Place Information
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Villingen-Schwenningen is the largest city of the Schwarzwald-Baar district located in the south of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It has 81,520 inhabitants (as of 2005).
History
In the Middle Ages, Villingen was a town under Austrian lordship. During the Protestant Reformation it remained Catholic. Villingen came in the center of international attention when it was besieged by marshal Tallard in 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 Colonel Von Wilstorff put up a stout defence of the outdated fortifications and after six days the siege failed.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, from which time on watch making and precision mechanics have been important industries. 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 big center of the German Carneval. The traditional Narros represent the old citizens of Villingen: Alt Villingere, Morbili, Hansele, Suribbel. Research TipsWhile WeRelate calls this area by its current name, it wasn't always so:
Therefore, depending on when your ancestor was born, the place name on WeRelate may not match the name in the "Place" field of your family tree. The Thirty Years War (1618-1648) resulted in the destruction of many towns, including most of Schwenningen. Church records do not exist prior to 1651. The Evangelische (Protestant) church records of Schwenningen were filmed by the LDS and are films #1658743 through 1658748. Records of people and events prior to 1651 have been compiled in Häuser Höfe Hofstätten by Manfred Reinartz. See also Otto Benzing, Quellen_zur_Schwenninger_Geschichte_890-1600, a collection of sources and documents concerning Schwenningen, collected in different archives (Karlsruhe, Stuttgart etc.) and published in this book. Surnames in SchwenningenAt least until about 1900, the number of surnames in Schwenningen was relatively limited. The lines regularly intermarried. If one person is descended from Schwenningen (especially pre-1900), chances are, one is related to every single other person descended from Schwenningen. Here are the most common surnames from Schwenningen:
Related PagesTracking the Emigres of Schwenningen
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