roman Catholic lay religious order, traditionally of military, chivalrous, noble nature. It is the world's...

 in Hemmendorf
Hemmendorf (Rottenburg)
Hemmendorf is a suburban district of Rottenburg am Neckar in the administrative district of Tübingen in Baden-Württemberg .- Geography :...

. In a deed of the 28 August 1437 a "Kaplanei" (vicariate) was founded in Schwalldorf. In the deed the patron Saint Andrew
Saint Andrew
Saint Andrew , called in the Orthodox tradition Prōtoklētos, or the First-called, is a Christian Apostle and the brother of Saint Peter. The name "Andrew" , like other Greek names, appears to have been common among the Jews from the 3rd or 2nd century BC. No Hebrew or Aramaic name is recorded for him...

 was mentioned for the first time. In 1507 Schwalldorf got an own parish
Parish (Catholic Church)
In the Roman Catholic Church, a parish is the lowest ecclesiastical geographical subdivision: from ecclesiastical province to diocese to deanery to parish.-Requirements:A parish needs two things under common law to become a parish...

. The chapel became a parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....

.

From 1381 to 1806 the village belonged to the territory of Niederhohenberg (Lower Hohenberg) of the County of Hohenberg. In 1381 Rudolf III. Count of Hohenberg sold the County in large part to the House of Habsburg. So Schwalldorf and large parts of the county became 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...

. For this reason 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...

 could not take place around Rottenburg. All thoughts of reformation were defeated by the archduke of Austria. The exclave of Austria kept Catholic. In 1805 the County was assigned to the Dukedom 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....

 by 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:...

. Württemberg became a kingdom in 1806, few days after the treaty was effected.

When in 1807 the Oberamt Rottenburg (Oberamt of Württemberg) was founded, Schwalldorf became a part of it. Rottenburg was also the domicile of an Austrian Oberamt, before the County came to Württemberg. In 1934 the appellation Oberamt was replaced by Kreis (district). The District of Rottenburg was dissolved in 1938 and merged into the District of Tübingen
Tübingen (district)
Tübingen is a district in the middle of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Neighboring districts are Böblingen, Reutlingen, Zollernalbkreis and Freudenstadt.-History:...

. Since then Schwalldorf has been a part of the District of Tübingen. On 1 January 1972 the municipality of Schwalldorf was incorporated into the town of Rottenburg am Neckar
Rottenburg am Neckar
Rottenburg am Neckar is a medium-sized town in the administrative district 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...

.

Schultheißen, Mayors and Local representatives

The first Schultheiß
Schultheiß
In medieval Germany, the Schultheiß was the head of a municipality , a Vogt or an executive official of the ruler.As official it was...

 of Schwalldorf was mentioned in 1425. The Schultheiß was the chairperson of the village court (precursor of the council). The name of the first Schultheiß is not known. On 10 July 1470 Hans Gefrör was mentioned as the second Schultheiß in a document.
Year Schultheiß
1425 Unknown
1470 Hans Gefrör
1472 Hans Eckenweiler
1560, 1576 Hans Linsenmann
1594 Michael Herrmann
1637 Johannes Miller
1658 Martin Straub
1680 Hans Flach
1721–1737 Hans Jerg Flach
1738 Adam Teufel
1757 Ulrich Linsenmann
vor 1768 Konrad Kauß
Year Schultheiß
1768 Jakob Mayer
1770 Bernhard Flach
1791 Stefan Zettel
1798 Isidor Baum
1804–1807 Josef Straub
1808–1817 Thomas Straub
1817–1820 Thomas Daub
1821–1841 Jakob Flach
1841–1848 Johannes Letzgus
1848–1860 Johannes Linsenmann
1860–1886 Clemens Kienzle
1886–1917 Zacharias Baur


Mayors from 1917 until 1972

In 1917 the term Schultheiß was replaced by mayor.
  • 1917–1940: Lukas Jungel
  • 1940–1945: Jakob U. Wiest (without election)
  • 1946–1972: Fabian Straub


