Oberstenfeld () is a municipality in the district of

Ludwigsburg Ludwigsburg (; Swabian German, Swabian: ''Ludisburg'') is a Cities of Germany, city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, about north of Stuttgart city centre, near the river Neckar. It is the largest and primary city of the Ludwigsburg (district), Lu ...

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 is located about 40 km north of

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...

Geography

Oberstenfeld is located in the upper Bottwar river valley. It lies in the northeast of the district of Ludwigsburg. In the north it borders to the Löwenstein Hills, in the west there are the hills Forstberg and Wunnenstein covered by

vineyard A vineyard ( , ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines. Many vineyards exist for winemaking; others for the production of raisins, table grapes, and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is kno ...

Neighboring towns

The closest neighboring towns are Beilstein to the north and Großbottwar to the south.

Incorporated villages

The villages Gronau (located northeast of Oberstenfeld) and Prevorst (located about five kilometers northeast in the Löwensteiner Berge hills) are incorporated. Prevorst is an

exclave An enclave is a territory that is entirely surrounded by the territory of only one other state or entity. An enclave can be an independent territory or part of a larger one. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is s ...

located between the Heilbronn district and the Rems-Murr district. With an elevation of 482m it is the highest location of the Ludwigsburg district.

Transport

Road links

The motorway ''

Autobahn The (; German , ) is the federal controlled-access highway system in Germany. The official term is (abbreviated ''BAB''), which translates as 'federal motorway'. The literal meaning of the word is 'Federal Auto(mobile) Track'. Much of t ...

'' A81 (

Zürich Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...

–

Singen Singen (; Low Alemannic German, Low Alemannic: ''Singe'') is an industrial city in the very south of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany and just north of the German-Swiss border. Location Singen is an industrial city situated in the far sout ...

–

Würzburg Würzburg (; Main-Franconian: ) is, after Nuremberg and Fürth, the Franconia#Towns and cities, third-largest city in Franconia located in the north of Bavaria. Würzburg is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. It sp ...

–

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

) is nearby and reachable within minutes.

Public transport

The

Verkehrs- und Tarifverbund Stuttgart The ''Verkehrs- und Tarifverbund Stuttgart GmbH'' (VVS; ) is a List of German transport associations, transport association that coordinates the local public transport in Stuttgart, the capital of Baden-Württemberg, as well as in the neighbouri ...

(VVS) operates

bus A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a motor vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van, but fewer than the average rail transport. It is most commonly used ...

stops in Oberstenfeld and its incorporated villages which connects them to the larger metropolitan area

. Northwards, when crossing the border to the Heilbronn district, starting in the neighboring town of Beilstein, the buses are operated by the Heilbronner Hohenloher Haller Nahverkehr (HNV), giving access to the city of

Heilbronn Heilbronn () is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in northern Baden-Württemberg, Germany, surrounded by Heilbronn (district), Heilbronn District. From the late Middle Ages on, it developed into an important trading centre. At the begi ...

History

Oberstenfeld originated in the 7th or 8th century, and belonged to the Lichtenberg castle residing above the town. The Oberstenfeld nunnery was founded in 1016 CE, its patronage was taken over in 1357 CE when the count of Lichtenberg sold the town to the dukes of Württemberg. In 1540 CE it adopted the

reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

but remained a part of the

Imperial Knight The Free Imperial Knights (, ) were free nobles of the Holy Roman Empire, whose direct overlord was the Holy Roman Emperor, Emperor. They were the remnants of the medieval free nobility (''edelfrei'') and the ministerialis, ministeriales. What ...

s until 1803 CE when it was taken in by the

duchy of Württemberg The Duchy of Württemberg () was a duchy located in the south-western part of the Holy Roman Empire. It was a Imperial Estate, state of the Holy Roman Empire from 1495 to 1803. The dukedom's long survival for over three centuries was mainly du ...

. The community Prevorst as well as the Lichtenberg castle were taken over by the dukes of Württemberg from the count of Lichtenberg in 1357 CE, (A few years before in (1350 CE) they had acquired Gronau from the

Margraves of Baden The Margraviate of Baden () was a historical territory of the Holy Roman Empire. Spread along the right banks of the Upper Rhine in south-western Germany, it was named a margraviate in 1112 and existed until 1535, when it was split into the two ...

, and from this time Prevorst belonged to Gronau). The three villages were conjointly assigned to the de:Oberamt Marbach since 1810 CE. In 1938 CE Oberstenfeld was allotted to the Ludwigsburg district while Gronau and Prevorst became a part of the Heilbronn district. On January 1, 1972, Gronau and Prevorst changed the district and were assigned to Oberstenfeld.

