Bretten

Sister cities

• Lutherstadt Wittenberg
• Hemer
• Hidas
• Pontypool
• Longjumeau
• Bellegarde-sur-Valserine
• Condeixa-a-Nova

History

Bretten was first mentioned as "villa breteheim" in the "Lorsch codex" in 767. Since 1148 Bretten had the right to mint and issue coins. In 1254 Bretten received city rights. In 1492 Bretten was granted to hold four fairs by Pfalzgraf Philipp. Philipp Melanchthon was born in Bretten in 1497. The residents of Bretten successfully sallied against the Swabian besiegers around Ulrich of Württemberg in 1504. In 1803 Bretten became “Badische Amtsstadt”. After the industrial revolution, the local economy was dominated by cooker production for many years. In 1975 Bretten was given the status of a "Große Kreisstadt" (district city).

Geography

Bretten lies in the centre of a rectangle that is formed by Heidelberg, Karlsruhe, Heilbronn and Stuttgart as corners. It has a population of approximately 28,000. The centre of Bretten consists of many old half-timbered houses around a lively marketplace. Towns and villages under the administration of Bretten include Bauerbach, Büchig, Diedelsheim, Dürrenbüchig, Gölshausen, Neibsheim, Rinklingen, Ruit and Sprantal.

Most-observed species

• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  3,906
• Eurasian Magpie

  Pica pica (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  3,510
• Common Wood-Pigeon

  Columba palumbus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  3,488
• Carrion Crow

  Corvus corone Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  3,459
• Great Tit

  Parus major Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  3,307
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  3,049
• Eurasian Blue Tit

  Cyanistes caeruleus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,667
• Common Buzzard

  Buteo buteo (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,650

Most recent

• M 3.4 — 2022-10-16
  Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany
• M 4 — 2022-07-09
  2 km NNE of Grosselfingen, Germany
• M 4.1 — 2021-06-26
  2 km SE of Hœrdt, France
• M 3.6 — 2014-05-17
  2 km ESE of Pfungstadt, Germany
• M 2.5 — 2008-12-12
  2 km ESE of Nehren, Germany
• M 2.8 — 2008-11-25
  1 km S of Steinmauern, Germany