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Information in English
The town of Heilbronn is situated between the conurbations of Stuttgart and Heidelberg/Mannheim/Ludwigshafen in the beautiful scenery of the Neckar Valley. As an important location for business, administration and culture the town is the hub of the Heilbronn-Franken region.
Position: Heilbronn lies at the intersection of the following motorways/federal roads: A 81 (Singen-Stuttgart-Heilbronn-Würzburg) and A 6 (Saarbrücken-Mannheim-Heilbronn-Nürnberg) also B 27 (Stuttgart-Heilbronn-Würzburg), B 39 (Speyer-Heilbronn-in the direction of Schwäbisch-Hall) and B 293 (Heilbronn-Karlsruhe).
Rail: On the rail network Heilbronn is on the following railway lines: Stuttgart-Ludwigsburg-Heilbronn-Lauda-Würzburg; Mannheim-Heidelberg-Neckarelz/Sinsheim-Heilbronn; Nürnberg-Crailsheim-Heilbronn. ICE stations: Mannheim, Würzburg, Stuttgart.
Tram line: Karlsruhe-Heilbronn-Öhringen.
Number of inhabitants: 122,579 By district: Heilbronn 55,253, Böckingen 21,348, Sontheim 11,387, Neckargartach 9,207, Frankenbach 5,544, Biberach 5,002, Horkheim 4,052, Kirchhausen 3,726, Klingenberg 2,203 Non-German: 24,422 (20 %). Heilbronn and its conurbation have 451,638 inhabitants, the Franconian Region 883,629 inhabitants (source: state statistics office as at 30.06.10)
Town colours: Red, white and blue
Area covered by town: Total area 10,000 ha; stretching 13 km north-south, 19 km east-west.
Height above sea level: Market Place: 157 m, Wartberg: 309 m; highest elevation Reisberg 378 m.
History: 741 A.D. - first mention in a document as "Helibrunna"; 1146 - market, mint & port; 1281 - first known charter granted by Rudolf I of Habsburg; 1371 - first constitution as an "Imperial City" (under the direct rule of the Emperor); 1633 - the "Heilbronn Convention" (alliance of the Protestant powers with Sweden); 1803 - end of the "Imperial City" period; late 19th century - one of the largest industrial towns in Württemberg; 04/12/1944 - over 6000 people die in an air raid, the Old Town is destroyed; since 1970 a "Großstadt" (special designation linked to number of inhabitants).
Important figures: Hans Seyfer, died in 1509 (stone and wood sculptor); Heinrich Füger, 1751-1818 (painter & miniaturist); Carl Heinrich Knorr, 1800-1875 (fabricant); Wilhelm Waiblinger, 1804-1830 (author and poet); Robert Mayer, 1814-1878 (Law of the Conservation of Energy); Ludwig Pfau, 1821-1894 (man of letters & politician); Adolf Cluss, 1825-1905 (architect); Gustav von Schmoller, 1838-1917 (national economist); Wilhelm Maybach, 1846-1929 ("King of Engineers"); Theodor Heuss, 1884-1963 (Federal President); Otto Kirchheimer, 1905-1965 (jurist and political scientist).
Historic buildings: Town hall with its astronomical clock by Isaak Habrecht (1580), Kilian´s Church with the famous high altar by Hans Seyfer (1498) and the tower, completed by Hans Schweiner in 1529; on the south side of the Church the seven pipe well. The Deutschhof complex with the Minster of the Teutonic Order dedicated to St. Peter and St. Paul, "Katy's House", the Court and Meat House, the "Nikolaikirche" church, the Pottery Market Tower, the "Bollwerk" Tower, the Götz Tower, the "Schießhaus" cultural venue, the little castle on lake Trappensee, the "Jägerhaus", the Wartberg with its tower, the Castle of the Teutonic Knights in Kirchhausen, the "Alte Kelter" ("Old Wine Press") building in Sontheim, the Castle in Horkheim.
Cultural facilities and attractions: The Theatre Heilbronn with its three stages (main auditorium, comedy theatre, studio theatre): drama (including plays for children and adolescents), musicals, opera, operetta and dance; Theatre Ship, the "Radelrutsch" Children's and Young People´s Theatre, the "Summer House" Association's "Culture Cellar", the Old Theatre in Sontheim, "Le Café Théâtre" at the "Kaffeehaus Hagen", Ebene 3, Heilbronn Theatre Association, Heilbronn People's Theatre, political satire group "Gauwahnen".
