Sinsheim

Sinsheim
Rhein-Neckar-Arena
Sinsheim
Location of the town of Sinsheim within Rhein-Neckar-Kreis district
Coordinates	49°15′N 8°53′E
Administration
Country	Germany
State	Baden-Württemberg
Admin. region	Karlsruhe
District	Rhein-Neckar-Kreis
Mayor	Rolf Geinert (SPD)
Basic statistics
Area	127.01 km2 (49.04 sq mi)
Elevation	154 m  (505 ft)
Population	35,373 (31 December 2011)
- Density	279 /km2 (721 /sq mi)
Other information
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Licence plate	HD
Postal codes	74871-74889
Area codes	07260, 07261, 07265, 07266, 07268
Website	www.sinsheim.de

Sinsheim is a town in southwestern Germany, in the Rhine Neckar Area of the state Baden-Württemberg about 22 kilometers southeast of Heidelberg and about 28 kilometers northwest of Heilbronn in the district Rhein-Neckar. It consists of a city center and 11 suburbs with a total population of 35,605 (as of December 2006). Its area encompasses 127 square kilometers (49 sq mi). The Elsenz, an unnavigable left-bank tributary of the Neckar, flows through the town, reaching the Neckar at Neckargemünd.

Main sights

Sinsheim's main tourist attraction is the Sinsheim Auto & Technik Museum situated in the suburb Steinsfurt, displaying a collection of historic vehicles to over 1 million visitors per year. In 1989, a trade fair area was established that features all kinds of industrial and popular events.

Additionally, Sinsheim has a medieval city core; the Altes Rathaus (old Town Hall) is a museum for the town and its role in the 1848 revolution. An old fortress, Burg Steinsberg in the village of Weiler, overlooks Sinsheim. With its octagonal tower, dating back to the 13th century, the fortress has sometimes been called the "compass" of the Kraichgau region, and nowadays contains a restaurant.

Stadium

Main article: Rhein-Neckar-Arena

On September 19, 2006 the mayor of Sinsheim announced a stadium would be built not far from the Sinsheim Auto & Technik Museum, for the town's most successful football club TSG 1899 Hoffenheim. Construction of the €100 million stadium, which seats 30,164, was funded by Dietmar Hopp, a cofounder and major share holder of software giant SAP and a former player in the youth system of TSG 1899 Hoffenheim. The club christened their new stadium on 31 January 2009 with a 2–0 win over Energie Cottbus.

History

The region around Sinsheim has been settled since 700,000 BC, as shown by the finding of the fossil Homo heidelbergensis in the village of Mauer, about 12 km (7 miles) north of Sinsheim. The Romans ruled the area from 90 AD to 260 AD. The city was possibly founded in about 550 AD by the Frankish nobleman Sunno. It was first historically mentioned in 770 AD in the Codex of the cloister Lorsch. Since 1192, the town had city rights, a privilege first granted by Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor.

Sinsheim has been a rather poor town throughout the ages, and has been affected heavily by wars from the 16th to the 18th century. Sinsheim-born revolutionary Franz Sigel became a famous Union general in the American Civil War.

The Elsenz Valley Railway and Sinsheim station were opened in 1868 and the nearby Steinsfurt–Eppingen line was opened in 1900; electricity and public water pipes were introduced into the city from 1910 on. The World Wars and the Great Depression kept Sinsheim from growing until the A6 Autobahn was built in 1968. It connected Sinsheim to national and international roads, with Mannheim, Stuttgart, Frankfurt am Main, Heilbronn, Heidelberg, Ludwigshafen all now within 1 hour by car. While traditionally being an agricultural town, the highway made it into a small industrial center, but it has been hit by recession and international outsourcing in recent years.

Population

Historic population

The numbers are estimates, census results(¹) or official data of the statistical offices (only primary residences).

Year Population 14th century ca. 1,200 1705 823 1798 1,705 1852 2,854 1 December 1871 2,716 1 December 1880 ¹ 2,990 1 December 1890 ¹ 2,952 1 December 1900 ¹ 3,011 1 December 1910 ¹ 3,327 8 October 1919 ¹ 3,184 16 June 1925 ¹ 3,497 16 June 1933 ¹ 3,767 17 May 1939 ¹ 3,900

Year Population December 1945 ¹ 4,101 13 September 1950 ¹ 5,860 6 June 1961 ¹ 6,532 27 May 1970 ¹ 8,056 31 December 1975 25,373 31 December 1980 26,658 27 May 1987 ¹ 27,454 31 December 1990 29,307 31 December 1995 32,828 31 December 2000 34,171 31 December 2005 35,524 31 December 2006 35,605

¹ census results

Population of the suburbs

as of 31 December 2004

City part Population Sinsheim (city) 12,229 Adersbach 565 Dühren 2,374 Ehrstädt 638 Eschelbach 2,353 Hasselbach 299 Hilsbach 2,199 Hoffenheim 3,286 Reihen 2,086 Rohrbach 2,020 Steinsfurt 3,295 Waldangelloch 1,740 Weiler 2,008