Neuenstadt am Kocher

History

Neuenstadt was originally a settlement known as Helmbund which was first mentioned in records as early as 797 A.D. Helmbund stood in the meadows of the Brettach. It is believed that the settlement moved a kilometer away at some time around the beginning of the 14th century to avoid flooding. Since then it has stood on higher ground between the Kocher and Brettach rivers. This gave rise to name New Town, or "Neue Stadt" in German. The hamlet of Helmbund subsequently all but disappeared with only the scattered ruins of the Gothic church of Helmbund remaining. Neuenstadt first fell under the reign of the rulers of Weinsberg whose lineage came to an end in 1507. As a result, it was originally a town from the Electorate of the Palatinate before falling into the area of Württemberg in 1504. In the 17th and 18th century the Württemberg-Neuenstadt branch line of the ducal house of Württemberg took up residence in Neuenstadt castle until the male lineage of dukes died out in 1742. Towards the end of the Second World War the fortified stronghold of Neuenstadt came under heavy fire from allied forces. In April 1945, nearly 80% of Neuenstadt old town was destroyed. During fighting, one of the wires holding up the legendary lime tree that stood outside the gates of the town, which had given the town part of its name in medieval times, was torn into pieces. Subsequently, a violent storm shattered the tree. Since then, fragments of live wood, suitable for 'cuttings', were garnered, grown until rooted then large enough to hold a structure, a kind of pergola in an attractive lime garden, which now surrounds the bottom of the tree trunk that has survived. This is so substantial it gives some idea of just how enormous the original tree would have been. * January 1, 1972: Cleversulzbach…

Geography

Neuenstadt lies on the Kocher river in the east of the District of Heilbronn. It stands on a hill where the Brettach flows into the Kocher river. Starting from the south going in a clockwise direction, Neuenstadt is surrounded by Eberstadt, Neckarsulm, Oedheim, Bad Friedrichshall, Neudenau, Hardthausen am Kocher and Langenbrettach (all also in the district of Heilbronn). Neuenstadt is part of a joint administration agreement with Hardthausen am Kocher and Langenbrettach. The town of Neuenstadt is subdivided into the districts of Neuenstadt itself, Stein am Kocher, Kochertürn, Cleversulzbach, Bürg and the hamlets of Brambacherhof, Buchhof and Lobenbacher Hof (of Stein).

Most-observed species

• Zoropsid spider

  Zoropsis spinimana (Dufour, 1820) · Arachnida
  1,209
• Great Tit

  Parus major Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,192
• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,145
• Carrion Crow

  Corvus corone Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,122
• Common Buzzard

  Buteo buteo (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,064
• Eurasian Blue Tit

  Cyanistes caeruleus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,017
• Eurasian Kestrel

  Falco tinnunculus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  852
• Eurasian Magpie

  Pica pica (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  795

Most recent

• 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
• M 2.7 — 2008-07-09
  1 km WSW of Dußlingen, Germany
• M 2.5 — 2008-07-03
  2 km W of Dußlingen, Germany
• M 2.5 — 2008-03-07
  1 km N of Simmersfeld, Germany