Oberstenfeld () is a municipality in the district of

Ludwigsburg Ludwigsburg (; Swabian: ''Ludisburg'') is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, about north of Stuttgart city centre, near the river Neckar. It is the largest and primary city of the Ludwigsburg district with about 88,000 inhabitants. It is ...

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 ...

. It is located about 40 km north of

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...

Geography

Oberstenfeld is located in the upper Bottwar river valley. It lies in the northeast of the district of Ludwigsburg. In the north it borders to the Löwenstein Hills, in the west there are the hills Forstberg and Wunnenstein covered by

vineyard A vineyard (; also ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is known as viticulture. Vineyards ...

Neighboring towns

The closest neighboring towns are Beilstein to the north and Großbottwar to the south.

Incorporated villages

The villages Gronau (located northeast of Oberstenfeld) and Prevorst (located about five kilometers northeast in the Löwensteiner Berge hills) are incorporated. Prevorst is an

exclave An enclave is a territory (or a small territory apart of a larger one) that is entirely surrounded by the territory of one other state or entity. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is sometimes used improperly to deno ...

located between the

Heilbronn district Landkreis Heilbronn () is a ''Landkreis'' (district) in the north of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Neighboring districts are (from north clockwise) Neckar-Odenwald, Hohenlohe, Schwäbisch Hall, Rems-Murr, Ludwigsburg, Enz, Karlsruhe and Rhein-Necka ...

and the Rems-Murr district. With an elevation of 482m it is the highest location of the Ludwigsburg district.

Transport

Road links

The motorway ''

Autobahn The (; German plural ) is the federal controlled-access highway system in Germany. The official German term is (abbreviated ''BAB''), which translates as 'federal motorway'. The literal meaning of the word is 'Federal Auto(mobile) Track'. ...

'' A81 (

Zürich Zürich () is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zürich. It is located in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zürich. As of January 2020, the municipality has 43 ...

–

Singen Singen (Low Alemannic German, Low Alemannic: ''Singe'') is an industrial city in the very south of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany and just north of the German-Swiss border. Location Singen is an industrial city situated in the very south ...

–

Würzburg Würzburg (; Main-Franconian: ) is a city in the region of Franconia in the north of the German state of Bavaria. Würzburg is the administrative seat of the ''Regierungsbezirk'' Lower Franconia. It spans the banks of the Main River. Würzburg is ...

–

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

) is nearby and reachable within minutes.

Public transport

The Verkehrs- und Tarifverbund Stuttgart (VVS) operates bus stops in Oberstenfeld and its incorporated villages which connects them to the larger metropolitan area

. Northwards, when crossing the border to the

, starting in the neighboring town of Beilstein, the buses are operated by the

Heilbronner Hohenloher Haller Nahverkehr The ( or ) is a regional transport cooperative that coordinates tickets and fares among all transport operators in the metropolitan area of Heilbronn in Germany. Besides the city of Heilbronn, the H3NV area encompasses the districts of Heilbronn ...

(HNV), giving access to the city of

Heilbronn Heilbronn () is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in northern Baden-Württemberg, Germany, surrounded by Heilbronn (district), Heilbronn District. With over 126,000 residents, it is the sixth-largest city in the state. From the late Mid ...

History

Oberstenfeld originated in the 7th or 8th century, and belonged to the Lichtenberg castle residing above the town. The Oberstenfeld nunnery was founded in 1016 CE, its patronage was taken over in 1357 CE when the count of Lichtenberg sold the town to the

dukes of Württemberg Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ranked ...

. In 1540 CE it adopted the

reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

but remained a part of the Imperial Knights until 1803 CE when it was taken in by the

duchy of Württemberg The Duchy of Württemberg (german: Herzogtum Württemberg) was a duchy located in the south-western part of the Holy Roman Empire. It was a member of the Holy Roman Empire from 1495 to 1806. The dukedom's long survival for over three centuries ...

. The community Prevorst as well as the Lichtenberg castle were taken over by the dukes of Württemberg from the count of Lichtenberg in 1357 CE, (A few years before in (1350 CE) they had acquired Gronau from the

Margraves of Baden The Margraviate of Baden (german: Markgrafschaft Baden) was a historical territory of the Holy Roman Empire. Spread along the east side of the Upper Rhine River in southwestern Germany, it was named a margraviate in 1112 and existed until 1535, ...

, and from this time Prevorst belonged to Gronau). The three villages were conjointly assigned to the de:Oberamt Marbach since 1810 CE. In 1938 CE Oberstenfeld was allotted to the Ludwigsburg district while Gronau and Prevorst became a part of the Heilbronn district. On January 1, 1972, Gronau and Prevorst changed the district and were assigned to Oberstenfeld.

