Hirsau (formerly ''Hirschau'') is a district of the town of
Calw
Calw (; previously pronounced and sometimes spelled ''Kalb'' accordingly) is a town in the middle of Baden-Württemberg in the south of Germany, capital and largest town of the district Calw. It is located in the Northern Black Forest and is a ...
in the
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
state of
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg (; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million inhabitants across a ...
, located in the south-west portion of the country, about two miles north of
Calw
Calw (; previously pronounced and sometimes spelled ''Kalb'' accordingly) is a town in the middle of Baden-Württemberg in the south of Germany, capital and largest town of the district Calw. It is located in the Northern Black Forest and is a ...
and about twenty-four miles west of
Stuttgart.
Town
Hirsau's economy includes small retail establishments, tourism, and light industry. There is a saw mill on the ''Ernstmuhlerweg'', the road that runs along the railroad in the post card pasted above. The saw mill is a long building at the upper edge (in the picture) of town.
The town has been called a "Luftkurort" ("air spa") for the purity of its air. The town's bridge over the
Nagold River dates to the
Carolingian period.
Hirsau Abbey
The town grew round the
Benedictine
, image = Medalla San Benito.PNG
, caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal
, abbreviation = OSB
, formation =
, motto = (English: 'Pray and Work')
, foun ...
monastery that is its main historical significance and was once among the most famous in
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...
. It was founded in about 830 by Count Erlafried of Calw and re-founded, after a period of collapse, in 1059.
William of Hirsau, abbot from 1069 to 1091, brought it to international prominence as the origin of the
Hirsau Reforms
William of Hirsau (or Wilhelm von Hirschau) ( 1030 – 5 July 1091) was a Benedictine abbot and monastic reformer. He was abbot of Hirsau Abbey, for whom he created the ''Constitutiones Hirsaugienses'', based on the uses of Cluny, and was the fath ...
. It was secularised in 1558, and the buildings destroyed by the
French in 1692.
Image:Hirsau jagdschloss1.JPG
Image:Hirsau kloster 1.JPG
Image:Hirsau marienkapelle2.JPG
Image:Hirsau marienkapelle3.JPG
Image:Hirsau marienkapelle.jpg
Image:Germany Hirsau Tower.jpg, Ruins of Monastery of St. Peter and St. Paul
References
*Baer, 1897. ''Die Hirsauer Bauschule''. Freiburg.
*Giseke, 1883. ''Die Hirschauer während des Investiturstreits''. Gotha.
*Helmsdorfer, 1874. ''Forschungen zur Geschichte des Abts Wilhelm von Hirschau''. Göttingen
*Klaiber, C.H., 1886. ''Das Kloster Hirschau''. Tübingen.
*Steck, 1844. ''Das Kloster Hirschau''
*Süssmann, 1903. ''Forschungen zur Geschichte des Klosters Hirschau''. Halle.
*Weizsäcker, 1898. ''Führer durch die Geschichte des Klosters Hirschau''. Stuttgart
External links
Hirsau im Nagoldtal
{{Authority control
Towns in Baden-Württemberg