Eppingen

Infobox Ort in Deutschland
Art = Stadt
image_photo = EppingenAlteUniversitaet.jpg
image_caption = Old university
Wappen = Wappen Eppingen.pnglat_deg = 49 | lat_min = 8
lon_deg = 8 | lon_min = 55
Lageplan = Eppingen in HN.pngLageplanbeschreibung =
Bundesland = Baden-Württemberg
Regierungsbezirk = Stuttgart
Landkreis = Heilbronn
Höhe = 199
Fläche = 88.59
Einwohner = 21408
Stand = 2006-12-31
PLZ = 75031
PLZ-alt = 7519
Vorwahl = 07262, 07260, 07138
Kfz = HN
Gemeindeschlüssel = 08 1 25 026
LOCODE = DE EPI
Gliederung = 7
Straße = Rathausstraße 14
Website = [http://www.eppingen.de/ www.eppingen.de]
Bürgermeister = Klaus Holaschke
Bürgermeistertitel = Oberbürgermeister
Partei =

Eppingen is a town in the northwest of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is 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.

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). In a time of the plague a part of the Heidelberg University moved to the Latin school in 1496.

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.

Population Change

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

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.

Economy and Infrastructure

Traffic and Roads

Eppingen can be reached by A 6 (Mannheim-Heilbronn). Also, the B 293 (Karlsruhe–Heilbronn) goes through to town zone, however it acts as a bypass around the main town area.

Landmarks

The Pfeifferturm, a tower 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).

Town partnerships

Eppingen has official partnerships with:
* Wassy (France) (département Haute-Marne) since 1967
* Epping (England) (Essex) since 1981
* Szigetvár (Hungary) (Baranya) since 1992

ee also

VfB Eppingen

External links

* [http://www.eppingen.de/ Stadt Eppingen website] (in German)
* [http://www.eppingen.org/ Eppingen Local Portal] (in German)