Reutlingen

Summary

Reutlingen (German pronunciation: [ˈʁɔʏtlɪŋən] ; Swabian: Reitlenga) is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is the capital of the eponymous district of Reutlingen. As of June 2018, it has an estimated population of 116,456.[3] Reutlingen has a university of applied sciences, which was founded in 1855, originally as a weavers' school. Today, Reutlingen is home to an established textile industry and also houses machinery, leather goods and steel manufacturing facilities. It has the narrowest street in the world, Spreuerhofstraße (width 31 cm).[4]

Reutlingen
A street view of Reutlingen
A street view of Reutlingen
Flag of Reutlingen
Coat of arms of Reutlingen
Location of Reutlingen within Reutlingen district
Alb-Donau-KreisBiberach (district)Böblingen (district)Esslingen (district)Esslingen (district)Göppingen (district)Sigmaringen (district)Tübingen (district)ZollernalbkreisBad UrachDettingen an der ErmsEngstingenEningenGomadingenGrabenstettenGrafenbergGutsbezirk MünsingenHayingenHohensteinHülbenLichtensteinMehrstettenMetzingenMünsingenPfronstettenPfullingenPfullingenPliezhausenReutlingenRiederichRömersteinSonnenbühlSt. JohannTrochtelfingenWalddorfhäslachWannweilZwiefalten
Reutlingen is located in Germany
Reutlingen
Reutlingen
Reutlingen is located in Baden-Württemberg
Reutlingen
Reutlingen
Coordinates: 48°29′N 9°13′E / 48.483°N 9.217°E / 48.483; 9.217
CountryGermany
StateBaden-Württemberg
DistrictReutlingen
Government
 • Lord mayor (2019–27) Thomas Keck[1] (SPD)
Area
 • Total87.06 km2 (33.61 sq mi)
Elevation
382 m (1,253 ft)
Population
 (2021-12-31)[2]
 • Total116,456
 • Density1,300/km2 (3,500/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes
72760–72770
Dialling codes07121, 07072, 07127
Vehicle registrationRT
Websitewww.reutlingen.de

Geography edit

 
Achalm tower

Reutlingen is located about 35 km (22 mi) south of the State capital of Baden-Württemberg, Stuttgart. It lies in the Southwest corner of Germany, right next to the Swabian Jura, and that is why it is often called The gateway to the Swabian Jura (German: Das Tor zur Schwäbischen Alb). The Echaz river, a tributary of the Neckar, flows through the city centre.

Along with the old university town of Tübingen (about 15 km (9.3 mi) to the west), Reutlingen is the centre of the Neckar-Alb region. It is also part of the larger Stuttgart Metropolitan Region.

History edit

 
Reütlingen – excerpt from Topographia Sueviae (Swabia), published by Matthäus Merian in 1643
 
View of Reutlingen from the forest register books created by Andreas Kieser
Imperial City of Reutlingen
Reichsstadt Reutlingen
1240–1803
StatusFree Imperial City of the Holy Roman Empire
CapitalReutlingen
GovernmentRepublic
Historical eraMiddle Ages
• Founded
4th–5th century
• Gained Reichsfreiheit
1240
• Co-founded Swabian League
1331
• Signed Augsburg Confession
1530
• Destroyed by fire
1726
1803
Preceded by
Succeeded by
  Duchy of Württemberg
Electorate of Württemberg  

The first settlements in the area are believed to date from the 4th or 5th century. Some time around 1030, Count Egino started to build a castle on top of the Achalm, one of the largest mountains in Reutlingen district (about 706 m). One of the towers of this castle was rebuilt in the 19th century and is open to visitors. The name Reutlingen was first mentioned in writing in the so-called Bempflingen Treaty (German: Bempflinger Vertrag) which is dated approximately 1089–90.

Around 1180, Reutlingen received market rights and, between 1220 and 1240 it was promoted to city status and city-walls and fortifications were built. Shortly thereafter, from 1247 to 1343, the city's landmark, the St. Mary's Church (German: Marienkirche) was built.

In 1377 Reutlingen was the scene of a victory by the Swabian League, formed in the previous year by 14 Swabian cities, led by Ulm, over the Count of Württemberg. In 1519, a later Swabian League came to Reutlingen's help when Ulrich, Duke of Württemberg attempted to seize the city; the League landed a crushing blow, conquering Württemberg and selling it to Charles V. In 1495 and 1516 the Jews were exiled from the city.[5]

As a result of such struggles, Reutlingen became an Imperial City of the Holy Roman Empire, free from allegiance to the Duke of Württemberg. In 1530, Reutlingen's city council signed the Augsburg Confession, and in 1580 and the Formula of Concord, key documents of Lutheranism. In 1803, in the wake of the French Revolutionary Wars, Reutlingen lost its independence in the German Mediatisation, being restored to Württemberg.

The worst disaster in the history of Reutlingen happened in 1726, when a major fire swept through the city, destroying 80% of all residential houses and almost all public buildings, and making 1,200 families homeless. The impact of this fire, which lasted three days, is still visible today.

During World War II, the wings of the V-1 flying bomb were manufactured in Reutlingen, making the city the target of several allied bombing raids.

The reconstruction of Reutlingen and its democratization is closely linked to the name Oskar Kalbfells, who was the first democratically elected mayor of the city to shape Reutlingen's political history until 1973 after World War II.

