Walldorf
Encyclopedia
Walldorf is a town
in the Rhein-Neckar-Kreis
of Baden-Württemberg
in Germany
.
Walldorf is currently probably best known as the city that headquarters the world's third largest software company SAP
, but it is also the birthplace of the millionaire John Jacob Astor
, at the time of his death the wealthiest man in the United States
. Astor's descendants of the Astor family
perpetuated the North-Americanized version Waldorf in the names of The Waldorf-Astoria Hotel and Waldorf salad
. It is also the origin of the name of the Waldorf-Astoria-Zigarettenfabrik
and through it Waldorf education.
The town is referred to, though not actually named, in John le Carré
's novel Absolute Friends
(2003), much of which is set in Heidelberg
.
, both towns are strongly linked economically. Adjacent municipalities are
Sandhausen
, Leimen
, Nußloch
, St. Leon-Rot and Reilingen
. The train station, named Wiesloch-Walldorf, is located between the two towns.
barrows
in the Hochholz woods near the offices of SAP Deutschland. The settlement was first mentioned as Waltorf in a 770 deed issued by the Abbey of Lorsch
. The Palatinate of the Rhine received Walldorf as an Imperial fief in 1230. Thereafter it suffered hard during the Thirty Years' War
and in 1689 was completely destroyed in the course of the Nine Years' War. The area was settled anew by religious refugees, among them the predecessors of John Jacob Astor, Waldensians
from the Piedmont
. With the 1803 German Mediatisation
Walldorf fell to Baden
. 1843 saw the building of the Rheintalbahn, which decisively promoted the economic development. In 1901 Grand Duke Frederick I of Baden granted Walldorf town privileges
. After World War II the establishing of Heidelberger Druckmaschinen
and of SAP made it one of the most prosperous towns of Germany.
Seats in the municipal assembly (Gemeinderat) as of 2004 elections:
and now hosts the register office and a museum.
The 19th century synagogue was devastated in the 1938 Kristallnacht
and is now in use as a New Apostolic church.
Walldorf is most famous for its white asparagus which one may enjoy in the months of April through June.
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
in the Rhein-Neckar-Kreis
Rhein-Neckar-Kreis
Rhein-Neckar-Kreis is a district in the northwest of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Neighboring districts are Bergstraße, Odenwaldkreis, Neckar-Odenwald, Heilbronn, Karlsruhe, district-free Speyer, the Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis, and district-free Mannheim and Heidelberg.-History:The district was created in...
of Baden-Württemberg
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...
in 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...
.
Walldorf is currently probably best known as the city that headquarters the world's third largest software company SAP
SAP AG
SAP AG is a German software corporation that makes enterprise software to manage business operations and customer relations. Headquartered in Walldorf, Baden-Württemberg, with regional offices around the world, SAP is the market leader in enterprise application software...
, but it is also the birthplace of the millionaire John Jacob Astor
John Jacob Astor
John Jacob Astor , born Johann Jakob Astor, was a German-American business magnate and investor who was the first prominent member of the Astor family and the first multi-millionaire in the United States...
, at the time of his death the wealthiest man in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Astor's descendants of the Astor family
Astor family
The Astor family is a Anglo-American business family of German descent notable for their prominence in business, society, and politics.-Founding family members:...
perpetuated the North-Americanized version Waldorf in the names of The Waldorf-Astoria Hotel and Waldorf salad
Waldorf salad
A Waldorf salad is a salad traditionally made of fresh apples, celery and walnuts, dressed in mayonnaise, and usually served on a bed of lettuce as an appetizer or a light meal.-History:...
. It is also the origin of the name of the Waldorf-Astoria-Zigarettenfabrik
Waldorf-Astoria-Zigarettenfabrik
The Waldorf-Astoria-Zigarettenfabrik was a German tobacco company, established by Emil Molt and several other partners on January 1, 1906...
and through it Waldorf education.
The town is referred to, though not actually named, in John le Carré
John le Carré
David John Moore Cornwell , who writes under the name John le Carré, is an author of espionage novels. During the 1950s and the 1960s, Cornwell worked for MI5 and MI6, and began writing novels under the pseudonym "John le Carré"...