Local representatives since 1972

When the Municipality of Schwalldorf was incorporated into the Town of Rottenburg on 1 January 1972, the mayor was replaced by a local representative "(Ortsvorsteher)". The local representative is elected by the members of the advisory body for a period of five years. The local representative is the chairperson of the advisory body and the spokesperson of the suburb.
  • 1972–1979: Fabian Straub
  • 1980–1989: Adolf Straub
  • 1989–2004: Ernst Rößner, senior prosecutor
  • since 2004: Klaus Krajewski

Advisory Body

In Schwalldorf there has been a village court since the 15th century, which was directed by the Schultheiß
Schultheiß
In medieval Germany, the Schultheiß was the head of a municipality , a Vogt or an executive official of the ruler.As official it was...

. The village court is regarded as the precursor of the later council. The names of the councillors of the former municipality of Schwalldorf are passed down since 1932. The council of the former municipality had up to ten councillors in the terms of office since 1932.

In 1972 the council of the municipality was dissolved and replaced by an advisory body (in German: Ortschaftsrat) in the course of the incorporation of the municipality into the Town of Rottenburg. The advisory body is elected by the citizens of the village for a period of five years. The advisory body represents the interests of the citizens of the suburb towards the town administration and the town council. Thereby the advisory body acts as administrative body. In the first session the advisory body also elects the local representative for a period of five years. The current advisory body was elected on 7 June 2009. All seven members of the body are from the voter's association Bürgerliste Schwalldorf (Citizen's List Schwalldorf).

Coat of arms

The coat of arms of the village was designed in 1952. It was adopted as official seal by the Municipality of Schwalldorf. The coat of arms shows a blue swallow and a blue auger snail divided by a blue waved fess on a silver shield. The blue auger snail below the waved fess shall refer to the "Schneckenhof" (snail yard), which is one of the two settlement cores the village emerged from. The blue waved fess shows a water amount and interprets the name of Schwalldorf, that shall derive from a well. On the area of the village, however, there isn't any water. Another theory, which is more folk-etymological
Etymology
Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages and texts about the languages to gather knowledge about how words were used during...

 is represented by the blue swallow (German: Schwalbe) above the fess. Due to the fact, that the village is a Frankish-Alemannic village the most likely theory is, that the village name derives from an Alemannic clan ruler named "Swalo".

Culture and Sights

St Andrew's parish church

The today's parish church was built in 1733 in baroque style and is consecrated to the Holy Andrew. Beforehand there was a chapel, which was mentionend for the first time in 1357 and that was, according to a document from 1437, consecrated to Saint Andrew as well. In 1507 Schwalldorf got an own parish and the chapel became a parish church. When the old church became too small for the growing congregation, it was decided to build a new church in 1732.

Associations

  • Liederkranz Schwalldorf 1892 e. V. – a male choral society founded in 1892
  • Schützenverein Schwalldorf 1928 e. V. – Shooting Club Schwalldorf 1928
  • Sportverein Schwalldorf 1968 e. V. – Sports Club Schwalldorf 1968
  • Narrenzunft Schwalldorf 1989 e. V. – Swabian-Alemannic Carnival Guild 1989


e. V. stands for eingetragener Verein, that means registered association. The association is insrcribed (with the official name) to the register of associations at the local court.

