Offenburg

Sister cities

• Borehamwood
• Altenburg
• Weiz
• Pietra Ligure
• Lons-le-Saunier
• Olsztyn

History

In recent times the remains of Roman settlements have been found within the city's territory. Offenburg was first mentioned in historical documents dating back to 1148. Offenburg had already been declared a Free Imperial City by 1240. In September 1689, the city - with the exception of two buildings - was totally destroyed by the French during the Nine Years War. Due to Napoleon's dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1803 and subsequent reorganization of the German states, Offenburg lost its status as a Free Imperial City and fell under the rule of the Grand Duchy of Baden. During the outbreak of the Revolutions of 1848, the "Offenburger Programm" which consisted of thirteen demands "in the name of the people of Baden", was put forward at the Salmen Inn on 12 September 1847. This was the first known demand for democracy in Germany. Along with the Carlsbad Decrees, the Offenburger Program demanded basic and human rights as well as freedom of the press and a progressive income tax structure. On 19 March 1848 the demands were confirmed by the 20,000 member Offenburg Peoples' Assembly. During World War I Offenburg was one of the first cities to experience the effects of aerial bombardment, the operations against Offenburg railway sidings were mostly flown by aircraft from the Independent Force from Ochey aerodrome. It is mostly neglected, that in the aftermath of World War I, during the Occupation of the Rhineland, French troops occupied Offenburg, because it fell within the perimeter of the Kehl bridgehead. The French occupation forces entered the town in February 1923 and remained until 1924, blocking all traffic on the Rhine Valley Railway between Offenburg and Appenweier. Following the rise to power of the NSDAP in the 1930s, Offenburg's Jewish population fell…

Geography

Offenburg is located approximately 15 km east of the river Rhine between Karlsruhe and Freiburg. The French city of Strasbourg lies 20 km northwest across the Rhine. Offenburg is situated at the mouth of the Kinzig river valley and at the foot of the Black Forest. The Kinzig flows out of the Black Forest and meets the Rhine near Kehl. Köppen climate classification classifies its climate as oceanic (Cfb). Marine features are limited however, as a result of its vast distance from oceans and seas. Winters are cool, sometimes with night frosts. Precipitation mostly falls in summer months.

Most-observed species

• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,853
• Great Tit

  Parus major Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,723
• Carrion Crow

  Corvus corone Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,710
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,449
• Zoropsid spider

  Zoropsis spinimana (Dufour, 1820) · Arachnida
  1,424
• Eurasian Blue Tit

  Cyanistes caeruleus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,414
• Common Wood-Pigeon

  Columba palumbus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,384
• Mute Swan

  Cygnus olor (J.F.Gmelin, 1789) · Aves
  1,377

Most recent

• M 3.5 — 2024-06-27
  1 km SSW of Todtmoos, Germany
• M 3.4 — 2022-10-16
  Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany
• M 3.9 — 2022-09-10
  1 km WSW of Zimmersheim, France
• M 4 — 2022-07-09
  2 km NNE of Grosselfingen, Germany
• M 4.1 — 2021-06-26
  2 km SE of Hœrdt, France
• M 3.1 — 2018-05-04
  2 km W of Schliengen, Germany