Weinstadt

The city limits of Weinstadt span the river Rems, which flows through the Rems Valley (Remstal) into the Neckar Basin. The Rems flows into the Neckar at Remseck am Neckar. The Stadtteil Großheppach lies to the north of the Rems, while the other Stadtteile lie to the south. At the southern part of the city, the vineyards climb the slopes at the edge of Schurwald. All Stadtteile have vineyards; that is the source for the name "Weinstadt."

The following cities and municipalities border Weinstadt (listed clockwise from west): Kernen im Remstal; Waiblingen; Korb, an exclave of Waiblingen; Remshalden; and Winterbach (all in Rems-Murr-Kreis); and Baltmannsweiler and Aichwald (in Landkreis Esslingen).

Baach 2006

Weinstadt is composed of the following Stadtteile (residents as of March 31, 2010, noted in parentheses):[6]

• Beutelsbach (8,464)
• Endersbach (7,351)
• Großheppach (4,485)
• Schnait (3,254)
• Strümpfelbach (2,411)

The borders of each Stadtteil follow exactly the pre-1975 town or village borders.

In addition to these Stadtteile, there are also some named residential areas, which, in some cases, do not have official boundaries. The farmstead Schönbühl, the estate Burg, and the settlement Benzach belong to Beutelsbach. The abandoned village Wintzen belongs to Endersbach. The Weiler Gundelsbach and the estate Wolfshof belong to Großheppach. The municipal area Baach and the estate Saffrichhof, as well as the abandoned village Mühlhöflein, belong to Schnait.

Kleinheppach, which is adjacent to Großheppach, is part of the municipality of Korb.

Weinstadt forms a local commercial center for 50,000 residents within the sub-metropolitan area of Waiblingen/Fellbach and the Stuttgart metropolitan area.

Endersbach was first identified as Andrespach in 1278 and probably joined Württemberg as part of Schorndorf. Unlike Beutelsbach, Endersbach belonged from 1762 until 1765 and then again from 1807 to the Oberamt Waiblingen (an administrative district within Württemberg), which in 1938 became the Waiblingen district.

Schnait was originally identified as Snait. The town likely joined Württemberg along with Beutelsbach, although other feudal lords had rights to the town until 1605. It belonged – like Beutelsbach – to Amt/Oberamt Schorndorf (an administrative district within Württemberg). After the dissolution of Oberamt Schorndorf in 1938, Schnait joined the Waiblingen district.

Strümpfelbach was first identified as Striumphilbach in 1265 and likely became part of Württemberg in the 13th century. The town belonged to the Amt/Oberamt Schorndorf (an administrative district within Württemberg) and then from 1762 until 1765 and then again from 1807 to the Oberamt Waiblingen (an administrative district within Württemberg), which in 1938 became the Waiblingen district.

As a result of belonging to the Grafschaft and later Duchy of Württemberg, the Reformation was brought to all five of the now-Stadtteile of Weinstadt. For centuries the towns were almost exclusively Protestant. The five evangelical parishes belonged, in accordance with the town governance, to the respective ecclesiastical districts of the Oberamts of Waiblingen and Schorndorf under the auspices of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Württemberg. Endersbach, Großheppach and Strümpfelbach belong to the ecclesiastical district of Waiblingen, while Beutelsbach and Schnait belong to the ecclesiastical district of Schorndorf.

Because of the influx of Catholics from Bavaria during the building of the railroad and especially after the Second World War, Catholic ecclesiastical districts and churches took root in what is now Weinstadt. In 1956 the Church of St. Anna was built in Beutelsbach, and the Church of Saint Andrew was built in Endersbach. In 1971 Schnait received its own Church of the Holy Cross, the members of which belong to the Beutelsbach parish. Shortly thereafter in 1974, Großheppach also received its own Catholic church—the Church of Saint Stephen. The congregation of the Church of Saint Stephen, as well as the Catholic Church members from Strümpfelbach, belong to the parish of Endersbach. All of the Weinstadt Catholic churches belong to the Deanery of Waiblingen of the Diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart. In addition, the New Apostolic Church and the Jehovah's Witnesses are also represented.

