Esslingen am Neckar

Sister cities

• Kamianets-Podilskyi

History

There is archaeological evidence that what is now the city of Esslingen was settled since the Neolithic period. Traces of human settlement found at the site of the city church date back to around 1000 B.C. In the 1st century AD the Esslingen region became part of the Roman Empire. During this period a Roman warehouse was located in the area of Oberesslingen. The nearest major Roman settlements and garrisons were at Cannstatt and Köngen. There are no known archaeological finds from the early period of Alemannic rule in the area, although such evidence does exist on the nearby Filder uplands. Finds from the district of Rüdern, however, point to a richly furnished grave with eastern influences, including, for example, a set of three-winged spearheads. The place-name ending "-ingen" indicates a settlement associated with a kinship group led by a man named Azzilo, Hezzilo, or Hetsilo, who likely was a landlord and family patriarch. The city’s name, therefore, originally meant “the people and land of Azzilo.” This name is first documented in 856 as "Ezlinga" and again in 866 as "Hetsilinga", forms that eventually evolved into the modern name Esslingen. In the 6th century, the Alemanni were subjugated by the Merovingians under king Clovis I. But they still took over administrative tasks and formed a Duchy in Francia. In the 8th century they tried to become sovereign again. But the attempt failed near Cannstatt. The end of the Alemannian duchy was marked with the Council of Cannstatt. In an excavation by Günter Fehring, the remains of the Vitalis-Cella under the church St. Dionysius were uncovered. Proof of settlement dates back to the late Merovingian period. Even older are the single row graves in Oberesslingen and Sirnau. Esslingen was first mentioned in 777 in the…

Most-observed species

• Great Tit

  Parus major Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  8,240
• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  7,627
• Carrion Crow

  Corvus corone Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  7,545
• Eurasian Blue Tit

  Cyanistes caeruleus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  7,097
• Common Wood-Pigeon

  Columba palumbus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  5,826
• Common Chaffinch

  Fringilla coelebs Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  5,560
• Common Buzzard

  Buteo buteo (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  5,409
• Great Spotted Woodpecker

  Dendrocopos major (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  4,994

Most recent

• M 3.4 — 2022-10-16
  Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany
• M 4 — 2022-07-09
  2 km NNE of Grosselfingen, Germany
• M 3.1 — 2008-12-25
  3 km NNW of Saulgau, 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
• M 2.7 — 2008-07-09
  1 km WSW of Dußlingen, Germany