Neckarsulm

Neckarsulm (German pronunciation: [nɛkaʁˈzʊlm]) is a city in northern Baden-Württemberg, Germany, near Heilbronn, and part of the district of Heilbronn. As of 2016, Neckarsulm had 26,800 inhabitants.[3] The name Neckarsulm derives from the city's location where the Neckar and Sulm rivers meet.

Neckarsulm
Town
Coat of arms of Neckarsulm
Coat of arms
Location of Neckarsulm within Heilbronn district
Neckarsulm is located in Germany
Neckarsulm
Neckarsulm
Neckarsulm is located in Baden-Württemberg
Neckarsulm
Neckarsulm
Coordinates: 49°11′30.1″N 9°13′28.4″E
CountryGermany
StateBaden-Württemberg
Admin. regionStuttgart
DistrictHeilbronn
Subdivisions4
Government
 • Mayor (2016–24) Steffen Hertwig[1]
Area
 • Total24.94 km2 (9.63 sq mi)
Elevation
162 m (531 ft)
Population
 (2021-12-31)[2]
 • Total26,292
 • Density1,100/km2 (2,700/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes
74172
Dialling codes07132
Vehicle registrationHN
WebsiteNeckarsulm.de

Neckarsulm is known for its renewable energy projects and wine. The Weingärtnergenossenschaft Neckarsulm-Gundelsheim (winegrower's cooperative of Neckarsulm and Gundelsheim) is the oldest winegrower's collective in Germany. The wine Trollinger and Lemberger are the principal varieties of grape grown in this region. The Schwarz Gruppe (Schwarz Group) who leads both companies Lidl and Kaufland has its headquarter in Neckarsulm.

Neckarsulm was first mentioned in a document in 771 and was granted city status around 1300.[4] The city celebrated its 1250th birthday in 2021.[5]

Geography

Neckarsulm is located on the eastern side of the Neckar River Valley. The town is approximately 30 kilometres (19 mi) from the Löwenstein Mountains and is part of the Swabian-Franconian Forest. It is the sixth largest city in the federal state Baden-Württemberg. The closest nearby city is Heilbronn.

The urban area of Neckarsulm consists of the city itself and the districts of Amorbach, Dahenfeld, and Obereisesheim.

History

Archaeological finds such as vessel shards indicate human activity in the greater Neckarsulm region as early as the middle of the 6th millennium B.C. (Neolithic period). In 2001, archaeologists found a Late Bronze Age burial ground in Trendpark-Süd (roughly on the modern day site of the German IT company "Bechtle"), which was dated to around 1100 BC on the basis of metal and ceramic finds. Graves found south of the old city wall indicate a Frankish settlement dating to the 7th century AD.

The town, formerly called "Sulmana" or "Sulmgau", is dated to the year 771 in a deed of donation to Lorsch Abbey. Sulmana is mentioned in the Lorsch Codex. The area became known as Neckarsulm in the 16th century.

Notable landmarks
  • German Two-Wheeler and NSU Museum - a museum dedicated to two-wheeled vehicles including riding cars and motorcycles produced in Germany. The museum is housed in the Teutonic Order Castle Neckarsulm.
  • Stadtmuseum Neckarsulm - City museum of Neckarsulm which tells the history of the city from medieval times to present days. The year of the construction of museum's house dates to 1545.[6]
  • Neckarsulm TDS Office Tower
  • Obereisesheim transmitter
  • Remnants of the medieval city wall along the rives.

Mayors and Lord Mayors
  • 1845–1865: Franz Josef Alexander Heinrich Becker
  • 1865–1878: Josef Pecoroni
  • 1878–1885: Johann Nepomuk Kirner
  • 1885–1911: Bernhard Rettenmeier
  • 1911–1913: Heinrich Soller
  • 1913–1941: Johannes Häußler
  • 1942–1945: Oskar Volk
  • 1945–1946: Hermann Greiner
  • 1946–1949: Johannes Häußler (1879–1949)
  • 1949–1955: Erwin Wörner
  • 1955–1967: Hans Hoffmann (1915–2005)
  • 1967–1992: Erhard Klotz (born 1938)
  • 1992–2008: Volker Blust
  • 2008–2016: Joachim Scholz [7]
  • since 2016: Steffen Hertwig

Population

The numbers are estimates, census results (¹) or data from statistical offices.

