Hirsau (formerly ''Hirschau'') is a district of the town of

Calw Calw (; previously pronounced and sometimes spelled ''Kalb'' accordingly) is a town in the middle of Baden-Württemberg in the south of Germany, capital and largest town of the district Calw. It is located in the Northern Black Forest and is a ...

in the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

state of

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg (; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million inhabitants across a ...

, located in the south-west portion of the country, about two miles north of

and about twenty-four miles west of Stuttgart.

Town

Hirsau's economy includes small retail establishments, tourism, and light industry. There is a saw mill on the ''Ernstmuhlerweg'', the road that runs along the railroad in the post card pasted above. The saw mill is a long building at the upper edge (in the picture) of town. The town has been called a "Luftkurort" ("air spa") for the purity of its air. The town's bridge over the Nagold River dates to the Carolingian period.

Hirsau Abbey

The town grew round the

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

monastery that is its main historical significance and was once among the most famous in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

. It was founded in about 830 by Count Erlafried of Calw and re-founded, after a period of collapse, in 1059. William of Hirsau, abbot from 1069 to 1091, brought it to international prominence as the origin of the

Hirsau Reforms William of Hirsau (or Wilhelm von Hirschau) ( 1030 – 5 July 1091) was a Benedictine abbot and monastic reformer. He was abbot of Hirsau Abbey, for whom he created the ''Constitutiones Hirsaugienses'', based on the uses of Cluny, and was the fath ...

. It was secularised in 1558, and the buildings destroyed by the French in 1692. Image:Hirsau jagdschloss1.JPG Image:Hirsau kloster 1.JPG Image:Hirsau marienkapelle2.JPG Image:Hirsau marienkapelle3.JPG Image:Hirsau marienkapelle.jpg Image:Germany Hirsau Tower.jpg, Ruins of Monastery of St. Peter and St. Paul

References

*Baer, 1897. ''Die Hirsauer Bauschule''. Freiburg. *Giseke, 1883. ''Die Hirschauer während des Investiturstreits''. Gotha. *Helmsdorfer, 1874. ''Forschungen zur Geschichte des Abts Wilhelm von Hirschau''. Göttingen *Klaiber, C.H., 1886. ''Das Kloster Hirschau''. Tübingen. *Steck, 1844. ''Das Kloster Hirschau'' *Süssmann, 1903. ''Forschungen zur Geschichte des Klosters Hirschau''. Halle. *Weizsäcker, 1898. ''Führer durch die Geschichte des Klosters Hirschau''. Stuttgart

External links

Hirsau im Nagoldtal
{{Authority control Towns in Baden-Württemberg