Forchtenberg

History

Forchtenberg was originally established as an offshoot from the hamlet of Wülfingen (which lies on the opposite side of the Kocher river to the hill on which Forchtenberg stands today). According to the wooden plaque found on the cemetery church in Wülfingen, like many settlements in the area near the Limes Romanus, prior to 250 AD the area around Forchtenberg housed a pagan Alemani community. The original Christian church in the old valley site dated back to 536 AD when the settlement fell into the hands of the Franks. Forchtenberg itself was first mentioned in records in 1298, some 70 years after Count Konrad von Dürn established a fortress on the same hill. The people in Wülfingen, weary of constant flooding from the Kocher river, established the town of Forchtenberg under the fortress on the hill where it stands today. After this, the Valley Church served mainly as a cemetery, as is still the case to this very day. The name Forchtenberg is derived from "vor dem Berg" or "before the hill" in English. On the death of the Count of Dürn the town was reallocated to territory of Hohenlohe. Later, as a result of German Mediatisation, Hohenlohe territories became part of the kingdom of Württemberg. Forchtenberg was allocated to the Oberamt or higher court of Öhringen, which became the District of Öhringen in 1938. Medieval trade and peddling of wine, hides and related wares were fostered by the presence of the Kocher river which is believed also to have linked into ancient trading routes extending as far as Nuremberg in the east and Neuenstadt and Heidelberg in the west. Regional development was promoted further in 1926 when the first railway was built along the Kocher valley, for the first time connecting Forchtenberg directly to Waldenburg (Württemberg) and beyond. As…

Geography

Forchtenberg lies on north-facing hill overlooking the Kocher and Kupfer rivers. To the south of Forchtenberg the hills rise higher to woodland and the Hohenlohe plateau beyond. To the north runs the long Kocher valley. Opposite Forchtenberg the hills are a rich tapestry of south-facing vineyards. Forchtenberg encompasses a number of communities: Forchtenberg itself, Sindringen, Ernsbach, Wohlmuthausen and Muthof. A number of outlying hamlets also fall under the town of Forchtenberg: Büschelhof, Haberhof, Hohensall, Metzdorf, Neuwülfingen, Orbachshof, Rauhbusch, Schießhof, Schleierhof, Schwarzenweiler and Waldfeld.

Most-observed species

• Great Tit

  Parus major Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  469
• Eurasian Blue Tit

  Cyanistes caeruleus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  462
• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  433
• Common Chaffinch

  Fringilla coelebs Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  391
• European Robin

  Erithacus rubecula (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  361
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  357
• Eurasian Magpie

  Pica pica (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  346
• Great Spotted Woodpecker

  Dendrocopos major (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  336

Most recent

• M 3.6 — 2014-05-17
  2 km ESE of Pfungstadt, Germany
• M 2.5 — 2007-11-25
  0 km S of Hildrizhausen, Germany
• M 2.5 — 2007-06-30
  1 km ESE of Ehningen, Germany
• M 2.6 — 2005-03-26
  0 km ESE of Wiesenbach, Germany
• M 3.3 — 2005-02-10
  3 km NNW of Speyer, Germany
• M 2.7 — 2004-10-08
  1 km ESE of Stockstadt am Rhein, Germany