Schwabach

Infobox German Location
Art = Stadt
Wappen = Wappen Schwabach.pnglat_deg = 49 |lat_min = 19 |lat_sec = 45
lon_deg = 11 |lon_min = 1 |lon_sec = 15
Lageplan =
Bundesland = Bayern
Regierungsbezirk = Mittelfranken
Landkreis = Kreisfreie Stadt
Höhe = 326
Fläche = 40.71
Einwohner = 38791
Stand = 2005-12-31
PLZ = 91101–91126
PLZ-alt = 8540
Vorwahl = 09122, 0911
Kfz = SC
Gemeindeschlüssel = 09 5 65 000
LOCODE = DE SWB
Adresse = Königsplatz 1
91126 Schwabach
Website = [http://www.schwabach.de/ www.schwabach.de]
Bürgermeister = Matthias Thürauf
Bürgermeistertitel= Oberbürgermeister
Partei = CSU

Schwabach is a German city of about 40,000 inhabitants near Nuremberg, in the center of the region of Franconia in the North of Bavaria. The city is an autonomous administrative district ("kreisfreie Stadt"). Schwabach is also the name of a river which runs through the city prior joining the Rednitz.

Schwabach is famous for its crafts made of gold, and particularly gold foil. In 2004, Schwabach celebrated this tradition with an anniversary festival marking "500 years gold foil in Schwabach".

Around the year 1500 a local typesetter developed the "Schwabacher" font. This font was used for printing the first bible in German translation, which had been worked out by Martin Luther.

Schwabach is also the birthplace of composer Adolf von Henselt, the botanist Johann Gottfried Zinn, the biologist Ralf Baumeister and one of the developers of mp3, Bernhard Grill.

Etymology

The name derives from the old Franconian name "Suapaha" (later "Suabaha", then "Villa Suabach") which translates as "Schwaben-Bach" in modern German, which means "Swabian stream", the first part of the name was given by the Franconians who came to the area about a millenea after the Hallstatt culture to the people living on the banks of that stream, which were perceived as "Swabians" by them, while the second part of the name is a reference to the stream which flows through town.

Timeline

*750-500: BCE Archaeological evidence of settlement.
*600-700: Name Schwabach first used to refer to the settlement and the river.
*1346: City wall built.
*1371: Municipal law established.
*1469: Town church built (still in use).
*1500: (ca.) Schwabacher font invented.
*1528: City hall built (still in use).
*1633: First needle factory established in Schwabach.
*1723: Schwabach river flooded to highest point ever. Markings of the flood are still visible.
*1768: The landmark "Old Linden Tree" planted (still there).
*1792: Schwabach became part of Prussia.
*1797: Goethe stayed overnight in Schwabach.
*1806: Schwabach became part of Bavaria.
*1849: Railway station built.
*1941: Schwabach bombed in World War II
*1945: American military base established in Schwabach.
*1953: City coat-of-arms introduced.
*1972: Schwabach became an autonomous administrative district.
*1975: Partner-city relationship with Les Sables d'Olonne established.
*1980: Schwabach receives the European Union prize for cultural heritage.
*1992: US Army to be withdrawn from Schwabach and surrounding areas.
*2004: 500-year anniversary celebration of the gold foil industry.