Politics

Municipal council

The outcome of the municipal council elections on June 13. 2004 was: * FBWV 31,9% (−0,9): 6 seats (=) * CDU 28,1% (−0,4): 6 seats (=) * SPD 23,9% (+1,6): 5 seats (+1) * OBLO 16,0% (−0,4): 3 seats (=)

Demographics

Population development:

State institutions

Education

The Lichtenbergschule in Oberstenfeld is an elementary school and a

Hauptschule A ''Hauptschule'' (, "general school") is a secondary school in Germany, starting after four years of elementary schooling (''Grundschule''), which offers Lower Secondary Education (Level 2) according to the International Standard Classification ...

with

Werkrealschule Werkrealschule is a relatively young branch of German secondary education (e.g. in Baden-Württemberg), which offers pupils additional lessons in grades 8 and 9 and allows them to qualify after ten years with a final exam which is equal to graduatio ...

. There are six

Kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cen ...

Public institutions

Religion

There are one

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

and three

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

churches as well as one

mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...

Culture and attractions

Sights

Image:Oberstenfeld - Burg Lichtenberg - Ansicht von WSW (2).jpg, Lichtenberg castle Image:OberstenfeldPeterskirche.jpg, Peterskirche Located on top of a hill, amidst idyllic vineyards, the town is guarded by the Lichtenberg castle. The Romanesque Peterskirche (Peter's church) is situated on a hill, about one kilometer north of downtown Oberstenfeld. Built in the mid 11th century, it is a relict of a lost precursor commune. The

choir A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

was arched over and the church's inside was painted with frescos in the 13th century. Some of those frescos are still present today. The church was nearly forgotten and unused for a long time. However, it is used for

protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

and occasionally also for

services since it was restored between 1973 and 1976. The Cyriakuskirche (Cyriakus' church), located in Gronau, is second eldest church of the municipality. Its choirtower is a relict of the Gothic first building phase in the 13th and 14th century. It was rebuilt and extended in 1599. The collegiate church (German: "Stiftskirche") St. Johannes der Täufer (

St. John the Baptist John the Baptist ( – ) was a Jewish preacher active in the area of the Jordan River in the early first century AD. He is also known as Saint John the Forerunner in Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy, John the Immerser in some Baptist ...

), located downtown Oberstenfeld, is one of the state's most important Romanesque churches. The

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

was built about 1220, the choirtower about 1230 CE. It is open to the public May to October on Sundays between 11 am and 1 pm. Guided tours are available for value. Nearby is the Dorfkirche (community church), which was built in the 9th century as Galluskapelle (Gallus' chapel). It became the prayer room of the market town community in contradiction to the collegiate church which was reserved for the canonesses. After heavy damage in 1693 it was newly built in 1738. The porch in the north is decorated with the coat of arms of the municipality, which can also be found on the weather vane. In the centre are a few restored

baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

timbered framed houses. Among them are: * the town hall, built single-story in 1698 and got two more stories attached in 1840 * the timber-framed house in the Großbottwerer Straße 14, built in 1700 * the bakery which is the former :de:Pfrundhaus built in 1702, originally used as dwelling for the canonesses. It is also the birthplace of the democrat Johannes Nefflen * the winemaker's house (Winzerhaus) in Berggasse 2, built in 1737 * the cooper's house (Küferhaus) in the Küfergasse 15, built in 1726 A few minutes walk south of the old centre is the former train station of the Bottwarbahn.

Economy

Oberstenfeld has several medium-sized businesses as well as bigger employers like Werzalit or Hoerbiger.

Twin towns

In September 2005

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

Town of

Verbicaro Verbicaro ( Calabrian: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Cosenza in, Calabria, southern Italy. International relations Verbicaro is twinned with Oberstenfeld, Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is ...

in the Province of

Cosenza Cosenza (; Languages of Calabria#Northern Calabrian (Cosentian), Cosentian: ''Cusenza'', ) is a city located in Calabria, Italy. The city centre has a population of approximately 70,000, while the urban area counts more than 200,000 inhabitants. ...

became a sister city. Many of the citizens of Italian descent have roots in this town in

Calabria Calabria is a Regions of Italy, region in Southern Italy. It is a peninsula bordered by the region Basilicata to the north, the Ionian Sea to the east, the Strait of Messina to the southwest, which separates it from Sicily, and the Tyrrhenian S ...

. A sign at the town's entrance was installed as a reminder of the town twinning.

References

{{Authority control Towns in Baden-Württemberg Ludwigsburg (district)