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Ladenburg () is a town in northwestern
Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg ( ; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a states of Germany, 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 i ...
,
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
. It lies on the right bank of the river
Neckar The Neckar () is a river in Germany, mainly flowing through the southwestern States of Germany, 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 ...
, northwest of
Heidelberg Heidelberg (; ; ) is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fifth-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with a population of about 163,000, of which roughly a quarter consists of studen ...
and east of
Mannheim Mannheim (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: or ), officially the University City of Mannheim (), is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, second-largest city in Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart, the States of Ger ...
. The town's history goes back to the
Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foot ...
and Roman Ages, when it was called
Lopodunum Ladenburg () is a town in northwestern Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It lies on the right bank of the river Neckar, northwest of Heidelberg and east of Mannheim. The town's history goes back to the Celtic and Roman Ages, when it was called L ...
. Emperor
Trajan Trajan ( ; born Marcus Ulpius Traianus, 18 September 53) was a Roman emperor from AD 98 to 117, remembered as the second of the Five Good Emperors of the Nerva–Antonine dynasty. He was a philanthropic ruler and a successful soldier ...
elevated it to city status ('
civitas In Ancient Rome, the Latin term (; plural ), according to Cicero in the time of the late Roman Republic, was the social body of the , or citizens, united by Roman law, law (). It is the law that binds them together, giving them responsibilitie ...
') in 98 AD. The historic
old town In a city or town, the old town is its historic or original core. Although the city is usually larger in its present form, many cities have redesignated this part of the city to commemorate its origins. In some cases, newer developments on t ...
and its Fachwerkhäuser date back to the
Late Middle Ages The late Middle Ages or late medieval period was the Periodization, period of History of Europe, European history lasting from 1300 to 1500 AD. The late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern period ( ...
when Ladenburg was the capital of the
Prince-Bishopric of Worms The Prince-Bishopric of Worms was an ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire. Located on both banks of the Rhine around Worms just north of the union of that river with the Neckar, it was largely surrounded by the Electorate of the ...
. Famous residents include
Carl Benz Carl (or Karl) Friedrich Benz (; born Karl Friedrich Michael Vaillant; 25 November 1844 – 4 April 1929) was a German engine designer and automotive engineer. His Benz Patent-Motorwagen from 1885 is considered the first practical modern automob ...
, inventor of the first automobile. The
Bertha Benz Memorial Route The Bertha Benz Memorial Route is a German tourist and theme route in Baden-Württemberg and member of the European Route of Industrial Heritage. It opened in 2008 and follows the tracks of the world's first long distance road trip by a vehi ...
, named after Carl's wife
Bertha Bertha is a female Germanic name, from Old High German ''berhta'' meaning "bright one". It was usually a short form of Anglo Saxon names ''Beorhtgifu'' meaning "bright gift" or ''Beorhtwynn'' meaning "bright joy". The name occurs as a theonym, s ...
, runs through the town.


