|
Kingdom of Wurttemberg
1482: Count Eberhard 5th declared that the minor states and cities which made up Wurttemberg were indivisable.
1495: Wurttemberg became a Duchy.
1519: The Swabian League of Cities expelled Duke Ulrich 1st.
1520: The Swabian League sold the Duchy to Holy Roman Emperior Charles 5th.
1534: Wurttemberg peasants rise against the unpopular government of King Ferdinand.
1534:Ulrich, a Protestant joined forces with the Reformers Philip of Hesse and Francis of France, and at the Battle of Lauffen, routed Emperior Ferdinand's troops.
Wurttemberg was repeatedly the scene of fighting in the wars of the 17th and 18 centuries.
1803: Duke Fredrick 2nd came under the pressure of Empror Napoleon and was forced to ally with the French Empire. Napolean gave Fredrick the rank of Elector.
1806: Fredrick joined The Confederation of the Rhine, creating The Kingdom of Wurttemberg.
1813: King Fredrick 1st broke Wurttemberg's alliance with Napolean and joined an Austrian alliance at the Congress of Vienna.
1819: Fredrick's successor King William 1st granted Wurttemberg a liberal constitution.
1871: Wurttemberg became a member of The German Empire.
The city of Markgroningen was incorporated in 1504. Markgroningen celebrated its first mention in a document of the Monistary of Fulida 1200 years ago. The cities history was quite eventful. It was a free town of the Holy Roman Empire until it was finally annexed to the House of Wurttemberg, when it became the resedence of the Governor of the Reign. Until 1807 Markgroningen was the capital of a large precinct, however its importance declined with the foundation of Ludwigsburg.
An important feature of Markgroningen is the Hospice of the Holy Saint. The former Hospice Church was consecrated in 1297 and was situated in the heart of the complex, which can still be recognized. The church was partly destroyed later, but the new and modern wing forms a perfect link between the old and the new. Next to the church, the restored hospice building is an impressive sight.
The Sheperd's Race in an annual event and celebration and has been held since 1445. As the story goes, the festival was sponserd by the Sheperd Master of Bartel (Bartholamew). The main event is run barefoot on a stubble field for 300 paces, between the sheperd's daughters and the sheperds. The winners are crowned sheperd queen and sheperd king and receive a ram as a prize. The event takes place on the 24th of August, or on the following week-end every year. It begins on the Friday with a challenging professional sheperding event.
1704: The town of Ludwigsburg was founded on a wim of the Wurttemberg Duke Eberhard Ludwig, who had his summer residence built there. This was the start of Germany's largest baroque town, which has been home to numerous historical events and famous persons. Ludwigsburg has always been closely connected with the history of the state of Wurttemburg.
"Ludwigsburg is a very special town" were the words spoken by Leopold Mozard to describe the town to his son Wolfgang Amadus in 1763. This is still true today, Ludwigsburg is an active, lively and friendly town in the centre of one of the most economically sound regions in Germany.
Royal Residence of Ludwigsburg 
Fifth Century: The family name of Ascisberg was first mentioned.
819: Count Gozberg sceeds his properties to Asperger Besitz of Alsace.
11th Century: House of Asperg falls to Count von Ingersheim.
1300: Foundation of the town of Hohen-Asperg, built on citadel Asperg.
1350: Name of town changed to Asperg, citadel remains Hohen-Asperg.
1510: Asperg awarded municipal status.
1519: Seige of the fortress of Hohen-Asperg by Georg von Frundsberg of the Swabian Federation.
1534: Recapture of Hohen-Asperg by Duke Ulrich von Wurttemberg.
1547: Fortress of Hohen-Asperg falls to Spanish troops.
1594: Edification of first town hall.
1608: Asperg population 83.
1653: Rebuilding of the town hall which had been distroyed by the wars.
1718: Asperg incorporated under the administration of Ludwigsburg.
1735: Asperg receives new document of independence.
1781: Asperg agrees to be adminestrated by the gonernment of Ludwigsburg.
1805: Asperg loses it's seal in the federal state parlement.
1811: Asperg loses city status as court reverts to village.
1833: Construction of the poor house.
1844: Burning of the town hall.
1856: Asperg population 1927.
1875: Asperg regains city status.
1900: Asperg population 2609.
1909: Asperg merges with Hohen-Asperg to form one municipality.
Citadel of Hohan-Asperg
.
.
.
City of Ulm
Ulm lies in the present day state of Baden-Wurttemberg, on the Danube river. In midieval times the old Imperial City on the Danube was a major trading centre. The city lay at the intersection of European long distance overland routes and that lead to its development into a trading metropolis. This economic strength was matched by its political power, but both fell away as a result of Thirty Years' War and the Wars of the Spanish succession. Finally, Ulm lost its imperial status in 1802 when Napoleon annexed it to Bavaria. If Ulm had been for hundreds of years a bastion of political and economic significance, it also took on an expression of a purly military meaning.
The political, economic and war history of Ulm helps to explain the situation that forced our ancestors to emigrate from Wurttemberg. In fact Ulm was the embarcation centre, through which emigrating Wurtembergers passed on their journey to the South Russian stepps. In 1805 some of these same Emigrants may have been present during The Battle of Ulm, which ended with the capitulation of the entire Austrian army, followed by Napoleon's Grande Armee sacking the city.
In World War II more then half of the city, including many old and historic bulidings were destroyed. Most of the major historic buildings have since been restored. Ulm's famous Gothic minster begun in 1377 and is the largest Gothic church in Germany after the Colone Cathedral and has one of the world's highest church towers.
A symbol of the more recent history is Alebrt Einstein, who was born in Ulm 1879. He is Ulm's most famous son. He actually only spent 15 months of his life there. Still the residents are naturally proud. As the city's famous relativist once put it, "a person's birthplace is a part of who he is, and I am thankful that mine was Ulm, since it combines artistic tradition with pure and healthy character".
Today, Ulm is the cultural, business and shopping centre of the sorrounding region. On the opposite bank of the Danube stands Ulm's sister city New-Ulm, an attractive young Bavarian county town.
|