Weil der Stadt

Weil der Stadt
Church of Saints Peter and Paul
Weil der Stadt
Location of the town of Weil der Stadt within Böblingen district
Coordinates	48°45′3″N 8°52′14″E
Administration
Country	Germany
State	Baden-Württemberg
Admin. region	Stuttgart
District	Böblingen
Mayor	Hans-Josef Straub
Basic statistics
Area	43.17 km2 (16.67 sq mi)
Elevation	406 m  (1332 ft)
Population	18,864 (31 December 2010)
- Density	437 /km2 (1,132 /sq mi)
Other information
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Licence plate	BB
Postal codes	71255–71263
Area code	07033
Website	www.weil-der-stadt.de

Imperial City of Weil der Stadt Reichstadt Weil (der Stadt)
Free Imperial City of the Holy Roman Empire
← 13th century–1803 →
Capital	Weil der Stadt
Government	Republic
Historical era	Middle Ages
- Founded	ca sixth century
- Gained Reichsfreiheit	before 1275 13th century
- Gained permanent seat     in the Imperial Diet	1489
- Mediatised to Electorate     of Württemberg	1803

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 30 km (19 mi) west of Stuttgart city center, and is often called "Gate to the Black Forest". The town is located in the beautiful valley of the river Würm.

In 1075 A.D., the village "Wile" was first mentioned in a document as the property of the famous monastery Hirsau. Weil der Stadt became an Imperial Free City in the 13th century, but had existed for centuries before as an important trading place.

It was completely destroyed during the Thirty Years' War in 1648 but was subsequently rebuilt, and the center is still dominated by buildings from this period. The city fortifications are still nearly intact with city walls, gates, and several towers called "Red Tower" or "Thief's Tower", "Rope-Maker's Tower", and "Raven's Tower".

Weil der Stadt is best known as the birthplace of both the astronomer Johannes Kepler (1571-1630) and the Protestant reformer Johannes Brenz (1499-1570) of Württemberg. The association with Kepler is the reason for the town's unofficial title ('The Kepler Town Weil der Stadt'). Due to its surroundings and attractive cityscape which is dominated by the church steeple of St. Peter and Paul, Weil der Stadt is a popular destination for excursions in the Stuttgart region.

At the beginning of the 19th century, Weil der Stadt became part of the Kingdom of Württemberg. Since 1952, the town is part of the German Federal State Baden-Württemberg.

Since 1973, Weil der Stadt is part of the district of Böblingen, including the municipalities of Merklingen, Hausen, Schafhausen, and Münklingen.

Weil der Stadt is connected to Stuttgart and Calw by federal highway B 295. Weil der Stadt station is on the Black Forest Railway (Württemberg) and is the terminus of line S 6 of the Stuttgart S-Bahn.

Name

The original settlement was named Vila, from the Latin villa, which meant "estate, manor" and in late antiquity came to mean "small town". This evolved into Weil. Later the suffix "die Stadt" (the town) was added to distinguish the town from villages of the same name, such as Weil im Dorf and Weil im Schönbuch. The current name is unusual in that it contains the German dative case (the word Stadt is feminine). It arose because the place of issue in official documents was usually given as "gegeben zu Weil, der Stadt" ("issued in Weil, the town"). The Roman origins of the city are immortalized in the coat-of-arms which feature the SPQR motto ("Senatus Populusque Romanus", i. e. Senate and People of Rome).

Events

Weil der Stadt is a stronghold of traditional carnival which is celebrated with a parade in the city center. In contrast to the carnival in the Rhineland, the carnival in Weil der Stadt, called Fasnet, is based on Alemannic (Germanic tribe) traditions which are celebrated in various towns in South Western Germany and Switzerland.

Weil der Stadt escaped destruction in World War II when a French artillery barrage was called off in honor of its being Kepler's birthplace.

References

Borst, Otto and Joachim Feist. Weil der Stadt. Stuttgart: Theiss Verlag, Second Edition 1989.

External links

• Official website (German)