Politics

Municipal council

The outcome of the municipal council elections on June 13. 2004 was: * FBWV 31,9% (−0,9): 6 seats (=) * CDU 28,1% (−0,4): 6 seats (=) *

SPD The Social Democratic Party of Germany (german: Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands, ; SPD, ) is a centre-left social democratic political party in Germany. It is one of the major parties of contemporary Germany. Saskia Esken has been the ...

23,9% (+1,6): 5 seats (+1) * OBLO 16,0% (−0,4): 3 seats (=)

State institutions

Education

The Lichtenbergschule in Oberstenfeld is an elementary school and a

Hauptschule A ''Hauptschule'' (, "general school") is a secondary school in Germany, starting after four years of elementary schooling (''Grundschule''), which offers Lower Secondary Education (Level 2) according to the International Standard Classification ...

with

Werkrealschule Werkrealschule is a relatively young branch of German secondary education (e.g. in Baden-Württemberg), which offers pupils additional lessons in grades 8 and 9 and allows them to qualify after ten years with a final exam which is equal to graduatio ...

. There are six

Kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cent ...

Public institutions

Religion

There are one

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

and three

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

churches as well as one

mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...

Culture and attractions

Sights

Image:Oberstenfeld - Burg Lichtenberg - Ansicht von WSW (2).jpg, Lichtenberg castle Image:OberstenfeldPeterskirche.jpg, Peterskirche Located on top of a hill, amidst idyllic vineyards, the town is guarded by the Lichtenberg castle. The Romanesque Peterskirche (Peter's church) is situated on a hill, about one kilometer north of downtown Oberstenfeld. Built in the mid 11th century, it is a relict of a lost precursor commune. The

choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which ...

was arched over and the church's inside was painted with

frescos Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaste ...

in the 13th century. Some of those frescos are still present today. The church was nearly forgotten and unused for a long time. However, it is used for

protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

and occasionally also for

services since it was restored between 1973 and 1976. The Cyriakuskirche (Cyriakus' church), located in Gronau, is second eldest church of the municipality. Its choirtower is a relict of the

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

first building phase in the 13th and 14th century. It was rebuilt and extended in 1599. The collegiate church (German: "Stiftskirche") St. Johannes der Täufer (

St. John the Baptist John the Baptist or , , or , ;Wetterau, Bruce. ''World history''. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 1994. syc, ܝܘܿܚܲܢܵܢ ܡܲܥܡܕ݂ܵܢܵܐ, Yoḥanān Maʿmḏānā; he, יוחנן המטביל, Yohanān HaMatbil; la, Ioannes Bapti ...

), located downtown Oberstenfeld, is one of the state's most important Romanesque churches. The

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

was built about 1220, the choirtower about 1230 CE. It is open to the public May to October on Sundays between 11 am and 1 pm. Guided tours are available for value. Nearby is the Dorfkirche (community church), which was built in the 9th century as Galluskapelle (Gallus' chapel). It became the prayer room of the market town community in contradiction to the collegiate church which was reserved for the canonesses. After heavy damage in 1693 it was newly built in 1738. The porch in the north is decorated with the coat of arms of the municipality, which can also be found on the weather vane. In the centre are a few restored

baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

timbered framed houses. Among them are: * the town hall, built single-story in 1698 and got two more stories attached in 1840 * the timber-framed house in the Großbottwerer Straße 14, built in 1700 * the bakery which is the former :de:Pfrundhaus built in 1702, originally used as dwelling for the canonesses. It is also the birthplace of the democrat Johannes Nefflen * the winemaker's house (Winzerhaus) in Berggasse 2, built in 1737 * the cooper's house (Küferhaus) in the Küfergasse 15, built in 1726 A few minutes walk south of the old centre is the former train station of the Bottwarbahn.

Economy

Oberstenfeld has several medium-sized businesses as well as bigger employers like Werzalit or Hoerbiger.

Twin towns

In September 2005 Italian Town of Verbicaro in the Province of

Cosenza Cosenza (; local dialect: ''Cusenza'', ) is a city in Calabria, Italy. The city centre has a population of approximately 70,000; the urban area counts more than 200,000 inhabitants. It is the capital of the Province of Cosenza, which has a populati ...

became a sister city. Many of the citizens of Italian descent have roots in this town in

Calabria , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

. A sign at the town's entrance was installed as a reminder of the town twinning.

References

{{Authority control Towns in Baden-Württemberg Ludwigsburg (district) Württemberg