Weinsberg (; South Franconian: Weischberg) is a town in the north of the state of Baden-Württemberg in Germany. It was founded around 1200 and is situated in the Heilbronn district. The town has about 13,000 inhabitants. It is noted for its wine.
Geography Geographical position Weinsberg lies in the eastern Heilbronn district in the northeast part of Baden-Wuerttemberg, between the Neckar in the west and the Löwenstein mountains in the east. The small river Sulm rises from the Löwenstein mountains and flows into the Neckar after approximately . The valley formed of the Sulm and its tributaries is called Weinsberger Tal. The city mainly lies in and on the tendencies of the valley of the Stadtseebach (also called Saubach), a southern tributary of the Sulm. The Sulm flows by Weinsberg's area, but not by the city itself, and only a small northern part of the city lies at the edge of the Sulm valley.
Northwest of the town centre rises the Burgberg, with the ruins of Weibertreu castle, west of it the Scheuerberg. Both mountains are used intensively for viticulture. In the east extends the Sulm valley, south the cultivated area are the Stadtseebach valley and the Brühl valley. In the south and the west the city borders on the Heilbronn mountains, which are wooded foothills of the Löwenstein mountains. They begin in the east with the Reisberg and extend over the Hintersberg and the Waldheide up to the Galgenberg and the Wartberg in the west. On the Wartberg the valley of the Stadtseebach continues, north of it the Schemelsberg mentioned above in the northwest.
The Sulm valley in the north of the Schemelsberg becomes dominated by the A 6, which meets the A 81 by the Weinsberg interchange in the north-east of the town. North of the Sulmtal continues the wooded Sulmer Bergebene. The A 81 towards Stuttgart runs approximately along the eastern boundary border of Weinsberg.
The lowest point of the boundary lies at the Sulm with 166 m elevation. The highest point lies on the northern slope of the Reisberg at the southeast boundary border to Heilbronn with 338 m elevation.Quellen: Das Land Baden-Württemberg. Amtliche Beschreibung nach Kreisen und Gemeinden. Volume II. Kohlhammer Verlag, Stuttgart 1975, . S. 134.Dass. Volume IV. Kohlhammer Verlag, Stuttgart 1980, . p. 142ff.Topographische Karte 1:25 000, Nr. 6821 Heilbronn, 3. Auflage 2001Stadtverwaltung Weinsberg per E-Mail vom 30. Oktober 2006
Geology
Weinsberg is situated on the edge of a Keuper area of the Löwenstein mountains, whose foothills extend until Neckarsulm and Öhringen. The Burgberg and Schemelsberg are buttes being separated by Sulm and Stadtseebach from the remaining mountain stick. Both have a stratum of sandstone, which was used both for the Weibertreu castle and the Johanneskirche. At the Burgberg from 1811 to 1867 gypsum was reduced. The hole being left by the gypsum dismantling in the mountain was filled up again in the 1950s and converted into vineyards of the local viticulture school.
In former times in the periphery of Weinsberg 10 quarries were operated. In Weinsberg there were quarries at the southwest border to Heilbronn as well as on the Burgberg (the last one very small).
Area The town of Weinsberg covers , about of which are allotted to Weinsberg, to Gellmersbach, to Grantschen and to Wimmental (conditions: June 2006).Source: City administration Weinsberg per E-Mail of June 26th, 2006
By the incorporations the form of the communal land can be compared with an irregular (Greek) cross, whereby Weinsberg represents the short west and the thickened south bar. Gellmersbach represents the north bar; Grantschen and Wimmental represent the extended east bar. The expansion in north–south direction amounts to about , in west–east direction about . In 1957 as well as 1988-2004 the land use distributed itself as follows: (Area specifications in ha, source 1957:Jahrbuch für die Stadt Weinsberg 1958 1988–2004:Structural and regional data base of the statistic office of Baden-Wuerttemberg (called up on November 13th, 2006)):
1957 % 1988 % 1992 % 1996 % 2000 % 2004 % Total surface1,429100.002,223100.02,222100.02,222100.02.221100.02,222100.0Settlement and traffic surface155.910.9051523.254624.656725.559526.861527.7Agricultural surface750.952.501,18653.41,12250.51,10049.51,06848.11,04847.1Forest surface496.134.7049422.252923.852923.852823.852823.7Water surface6.50.45100.5120.5120.5130.6130.6Remaining surface19.61.37170.8130.6140.6170.8180.8 The settlement surface increases continuously, since Weinsberg still proves construction sites. Conversely the agriculturally used surface decreases.
The urban forest possession amounts to altogether 567 ha. Beside 426 ha forest on the communal land of Weinsberg and its localities the city also possesses 141 ha forest on the communal land of Gemmingen, which was acquired on 29 July 1936, as reconciliation for Weinsberg's area deliveries to the state for military purposes (extension of Heilbronn's drilling place on the Waldheide).