Geography


Location and natural environment

Ladenburg lies on the
Neckar The Neckar () is a river in Germany, mainly flowing through the southwestern States of Germany, 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 ...
alluvial cone at an altitude of 96 to 106 metres in the
Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region The Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region (, ), often referred to as the Rhein-Neckar Triangle, is a polycentric metropolitan region located in south western Germany, between the Frankfurt/Rhine-Main region to the north and the Stuttgart Region to ...
in the
Upper Rhine Plain The Upper Rhine Plain, Rhine Rift Valley or Upper Rhine Graben ( German: ''Oberrheinische Tiefebene'', ''Oberrheinisches Tiefland'' or ''Oberrheingraben'', French: ''Vallée du Rhin'') is a major rift, about and on average , between Basel in the ...
. South of the built-up area the Kandelbach flows into the Neckar. The district extends over 1900 hectares. Of these, 24.7 percent are settlement and transport areas, 71.8 percent are used for agriculture and 2.8 percent are water areas. The nearest major cities are each about eleven kilometres away,
Heidelberg Heidelberg (; ; ) is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fifth-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with a population of about 163,000, of which roughly a quarter consists of studen ...
in the southeast and
Mannheim Mannheim (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: or ), officially the University City of Mannheim (), is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, second-largest city in Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart, the States of Ger ...
in the northwest, with which there is no direct border. Ladenburg Kandelbach 2011.JPG, Kandelbach in Ladenburg Ladenburg Schwan.jpg, Swan on the Neckar File:2013.08.04.-05-Ladenburg-Hauhechel-Blaeuling-Maennchen.jpg, Male
Polyommatus icarus The common blue butterfly or European common blue (''Polyommatus icarus'') is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae and subfamily Polyommatinae. The butterfly is found throughout the Palearctic and has been introduced to North America. Butterfli ...
File:2013.08.04.-18-Ladenburg-Graureiher.jpg,
Grey heron The grey heron (''Ardea cinerea'') is a long-legged wading bird of the heron family, Ardeidae, native throughout temperate Europe and Asia, and also parts of Africa. It is resident in much of its range, but some populations from the more norther ...
File:Fields in Ladenburg.jpg, Much of Ladenburg is surrounded by fields.


Town division

The hamlets of Neubotzheim and Neuzeilsheim and the Rosenhof district belong to the town of Ladenburg. In the town area are the Wüstungen of Botzheim, Meerhof and Zeilsheim.


Neighbouring towns

Ladenburg's city area borders on
Ilvesheim Ilvesheim () is a municipality of about 9,300 residents (2022) in the district of Rhein-Neckar in Baden-Württemberg in Germany. It is one of the first towns located along the famous Bertha Benz Memorial Route. History Ilvesheim was first me ...
in the west down the Neckar river,
Heddesheim Heddesheim is a municipality in the district of Rhein-Neckar-Kreis, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated 9 km east of Mannheim, and 7 km southwest of Weinheim Weinheim (; ) is a town with about 43,000 inhabitants in northwes ...
in the north, the town of Leutershausen in Hirschberg follows in the northeast towards the
Odenwald The Odenwald () is a low mountain range in the Germany, German states of Hesse, Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. Location The Odenwald is located between the Upper Rhine Plain with the Bergstraße Route, Bergstraße and the ''Hessisches Ried' ...
, south of Leutershausen lies the Bergstrasse town of
Schriesheim Schriesheim (; South Franconian: ''Schriese'') is a town located in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is part of the Rhein-Neckar-Kreis and the Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region. Geography Schriesheim lies on the Bergstraße, at the western ed ...
followed by
Dossenheim Dossenheim (; ) is a municipality in the Rhein-Neckar-Kreis (district) in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located on Bergstraße (which is the reason it is occasionally called "Dossenheim and der Bergstraße") and the Bertha Benz Memorial Rou ...
in the southeast. The course of the river Neckar forms the border to
Edingen-Neckarhausen Edingen-Neckarhausen () is a municipality in the district of Rhein-Neckar-Kreis, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated on the left bank of the Neckar. Geography Edingen-Neckarhausen lies about 12 km south-east of Mannheim and so ...
.


Climate

Ladenburg, like
Heidelberg Heidelberg (; ; ) is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fifth-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with a population of about 163,000, of which roughly a quarter consists of studen ...
, belongs to the warmest area in Germany. The amount of precipitation on the district increases from west to east and fluctuates between 650 and 800 mm. The nearest climate station in Heidelberg measured an average temperature of 11.1 °C and a precipitation of 745 mm per year between 1971 and 2000. The warmest month is July with an average temperature of 20.1 °C, the coldest month is January with 2.5 °C.