Institutions

  • Auxiliary fire brigade (1886)
  • Catholic Parish
  • Church choir
  • Catholic public library
  • Parish Hall St Franziskus
  • Catholic Kindergarten St Andrew
  • Elementary School Schwalldorf-Frommenhausen
  • Youth club

Dissolved associations and Institutions

Former associations and institutions in Schwalldorf that have been dissolved:
  • 1886–1945: Kriegerverein Schwalldorf 1886 e. V. – Warrior Association Schwalldorf (1886–1945)
  • 1908–1965: Spar- und Darlehenskasse Schwalldorf – Savings and loan association
  • 1923–1963: Dreschgenossenschaft Schwalldorf
  • 1930–1970: Viehversicherungsverein
  • 1934–1978: Milchverwertungsgenossenschaft
  • 1956: Flurbereinigungs-Teilnehmerschaft
  • 1997–2007: Kulturverein "Treffpunkt Schule" e. V. – Culture Association "Meeting place the school"'

Regular Events

  • Swabian-Alemannic Fasnet
    Fastnacht
    The Swabian–Alemannic Fastnacht is the pre-Lenten carnival in Alemannic folklore in Switzerland, southern Germany, Alsace and western Austria....

    :
    The Fasnet (Swabian-Alemannic Carnival) has a high significance in the area of Rottenburg. A "Vassnacht" was firstly documented in Rottenburg in the 15th century. In the catholic Town of Rottenburg and its hinterland the wild goings have become a tradition. The first carnival group in Schwalldorf were the "Elbenlocher Hexen" (witches of the Elbenloch), in Swabian Dialect
    Swabian German
    Swabian is one of the Alemannic dialects of High German. It is spoken in Swabia, a region which covers much of Germany's southwestern state Baden-Württemberg, including its capital Stuttgart, the rural area known as the Swabian Alb, and Bavaria...

     Elbaloch Hexa. They were founded in 1984. The Elbenloch is a forest on the boundary of Schwalldorf. According to a legend the Elbenloch was a meeting place for witches in the middle-age. During the middle-age Rottenburg was a center of the witch-hunt. The carnival group "Elbenlocher Hexen" is an allusion to that. In 1989 the "Narrenzunft Schwalldorf" (Carnival Guild Schwalldorf) was founded. Nowadays the Carnival Guild has three carnival groups, two music groups and several single characters. The Fasnet season begins officially on 6 January with the traditional dedusting of the wood masks. The so called "Fleggafasnet" (Swabian for village carnival) with the parade takes place on Saturday, one week before the "Hauptfasnet" (Main-Fasnet). The Hauptfasnet is the time from Fat Thursday
    Fat Thursday
    Fat Thursday is a traditional Polish, Greek and German feast marking the last Thursday before Lent and is associated with the celebration of Carnival...

     to Ash Wednesday
    Ash Wednesday
    Ash Wednesday, in the calendar of Western Christianity, is the first day of Lent and occurs 46 days before Easter. It is a moveable fast, falling on a different date each year because it is dependent on the date of Easter...

    , it's the high season of carnival in Rottenburg. During the last years more than one thousand participants from approximately 30–40 carnival guilds attended the parade in Schwalldorf.

  • Onion-Tart-Fest: On the last weekend of the summer vacations (usually first or second weekend in September) the local associations arrange the "Zwiebelbeeten Fest" (Onion-Tart-Fest). It's a small contemplative fest in the village core. The fest is arranged since 1986 and has established itself as village fair.

Infrastructure

The village is remote from big traffic routes. Unlike in other suburbs of Rottenburg there couldn't be registered a great increase of population in the past decades.

Telecommunication

Until a modification of the local network in 2005, the use of the Internet was only possible with ISDN. Since then DSL light (384 kbits/s) has been available in some streets. A faster Internet connection is not possible, by the reason of old wires. A modernization of the connection is refused by the German Telecom
Deutsche Telekom
Deutsche Telekom AG is a telecommunications company headquartered in Bonn, Germany. It is the largest telecommunications company in Europe....

 because of little profitability. The village has about 250 households. The German Telecom requires a minimum amount of 300 households that demand a faster connection for a replacement of the old wires. Though there are people, especially seniors, who are not interested in a faster broadband connection.

Several suburbs of Rottenburg are concerned by a slow Internet connection. In July 2008 a citizens' group for DSL was founded in Bieringen, a neighbor village of Schwalldorf. The aim was to reach a faster Internet connection by radio. In addition a radio mast would have had to be built on the plateau near Schwalldorf. However, in August the plan was canceled, because the town administration of Rottenburg announced an open call for tender. If the project succeeds DSL at a speed of probably 16,000 kbits/s will be available in Schwalldorf.