Neighbouring municipalities Neighboring municipalities of Weinsberg are (clockwise from the west): the city Heilbronn (Stadtkreis) and the municipalities Erlenbach, Eberstadt, Bretzfeld (Hohenlohekreis), Obersulm, Ellhofen and Lehrensteinsfeld. With the exception of Heilbronn and Bretzfeld all belong to the district of Heilbronn. Together with Eberstadt, Ellhofen and Lehrensteinsfeld Weinsberg has combined to form a joint association of administrations called "Raum Weinsberg" seated in Weinsberg. PartIncorporationInhabitantsconditions: June 30, 2019; Source: Jahrbuch für die Stadt Weinsberg 2019, p. 100Surface Weinsberg – 9818 13.94 km2 Gellmersbach January 1, 1975 1038 3.36 km2 Grantschen January 1, 1973 822 2.10 km2 Wimmental January 1, 1975 659 2.80 km2
Town structure Except from the town itself, Weinsberg consists of the incorporated localities of Gellmersbach, Grantschen and Wimmental. Outside of the closed land development are the places Weißenhof (with clinical center), Rappenhof and Stöcklesberg belonging to Weinsberg, without it dealing thereby with own localities. Gone off no longer existing places on Weinsberg's communal land are Bodelshofen, Burkhardswiesen (or Burchardeswiesen), Holßhofen, In dem Gründe, Lyndach, Uff the Wier and Wolfshöfle.Further source for the town structure section: Das Land Baden-Württemberg. Amtliche Beschreibung nach Kreisen und Gemeinden. Volume IV: Regierungsbezirk Stuttgart, Regionalverbände Franken und Ostwürttemberg. Kohlhammer, Stuttgart 1980, . p. 142–146; Dumitrache/Haag: Archäologischer Stadtkataster Weinsberg (view literature). p. 16ff.
Climate
The climate is mostly mild by the protected valley situation and favours the extensively operated viticulture. The annual average duration of sunshine amounts on 1638.7 hours.Annual average value 1961–1990; Source: Deutscher Wetterdienst, click here and here (called up on April 23, 2008)
According to annual reports of the viticulture school Weinsberg,Annual reports of the LVWO since 1999 the average yearly temperature during 1961-1990 was , the annual precipitation was about . Values for the period 1971-2000 are at and 2002 at . January from 1961 to 1990 had on the average at precipitation, 1971-2000 at and 2002 at . July had from 1961 to 1990 on the average at precipitation, 1971-2000 at and 2002 at .
According to meteorological data of the viticulture school the average yearly temperature in Weinsberg increased from 1900 to 2006 from to .Kilian Krauth: Das Klima wandelt auch den Wein. In: Heilbronner Stimme of January 19th, 2007, p. 38
History
Prehistory and antiquity The earliest known settlement trace in Weinsberg is a group of tumuli. They're situated in the forest near the boundary to Heilbronn and haven't been investigated so far. It is assumed that the tumuli are to be assigned to the Hallstatt culture.Entry in the project Kulturdenkmale in der Region Heilbronn-Franken (called up on November 13th, 2006)
In the 19th century there was found a Celtic silver coin from the 2nd century BC. Its inscription "V, O, L, C" can be assigned to the Celtic tribe of the Volcae, which lived (among other places) in Southern Germany at that time. So it can be assumed that Celts lived at least occasionally in the area of today's Weinsberg.Ulrich Maier: Siedlungsgeschichte des Unterlandes. Von der Steinzeit bis heute. Landkreis Heilbronn, Heilbronn 1997 (publications of the district Heilbronn, 4), . p. 49–53
However, the first solidly attested settlers in the area of Weinsberg were the Romans. In the 2nd century, a Roman road led through today's town, running from the Böckingen castellet (belonging to the Neckar Limes) to the Öhringen castellet (belonging to the Limes Germanicus). Between 148 and 161 AD, a Roman villa rustica was established on this road, which existed until its destruction by the Alamanni in 234 or 259/260. The bath house of this manor (known in Weinsberg as Römerbad, i.e. "Roman bath") was excavated and conserved in 1906; parts of the remaining manor followed in 1977.
Middle Ages
Around 500 AD, the Alamanni were displaced by the Franks, who settled on Weinsberg's communal land between Erlenbach and Gellmersbach in the 7th century. In 778 the area around Weinsberg was first mentioned as "Sulmanachgowe" in a deed of donation of Charlemagne to the Lorsch Abbey. In the area of today's Weinsberg several medieval settlements (Bodelshofen, Burchardeswiesen, Lyndach) were established, continuing even after the town foundation, but finally given up.
Presumably around 1000, the Weinsberg castle was established on a mountain at the trade route running from Heilbronn to Schwäbisch Hall.
In 1140 the castle was besieged by Konrad III in the course of the struggles between the Staufers and the Welfs. Finally it had to surrender on December 21, 1140, since the relief army of Welf VI had been defeated by the Staufers in a battle. According to the report of the Chronica regia Coloniensis, the women of the castle were granted free departure and allowed to take what they could carry on their backs. They carried down their men, and so saved their lives, since the king adhered to his word. The women became known as treue Weiber ("loyal wives"). The castle (today's ruin) is called Weibertreu due to this occurrence.
The Staufers used a family of ministerialis from Gmünd as managers of the castle, which soon called itself after its seat "von Weinsberg" (Masters of Weinsberg) and who possessed the castle as a fiefdom until 1450. A settlement developed at the tendencies of the Burgberg. A settlement at the trade route in the valley served the supply of the castle and the surrounding localities. Around 1200 the building of the Johanneskirche began at instigation of the Masters of Weinsberg between these two settlements.
Presumably Weinsberg was created at the same time and surrounded with a city wall. In 1241 the town was first mentioned in one Staufish income list, where Weinsberg ranked at 29 equal with Donauwörth, Wiesbaden, Offenburg and Konstanz. The date of when Weinsberg attained its town privileges is unknown. However, it must have been before 1283, since Rudolf I had lent its town privileges to Löwenstein in this year – after the model of the city right, which its predecessors of the town Weinsberg had lent. At the beginning one half of Weinsberg was a free imperial city, the other half belonged to the Masters of Weinsberg. The town persisted on its status as a free imperial city and affirmed it by entering different city federations, what led to numerous quarrels between the town and the masters.