Villingen-Schwenningen

Sister cities

• Savona
• Friedrichsthal
• La Valette-du-Var
• Pontarlier
• Zittau

History

In the Middle Ages, Villingen was a town under Austrian lordship. During the Protestant Reformation it remained Catholic. Villingen came to international attention when it was besieged by Marshal of France Camille d'Hostun, duc de Tallard on 17 July 1704. Colonel Von Wilstorff put up a stout defence of the outdated fortifications, and after six days the siege failed. Schwenningen remained a village until the 19th century. In 1858, the first watch factory was established, and watchmaking and precision mechanics have been important industries ever since. The town styled itself "the greatest watch city in the world" at one time, and the Kienzle Uhren watchmaking company was founded there in 1822 and remained until moving to Hamburg in 2002. The Museum of Clockmaking celebrates the town's clock and watchmaking history. During World War II, in March 1940, the Stalag V-B prisoner-of-war camp was established, in which Polish, French, British, Serbian, Soviet, Belgian, American and Italian POWs were held. Additionally, in November 1942, the Stalag 315 prisoner-of-war camp was relocated from Przemyśl in German-occupied Poland to Villingen, and was later further relocated to the German-occupied Netherlands in 1943. As part of the Baden-Württemberg territorial reform of 1972, Villingen and Schwenningen were merged with a number of surrounding villages to form the city of Villingen-Schwenningen. Nevertheless, the two halves of the city are separated by a plateau and remain distinct. Villingen is a former part of Baden, while Schwenningen is a former part of Württemberg. Villingen is a major center of German carnival celebrations. The traditional Narros represent the old citizens of Villingen: Alt Villingere, Morbili, Narro, Suribbel.

Geography

Villingen-Schwenningen lies on the eastern edge of the Black Forest about above sea level. The source of the river Neckar, a main tributary of the Rhine, is in Schwenningen (Schwenninger Moos) whereas Villingen is traversed by the river Brigach which is the shorter one of the two headstreams of the Danube.

Most-observed species

• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,313
• Carrion Crow

  Corvus corone Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,151
• Great Tit

  Parus major Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,146
• Eurasian Blue Tit

  Cyanistes caeruleus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,038
• Common Chaffinch

  Fringilla coelebs Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  936
• Eurasian Magpie

  Pica pica (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  902
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  864
• European Robin

  Erithacus rubecula (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  740

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