History


Antiquity

Ladenburg describes itself as the oldest town in Germany on the right side of the
Rhine The Rhine ( ) is one of the List of rivers of Europe, major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Austria–Swit ...
. The first settlement of the town took place sometime between 3000 and 200 BC. Ladenburg initially existed as the Celtic settlement Lokudunom, which means sea castle. In 200 BC the Celtic centre of the Gaume was moved from Heiligenberg near
Heidelberg Heidelberg (; ; ) is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fifth-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with a population of about 163,000, of which roughly a quarter consists of studen ...
to Ladenburg. In the year 40, the Romans settled
Suebi file:1st century Germani.png, 300px, The approximate positions of some Germanic peoples reported by Graeco-Roman authors in the 1st century. Suebian peoples in red, and other Irminones in purple. The Suebi (also spelled Suavi, Suevi or Suebians ...
an Elbe Germans as a peasant militia. In the Roman sources they are called Suebi Nicrenses ("Neckarsueben"). In 74 AD, the Romans founded an auxiliary fort there with a camp village (
vicus In Ancient Rome, the Latin term (plural ) designated a village within a rural area () or the neighbourhood of a larger settlement. During the Republican era, the four of the city of Rome were subdivided into . In the 1st century BC, Augustus ...
), the nucleus of the later city. The garrison included an auxilian cavalry division of the Germanic
Cananefates The Cananefates, or Canninefates, Caninefates, or Canenefatae, meaning 'boat masters' – or less likely, 'leek masters' – were a Germanic tribe, who lived in the Rhine delta, in western Batavia (later Betuwe), in the Roman province of ''Germ ...
, their name means "
leek A leek is a vegetable, a cultivar of ''Allium ampeloprasum'', the broadleaf wild leek (synonym (taxonomy), syn. ''Allium porrum''). The edible part of the plant is a bundle of Leaf sheath, leaf sheaths that is sometimes erroneously called a "s ...
masters". In 98 Emperor Trajan elevated the settlement of Lopodunum to
civitas In Ancient Rome, the Latin term (; plural ), according to Cicero in the time of the late Roman Republic, was the social body of the , or citizens, united by Roman law, law (). It is the law that binds them together, giving them responsibilitie ...
(city status) and to the capital of the Civitas Ulpia Sueborum Nicrensium; after the emperor's gentile name - Ulpius - the place received the
epithet An epithet (, ), also a byname, is a descriptive term (word or phrase) commonly accompanying or occurring in place of the name of a real or fictitious person, place, or thing. It is usually literally descriptive, as in Alfred the Great, Suleima ...
Ulpia. The settlement flourished in the second and early third century, as evidenced by numerous archaeological finds. Around the year 220 the Roman town had a forum with a market
basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica (Greek Basiliké) was a large public building with multiple functions that was typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek Eas ...
, a weekly market, temples, a Roman theatre, thermal baths, palaces and a town wall. The public buildings were unusually large compared to other settlements in the region. The walled area was about 32 hectares, scattered finds even occupy a settlement area of about 45 hectares. Thus Ladenburg was the largest Roman town in today's Baden-Württemberg, even before
Rottweil Rottweil (; Alemannic: ''Rautweil'') is a town in southwest Germany in the state of Baden-Württemberg. Rottweil was a free imperial city for nearly 600 years. Located between the Black Forest and the Swabian Alps, Rottweil has over 25,000 ...
, Rottenburg,
Bad Cannstatt Bad Cannstatt (), also called Cannstatt (until July 23, 1933) or Kannstadt (until 1900), is one of the outer Stadtbezirke, or city boroughs, of Stuttgart in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Bad Cannstatt is the oldest and most populous of Stuttgart' ...
,
Bad Wimpfen Bad Wimpfen () is a historic spa town in the district of Heilbronn in the Baden-Württemberg region of southern Germany. It lies north of the city of Heilbronn, on the river Neckar. Geography Bad Wimpfen is located on the west bank of the River ...
, Heidenheim and
Heidelberg Heidelberg (; ; ) is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fifth-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with a population of about 163,000, of which roughly a quarter consists of studen ...
. In the year 260 or shortly before, apparently
Alamanni The Alemanni or Alamanni were a confederation of Germanic tribes * * * on the Upper Rhine River during the first millennium. First mentioned by Cassius Dio in the context of the campaign of Roman emperor Caracalla of 213 CE, the Alemanni c ...
destroyed the city after the imperial troops had abandoned the decumate land. However, some locals stayed and handed down the Roman place name. Emperor Valentinian I retook the settlement in 369 and had a country castle, a late antique harbour fortification, built, which could only be entered from the Neckar. Around the middle of the 5th century, probably in 454 after the collapse of the
Hun Empire The Huns were a nomadic people who lived in Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Eastern Europe between the 4th and 6th centuries AD. According to European tradition, they were first reported living east of the Volga River, in an area that was par ...
, the Roman rule in the Ladenburg area finally came to an end.


