Kirchheim unter Teck (, ; Swabian: Kircha) is a town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, in the district of Esslingen. It is located on the small river Lauter, a tributary of the Neckar. It is 10 km (6 miles) near the Teck castle, approximately southeast of Stuttgart. It is the fourth city in the Esslingen district, forming a district centre for the surrounding communities.
Since 1 April 1956, Kirchheim unter Teck has the status of Große Kreisstadt. The city forms a Verwaltungsgemeinschaft (administrative community) with the neighbouring municipalities Dettingen and Notzingen. Kirchheim unter Teck was also, for several centuries, seat of the Oberamt (Oa.) Kirchheim.
Geography Kirchheim unter Teck is located in the foothills of the central Swabian Alb, north of the Albtrauf escarpment and its foothills: the Teckberg, Breitenstein and Limburg. It is situated in the Lauter valley, at the confluence of the Lindach and several tributary streams with the Lauter. The Lauter itself arrives at the south side of the city, coming from Dettingen unter Teck, then flowing through the city center (to the right of the old town), then turning north west, flowing through the district of Ötlingen and then leaving the city towards Wendlingen am Neckar, where it flows into the Neckar.
Neighbouring communities The following towns and villages border the town of Kirchheim Teck, clockwise starting in the East: Schlierbach (Göppingen) and Ohmden, Holzmaden, Weilheim an der Teck, Bissingen an der Teck, Dettingen unter Teck, Nürtingen, Oberboihingen, Wendlingen am Neckar, Wernau and Notzingen (all of them in the district of Esslingen)
Structure of the city The city of Kirchheim unter Teck consists of the core city Kirchheim, which annexed in 1935 the districts of Lindorf and Ötlingen. In the local government reform of 1974, Kirchheim annexed the districts of Jesingen and Nabern. All four districts are towns in the sense of the Municipal Code of Baden-Württemberg. That is, they each have a municipal council, elected by the population and chaired by a mayor.
Within the central city of Kirchheim, separately named residential areas can be distinguished, whose names have emerged in the course of history. In most cases they are not exactly delineated. The Schafhof district, however, which was built in the 1970s, is not adjacent to the rest of the city.
Markets & Attractions The city holds a variety of regular scheduled markets and fairs for its residents and tourists alike. A weekly farmers market offers a wide variety of seasonal fruits, vegetables and fresh flowers amongst other regional specialties. Every first Monday of the month a ‘Krämermarkt’ with roughly 100 additional booths offering clothing, household goods and more is added. Additional seasonal fairs are held in March, November and a Christmasmarket in December.
Planning Kirchheim is a regional center within Stuttgart Region, the main center of which is Stuttgart. The Kirchheim region consists of the cities and towns in the southeast of the Esslingen district (essentially the foothills of the Alb with Lenningen valley and Neidlingen valley). In particular, the region encompasses the towns of Bissingen an der Teck, Dettingen unter Teck, Erkenbrechtsweiler, Holzmaden, Köngen, Lenningen, Neidlingen Notzingen, Ohmden, Owen, Weilheim an der Teck and Wendlingen am Neckar.
History Traces of settlements from the Neolithic, the Celtic and Romans era have been found. Alamannic graves prove the existence of three settlements in the area of the city during the migration period.
Although the first written mention of Kirchheim dates only to the year 960, the town certainly existed during the Alemannic era of the 6th and 7th century. Perhaps the current settlement was founded during the Christianization when several older villages were merged and a church was built and dedicated to St. Martin.
In 960, Kirchheim came in the possession of Emperor Otto I in an exchange for the diocese Chur. The Market and the royal mint date back to the mid-11th Century.
The place was owned by the Dukes of Zähringen and was inherited in 1186 by a lateral line, the Duke of Teck. The Dukes of Teck are known since 1252, but the title of duke more a family name than a proper title. Sometime between 1220 and 1230, they elevated Kirchheim to a market town under Freiburg law. Duke Louis I of Teck founded the Kirchheim nunnery in 1240. In 1270, Duke Conrad II of Teck initiated the construction of a city wall.
In a process which lasted from 1303 until 1386, Kirchheim became a part of Austria and later of Württemberg, due to economic difficulties of the Dukes of Teck. The city was the seat of a Württemberg Amt. During the 14th century, when the Dukes of Teck played a leading role in the city government, the rise of the middle classes brought an economic boom, especially in the textile industry and the textile trade.
After Duke Ulrich returned from exile in 1539, Kirchheim was expanded to a fortress of Württemberg and at the same time, the ducal palace was constructed. The current appearance of the city is from the reconstruction after a devastating fire in 1690.
In 1864, it became the terminal of the first private railway in Württemberg, the line Unterboihingen-Kirchheim. In the 19th century, it became the seat of an Oberamt. In 1938, the Oberamt Kirchheim was included in the Landkreis Nürtingen.
After World War II, the population of the city grew significantly due to the influx of refugees and displaced persons. In 1948, the population exceeded the limit of 20,000, and under the Baden-Württemberg Municipal Code, the city received on 1 April 1956 the legal status of Große Kreisstadt.
Since the district reform of 1973, Kirchheim unter Teck is one of the municipalities of the district of Esslingen. In 1974, two neighboring municipalities were annexed. Thus, the city reached its current dimensions.