Heilbronn municipal museums including the Vogelmann art gallery (which houses changing exhibitions) and the Deutschhof museum (archaeology, art and sculpture collection, special exhibitions); Christoph Reinwald Kid's Museum, Sculpture trail along the Wartberg, the Arts Association, the Art Guild.
experimenta - hands-on science adventure at South Germany's unique world of science.
Southern German Railway Museum Heilbronn-Böckingen; the Widmannstal industrial monument.
Municipal library Heilbronn with central facilities in the K3, 2 branch libraries in outlying districts, mobile library, 240,000 items available; Literary Association Heilbronn.
"The history of Heilbronn" museum: Municipal Archive with the contemporary history collection, the scientific library, photo collections, the Robert-Mayer and Maybach archives, the special Heilbronn "Music Treasure" and local history exhibitions (will close on 1.4.2011, reading room will close on 1.5.2011, probably until end of July 2012); Historical Society.
Sembdner Kleist archive: collection concerning Heinrich von Kleist and his works, special collection concerning "Catherine of Heilbronn".
Municipal Music School: preschool musical instruction and basic education, courses for all orchestral instruments, singing instruction, several ensembles and orchestras.
The Heilbronn Wuerttemberg Chamber Orchestra, the Heilbronn Symphony Orchestra, the Cultural Circle, "Cave61" Jazz Club, the "Perspektiven" concert series for new music, 102 music and choral societies.
Adult Education Centre, Youth Art School, University for kids.
Cinemas, art and culture workshop Zigarre; the Burg Horkheim Cultural Club, "Family Centre", over 30 women's organisations, over 40 migrant organisations.
Venues for functions: Harmonie Festival Hall (Theodor-Heuss-Hall, 2,015 seats); (Wilhelm-Maybach-Hall, 700 seats). Böckingen "Bürgerhaus" (main hall, 480 seats), the Rococo Room in the Schießhaus (140 seats), the "Alte Kelter" (Old Wine Press) in Sontheim, 6 multipurpose halls, the "Deutschhofkeller", the "Zehentscheuer" (Tithe Barn) in Kirchhausen.
Schools: Heilbronn University; German Graduate School of Management and Law Heilbronn; Baden-Wuerttemberg Cooperative State University Mosbach - Campus Heilbronn; State teacher training institution (elementary education); State teacher training institution (secondary education); Federal technical college for plasterers and stucco specialists; 9 general & vocational grammar schools, 4 secondary modern schools, 19 primary and secondary modern schools, 6 special schools, a Waldorf School, the Catholic independent school centre St. Kilian; an "evening secondary school" and an "evening grammar school"; technical colleges and full-time vocational colleges, colleges training master craftsmen and technicians grouped into four large complexes. In total about 20,000 pupils/students in the public sector. All primary schools offer extended school wrap-around programmes for pupils.
Day care facilities for children: 87 day care facilities offering places for 4,474 children, of which 319 places are for children under 3 years plus 180 places in supervised play groups and up to 200 places with child minders. 835 full day care places for children aged 3 years and over.
Sports facilities: Franken Stadium - 18,000 spectators, Ice Rink at Europaplatz 4,000 seats (in winter, venue in summer), "Römerhalle" (sports hall) - over 900 spectators, 37 sports grounds, 36 playing fields, 49 gymnasiums & sports halls, also horse riding facilities, shooting ranges, roller skating rink, climbing wall, indoor climbing wall in Block E, 68 tennis courts, squash courts, opportunities for water sports on the Neckar river and canal, cycle tracks, skating areas, rollerblading routes.
69 sports clubs with 29,000 members and 117 clubs for general leisure activities.
Swimming pools: 2 indoor pools: Soleo - Modern municipal baths by the Bollwerksturm with 5 pools (including heated outdoor salt water pool), "sauna-scape", steam bath, wellness area, sauna bar and bistro. Familiy-friendly indoor pool in the Biberach municipal baths.
3 heated outdoor pools: Neckarhalde (with diving section), Gesundbrunnen (with giant slide), Kirchhausen; 5 beginners' pools.
Public open spaces: 414 ha of landscaped & cultivated areas including "Pfühlpark", "Wertwiesenpark", "Ziegeleipark", "Leinbachpark", "Neckarpark" "Municipal Park", Old Cemetery, Botanical Fruit Garden Kübelstraße. Federal Horticultural Show 2019. Conservation areas: the „Köpfertal“, the “Schilfsandsteinbruch by the „Jägerhaus“, the Old Neckar in Horkheim, the „Prallhang des Neckars“ near Lauffen and the "Frankenbacher Schotter". 14 cemeteries; 50,000 trees; 119 playgrounds & play areas; nature trail “Heilbronner Keuperweg”; approx. 1,200 ha of municipal woodland, 190 biotopes, 68 ha biotopes along the borders of arable fields.