Migration Period and Middle Ages

As early as 496 the
Merovingians The Merovingian dynasty () was the ruling family of the Franks from around the middle of the 5th century until Pepin the Short in 751. They first appear as "Kings of the Franks" in the Roman army of northern Gaul. By 509 they had united all the ...
built a royal court in Ladenburg which has been handed down as a palace. Lobdenburg became the capital of the Lobdengau. In 628, the
Frankish Frankish may refer to: * Franks, a Germanic tribe and their culture ** Frankish language or its modern descendants, Franconian languages, a group of Low Germanic languages also commonly referred to as "Frankish" varieties * Francia, a post-Roman ...
King
Dagobert I Dagobert I (; 603/605 – 19 January 639) was King of the Franks. He ruled Austrasia (623–634) and Neustria and Burgundy (629–639). He has been described as the last king of the Merovingian dynasty to wield real royal power, after which the ...
"gave away" the town and the region to the diocese of Worms. In 874 King Ludwig the German documented Lobetenburg. In
Carolingian The Carolingian dynasty ( ; known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolingus, Carolings, Karolinger or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family named after Charles Martel and his grandson Charlemagne, descendants of the Arnulfing and Pippinid c ...
times, Ladenburg was one of the few towns in the empire that were designated as Civitas Publica, which presupposes the continued existence of the royal court. Already in the 10th century the first medieval city walls were built. In 1006 King Heinrich II, the saint, confirmed to the
bishop of Worms The Prince-Bishopric of Worms was an ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire. Located on both banks of the Rhine around Worms just north of the union of that river with the Neckar, it was largely surrounded by the Electorate of the ...
all possessions of the cathedral monastery of Ladenburg and five years later he granted the bishop the county of Lobdengau. In 1253, the community made its first appearance with a
Schultheiß In medieval Germany, the ''Schultheiß'' () was the head of a municipality (akin to today's office of mayor), a '' Vogt'' or an executive official of the ruler. As official (''villicus'') it was his duty to order his assigned village or county ( ...
, aldermen and citizens. In 1385 the dominion over Ladenburg was divided between Worms and the Palatinate after a bloody feud. In 1400 the citizens of
Worms The World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) is a taxonomic database that aims to provide an authoritative and comprehensive catalogue and list of names of marine organisms. Content The content of the registry is edited and maintained by scien ...
disobeyed their bishop and expelled him, whereupon Ladenburg became the seat of the bishop. In 1412, Bishop Johann II von Fleckenstein had the south tower of St. Gallus Church built, "because he, as bishop, is entitled to two towers", thus a cathedral. Under Bishop Johann III von Dalberg (1455-1503) Ladenburg had its greatest flourishing. In 1512, on the threshold of modern times, his friend Emperor Maximilian visited the town.


