Görwihl is a town in the district of Waldshut in

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 Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

History

The name is derived from the ancient

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 ...

for

spear A spear is a pole weapon consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head. The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with fire hardened spears, or it may be made of a more durable material fasten ...

, due to the spearhead shape of the area at the time. Görwihl was established in 1193, and was first recorded as ''Gerswillare''. Like many places in the region, Görwihl belonged to the county

Hauenstein Hauenstein is a municipality in the Südwestpfalz district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated in the Palatinate forest, approximately 20 km east of Pirmasens, and 20 km west of Landau. Hauenstein is the seat of the ''Ver ...

within

Further Austria Further Austria, Outer Austria or Anterior Austria (german: Vorderösterreich, formerly ''die Vorlande'' (pl.)) was the collective name for the early (and later) possessions of the House of Habsburg in the former Swabian stem duchy of south-wes ...

. It became the centre of legal activity for the region and played a role in the peasants' uprising. In 1806, Görwihl became part of the newly created Grand Duchy of Baden. The community in its present scale was developed in the context of Baden-Wurttemberg regional reform. Rotzingen joined the municipality of Görwihl in 1971 and Hartschwand in 1972, with the other districts following in 1975.

Geography

Görwihl is within the

Hotzenwald The Hotzenwald is a landscape and region in the Southern Black Forest in the county of Waldshut. Its headquarters was the ''Waldvogteiamt''. Location and topography The region of Hotzenwald is not precisely defined in the records. In a narr ...

region, and lies in the southernmost part of the

Black Forest The Black Forest (german: Schwarzwald ) is a large forested mountain range in the state of Baden-Württemberg in southwest Germany, bounded by the Rhine Valley to the west and south and close to the borders with France and Switzerland. It is t ...

, at the edge of the River Alb, a tributary of the

Rhine ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , so ...

. The landscape of the region is characterized by high plateaus of various sizes, the stepped terraces descending toward the south. About 60% of the area within the town boundary consists of

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

. The community is bordered to the north by Ibach, on the east by

Albbruck Albbruck is a municipality of the district of Waldshut in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is on the southwestern border of Germany with Switzerland. History In 1805 during the process of German mediatisation, a restructuring of certain jurisdi ...

, in the south by the city of Laufenburg and on the west by Rickenbach and

Herrischried Herrischried is a municipality in the district of Waldshut in Baden-Württemberg in Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe af ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gorwihl Waldshut (district) Baden Hotzenwald