Essingen is a municipality in the

Ostalbkreis The Ostalbkreis is a ''Landkreis'' (district) in the east of Baden-Württemberg, Germany, on the border to Bavaria. Neighboring districts are (from the north clockwise) Schwäbisch Hall, Ansbach, Donau-Ries, Heidenheim, Göppingen and Rems-Murr. ...

in the 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 ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

. It lies about 73 km east of Stuttgart, just outside the city of

Aalen Aalen () is a former Free Imperial City located in the eastern part of the German state of Baden-Württemberg, about east of Stuttgart and north of Ulm. It is the seat of the Ostalbkreis district and is its largest town. It is also the la ...

. The Rems river begins just outside Essingen, on its way down the Remstal (Rems Valley) to merge with the

Neckar The Neckar () is a river in Germany, mainly flowing through the southwestern state of Baden-Württemberg, with a short section through Hesse. The Neckar is a major right tributary of the Rhine. Rising in the Schwarzwald-Baar-Kreis near Sc ...

near Stuttgart. Essingen currently has about 6000 residents, and is located on the northern end of the

Swabian Alb The Swabian Jura (german: Schwäbische Alb , more rarely ), sometimes also named Swabian Alps in English, is a mountain range in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, extending from southwest to northeast and in width. It is named after the region of ...

. It is mainly a

dormitory community A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...

, but does have industry along the B29 federal road and Stuttgart-Aalen railway. Recreational activities include biking, hiking, and rambling. In the winter, there are opportunities for skiing. In the middle of the village lies the Schloss (castle) and Schloss Park. The castle was built circa 1550 by the Woellwarth Family. It has remained in the family until recently when it was sold at auction causing much controversy in the village. Some villagers wanted to save the castle to be used for various activities and events but the consensus was that the castle would be too expensive to maintain and run. Essingen is a larger municipality, and the nearby villages of Lauterburg, Forst, Dauerwang, Hermannsfeld, Birkenteich and Hohenroden belong to Essingen.

Mayor

Wolfgang Hofer (* 1963) was elected mayor in 1997, he was reelected in 2005, 2013 and 2021.

Local council

Elections in May 2014: *Free voters: 8 seats *CDU/Free citizens Essingen: 6 seats *SPD: 4 seats :de:Essingen (Württemberg)#Gemeinderat

References

Ostalbkreis Württemberg {{Ostalbkreis-geo-stub