Hospitals: "Klinikum Am Gesundbrunnen" (a division of the SLK-Kliniken Heilbronn Ltd.), a 920 bed hospital, teaching hospital of the Heidelberg University, Academy of Health.
Economy: 59,273 jobs entailing N.I. contributions thereof in Industry: 31 %, commerce: 25,0 %, service sector: 44,0 % (Source: State Statistics Office as at 30.06.2009). About 1,500 trade business (Source: Heilbronn-Franken Chamber of Trade as at 31.12.2010) Principal industries: Metal (car accessories, machine and tool construction), electronics, food and luxury foods, paper and printing, chemicals, salt mining. Important wholesale concerns, efficient retail sector, with a wide catchment area.
Port of Heilbronn: Total area: 78 ha; length of quays 7,2 km; 2010 turnover: 3,98 million tons. Seventh largest inland port, important transhipment point for heavy goods. Industry and port railway . Via the Neckar river/canal Heilbronn connects with ports on the Rhine.
Wine production: One of the largest German wine producing areas with 530 ha of vineyards. Germany's leading red wine region. Principal grape varieties: Trollinger, Black Riesling, Lemberger, Riesling, Kerner. Wine Panorama Trail on the theme "Wine & Wine production in Heilbronn" on the Wartberg; "Wine Villa".
Council budget (2011 in million EUR):
Running costs: 327.8
Capital costs: 73.5
Local business tax (on capital & profits): 66.0
Tax on real property (A=330 %; B=410 %): 22.8
Share of income tax: 35.0
Council: CDU (Christian Democrats) 14 seats, SPD (Social Democrats) 11 seats, FDP (liberal) 5 seats, Greens 4 seats, Freie Wähler (independent) 3 seats, PRO Heilbronn (patriot) 2 seats, Die Linke (left) 1 seat.
Mayor: Helmut Himmelsbach, First Deputy Mayor: Margarete Heidler, Deputy Mayors: Harry Mergel, Wilfried Hajek.
Twin towns: Béziers (F), Frankfurt (Oder) (D), Neath Port Talbot (GB), Solothurn (CH), Slubice (PL), Stockport (GB)
Heilbronn events 2011: Horse Market 26.-28.2., Wine Festival – An open day at local wine cellars 20.3., Heilbronn Consumer Trade Fair 2.-10.4., May Festival on Theresienwiese 5.-9.5., Europe Day Festival on Kilian Square 7.5., International Children’s Festival 1.5., Heilbronn Trollinger Marathon 15.5., Summer Festival of the Heilbronn-Erlen-bach-Weinsberg Winegrowers’ Cooperative Society 27.-30.5., City Triathlon 29.5., On the move in harmony with nature 19.6., Baden-Wuerttemberg Jazz Festival celebrating 50 years of "Cave61" Jazz Club 26.6.-3.7., Gaffenberg Music and Art Festival 13.-16.7., 75th anniversary of Neckarhalde Outdoor Pool 16.-17.7., "Stimme" Corporate Run 28.7., Fun Fair 29.7.-8.8., Heilbronn Wine Village 9.-18.9., Wine Harvest Kick-off 24.9., Pottery Market 1.-3.10., Jazz & Shopping 8.-9.10., Wuerttemberg Wine Summit 19.-20.11., Christmas Market 24.11.-22.12., Christmas Circus 21.12.-8.1.2012, New Year’s Eve dance at the Harmonie hall 31.12.
Parking: 7,000 parking spaces in the city centre, thereof 3,700 in car-parks.
Tourism: Approx. 1,700 tourist beds, Youth Hostel, approx. 500 eateries (restaurants, hotels, cafes). 234,463 overnight stays (2009).
Information and leaflet service, accommodation, venues management, ticket sales, souvenir shop, attractive package deals for groups and those travelling alone.
"Castle Road" office, Office of the “Heilbronn region” tourist board.
Tourist Information
Heilbronn Marketing Ltd.
Kaiserstraße 17
74072 Heilbronn
Phone: 00 49 71 31 / 56 22 70
Fax: 00 49 71 31 / 56 33 49
Mail to Heilbronn Marketing Ltd.
Internet: www.heilbronn-marketing.de
Contact point
Stadt Heilbronn
Marktplatz 7
74072 Heilbronn
Phone: 00 49 71 31 / 56-0
Fax: 00 49 71 31 / 56-29 99
Mail to Stadt Heilbronn
Information in Brief 2011
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