Vaihingen

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Coordinates: 48°56′N 8°57′E

Vaihingen an der Enz
Country	Germany
State	Baden-Württemberg
Administrative region	Stuttgart
District	Ludwigsburg
Population	28,921 (2005)
Population density	394 /km²
Elevation	217 m
Coordinates	48°56′ N 8°57′ E
Postal code	71654-71665
Area code	07042
Licence plate code	LB
Mayor	Gerd Maisch
Website	www.vaihingen.de

Vaihingen an der Enz is located on the western periphery of the middle Neckar region, between Stuttgart and Karlsruhe, in southern Germany. Vaihingen is situated on the river Enz, and has a population of around 30,000. The city is within the administrative region of Stuttgart, and in the district of Ludwigsburg, state of Baden-Württemberg. It is 25 km northwest of Stuttgart, and 15 km west of Ludwigsburg.

[edit] History

Vaihingen may date back as far as 799 a.d., but the documents are not clear. In 1252 documents refer directly to Vaihingen as a town, established by Count Gottfried von Vaihingen. The city changed hands several times. In the sixteenth century it became a Protestant city. During the Thirty Years War (1618-1648), Vaihingen was besieged by both the Protestant and Catholic warring factions. The consequences of the 1848 revolution caused harvest failures and inflation, and the city population diminished by a large emigration. In the early 1900's, a connection to the railroad network brought more people and industries to Vaihingen. In 1938 Vaihingen became a regional center.

[edit] People

• Jacob Friedrich von Abel (1751-1829), Professor of Philosophy
  

Born in Vaihingen May 9, 1751. Published his "Introduction to the doctrine of spirituality" ("Einleitung in die Seelenlehre") in Stuttgart, 1786

• Karl Friedrich Hensler (1759-1825), Viennese theater director
  
• Karl Gerok (1815-1890), Bishop
  
• Friedrich Kellner (1885-1970) Chief Justice Inspector, Diarist

Born in Vaihingen February 1, 1885. In Laubach, Hessen, Kellner recorded the misdeeds of the Nazis. His 10-volume diary was exhibited at the George Bush Presidential Library in 2005. A Canadian documentary, My Opposition: the Diaries of Friedrich Kellner, was made in 2006.

[edit] External Links

• Pictures of the concentration camp cemetery at Vaihingen/Enz at the Sites of Memory webpage

• Pictures of the military and refugee memorials in the municipal cemetery at Vaihingen/Enz at the Sites of Memory webpage