The values below are either the results of the census (¹) or the official published statistics for the respective city office (only primary residence).

¹ Census Results

Since the most recent local election in Baden-Württemberg in 2014, the city council of Weinstadt has had 26 members. Voter participation in that election was 52.42%. The results of the election were as follows:

The mayor is the head of the town council.

¹Free Voters Weinstadt e.V. (Free Voters Weinstadt), ²Grüne Offene Liste Weinstadt (Green Open List Weinstadt)

The mayor is the immediate head of the government of Weinstadt. When the city was recognized as a Große Kreisstadt on January 1, 1979, the mayor's title was changed from Bürgermeister to Oberbürgermeister. The mayor is elected directly by the eligible voters for an 8-year term and is the head of the city council. The mayor also has a deputy, whose title is Erster Bürgermeister or "first mayor."

Mayors:

• 1975–2000: Jürgen Hofer (FDP)
• 2000–2016: Jürgen Oswald (CDU)
• 2016–present: Michael Scharmann

The coat of arms of Weinstadt displays: "Unter goldenem Schildhaupt, darin eine liegende schwarze Hirschstange, in Schwarz eine goldene Traube" ("a golden banner, across which a deer antler lies, and on black a golden bunch of grapes.") The city flag is yellow and black. Both the coat of arms and the flag were awarded to Weinstadt on May 3, 1976, by the Landratsamt of Rems-Murr county.

The grape bunch symbolizes wine growing, for which the city was named. The Württemberg deer antler references the lengthy inclusion of the former villages and towns of Weinstadt within Württemberg.

Weinstadt has maintained a partnership with the French city Parthenay since 1980 and with the Polish city Międzychód since 1990. City friendships also exist with the cities Abrantes (Portugal), Arnedo (Spain), Casale Monferrato (Italy) and Tipperary (Ireland).

• The local history museum in Beutelsbach (Heimatmuseum Beutelsbach) in the former town hall houses the peasant revolt exhibit and the East German Heimatstube (home-town room).
• Both Endersbach and Strümpfelbach have their own local history museum. The museum in Endersbach contains oil paintings and pastel drawings by the painter Karl Wilhelm Bauerle (aka Carl Bowerley) (1831–1912), who was born in Endersbach.
• The Nuss-Museum in Strümpfelbach as well as the sculpture walk in Strümpfelbach, which wanders among the vineyard hills.
• The Silcher Museum of the Swabian Choir Association in Schnait, housed in the birthplace of the composer Friedrich Silcher, presents his life and works.

The most significant structure and symbol of the city is the Stiftskirche (collegiate church) in Beutelsbach, the former burial location of the House of Württemberg. The current church was constructed in 1522, although there had previously been a church on that site.

The Endersbach parish church is a late-Gothic former fortified church. The nave was built in 1468, the choir and sacristy in 1491, and the tower in 1769. In 1730 the nave was redecorated in Baroque style.

The church in Schnait is more recent. It was initially built in 1748 as a so-called Emporensaal (gallery hall).

The parish church in Strümpfelbach is a late-Gothic choir-tower structure, which was expanded in 1784.

In Großheppach, the Schloss Großheppach (Großheppach Castle) from 1592 is particularly worth seeing. Since around 1900 it has belonged to the family von Gaisberg, and by 1749 it belonged to a maternal-line ancestor of this family. Today, it's one of the few privately owned castles in Baden-Württemberg. The Schloss Schnait (Schnait Castle) in Schnait is a favorite day-trip destination for those interested in half-timbered houses.

A yearly spring market and harvest market take place in Beutelsbach, and Beutelsbach also hosts a Weindorf (wine village festival), which takes place around May 1, and draws visitors from near and far. In Endersbach, there is a Fensterblümlesmarkt (window flower market) on the second Wednesday in May, a wine festival and merchant's market in September, and a Christmas market in December. In Schnait there's a Martinimarkt (St. Martin's Market) each year, and in Großheppach there is a Festival of 100 Wines at the Häckermühle in September. The yearly 3-day Kelterfest takes place in Strümpfelbach. The Nacht der Keller (Night of the Cellars) is especially noteworthy. At that event, the various wine producers present their wine in vaulted cellars throughout Weinstadt.

