Großbottwar

Sister cities

• Illnau-Effretikon

History

Findings from all of the cultural eras support the view that the Großbottwar area has been inhabited continuously since the Stone Age. The remains of three farms, dated 150–260 CE, of the late Roman period, have been discovered. Around 200 CE, Großbottwar was also the site of a brick factory, referred to as Gaius Longinius Speratus. Bricks formed at this site were stamped with GLSP and examples have been found in Weinsberg and Walheim. The land, documented as "Boteburon", was included in a grant extending the domain of the Fulda monastery in 779. The interpretation of the name Boteburon is unclear. The former village was situated around the church of St Martin and, when first mentioned, was part of the Duchy of Franconia. The town of Großbottwar was probably founded in the mid-13th century, very near the former village, and first described as a city in 1279. An alliance of three noble families of the area founded the town, the Swabian family , the Swabian and Austrian family Hoheneck, and the owners of the nearby Lichtenberg Castle, bearing its name. In 1357 the von Lichtenbergs sold the castle, and the related rule, including the town, to Eberhard II, Count of Württemberg. A school of Latin was established in the town sometime around 1490 and continued teaching until 1925. In April 1525, Großbottwar became involved in insurgency in the German Peasants' War, when two hundred citizens of the town moved to the Wunnenstein mountain and elected Matern Feuerbacher as their leader in the peasants' revolt. The cluster of peasants joining the rebellion increased rapidly as the group marched, increasing Feuerbacher's responsibility, but the resulting battle at Böblingen on 12 May was a critical loss for the peasants, and one of the bloodiest of the whole uprising.…

Geography

Großbottwar is part of the Swabian-Franconian Forest and the Neckar Basin. The city is located in the Bottwar river valley in the north east district of Ludwigsburg. The Bottwar is a tributary of the Neckar River. Thirteen kilometres to the south east is the city of Ludwigsburg, and Heilbronn is sixteen km to the north east. The capital of the Baden-Württemberg region, Stuttgart, is 26 km to the south west. Nearby is Wunnenstein mountain, the highest point of the Großbottwar area, at 394 metres above sea level.

Most-observed species

• Great Tit

  Parus major Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  7,630
• Carrion Crow

  Corvus corone Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  6,986
• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  6,591
• Eurasian Blue Tit

  Cyanistes caeruleus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  6,275
• Common Buzzard

  Buteo buteo (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  5,592
• Common Wood-Pigeon

  Columba palumbus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  5,104
• Common Chaffinch

  Fringilla coelebs Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  5,102
• Eurasian Magpie

  Pica pica (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  4,798

Most recent

• M 3.4 — 2022-10-16
  Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany
• M 4 — 2022-07-09
  2 km NNE of Grosselfingen, 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
• M 2.5 — 2008-07-03
  2 km W of Dußlingen, Germany