Sandhausen () is a municipality in the district of

Rhein-Neckar-Kreis The Rhein-Neckar-Kreis is a district in the northwest of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The administrative headquarters are based in the city Heidelberg, which is a district-free city. As of 2019, the district is the most populous in Baden-Württe ...

, 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 ...

. It is situated south of

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: ''Heidlberg'') is a city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914 ...

Geography

Location

Sandhausen belongs to the Rhein-Neckar Metropolitan region. It is known for its sand dune.

History

The first recorded mention of Sandhausen (or "Santhusen") was in . Sandhausen is named after the ice-age sand dunes that border the municipality. As early as Roman times, a settlement called "Lochheim" existed in the area. It was part of

Bishopric of Speyer The Prince-Bishopric of Speyer, formerly known as Spires in English, (German: ''Hochstift Speyer, Fürstbistum Speyer, Bistum Speyer'') was an ecclesiastical principality in what are today the German states of Rhineland-Palatinate and Baden-Würt ...

till 1262, when Otto von Bruchsal gave it to

Ludwig II Ludwig II (Ludwig Otto Friedrich Wilhelm; 25 August 1845 – 13 June 1886) was King of Bavaria from 1864 until his death in 1886. He is sometimes called the Swan King or ('the Fairy Tale King'). He also held the titles of Count Palatine of the ...

, Electoral Palatin. It was part of Oberamt Heidelberg in 1351. It was sacked by Baden and Württemberg troops at

Mainz Diocesan Feud The Mainz Diocesan Feud (german: Mainzer Erzstiftsfehde), also known as the Baden-Palatine War (''Badisch-Pfälzischer Krieg''), took place in 1461/1462 and was a warlike conflict for the throne of the Electorate of Mainz. Background In 1459 th ...

in 1462. It was again sacked by Spanish troops at

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battle ...

in 1622 and by French troops at Nine Years' War in 1688. French ones remained in Sandhausen till 1697. After dying Bavarian branch of House of Wittelsbach with death of

Maximilian III, Elector of Bavaria Maximilian III Joseph, "the much beloved", (28 March 1727 – 30 December 1777) was a Prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire and Duke of Bavaria from 1745 to 1777. Biography Born in Munich, Maximilian was the eldest son of Holy Roman Empero ...

, Charles Theodore, County Palatine of Rhine inherited Bavaria in 1777 and territories of House of Wittelsbach were united under Palatinate branch of her. Thus, Sandhausen became part of

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...

. It was occupied by French troops in 1795 and was awarded to Grand Duchy of Baden after German mediatization in 1803.

Politics

Municipal Council

Mayor

The mayor of Sandhausen is Hakan Günes ( CDU). Previous mayors were as follows: * 1954–1981: Walter Reinhard * 1981–2005: Erich Bertsch * 2005–2021: Georg Kletti (CDU)

Sister cities

* Lège-Cap-Ferret,

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

, since 1980

Economy and infrastructure

Economy

In the past, hops were grown in Sandhausen. The tobacco industry, which thrived in Sandhausen in the past, is now restricted to the rural parish of Bruchhausen.

Transportation

Schools

Sandhausen has the following schools: * Theodor Heuss primary school * Friedrich-Ebert-Hauptschule with Werkrealschule * Friedrich-Ebert-Gymnasium * Pestalozzi-Förderschule * Music school ("Südliche Bergstraße")

Sport

The football club SV Sandhausen plays in the Hardtwaldstadion on the outskirts of the town. The club counts as the smallest professional football club in Germany playing the second division of the German league since the 2012–13 season.