Eppingen

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Coordinates: 49°8′N, 8°56′E

Eppingen


Country	Germany
State	Baden-Württemberg
Administrative region	Stuttgart
District	Heilbronn
Population	21,145 (2004)
Area	88.59 km²
Population density	239 /km²
Elevation	191 m
Coordinates	49°8′ N 8°56′ E
Postal code	75020-75031
Area code	07262, 07260, 07138
Licence plate code	HN
Mayor	Klaus Holaschke
Website	eppingen.de

Eppingen is a small town in the northwest of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is situated in the district of Heilbronn. The town has about 21,145 inhabitants and has the second largest population in the district.

Eppingen lies in the Kraichgau, a hilly region in southwestern Germany, close to the confluence of the Elsenz and Hilsbach Rivers .

1 History
2 Economy and Infrastructure
3 Traffic and Roads
4 Landmarks
5 Town partnerships
6 See also
7 External links

[edit] History

Eppingen was first mentioned in 985 when Otto III gave the settlement to the diocese of Worms. The ending "-ingen" was common for towns colonised by the Alamanni clan in the 3rd and 4th centuries.

Eppingen was owned by Salier in the 11th century, and by the Staufer in the 12th century. In 1188, it became a fortified village and, in 1192, a town, elevated by Heinrich VI. The town was distrained several times in the 14th century, but never lost the status of a town. After the win of the Electoral Palatinate over margraviate Baden in 1435, it finally became a part of the Electoral Palatinate but was once more distrained to the knights of Gemmingen, from 1469 to approximately 1520. In the 15th and 16th centuries, Eppingen underwent an economic boom during which its Latin school was first mentioned (1421).

During the Palatinate wars of succession, Eppingen functioned as the main storage facility for the German army. From 1695 to 1697, the Eppinger "Linien" (Eppingen lines of defence) were built. They served as large defending walls against French raids at that time. One watchtower, called the Chartaque, is still accessible. Eppingen was affiliated to Baden in 1803. It maintained the second oldest school of agriculture in Baden. At the end of the 19th century, Eppingen was connected to the railway network (1879 to Karlsruhe, 1880 to Heilbronn and 1899 to Heidelberg).

During 1971 and 1972, Eppingen annexed the six surrounding communities of Adelshofen, Elsenz, Richen, Rohrbach am Gießhübel, Kleingartach and Mühlbach. In 2000, Eppingen's population exceeded 20,000; and it attained the status of a district town in 2002.

[edit] Population Change

Year	Population
1778	1.570
1809	2.320
1825	2.750
1852	3.266
1 December 1871	3.337
1 December 1880 ¹	3.621
1 December 1890 ¹	3.546
1 December 1900 ¹	3.467
1 December 1910 ¹	3.402
8 October 1919 ¹	3.372
16 June 1925 ¹	3.389
16 June 1933 ¹	3.506

Year	Population
17 May 1939 ¹	3.416
December 1945	3.863
13 September 1950 ¹	4.891
6 June 1961 ¹	5.501
27 May 1970 ¹	6.708
31 December 1975	14.870
31 December 1980	14.833
27 May 1987 ¹	15.462
31 December 1990	16.418
31 December 1995	18.688
31 December 2000	20.257
30 June 2004	21.017

[edit] Previous Mayors and Head Mayors

1808-1813: Heinrich Jakob Raußmüller, Head Mayor
1813-1816: Carl Morano, Head Mayor
1816-1831: Ludwig Lother, Head Mayor
1831-1844: Friedrich Hochstetter, Mayor
1844-1847: Johann Ludwig Raußmüller, Mayor
1847-1859: Wilhelm Lother, Mayor
1859-1866: Gustav Hochstetter, Mayor
1866-1870: Ludwig Lother, Mayor
1870-1878: Heinrich Raußmüller, Mayor
1878-1890: Paul Bentel, Mayor
1890-1894: Heinrich Schmelcher, Mayor
1894-1903: Philipp Vielhauer, Mayor
1903-1933: Albert Wirth, Mayor
1933-1937: Karl Doll, Mayor
1937-1945: Karl Zutavern, Mayor
1945-1948: Jakob Dörr, Mayor
1948-1966: Karl Thomä, Mayor
1966-1980: Rüdiger Peuckert, Mayor
1980-2004: Erich Pretz, Mayor until 1. January 2002 then Head Mayor
2004-now: Klaus Holaschke, Head Mayor

[edit] Town Crest

The crest of Eppingen shows a two gold beams split with a red beam, with a red and gold eagle on the right. The crest is bordered in black, and the city flag is red-yellow.

[edit] Economy and Infrastructure

[edit] Traffic and Roads

Eppingen can be reached by Freeway 6 (Mannheim-Heilbronn). Also, the B293 (Karlsruhe–Heilbronn) goes through to town zone, however it acts as a bypass around the main town area.

[edit] Landmarks

The Pfeifferturm, built in the 13th century, serves as the town's landmark. The "Old University" (German: Alte Universität) was built in 1494 and 1495 in the style of a late medieval store. Its name is a reminder of the year 1564, when a part of Heidelberg University was moved to Eppingen because of the plague. The Baumann House (German: Baumannsche Haus) is one of the prettiest and most famous timbered houses in the entire area of northern Baden. There are many beautiful timbered houses in downtown Eppingen, and because of this the city is a part of the German 'Fachwerkstraße' (German route of the most beautiful timbered houses).

[edit] Town partnerships

Eppingen has official partnerships with the French town of Wassy (département Haute-Marne) since 1967, the English town of Epping (Essex) since 1981 and the Hungarian town of Szigetvár (Baranya) since 1992. There are student exchange programs between schools of Eppingen and the partner towns every year.