Vaihingen an der Enz

Infobox Ort in Deutschland
Art = Stadt
Wappen = Wappen Vaihingen an der Enz.pnglat_deg = 48 |lat_min = 55 |lat_sec = 58
lon_deg = 8 |lon_min = 57 |lon_sec = 23
image_photo = Vaihingen_an_der_Enz.jpg
Lageplan =
Bundesland = Baden-Württemberg
Regierungsbezirk = Stuttgart
Landkreis = Ludwigsburg
Höhe = 217
Fläche = 73.41
Einwohner = 28839
Stand = 2006-12-31
PLZ = 71654–71665
PLZ-alt = 7143
Vorwahl = 07042
Kfz = LB
Gemeindeschlüssel = 08 1 18 073
NUTS = DE115
LOCODE = DE VAI
Gliederung = 9
Adresse = Marktplatz 1
71665 Vaihingen an der Enz
Website = [http://www.vaihingen.de/ www.vaihingen.de]
Bürgermeister = Gerd Maisch

Vaihingen an der Enz is located on the western periphery of the middle Neckar region, between Stuttgart and Karlsruhe, in southern Germany. Vaihingen is situated on the river Enz, and has a population of around 30,000. The city is within the administrative region of Stuttgart, and in the district of Ludwigsburg, state of Baden-Württemberg. It is 25 km northwest of Stuttgart, and 15 km west of Ludwigsburg.

History

Vaihingen may date back as far as 799 a.d., but the documents are not clear. In 1252 documents refer directly to Vaihingen as a town, established by Count Gottfried von Vaihingen. The city changed hands several times. In the sixteenth century it became a Protestant city. During the Thirty Years War (1618-1648), Vaihingen was besieged by both the Protestant and Catholic warring factions. The consequences of the 1848 revolution caused harvest failures and inflation, and the city population diminished by a large emigration. In the early 1900's, a connection to the railroad network brought more people and industries to Vaihingen. In 1938 Vaihingen became a regional center.

Vaihingen was the site of a concentration camp during World War II. See Vaihingen an der Enz concentration camp.

People

* Jacob Friedrich von Abel (1751-1829), Professor of Philosophy:Born in Vaihingen May 9, 1751. Published his "Introduction to the doctrine of spirituality" ("Einleitung in die Seelenlehre") in Stuttgart, 1786.
* Karl Friedrich Hensler (1759-1825), Viennese theater director
* Karl Gerok (1815-1890), Bishop
* Friedrich Kellner (1885-1970) Chief Justice Inspector, Diarist:Born in Vaihingen February 1, 1885. His 10-volume diary was exhibited at the George Bush Presidential Library in 2005 and is the subject of the Canadian documentary, .

External links

* [http://sites-of-memory.de/main/vaihingenKZcemetery.html Pictures of the concentration camp cemetery at Vaihingen/Enz at the "Sites of Memory" webpage]

* [http://sites-of-memory.de/main/vaihingenmilitary.html Pictures of the military and refugee memorials in the municipal cemetery at Vaihingen/Enz at the "Sites of Memory" webpage]