HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Großbottwar (or ''Grossbottwar'') is a town in the
Ludwigsburg district Landkreis Ludwigsburg is a ''Landkreis'' (district) in the middle of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Neighboring districts are (from north clockwise) Heilbronn, Rems-Murr-Kreis, the district-free city Stuttgart, and the districts Böblingen and Enz ...
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 sits within the Neckar River basin and is located on a tourist route through the Württemberg wine region. The Großbottwar region has been inhabited since at least the Stone Age and was occupied by the Romans. The town itself was founded sometime during the mid-13th century by an alliance of prominent families. In 1971, Großbottwar incorporated the formerly independent communities of Hof und Lembach and Winzerhausen. Unlike most towns in the region, Großbottwar was neither heavily damaged by war nor by urban fires, so there are many old buildings from the 15th through the 17th centuries with original and well-preserved
timber framing Timber framing (german: Holzfachwerk) and "post-and-beam" construction are traditional methods of building with heavy timbers, creating structures using squared-off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden ...
. The 16th century Rathaus, or town hall, is noted for its half-timber construction and decoratively carved façade. The ''Stadtschänke'', approximately dated to 1434, is the oldest half-timber building in the Ludwigsburg district.


Geography

Großbottwar is part of the
Swabian-Franconian Forest The Swabian-Franconian Forest (german: Schwäbisch-Fränkischen Waldberge, also ''Schwäbisch-Fränkischer Wald'') is a mainly forested, deeply incised upland region, 1,187 km² in area and up to , in the northeast of Baden-Württemberg. It f ...
and the Neckar Basin. The city is located in the Bottwar river valley in the north east district of Ludwigsburg. The Bottwar is a tributary of the Neckar River. Thirteen kilometres to the south east is the city of Ludwigsburg, and
Heilbronn Heilbronn () is a city in northern Baden-Württemberg, Germany, surrounded by Heilbronn District. With over 126,000 residents, it is the sixth-largest city in the state. From the late Middle Ages, it developed into an important trading centre. A ...
is sixteen km to the north east. The capital of the Baden-Württemberg region, Stuttgart, is 26 km to the south west. Nearby is Wunnenstein mountain, the highest point of the Großbottwar area, at 394 metres above sea level.


History

Findings from all of the cultural eras support the view that the Großbottwar area has been inhabited continuously since the Stone Age. The remains of three farms, dated 150–260 CE, of the late Roman period, have been discovered. Around 200 CE, Großbottwar was also the site of a brick factory, referred to as ''Gaius Longinius Speratus''. Bricks formed at this site were stamped with ''GLSP'' and examples have been found in
Weinsberg Weinsberg ( South Franconian: ''Weischberg'') is a town in the north of the state of Baden-Württemberg in Germany. It was founded around 1200 and is situated in the Heilbronn district. The town has about 11,800 inhabitants. It is noted for its wi ...
and Walheim. The land, documented as "Boteburon", was included in a grant extending the domain of the
Fulda monastery The Abbey of Fulda (German ''Kloster Fulda'', Latin ''Abbatia Fuldensis''), from 1221 the Princely Abbey of Fulda (''Fürstabtei Fulda'') and from 1752 the Prince-Bishopric of Fulda (''Fürstbistum Fulda''), was a Benedictine abbey and ecclesiasti ...
in 779. The interpretation of the name ''Boteburon'' is unclear. The former village was situated around the church of St Martin and, when first mentioned, was part of the
Duchy of Franconia The Duchy of Franconia (german: Herzogtum Franken) was one of the five stem duchies of East Francia and the medieval Kingdom of Germany emerging in the early 10th century. The word Franconia, first used in a Latin charter of 1053, was applied ...
. The town of Großbottwar was probably founded in the mid-13th century, very near the former village, and first described as a city in 1279. An alliance of three noble families of the area founded the town, the Swabian family , the Swabian and Austrian family Hoheneck, and the owners of the nearby Lichtenberg Castle, bearing its name. In 1357 the von Lichtenbergs sold the castle, and the related rule, including the town, to
Eberhard II, Count of Württemberg Eberhard II, called ''"der Greiner"'' (the Jarrer) (after 1315 – 15 March 1392, in Stuttgart), Count of Württemberg from 1344 until 1392. Eberhard II was son of Count Ulrich III of Württemberg and Sofie of Pfirt. He married Countess Eli ...
. A school of Latin was established in the town sometime around 1490 and continued teaching until 1925. In April 1525, Großbottwar became involved in insurgency in the
German Peasants' War The German Peasants' War, Great Peasants' War or Great Peasants' Revolt (german: Deutscher Bauernkrieg) was a widespread popular revolt in some German-speaking areas in Central Europe from 1524 to 1525. It failed because of intense oppositio ...
, when two hundred citizens of the town moved to the Wunnenstein mountain and elected Matern Feuerbacher as their leader in the peasants' revolt. The cluster of peasants joining the rebellion increased rapidly as the group marched, increasing Feuerbacher's responsibility, but the resulting battle at
Böblingen Böblingen (; Swabian: ''Beblenga'') is a town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, seat of Böblingen District. Sindelfingen and Böblingen are contiguous. History Böblingen was founded by Count Wilhelm von Tübingen-Böblingen in 1253. Württ ...
on 12 May was a critical loss for the peasants, and one of the bloodiest of the whole uprising. Großbottwar was fined for partaking in the revolt and Feuerbacher was tried for his role as their leader, but he was acquitted and moved to Switzerland. A secondary school in the town is named after him.


Arts and culture

Großbottwar is situated on the
Württemberg Württemberg ( ; ) is a historical German territory roughly corresponding to the cultural and linguistic region of Swabia. The main town of the region is Stuttgart. Together with Baden and Hohenzollern, two other historical territories, Wür ...
''Weinstraße'', or wine road, a tourist route through the Württemberg wine region. The old town is well preserved, as it has been fortunate to have largely escaped damage from war and fire. Many
half-timbered Timber framing (german: Holzfachwerk) and "post-and-beam" construction are traditional methods of building with heavy timbers, creating structures using squared-off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden ...
buildings from the 15th to the 17th centuries are still intact, as is some of the original mediaeval wall that once stood around the town, although large sections of it were torn down between 1820 and 1837. The landmark of the town is the historic ''Rathaus'', or town hall, built in 1553, with gabling completed in 1556. It features elaborate timber framing with a clock, sundial, and carved stork on the façade. The wooden stork is jointed at the neck and nods its head when the clock strikes the hour. The inventor
Philipp Matthäus Hahn Philipp Matthäus Hahn (25 November 1739 in Scharnhausen (today part of Ostfildern), Duchy of Württemberg – 2 May 1790 in Echterdingen (today part of Leinfelden-Echterdingen)) was a German pastor, astronomer and inventor. In about 1763 he d ...
built the clock in 1776. Originally, the ground floor of the town hall was open and contained the city bakery. The next floor up was a dance workshop and banquet hall, and the floor above was a court room. It is likely that a fountain stood outside the hall since the founding of the town. The fountain was renovated in 1774, but the standing lion put in place was made of sandstone and weathered quickly. The sandstone was replaced in 1873 with cast iron lions. Renovations to the fountain were again needed in 1930, and the lions were replaced by a figure of a sower. Another fine half-timbered building of the town is ''Stadtschänke'' ("City Tavern"), which was probably built in 1434 and features long walls which would have been expensive and complicated to build. ''Stadtschänke'' is the oldest half-timbered building in the Ludwigsburg district and houses a restaurant and bed and breakfast business.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Grossbottwar Ludwigsburg (district)