Modern times

The later reformer
Reuchlin Johann Reuchlin (; 29 January 1455 – 30 June 1522), sometimes called Johannes, was a German Catholic humanist and a scholar of Greek and Hebrew, whose work also took him to modern-day Austria, Switzerland, Italy, and France. Most of Reuchlin's c ...
was in charge of the book collection, which was taken over from the
Lorsch Abbey Lorsch Abbey, otherwise the Imperial Abbey of Lorsch (; or ''Laurissa''), is a former Imperial abbey in Lorsch, Germany, about east of Worms, Germany, Worms. It was one of the most important monasteries of the Carolingian Empire. Even in its ru ...
and supplemented with Dalberg's holdings and is known today as
Bibliotheca Palatina The Bibliotheca Palatina (" Palatinate library") of Heidelberg was the most important library of the German Renaissance, numbering approximately 5,000 printed books and 3,524 manuscripts. The Bibliotheca was a prominent prize captured during ...
. On Christmas Eve in 1564, a brawl broke out between the Reformed priest Eckard and Bishop Bettendorf in St. Gallus. In the following year Bettendorf reconciled with the Wormsers and left Ladenburg, the secondary residence remaining. Thereupon, Frederick III, the
Calvinist Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Protestantism, Continenta ...
Elector of the Palatinate had the church of St. Gallus plundered on
Good Friday Good Friday, also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Great and Holy Friday, or Friday of the Passion of the Lord, is a solemn Christian holy day commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary (Golgotha). It is observed during ...
and Catholic images destroyed (Kurpfälzer Bildersturm). During the Thirty Years' War, the town was partially destroyed by Peter Ernst II of Mansfeld in 1622 and plundered by General Mélac during the Palatinate War of Succession (1689-1693). In 1705 the brothers Elector Johann Wilhelm and Bishop Franz Ludwig von Pfalz-Neuburg agreed on a larger exchange of territory. Ladenburg, together with Neckarhausen, fell completely to the
Electoral Palatinate The Electoral Palatinate was a constituent state of the Holy Roman Empire until it was annexed by the Electorate of Baden in 1803. From the end of the 13th century, its ruler was one of the Prince-electors who elected the Holy Roman Empero ...
, who established an Oberamt (senior office) in Ladenburg with the town as its seat. After the French Revolution Ladenburg was occupied in the coalition wars of 1799 and
Napoléon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
rearranged the political map of Europe. The Kurpfalz was dissolved and the town fell to
Baden Baden (; ) is a historical territory in southern Germany. In earlier times it was considered to be on both sides of the Upper Rhine, but since the Napoleonic Wars, it has been considered only East of the Rhine. History The margraves of Ba ...
. It remained an official residence until 1863, when it was incorporated into the Mannheim District Office. When the
Baden Revolution The Baden Revolution () of 1848/1849 was a regional uprising in the Grand Duchy of Baden which was part of the Revolutions of 1848, revolutionary unrest that gripped almost all of Central Europe at that time. As part of the popular liberal Revol ...
was suppressed in 1849, the Neckar Bridge in Ladenburg was fiercely contested. The revolutionaries succeeded in conquering the town occupied by the
Prussians Prussia () was a German state that formed the German Empire in 1871. Prussia or Prussian may also refer to: *Prussia (region), a historical region on the south-eastern coast of the Baltic Sea that lent its name to the later German state Count ...
, thus covering the return march of the main forces. Politically, the
Social Democrats Social democracy is a social, economic, and political philosophy within socialism that supports political and economic democracy and a gradualist, reformist, and democratic approach toward achieving social equality. In modern practice, s ...
were the strongest force in Ladenburg since 1903. During the
Weimar Republic The Weimar Republic, officially known as the German Reich, was the German Reich, German state from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a constitutional republic for the first time in history; hence it is also referred to, and unofficially proclai ...
, they were temporarily eclipsed by the Zentrum due to the fragmentation of the left-wing party spectrum. From 1930 the
NSDAP The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party ( or NSDAP), was a far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported the ideology of Nazism. Its precursor, the German Workers ...
was the strongest party, receiving 34.2 percent of the vote in the Reichstag elections in March 1933. With the dissolution of the Landkreis Mannheim Ladenburg became part of the new
Rhein-Neckar-Kreis The Rhein-Neckar-Kreis is a district in the northwest of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The administrative headquarters are based in the city Heidelberg, which is a district-free city. As of 2019, the district is the most populous in Baden-Württe ...
in 1973. In 1974, the Altstadtfest (Old Town Festival) was held for the first time and has since developed into a visitor magnet. In 1979, the city was awarded the gold plaque by Federal President
Walter Scheel Walter Scheel (; 8 July 1919 – 24 August 2016) was a German statesman. A member of the Nazi Party who joined the Free Democratic Party of Germany (FDP) in 1946, he first served in government as the Federal Minister of Economic Cooperation and ...
in the federal competition "Stadtgestalt und Denkmalschutz im Städtebau" (urban design and monument protection in urban development). In 1998 the city celebrated its 1900th anniversary. In the same year, it hosted the "Heimattage Baden-Württemberg". In 2005, the Grünprojekt 2005 (Green Project), also known as the small
Landesgartenschau A ''Regional Garden Show'' (; ) is an exhibition on horticulture that takes place on a regular basis in several German and Austrian states. In Germany, a state horticultural show at the state level is the smaller counterpart to the Bundesgartenscha ...
, took place in Ladenburg.


