Neckarsulm () is a city in northern
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 ...
, Germany, near
Heilbronn
Heilbronn () is a city in northern Baden-Württemberg, Germany, surrounded by Heilbronn District. With over 126,000 residents, it is the sixth-largest city in the state.
From the late Middle Ages, it developed into an important trading centre. A ...
, and part of the district of
Heilbronn
Heilbronn () is a city in northern Baden-Württemberg, Germany, surrounded by Heilbronn District. With over 126,000 residents, it is the sixth-largest city in the state.
From the late Middle Ages, it developed into an important trading centre. A ...
. , Neckarsulm had 26,800 inhabitants. The name Neckarsulm derives from the city's location where the
Neckar
The Neckar () is a river in Germany, mainly flowing through the southwestern state of Baden-Württemberg, with a short section through Hesse. The Neckar is a major right tributary of the Rhine. Rising in the Schwarzwald-Baar-Kreis near Sc ...
and
Sulm rivers meet.
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
Lidl Stiftung & Co. KG (; ) is a German international discount retailer chain that operates over 11,000 stores across Europe and the United States. Headquartered in Neckarsulm, Baden-Württemberg, the company belongs to the Schwarz Group, w ...
and
Kaufland has its headquarter in Neckarsulm.
Neckarsulm was first mentioned in a document in 771 and was granted city status around 1300. The city celebrated its 1250th birthday in 2021.
Geography
Neckarsulm is located on the eastern side of the Neckar River Valley. The town is approximately from the Löwenstein Mountains away and part of the
Swabian-Franconian Forest. Neckarsulm is to
Heilbronn
Heilbronn () is a city in northern Baden-Württemberg, Germany, surrounded by Heilbronn District. With over 126,000 residents, it is the sixth-largest city in the state.
From the late Middle Ages, it developed into an important trading centre. A ...
the closest city and the sixth largest city in the federal state Baden-Württemberg.
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
Lorsch Abbey, otherwise the Imperial Abbey of Lorsch (german: Reichsabtei Lorsch; la, Laureshamense Monasterium or ''Laurissa''), is a former Imperial abbey in Lorsch, Germany, about east of Worms. It was one of the most renowned monasterie ...
. 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
The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem, commonly known as the Teutonic Order, is a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. It was formed to aid Christians on ...
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.
*
Neckarsulm TDS Office Tower
*
Obereisesheim transmitter
Obereisesheim transmitter was a facility of SWR used for mediumwave broadcasting on 711 kHz with a power of 5 kilowatts. It was located near Neckarsulm, Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country ...
* 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
* since 2016: Steffen Hertwig
Population
The numbers are estimates, census results (¹) or data from statistical offices.
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.
Economy
Schwarz Gruppe, owner of
Lidl
Lidl Stiftung & Co. KG (; ) is a German international discount retailer chain that operates over 11,000 stores across Europe and the United States. Headquartered in Neckarsulm, Baden-Württemberg, the company belongs to the Schwarz Group, w ...
and
Kaufland — the largest European food chain — has its headquarters in Neckarsulm.
The city was home of car manufacturer
NSU which was taken over by
Volkswagen
Volkswagen (),English: , . abbreviated as VW (), is a German motor vehicle manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1937 by the German Labour Front under the Nazi Party and revived into a global brand post ...
in 1969 and fused with
Auto Union to create
Audi
Audi AG () is a German automotive manufacturer of luxury vehicles headquartered in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany. As a subsidiary of its parent company, the Volkswagen Group, Audi produces vehicles in nine production facilities worldwide.
The o ...
. 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 is also placed here. ''NSU'' denotes ''Neckarsulm''.
Other well-known companies based in Neckarsulm are Fujitsu TDS,
Bechtle AG
Bechtle AG is a multinational technology company with a business model combining information technology services with the direct sale of hardware and software IT products, as well as the operation and maintenance of IT infrastructure for indu ...
and
Rheinmetall Automotive AG.
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.
[Anton Heyler: ''Neckarsulm im Auf und Ab eines halben Jahrhunderts.'' (s. Literatur), pp. 58 and 92.]
* 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
*
Franz Simon Molitor (1766–1848), in
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
, musician
*
August Herold (1902–1973), by Neckarsulm; vine growers
Other people connected to the city
*
Wilhelm Ganzhorn
Wilhelm Ganzhorn (1818–1880) was a German judge and lyricist known for his 1851 song "Im schönsten Wiesengrunde". The melody of "Gi Talo Gi Halom Tasi", which is the regional anthem of the Northern Mariana Islands
The Northern Marian ...
(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).
* Albert Roder (1896–1970), was an engineer who became known for the construction of
motorcycle
A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruisin ...
s. 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
Dominik Britsch (born 21 October 1987) is a German professional boxer. He is last EBU-EU (European Union) middleweight title, and is vacant Germany BDB middleweight champion.
Professional boxing record
, style="text-align:center;" colspan="9", ...
(born 1987), German boxer
Subsidiary cities
Gallery
File:Neckarsulm-FussgaengerZone-20060922-1.JPG, Pedestrian zone on the market place
File:Neckarsulm Loewengasse1.JPG, Old House
File:Neckarsulm_Stadtkirche.jpg, St. Dionysius Church
File:Neckarsulm_Zweiradmuseum.jpg, The ''Deutschordensschloss'' (a former castle of Teutonic Knights
The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem, commonly known as the Teutonic Order, is a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. It was formed to aid Christians on ...
) houses the Deutsches Zweirad- und NSU-Museum
The Deutsches Zweirad- und NSU-Museum in Neckarsulm, Germany has a collection of historic motorcycles and bicycles in a five-story split-level building dating to 13th Century. Motorcycles representing 50 manufacturers are displayed, includi ...
File:Neckarsulm_Weinberge.JPG, Vineyards on Scheuerberg mountain
References
External links
Neckarsulm
{{Authority control
Audi
Populated places on the Neckar basin
Populated riverside places in Germany
NSU Motorenwerke