Reichenbach an der Fils

History

Traces of people from the Middle Stone Age (12,000–5000 BC) have been found on the heights of the Fils Valley, as well as on the terrain north of the Siegenhof. Reichenbach an der Fils was first mentioned in a document in the year 1268. However, like many places, the exact time of birth remains in the darkness of history. The founding period of the village can be deduced from field names and compared with neighboring villages, likely between the 9th and 11th centuries. Thus, Reichenbach was a village in the Duchy of Swabia. Wilhelm Böhringer and Gustav Wohlbold, both former educators at the local elementary school, have researched state and church archives in the past and found the place mentioned for the first time in connection with a dispute between two noblewomen as "Marquardus plebanus de Richenbach," recorded as a witness on a document from the year 1268. The name of the village has nothing to do with wealth. Rather, it is named after the stream flowing through the municipality. To prevent confusion with municipalities of the same name, the designation "Reichenbach an der Fils" was introduced in 1906. At the end of the 13th century, Reichenbach came under the sovereignty of the Lords of Württemberg, after the Staufers and then the Dukes of Teck had previously held sway. In 1299, Duke Hermann of Teck relinquished all ownership and sovereignty claims in Reichenbach to Württemberg. In 1534, the Protestant Duke Ulrich ordered that Württemberg, and therefore Reichenbach, should henceforth be Protestant according to the principle of "cuius regio, eius religio." Originally, Reichenbach belonged to the district in Kirchheim, from 1485 to the district in Göppingen. The community developed slowly. During the recurring periods of war from the 16th to the 19th centuries,…

Geography

The municipality of Reichenbach an der Fils is approximately 12 km (as the crow flies) east-southeast of the district town of Esslingen and about 25 km in the same direction from the state capital, Stuttgart. It is situated on the Fils River, which flows westward here, with the Reichenbach coming from the north, the Lützelbach from the northwest, and subsequently the Talbach from the southeast. The municipal area is predominantly located to the right of the river; its northern part belongs to the Schurwald subarea of the Schurwald and Welzheimer Wald natural region, while its smaller southern part along the river course belongs to the foothills of the central Swabian Alb. The lowest point at approximately 253 meters above sea level is at the outlet of the Fils, while the highest point, the Probst forested hill, reaches up to 446 meters above sea level in the northeast.

Most-observed species

• Great Tit

  Parus major Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  4,321
• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  4,175
• Carrion Crow

  Corvus corone Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  3,885
• Eurasian Blue Tit

  Cyanistes caeruleus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  3,881
• Common Chaffinch

  Fringilla coelebs Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  3,100
• Common Buzzard

  Buteo buteo (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  3,047
• Common Wood-Pigeon

  Columba palumbus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  2,977
• Great Spotted Woodpecker

  Dendrocopos major (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,933

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