Historical population


Culture and sights


Museums


Lobdengau-Museum

The Lobdengau-Museum is located in the Bischofshof (with open-air museum) and has the core themes: archaeology, town history and folk culture. In front of the museum is a copy of a Jupiter giant column, the original of which is in the museum. On the pedestal the four most important Roman deities are represented: *
Minerva Minerva (; ; ) is the Roman goddess of wisdom, justice, law, victory, and the sponsor of arts, trade, and strategy. She is also a goddess of warfare, though with a focus on strategic warfare, rather than the violence of gods such as Mars. Be ...
(Athena), goddess of wisdom *
Juno Juno commonly refers to: *Juno (mythology), the Roman goddess of marriage and queen of the gods * ''Juno'' (film), the 2007 film Juno may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional characters *Juno, a character in the book ''Juno of ...
, goddess of marriage and family *
Mercurius Mercury (; ) is a major god in Religion in ancient Rome, Roman religion and Roman mythology, mythology, being one of the 12 Dii Consentes within the ancient Roman pantheon. He is the god of financial gain, commerce, eloquence, messages, commu ...
, god of merchants *
Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the Gr ...
, hero renown for his strength The four female heads above represent the four seasons, the youngest one the spring, the woman with the headscarf the winter. At the top, the father of the gods rides a giant down, a sign of the victory of the Romans over the barbarians. When the
Alemanni The Alemanni or Alamanni were a confederation of Germanic peoples, Germanic tribes * * * on the Upper Rhine River during the first millennium. First mentioned by Cassius Dio in the context of the campaign of Roman emperor Caracalla of 213 CE ...
invaded Ladenburg around the year 220, they toppled this column. But the Roman Novanius Augustus had it renovated and put it up again. When the Alemanni came back 40 years later, they smashed the column and threw it into a well. Thus it was preserved and was discovered when a new house was built.


Automuseum Dr. Carl Benz

The Automobile Museum Dr. Carl Benz in Ladenburg moved in 2005. The current home of the collection is the almost 100-year-old factory buildings of . The historic factory, where automobiles were built at the beginning of the 20th century, was renovated with the support of
DaimlerChrysler AG Mercedes-Benz Group AG (formerly Daimler-Benz, DaimlerChrysler, and Daimler) is a Germany, German Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive company headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is o ...
and provides a great setting for the motor history exhibits (including over 80 vehicles and other objects) of the collector Winfried A. Seidel. The car of football legend
Fritz Walter Friedrich "Fritz" Walter (; 31 October 1920 – 17 June 2002) was a German footballer who spent his entire senior career at 1. FC Kaiserslautern. He usually played as an attacking midfielder or inside forward. In his time with the Germany an ...
, a 280 CE W 114 Coupé from 1973, is currently on display.