Year Inhabitants
1527ca. 1000
1635ca. 1400
17561544
18102050
18492576
1. December 18712576
1. December 1880 ¹2845
1. December 1890 ¹3011
1. December 1900 ¹3707
1. December 1910 ¹5170
16. June 1925 ¹6692
16. June 1933 ¹7035
Year Inhabitants
17. May 1939 ¹8593
December 19457559
13. September 1950 ¹9319
6. June 1961 ¹ ²15.299
27. May 1970 ¹18.517
31. December 197520.112
31. December 198021.871
27. May 1987 ¹21.534
31. December 199022.690
31. December 199525.788
31. December 200027.408
Year Inhabitants
31. December 200227.425
31. December 200427.296
31. December 200627.246
31. December 200826.828
31. December 201026.511
31. December 201225.754
31. December 201425.798
31. December 201526.304
31. August 201626.749

¹ Census results

² The population increase between 1950 and 1961 comes from the new district Neckarsulm-Amorbach. In 1955, around 3,000 people lived in this place.[8]

Economy

Schwarz Gruppe, owner of Lidl and Kaufland — the largest European food chain — has its headquarters in Neckarsulm.[9]

The city was home of car manufacturer NSU which was taken over by Volkswagen in 1969 and fused with Auto Union to create Audi. The former NSU plant is the smaller of Audi's two principal assembly plants in Germany and manufactures the company's larger, high-end models such as the Audi A6, A7, A8. Audi's performance subsidiary Audi Sport GmbH which produces the R8 and manages their racing activities is also placed here. NSU denotes Neckarsulm.[10]

Other well-known companies based in Neckarsulm are Fujitsu TDS, Bechtle AG and Rheinmetall Automotive AG.[11]

Notable people

Honorary citizens of Neckarsulm
  • 1894: Franz Joseph Maucher (1826–1910), was a chaplain and parish priest in Neckarsulm for 35 years.
  • 1911: Gottlob Banzhaf (1858–1930), was Kommerzienrat and after the death of his brother Christian Schmidt first director the Neckarsulmer Strickmaschinenfabrik AG from 1884 to 1910.
  • 1930: Ernst Josef Bauer (died 1881), was a teacher and successful author of the local play "Peter Heinrich Merkle, the Löwenwirt of Neckarsulm".
  • 1933: Christian Mergenthaler (1884–1980), NSDAP politician, Prime Minister of Württemberg from 1933 to 1945. On 27 July 1933, Neckarsulm granted him honorary citizenship which had been revoked on 28 August 1945.[12]
  • 1949: Johannes Häußler (1879–1949), was mayor of Neckarsulm for 30 years.
  • 2004: Kurt Bauer (born 1934), was city council for 36 years, deputy mayor, SPD parliamentary leader and chairman of the SPD local association.
  • 2008: Volker Blust (born 1944), was head of the city's main and personnel office and was elected in 1992 as mayor of Neckarsulm.

Born in Neckarsulm
Simon Molitor portrait
August Herold memorial plate in the wine yards

Other people connected to the city
  • Wilhelm Ganzhorn (1818–1880), was a senior judge for Neckarsulm 1859–1878. Ganzhorn was a poet, and was known as the author of the text for the song "In the loveliest meadow" (Im schönsten Wiesengrunde).
Ganzhorn plaque in Neckarsulm
  • Albert Roder (1896–1970), was an engineer who became known for the construction of motorcycles. He was from 1946 to 1961 chief designer at NSU.
  • Klaus Zwickel (born 1939), German unions functionary and former Chairman of IG Metall. From 1968 to 1983 he was first secretary of the IG-Metall Headquarter Neckarsulm.
  • Verena Stenke (born 1981), German artist
  • Dominik Britsch (born 1987), German boxer

Subsidiary cities
See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany
City Country Year
Carmaux France France 1958
Bordighera Italy Italy 1963
Grenchen Switzerland Switzerland 1988
Zschopau Germany Germany 1990
Budakeszi Hungary Hungary 1993

References
  1. Aktuelle Wahlergebnisse, Staatsanzeiger, accessed 13 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. Neckarsulm, Stadt. "Neckarsulm - Daten & Fakten". www.neckarsulm.de (in German). Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  4. Content in this edit is translated from the existing German Wikipedia article at de:Neckarsulm; see its history for attribution.
  5. "1250 jahre neckarsulm (1250 Years of Neckarsulm)". neckarsulm.de (in German).
  6. "Stadtmuseum Neckarsulm (Neckarsulm City Museum)". stadtmuseum-neckarsulm.de.
  7. Andreas Bracht: OB Joachim Scholz wird in sein Amt eingesetzt. Presse-Information der Stadt Neckarsulm vom 27. Oktober 2008.
  8. Bernd Friedel: 50 Jahre Amorbach. Neckarsulm 2005, pp. 6–16.
  9. "Impressum Archived 27 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine." Lidl. Retrieved on 28 September 2012. ": Lidl Stiftung & Co. KG Stiftsbergstraße 1 74167 Neckarsulm "
  10. "Die NSU-Firmengeschichte". Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  11. Wilson, Hugo (1995). "The Directory of Motorcycles". The Encyclopedia of the Motorcycle. London: Dorling Kindersley. p. 245. ISBN 0-7513-0206-6. Around 1890 Neckarsulm Strickmaschinen – "knitting machine" – Union began making bicycles.
  12. Anton Heyler: Neckarsulm im Auf und Ab eines halben Jahrhunderts. (s. Literatur), pp. 58 and 92.
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