Wernau

Wernau
Town
Coat of arms
Location of Wernau within Esslingen district
Wernau Wernau
Coordinates: 48°41′19″N 9°25′20″E
Country	Germany
State	Baden-Württemberg
Admin. region	Stuttgart
District	Esslingen
Subdivisions	2
Government
• Mayor	Armin Elbl
Area
• Total	10.90 km2 (4.21 sq mi)
Elevation	255 m (837 ft)
Population  (2022-12-31)
• Total	12,306
• Density	1,100/km2 (2,900/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes	73249
Dialling codes	07153
Vehicle registration	ES
Website	www.wernau.de

Wernau is a town in the district of Esslingen in Baden-Württemberg southwestern Germany. It is situated on the Neckar river, 25 km southeast of Stuttgart.

History

Wernau was established in 1938 by the joining of the two communities Pfauhausen and Steinbach. These communities tried to unite in 1384 and again in 1681. While the first attempt lasted a few decades, the 1681 union by Franz Josef von Wernau did not last seven years.

After WWII many refugees from Hungary moved to Wernau.

On April 1, 1968, Wernau received its charter as an official city.

Geography

Wernau is located on the southeast bank of the Neckar river. The Bodenbach river flows through the city. In 1981 the Wernau Baggerseen (quarry ponds) were declared a wildlife preserve. Today it spans across 45 hectares. Another 5.5 hectares of wildlife preserve are located in an area of the city called the Wernau Lehmgrube (clay pits).

Economy

Wernau is an attractive economic location. Famous companies like Bosch-Thermotechnik; the Japanese company Mori Seiki; the manufacturer of electrical component systems, 2E mechatronic; and the producer of folk costumes, Perry have settled here. Handcraft companies and wholesale businesses have also found a home in the city.

Companies based in Wernau

• DEWETRON Elektronische Messgeräte GmbH
• Eurotubes Thomas Klein Präzisionsdrahtführer und Löttechnik
• Junkers Gasgeräte (Bosch Gruppe) / BBT Thermotechnik
• Krüger Dirndl GmbH, manufacturer of high-end traditional garments for men and women

Arts and culture

• The castle from the Baron von Palm (18th century)
• Castle of the lords of Wernau
• Old church tower of St. Erasmus with its Roman elements
• Stadtbücherei am Bahnhofsplatz (public library)
• Theater

Parks and outdoor recreation

• Nature conservation area "Wernauer Quarry Ponds", bird paradise
• Natural conservation area "Clay Pit"
• Forest teaching path

Government

Town Council

Results from June 13, 2004:

CDU	32.9%	-5.3	8 seats	-1
FWV	19.9%	+0.2	4 Seats	±0
WLB/JB	19.4%	+4.8	4 seats	+1
SPD	17.8%	-1.0	4 seats	±0
Grüne Liste	10.0%	+1.3	2 seats	±0

Old town hall of Wernau (Neckar)

Mayor

• 1945–1964 Friedrich Schönherr
• 1964–1984 Hans Wagner
• 1984–2007 Roger Kehle
• since 2007 Armin Elbl

Results from October 21, 2007:

Armin Elbl	3,358	64.4%
Thomas Schrecklein	1,688	32.0%
Jürgen Lachmann	190	3.6%

Total eligible voters: 9,123
Total votes: 5,300; 58.09%

On 11 October 2015 Elbl was re-elected with 93,43 % of the votes.

Coat of arms

Blazon: „In silver, a black diagonal stripe with three golden balls.“

The coat of arms stems from the Herren von Wernau (Lord of Wernau), whose name is also the origin of the city's name. The three balls symbolize the legend of Nicolaus, according to which, the Bishop of Nikolaus from Myra threw three bags of gold through the window of a house where three poor girls lived, so that they could pay for their weddings.

Transportation

Wernau is bound by the Plochingen-Tübingen railway (Neckar-Alb-Bahn) to the national rail network. Since December 12, 2009 Wernau is breakpoint of the line S1 of the S-Bahn Stuttgart. The S1 line ends in Kirchheim unter Teck. Wernau is conncted by the B 313 to the Bundesautobahn 8 and to the Bundesstraße 10, that leads to Stuttgart.

Notable people from Wernau

• Julius Denzel (1852–1915), German chemist

International relations

Main article: List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany

Bibliography

• Baumann, Michael: Wernau am Neckar, 1938–1988 aus der Reihe Archivbilder, Sutton Verlag, Erfurt 2010, ISBN 978-3-86680-648-1.
• Ferdinand Schaller: Pfauhausen und Steinbach: Wernau am Neckar in alten Tagen. Sutton Verlag, Erfurt 2009, ISBN 978-3-86680-344-2.
• Der Landkreis Esslingen – hrsg. vom Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg i. V. mit dem Landkreis Esslingen, Jan Thorbecke Verlag, Ostfildern 2009, Band 2, Seite 477, ISBN 978-3-7995-0842-1.
• Anton Denzinger, Diether Hauber: Wernau: 700 Jahre Pfauhausen und Steinbach 1276–1976. Gottlieb & Osswald, Kirchheim 1976.

Wernau is twinned with:

• Bonyhád, Hungary

External links

• Wernau's official webpage
• Drawings of the towns Pfauhausen and Steinbach which joined together to become Wernau. These are taken from the Forstlagerbuch (forestry stock book) from Andreas Kieser, 1685 (Hauptstaatsarchiv Stuttgart).