Buildings


Historical old town


Politics


Mayors

List of mayors: * 1914–1922: Wilhelm Fritsch * 1922–1931: Christian Koch (
SPD The Social Democratic Party of Germany ( , SPD ) is a social democratic political party in Germany. It is one of the major parties of contemporary Germany. Saskia Esken has been the party's leader since the 2019 leadership election together wi ...
) * 1931–1933: Hermann Hagen * 1933–1934: Alfred Reuther (
NSDAP The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party ( or NSDAP), was a far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported the ideology of Nazism. Its precursor, the German Workers ...
) * 1934–1945: Kurt Pohly (NSDAP) * 1945–1953: Adam Herdt ( CDU) * 1953–1965:
Hermann Hohn __NOTOC__ Hermann Hohn (11 October 1897 – 13 November 1968) was a German general in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II, who commanded several divisions. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves an ...
( FWV) * 1965–1993: Reinhold Schulz (SPD) * 1993–2001: Rolf Reble (CDU) * 2001–2017: Rainer Ziegler (SPD) * since 2017: Stefan Schmutz (SPD)


Municipal council

The Municipal Council of Ladenburg has 22 members, who are elected in direct elections for five years each. In addition, the mayor is the chairman of the municipal council. The municipal elections in 2019 led to the following result (in brackets: difference to 2014):


Coat of arms

The
blazon In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct an accurate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The visual d ...
of the coat of arms reads: ''In shield diagonally divided by silver and blue, a red castle with open gate and raised silver portcullis in the tin-plated and roofed low central part, between the two pointed outer pewter towers two diagonally crossed blue keys (beards turned up)''. It goes back to a seal of 1253. The colors silver and blue, which were only established in the 19th century, stand for the Kurpfalz. The crossed keys come from the coat of arms of the diocese of Worms. The castle is probably to be regarded as a city gate and thus refers to the city rights. The flag is blue and white. Ladenburg stadtwappen.jpg, City coat of arms with wrongly turned keybeards on the water tower of Ladenburg Banner Ladenburg.svg, The flag of Ladenburg


Economy

The
Rhein-Neckar-Kreis The Rhein-Neckar-Kreis is a district in the northwest of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The administrative headquarters are based in the city Heidelberg, which is a district-free city. As of 2019, the district is the most populous in Baden-Württe ...
, the district which Ladenburg is located in, ranked 30th out of 401 German districts on the Zukunftsatlas 2019, which indicates "Very high chances". Ladenburg itself has a high purchasing power, ranking highest in the Rhein-Neckar-Kreis.