's novel Absolute Friends
Absolute Friends
Absolute Friends is an espionage novel by John le Carré published in December 2003.-Plot summary:The book tells the story of Ted Mundy, a Pakistani-born Briton who as a student becomes proficient in the German language. He joins a 1960's era student protest group in West Berlin and becomes a...
(2003), much of which is set in Heidelberg
Heidelberg
-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...
.
Geography
The neighbouring town to the east is WieslochWiesloch
Wiesloch is a city in Germany, in northern Baden-Württemberg. It is situated 13 kilometres south of Heidelberg.After Weinheim, Sinsheim and Leimen it is the fourth largest city of the Rhein-Neckar-Kreis and is in the north-central area near Heidelberg with its neighbouring town Walldorf...
, both towns are strongly linked economically. Adjacent municipalities are
Sandhausen
Sandhausen
Sandhausen is a municipality in the district of Rhein-Neckar-Kreis, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated 7 km south of Heidelberg.-People:* Selçuk Alibaz , footballer...
, Leimen
Leimen (Baden)
Leimen is a town in north-west Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is about south of Heidelberg and the third largest town of the Rhein-Neckar district after Weinheim and Sinsheim...
, Nußloch
Nußloch
Nußloch is a municipality in the Rhein-Neckar-Kreis , about 10 km south of Heidelberg. It's located on the tourist routes Bergstraße and Bertha Benz Memorial Route. The hamlet Maisbach also belongs to Nußloch....
, St. Leon-Rot and Reilingen
Reilingen
Reilingen is a municipality in the district of Rhein-Neckar in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located on Bertha Benz Memorial Route....
. The train station, named Wiesloch-Walldorf, is located between the two towns.
History
There is a group of Hallstatt cultureHallstatt culture
The Hallstatt culture was the predominant Central European culture from the 8th to 6th centuries BC , developing out of the Urnfield culture of the 12th century BC and followed in much of Central Europe by the La Tène culture.By the 6th century BC, the Hallstatt culture extended for some...
barrows
Tumulus
A tumulus is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds, Hügelgrab or kurgans, and can be found throughout much of the world. A tumulus composed largely or entirely of stones is usually referred to as a cairn...
in the Hochholz woods near the offices of SAP Deutschland. The settlement was first mentioned as Waltorf in a 770 deed issued by the Abbey of Lorsch
Lorsch Abbey
The Abbey of Lorsch is a former Imperial Abbey in Lorsch, Germany, about 10 km east of Worms, one of the most renowned monasteries of the Carolingian Empire. Even in its ruined state, its remains are among the most important pre-Romanesque–Carolingian style buildings in Germany...
. The Palatinate of the Rhine received Walldorf as an Imperial fief in 1230. Thereafter it suffered hard 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....
and in 1689 was completely destroyed in the course of the Nine Years' War. The area was settled anew by religious refugees, among them the predecessors of John Jacob Astor, Waldensians
Waldensians
Waldensians, Waldenses or Vaudois are names for a Christian movement of the later Middle Ages, descendants of which still exist in various regions, primarily in North-Western Italy. There is considerable uncertainty about the earlier history of the Waldenses because of a lack of extant source...
from the Piedmont
Piedmont
Piedmont is one of the 20 regions of Italy. It has an area of 25,402 square kilometres and a population of about 4.4 million. The capital of Piedmont is Turin. The main local language is Piedmontese. Occitan is also spoken by a minority in the Occitan Valleys situated in the Provinces of...
. With the 1803 German Mediatisation
German Mediatisation
The German Mediatisation was the series of mediatisations and secularisations that occurred in Germany between 1795 and 1814, during the latter part of the era of the French Revolution and then the Napoleonic Era....
Walldorf fell to Baden
Baden
Baden is a historical state on the east bank of the Rhine in the southwest of Germany, now the western part of the Baden-Württemberg of Germany....