In 1947 Reutlingen came to the newly founded state of Württemberg-Hohenzollern, which merged with the state of Baden-Württemberg in 1952.

On 24 July 2016 a Syrian killed a pregnant woman in a machete attack.[6]

Significant minority groups
Nationality Population (2018)
  Romania 3,173
  Turkey 2,594
  Greece 2,013
  Poland 1,875
  Kazakhstan 1,732
  Russia 1,391
  Italy 1,305
  Croatia 960
  Bosnia and Herzegovina 955
  Syria 726
  Serbia 674

Lord mayors edit

  • 1929–1933: Karl Haller
  • 1933–1945: Richard Dederer, NSDAP
  • 1945–1973: Oskar Kalbfell, SPD
  • 1973–1994: Manfred Oechsle, CDU
  • 1995–2003: Stefan Schultes, CDU
  • 2003–2019: Barbara Bosch, independent
  • since 2019 Thomas Keck, SPD

Transport edit

 
Bus on the Pestalozzi Street

City buses are run by Reutlinger Stadtverkehr (RSV), while trains from Reutlingen Hauptbahnhof and Reutlingen West, -Sondelfingen and Reutlingen-Betzingen are run by Deutsche Bahn and Abellio Rail Baden-Württemberg.

Main sights edit

 
Church of the Virgin Mary by night
  • Church of the Virgin Mary, built in Gothic style in the 13th–14th centuries. Nearby is a statue of emperor Frederick II.
  • Marktbrunnen ("Market Fountain", 16th century), surmounted by the statue of emperor Maximilian II.
  • Spitalhof, built as a hospital in the 14th century. Damaged by a fire, it was largely rebuilt in the 18th century.
  • Church of St. Nicholas, built in the 14th century as a chapel.
  • Gerber- und Färberbrunnen ("Tanners' and Dyers' Fountain"), 1920.
  • City hall, built in 2013.
  • Spreuerhofstraße, the world's narrowest street.

Culture edit

On Mutscheltag (the first Thursday after Epiphany), townspeople gather in halls and homes to play games of dice, the winner of which earns parts or whole Mutschel loaves of bread. The Mutschelspiele (Mutschel games) consist of small games scored by tally marks, and are won both independently and by grand total at the end of the hour or night. This tradition is unique to the city of Reutlingen.

Education edit

 
Spendhaus, first home of the weaving school that would become Reutlingen University

Reutlingen University is a university of applied sciences, focusing on hands-on learning, which is apparent in their mandatory internship for all business majors. The university is an internationally friendly school with over 200 university cooperations worldwide. Classes are generally taught in German; however, in some Bachelor programs and in the Master's programs classes are taught in English.

Climate edit

Reutlingen
Climate chart (explanation)
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
 
 
112
 
 
−2
−7
 
 
81
 
 
1
−5
 
 
40
 
 
9
−2
 
 
94
 
 
16
4
 
 
124
 
 
18
10
 
 
143
 
 
19
13
 
 
162
 
 
22
16
 
 
139
 
 
23
14
 
 
112
 
 
18
9
 
 
102
 
 
14
7
 
 
127
 
 
6
1
 
 
113
 
 
−3
−7
Average max. and min. temperatures in °C
Precipitation totals in mm
Source: [7]
Imperial conversion
JFMAMJJASOND
 
 
4.4
 
 
28
19
 
 
3.2
 
 
34
23
 
 
1.6
 
 
48
28
 
 
3.7
 
 
61
39
 
 
4.9
 
 
64
50
 
 
5.6
 
 
66
55
 
 
6.4
 
 
72
61
 
 
5.5
 
 
73
57
 
 
4.4
 
 
64
48
 
 
4
 
 
57
45
 
 
5
 
 
43
34
 
 
4.4
 
 
27
19
Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
Precipitation totals in inches

Twin towns – sister cities edit

Reutlingen is twinned with:[8]

Notable people edit

References edit

  1. ^ Aktuelle Wahlergebnisse, Staatsanzeiger, accessed 14 September 2021.
  2. ^ "Bevölkerung nach Nationalität und Geschlecht am 31. Dezember 2021" [Population by nationality and sex as of December 31, 2021] (CSV) (in German). Statistisches Landesamt Baden-Württemberg. June 2022.
  3. ^ "Reutlingen (Reutlingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map, Location, Weather and Web Information". www.citypopulation.de. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  4. ^ "Engste Straße der Welt (in German)".
  5. ^ Erich Keyser (Herausgeber): „Württembergisches Städtebuch"; Band IV Teilband Baden-Württemberg Band 2 aus „Deutsches Städtebuch. p. 99
  6. ^ Darko Janjevic. "Police arrest Syrian man after woman killed in knife attack in Germany". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 25 July 2016. An attacker has allegedly killed one woman and injured five in the city of Reutlingen in southwest Germany, according to local police.
  7. ^ "NASA Earth Observations Data Set Index". NASA. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
  8. ^ "Unsere sieben partnerstädte in Europa, asien, afrika und amerika". reutlingen.de (in German). Reutlingen. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  9. ^ "Meet Walter Spohn". 9 June 2020.

External links edit

  • Official website   (in German)
  • The University of Applied Sciences in Reutlingen
  • "Reutlingen" . New International Encyclopedia. 1905.
  • RSV website (in German)
  • Hauchdünne Entscheidung bei OB-Wahl in Reutlingen: Thomas Keck wird OB in Reutlingen