Rocket launch pads
There are three launch pads for the Luftwaffe Bachem Ba 349 Natter rocket interceptors located in the Hasenholz forest near Kirchheim unter Teck. They are all that remain from the once active launch site constructed in 1945. The three launchpads are arranged in the form of an equilateral triangle, whose sides point toward the east and the south. The distance between the launchpads is approximately 50 meters. The circular concrete pads on which the Bachem Ba 349s and their launch towers once stood still exist. In the center of each of the three concrete plates is a square hole approximately 50 centimeters deep, which once served as the foundation for the launch tower. Beside each hole is a pipe, cut off at ground level, which was probably once a cable pit.
The Natter launchpads at Kirchheim unter Teck are considered the only remnants of these rocket launch pads on publicly accessible terrain, as the ramp in the Lager Heuberg, where Lothar Sieber took off for his fatal manned test flight, is still in a restricted military area.
Religions The population of Kirchheim unter Teck originally belonged to the Bishopric of Constance and was assigned to the Archdeanery circa alpes, chapter Kirchheim. As the city belonged to Württemberg at the time of the Reformation, Protestantism was introduced here as early as 1535 by Duke Ulrich. Consequently, Kirchheim unter Teck was a predominantly Protestant town for centuries. The Martin Church was the seat of the Dean of the Kirchheim Church District.
The congregation grew, especially after the Second World War, due to a strong influx and consequently, the congregation was split. One congregation uses the Christ Church (built in 1909), others use the Church of the Cross (1956), the Thomas Church (1967) and the Resurrection Church (1972). These five congregations in the central city, together with the parish of Ötlingen (separate parish since 1834) and the St. Matthew parish in Lindorf (church built in 1971, formerly part of Kirchheim, later part of Ötlingen), form the Evangelical Church of the City Kirchheim unter Teck. The districts of Jesingen and Nabern were also introduced early to the Reformation, due to their being part of Württemberg as well. Consequently, these district have their own Protestant congregation and church. All Protestant churches in the city are administered by the office of the Dean of Kirchheim unter Teck as part of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Württemberg.
Since the late-19th century, there have been Catholics in Kirchheim unter Teck. They built the St. Ulrich church in 1910. Ötlingen and Lindorf and some neighboring communities belong to this parish. In 1967, a second church was built, the Mary Queen of Heaven church. The Catholics in Jessingen and Nabern and some neighboring communities belong to this parish. These two parishes now form the Pastoral Care Unit 5 in the Deanery Esslingen-Nürtingen of the Diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart.
The city also has several Free Churches and congregations, including the United Methodist Church and the Evangelical Free Church (also known as Baptists). The New Apostolic Church is also represented in Kirchheim unter Teck.
Annexations In the town of Kirchheim unter Teck following municipalities were integrated: 1 April 1935: Ötlingen and Lindorf 1 January 1974: Nabern 1 September 1974: Jesingen
Districts
Jesingen
Jesingen is located about two miles () southeast of Kirchheim in the direction Weilheim an der Teck. Jesingen was the first mentioned (as Osinski) in 769 in the Codex of Lorsch in a donation to the Lorsch monastery. The district of Jesingen is 574 ha in size, the village has about 3300 inhabitants.
Lindorf
Lindorf is located about two kilometres () west of Kirchheim. Lindorf is first mentioned in 1090 in the Treaty of Bempflinger Treaty. The district has an area of 262 ha; about 1,500 people live in Lindorf.
Ötlingen
Ötlingen is situated approximately west of Kirchheim. The two districts are separated by an industrial area; the built up area is now continuous. The Ötlingen district has an area of 375 hectares. Ötlingen is first mentioned in 788 (as Adiningen) in the Codex of Lorsch. Ötlingen was owned by the Dukes of the Zähringen and later by the Dukes of Teck and at end of the 13th century by Württemberg. Today, the district of Ötlingen has approximately 6,400 inhabitants. Ötlingen is the only district of Kirchheim unter Teck with a station on the Stuttgart S-Bahn, apart from Kirchheim itself. Line S1 runs Herrenberg - Böblingen - Stuttgart - Esslingen am Neckar - Plochingen - Wendlingen am Neckar - Kirchheim Teck-Ötlingen - Kirchheim unter Teck . This line provides fast transport to Stuttgart and beyond every 30 minutes.
Population development The population figures are estimates, census results (¹) or official updates of the respective statistical offices (only primary residences are counted). Year population 1600 2 500 1700 2 101 1763 2 911 1803 3 878 1843 5 372 1861 5 478 1 December 1871 5 863 1 December 1880 ¹ 6 632 1 December 1890 ¹ 7 029 1 December 1900 ¹ 8 235 1 December 1910 ¹ 9 668 16 June 1925 ¹ 10 057 16 June 1933 ¹ 10 664 Year populations 17 May 1939 ¹ 13 260 1946 18 700 13 September 1950 ¹ 20 138 6 June 1961 ¹ 25 007 27 May 1970 ¹ 28 842 31 December 1975 31 666 31 December 1980 32 136 27 May 1987 ¹ 33 920 31 December 1990 35 842 31 December 1995 38 205 31 December 2000 38 834 31 December 2005 39 970 31 December 2010 39 859 ¹ census results
Source: Statistical Office of Baden-Württemberg
Politics
Council Since the last Local Elections in Baden-Württemberg on 25 May 2014, the City Council has 34 members. The turnout was 45,22%. The election result was as follows:Wahlinformationen des Kommunalen Rechenzentrums Stuttgart Free Voters 7 seats (21,45%) CDU 7 seats (19,56%) SPD 7 seats (19,33%) Greens 6 seats (17,24%) Woman List Kirchheim 3 seats (10,12%) FDP / Kirchheimer Civilian List 2 seats (6,32%) Christian Initiative Kirchheim 2 seats (5.98%)