Reutlingen

Sister cities

• Aarau
• Dushanbe
• Pirna
• Roanne
• Ellesmere Port
• Bouaké
• Reading
• Szolnok

History

The first settlements in the area are believed to date from the 4th or 5th century. Some time around 1030, Count Egino started to build a castle on top of the Achalm, one of the largest mountains in Reutlingen district (about 706 m). One of the towers of this castle was rebuilt in the 19th century and is open to visitors. The name Reutlingen was first mentioned in writing in the so-called Bempflingen Treaty () which is dated approximately 1089–90. Reutlingen's earliest documented mention dates back to 1089 in the Bempflingen Treaty, which was an inheritance agreement between Zwiefalten Monastery and the descendants of the Achalm Count. In 1180, Reutlingen was given market privileges by Frederick Barbarossa. The settlement of Reutlingen was likely concentrated around the present-day Katharinenstraße and Untere Wilhelmstraße due to strategic considerations. Around 1180, Reutlingen received market rights and, between 1220 and 1240 it was promoted to city status and city-walls and fortifications were built. Shortly thereafter, from 1247 to 1343, the city's landmark, the St. Mary's Church () was built. In 1377 Reutlingen was the scene of a victory by the Swabian League, formed in the previous year by 14 Swabian cities, led by Ulm, over the Count of Württemberg. In 1519, a later Swabian League came to Reutlingen's help when Ulrich, Duke of Württemberg attempted to seize the city; the League landed a crushing blow, conquering Württemberg and selling it to Charles V. In 1495 and 1516 the Jews were exiled from the city. As a result of such struggles, Reutlingen became an Imperial City of the Holy Roman Empire, free from allegiance to the Duke of Württemberg. In 1530, Reutlingen's city council signed the Augsburg Confession, and in 1580 and the Formula of Concord, key…

Geography

Reutlingen is located about south of the State capital of Baden-Württemberg, Stuttgart. It lies in the Southwest corner of Germany, right next to the Swabian Jura, and that is why it is often called The gateway to the Swabian Jura (). The Echaz river, a tributary of the Neckar, flows through the city centre. Along with the old university town of Tübingen (about to the west), Reutlingen is the centre of the Neckar-Alb region. It is also part of the larger Stuttgart Metropolitan Region.

Most-observed species

• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  2,345
• Carrion Crow

  Corvus corone Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  2,199
• Great Tit

  Parus major Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  2,136
• Eurasian Blue Tit

  Cyanistes caeruleus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,954
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,629
• Common Chaffinch

  Fringilla coelebs Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,566
• Common Buzzard

  Buteo buteo (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,503
• Eurasian Magpie

  Pica pica (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,428

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