. 1843 saw the building of the Rheintalbahn, which decisively promoted the economic development. In 1901 Grand Duke Frederick I of Baden granted Walldorf town privileges
Town privileges
Town privileges or city rights were important features of European towns during most of the second millennium.Judicially, a town was distinguished from the surrounding land by means of a charter from the ruling monarch that defined its privileges and laws. Common privileges were related to trading...
. After World War II the establishing of Heidelberger Druckmaschinen
Heidelberger Druckmaschinen
Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG is a German precision mechanical engineering company with head offices in Heidelberg . It is a manufacturer of offset printing presses sold globally. The company has a worldwide market share of more than 47% in this area and is the largest global manufacturer of...
and of SAP made it one of the most prosperous towns of Germany.
Politics
- Christian Democratic UnionChristian Democratic Union (Germany)The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum...
: 8 (35,6 %) - Social Democratic Party of GermanySocial Democratic Party of GermanyThe Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
: 5 (23,2 %) - Alliance '90/The 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...
: 5 (20,7 %) - Free Democratic PartyFree 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...
: 4 (20,5 %)
Twin cities
- Astoria, Oregon
Astoria, OregonAstoria is the county seat of Clatsop County, Oregon, United States. Situated near the mouth of the Columbia River, the city was named after the American investor John Jacob Astor. His American Fur Company founded Fort Astoria at the site in 1811...
, USA, since 1963 - Kırklareli
KirklareliKırklareli is the capital of Kırklareli Province in Eastern Thrace, on the European part of Turkey. The province has a coastline on the Black Sea. There is a Jewish community.-Name:It is not clearly known when the city was founded, nor under what name...
, TurkeyTurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, since 1970 - Saint-Max
Saint-MaxSaint-Max semblerait remonter aux premiers temps de la conquête de la Gaule par les Romains : le Chemin stratégique s'appelait autrefois "Chemin des Romains". Il traverse "La Gueule le Loup" et jusqu'au Plateau de Malzéville...
, FranceFranceThe 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 1985 - Waldorf, MarylandWaldorf, MarylandWaldorf, Maryland is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Charles County, Maryland, United States. It is south-southeast of Washington, D.C. The population of the census-designated area only was 67,752 at the 2010 census...
, USA, since 2002 - Freeport, New YorkFreeport, New YorkFreeport is a village in the town of Hempstead, Nassau County, New York, USA, on the South Shore of Long Island. The population was 42,860 at the 2010 census. A settlement since the 1640s, it was once an oystering community and later a resort popular with the New York City theater community...
, USA, since 2003
Sights
The Astorhaus was built in 1854 from a pecuniary legacy of deceased John Jacob Astor to his hometown. For decades it served as an almshouseAlmshouse
Almshouses are charitable housing provided to enable people to live in a particular community...
and now hosts the register office and a museum.
The 19th century synagogue was devastated in the 1938 Kristallnacht
Kristallnacht
Kristallnacht, also referred to as the Night of Broken Glass, and also Reichskristallnacht, Pogromnacht, and Novemberpogrome, was a pogrom or series of attacks against Jews throughout Nazi Germany and parts of Austria on 9–10 November 1938.Jewish homes were ransacked, as were shops, towns and...
and is now in use as a New Apostolic church.
Walldorf is most famous for its white asparagus which one may enjoy in the months of April through June.
Notable people
- Joseph Anton SambugaJoseph Anton SambugaJoseph Anton Sambuga was a German theologian of Italian descent. He was a pious, deeply-religious priest and belonged to the school of Johann Michael Sailer whose friend he was.-Biography:...
, theologian, born June 9, 1752 in Walldorf, died January 15, 1815 at Nymphenburg PalaceNymphenburg PalaceThe Nymphenburg Palace , i.e. "Nymph's Castle", is a Baroque palace in Munich, Bavaria, southern Germany. The palace was the main summer residence of the rulers of Bavaria.-History:...
in MunichMunichMunich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat... - John Jacob AstorJohn Jacob AstorJohn Jacob Astor , born Johann Jakob Astor, was a German-American business magnate and investor who was the first prominent member of the Astor family and the first multi-millionaire in the United States...
, at the time of his death the wealthiest man in the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...