Traffic

The Kreisstraße
Kreisstraße
A Kreisstraße is a class of road in Germany. It carries traffic between the towns and villages within a Kreis or district or between two neighbouring districts. In terms of importance, the Kreisstraße ranks below a Landesstraße , but above a Gemeindestraße or "local road"...

 6943 (K 6943 = district road 6943) leads from Bad Niedernau
Bad Niedernau
Bad Niedernau is a suburban district of Rottenburg am Neckar in the administrative district of Tübingen in Baden-Württemberg .- Geography :...

 (Rottenburg) or Frommenhausen
Frommenhausen
Frommenhausen is a suburban district of Rottenburg am Neckar in the administrative district of Tübingen in Baden-Württemberg .- Geography :...

 into the village. The road was formerly known as Landstraße 392 (L 392 = state road 392), before it has been downgraded to a district road. The K 6943 serves as communication road between the L 370 (Horb
Horb am Neckar
Horb am Neckar is a town in the southwest of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river, between Offenburg to the west and Tübingen to the east . It has around 25,000 inhabitants, of whom about 6,000 live in the main town of Horb, and the remainder in 18 associated...

-Rottenburg-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 the L 392 (Hirrlingen
Hirrlingen
Hirlingen is a municipality in the district of Tübingen in Baden-Württemberg in Germany....

-Felldorf
Starzach
Starzach is a municipality in the district of Tübingen in Baden-Württemberg in Germany....

). It discharges into the L 392 in Frommenhausen and into the L 370 next to Bad Niedernau. The volume of traffic is low, so there is a very little noise exposure.

Public transport

In the local public transport there is a bus connection between Rottenburg and Horb am Neckar
Horb am Neckar
Horb am Neckar is a town in the southwest of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river, between Offenburg to the west and Tübingen to the east . It has around 25,000 inhabitants, of whom about 6,000 live in the main town of Horb, and the remainder in 18 associated...

 or Felldorf – the bus route 7626. The village is situated in sector 112 of the Neckar-Alb-Donau Transportation Association. On working days (Monday-Friday) buses drive roughly every hour from about 6 am till 7 pm On Saturday there is a connection at a regular interval of two hours from about 7.30 am till 5 pm For the time between 7 pm till midnight on working days, and in the nights from Friday to Saturday as well as Saturday to Sunday "Anmeldefahrten" (calling drives) are stated in the schedule. That means buses that drive only if required. The bus has to be ordered at least 60 minutes before the departure according to schedule.

Education

Schwalldorf has a Kindergarten and an elementary school. The Kindergarten "St. Andreas" is a Roman Catholic Kindergarten and was originally organized by nuns. Though it also stands open for non-catholic children. The elementary school has been opened in 1995 and has no special name. It is named "Grundschule Schwalldorf-Frommenhausen" (Elementary School Schwalldorf-Frommenhausen). Frommenhausen is the neighbour village.

Sons and daughters of the village

Noteworthy persons, who were born in Schwalldorf:
  • Michael Mayer (1833–1892), sculptor
  • Lukas Jungel (1886–1940), Mayor, Victim of the National Socialism

Persons, who lived in the village

Noteworthy persons, who acted on spot:
  • Franz Egger (1882–1945), parish priest, Victim of the National Socialism

Literature

  • "700 Jahre Schwalldorf" by Karlheinz Geppert and various other authors, 2004 ISBN 3-924123-51-9
700 Jahre Schwalldorf (700 Years Schwalldorf) was published on the occasion of the 700th anniversary of the village in 2004.

External links


Sources

  • Karlheinz Geppert: "700 Jahre Schwalldorf", 2004 ISBN 3-924123-51-9
  • www.rottenburg.de
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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