Notable personalities

* Johan Damius (1570–1648), born in Ladenburg, member of the
Haarlem schutterij The Haarlem schutterij refers to a collective name for the voluntary Schutterij, civic guard of Haarlem, from medieval times up to the Batavian Revolution in 1794, when the guilds of Haarlem were disbanded. History During the Hook and Cod wars ...
, pictured (right) in Banquet of the officers of the Calivermen Civic Guard, Haarlem * Johann Friedrich von Seilern, (DE Wiki) (1646–1715), son of a dyer and later
Imperial Count Imperial Count (, ) was a title in the Holy Roman Empire. During the medieval era, it was used exclusively to designate the holder of an imperial county, that is, a fief held directly ( immediately) from the emperor, rather than from a prince wh ...
, was born in Ladenburg *
Christoph Sauer Christoph Sauer (1695 – September 25, 1758) was the first German-language printer and publisher in North America. Johann Christoph Sauer was born in 1695 in Ladenburg (near Heidelberg), the son of a Reformed pastor. He came to the county ...
(1695–1757), the first German-language printer and publisher in North America, was born in Ladenburg. * The brothers
Franz Xaver von Hertling Franz Xaver Joseph Ignaz Freiherr von Hertling (28 June 1780 – 13 September 1844) was a Bavarian lieutenant general and War Minister from 12 December 1836 until 11 November 1838. Biography Hertling was born in Ladenburg, the son of Jakob Anto ...
(1780–1844), and
Friedrich von Hertling Johann Friedrich Maximilian Joseph Freiherr von Hertling (14 October 1781 – 4 August 1850) was a Bavarian Lieutenant General that acted as thecalled "Verweser" War Minister for Bavaria from 28 January until 9 June 1839. He was the brother of Fra ...
(1781–1850), both Bavarian war ministers, were born in Ladenburg * Michael Frey (1787–1832), composer, violinist and conductor * Friedrich August Lehlbach, (DE Wiki) (1805–1875), pastor, member of the Baden Landtag, and father of the American politician Herman Lehlbach * Lambert Heinrich von Babo (1818–1899), chemist * Heinrich Siegel, (DE Wiki) (1830–1899), legal historian and professor at the
University of Vienna The University of Vienna (, ) is a public university, public research university in Vienna, Austria. Founded by Rudolf IV, Duke of Austria, Duke Rudolph IV in 1365, it is the oldest university in the German-speaking world and among the largest ...
*
Carl Benz Carl (or Karl) Friedrich Benz (; born Karl Friedrich Michael Vaillant; 25 November 1844 – 4 April 1929) was a German engine designer and automotive engineer. His Benz Patent-Motorwagen from 1885 is considered the first practical modern automob ...
(1844–1929), inventor of the automobile, husband of Bertha, lived in Ladenburg from 1906 until his death *
Bertha Benz Bertha Benz (; ; 3 May 1849 – 5 May 1944) was a German automotive pioneer. She was the business partner, investor and wife of automobile inventor Carl Benz. On 5 August 1888, she was the first person to drive an Internal combustion engine, int ...
, (1849–1944), first person to drive an automobile over a long distance, wife of Karl, lived in Ladenburg *
Hermann Hohn __NOTOC__ Hermann Hohn (11 October 1897 – 13 November 1968) was a German general in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II, who commanded several divisions. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves an ...
(1897–1968), German general, served in both World Wars, recipient of the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords, was mayor of Ladenburg for 12 years * Karl Langenbacher, (DE Wiki) (1908–1965), graphic designer, author of books and Hörspiele (radio drama), was born in Ladenburg *
Karl Wolf Carl Abou Samah (; born April 18, 1979), better known by his stage name Karl Wolf, is a Lebanese-Canadian musician based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Recently named “Father of A-Pop” Karl Wolf has been a singer, songwriter, and producer sin ...
(1912–1975), hammer thrower and participator in the
1952 Summer Olympics The 1952 Summer Olympics (, ), officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad (, ) and commonly known as Helsinki 1952, were an international multi-sport event held from 19 July to 3 August 1952 in Helsinki, Finland. After Japan declared in ...
* Karin Radermacher, (DE Wiki) (born 1945), politician for the SPD party, former member of the
Landtag of Bavaria The Landtag of Bavaria, officially known in English as the Bavarian State Parliament, is the unicameral legislature of the German state of Bavaria. The parliament meets in the Maximilianeum in Munich. Elections to the Landtag are held every ...
* Gerhard Kleinböck, (DE Wiki) (born 1952), politician for the SPD party, former member of the
Landtag of Baden-Württemberg The Landtag of Baden-Württemberg is the diet (assembly), diet of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It convenes in Stuttgart and currently consists of 154 members of five political parties. The majority before the 2021 Baden-Württemberg ...


International relations


Twin towns

Ladenburg is twinned with: * Garango, Burkina Faso, since 1983 *
Paternion Paternion () is a market town in the district of Villach-Land in the Austrian state of Carinthia. It is located within the Drava valley about in the north-west of the city of Villach. Geography Paternion is subdivided into six Katastralgemein ...
, Austria, since 1984


References


External links


Automuseum Dr. Carl Benz

Bertha Benz Memorial Route
{{Authority control Ladenburg Rhein-Neckar-Kreis Germania Superior Populated places established in the 1st century Populated places on the Neckar basin Populated riverside places in Germany