Additionally, the Bacchus Festival, which the Stadtteil take turns organizing, takes place every two to three years. In May and June, wine tastings take place in the vineyards of Großheppach (on Mother's day weekend) and in Endersbach.

Also known in the region are the Beutelsbach Kirbe (harvest festival) and Schnait Kirbe, which take place in October and August respectively.

Busbahnhof und Bahnhof Endersbach

The Bundesstraße 29 Stuttgart–Schwäbisch Gmünd–Aalen crosses the city.

Weinstadt is located on the Remsbahn Stuttgart–Aalen (–Nürnberg). The Stuttgart S-Bahn line S2 also follows this stretch of track (Schorndorf–Stuttgart–Stuttgart Airport–Filderstadt). The following stations lie within the city limits of Weinstadt: Stetten-Beinstein, Endersbach and Beutelsbach. Multiple bus lines provide service within the city limits. All lines can be used based on a unified price structure under the authority of the Stuttgart Transit Association (Verkehrsverbund Stuttgart or VVS).

The daily newspaper Waiblinger Kreiszeitung covers Weinstadt. Each household receives the weekly Weinstadt Woche (Weinstadt Week), the official communication organ of the city, at no cost. Furthermore, the weekly Blättle (in some cases s’Blättle), which reports on the church, club, and other events from the previous week, is also delivered free of charge.

Weinstadt has been the headquarters of the online community Kwick since 2001.

Weinstadt has two notary publics, both located in Beutelsbach.

In Weinstadt there is a Gymnasium (Remstal-Gymnasium), a Realschule (Reinhold-Nägele-Realschule), a Werkrealschule (Erich Kästner-Schule) and a Special Education School (Vollmarschule), which are all located in the Bildungszentrum Weinstadt (Weinstadt Educational Center) between Endersbach and Beutelsbach.

In addition, each Stadtteil has its own elementary school, of which the schools in Endersbach (Silcherschule) and Großheppach (Friedrich-Schiller-Schule) carry special names.

Two private schools—the Fachschule für Sozialpädagogik and the Fachschule für Altenpflege of the Großheppacher Schwesternschaft round out the educational offerings in Weinstadt. The Volkshochschule Unteres Remstal e.V. (Community College of Lower Rems Valley) has its secondary office in the Haus Wabe in Weinstadt.

With around 1700 members, the SV Weinstadt (Sport Club Weinstadt) is, along with the VfL Endersbach, one of the two largest sport clubs. It was founded in 1897 as the TSV Beutelsbach and was renamed SV Weinstadt in 2001. SV Weinstadt activities include: handball, track and field, swimming, Taekwondo, table tennis, gymnastics, and volleyball, among others.[9]

VfL Endersbach was founded in 1908 and also has approximately 1700 members. As a multiple-department club it has a broad offering. Departments include: gymnastics, handball, track and field, swimming, skiing, basketball, heart sport, and disabled sport. For all children and youths, the VfL youth department puts on various additional activities.[10]

There are three football clubs in Weinstadt: the SC Weinstadt, the TSV Großheppach, and the TSV Strümpfelbach. The first two of these came into existence when the FV Weinstadt split in 2005.

In 1997 the Handballspielgemeinschaft Weinstadt (HSG Weinstadt) was formed from the handball departments of the VfL Endersbach and the TSV Großheppach. In 2011, it combined with the handball department of the SV Weinstadt to form the Spielgemeinschaft Weinstadt Handball (SG Weinstadt). With five active men, two active women, and for the most part doubly populated youth teams of all age groups, the SG Weinstadt Handball is one of the largest handball clubs in Rems-Murr county.[11]

The BG Endersbach is a basketball club with a home in the VfL Endersbach.

The Tennisclub Weinstadt Endersbach e.V., founded on December 7, 1967, is the oldest tennis club in Weinstadt.[12]

The city of Weinstadt and/or the earlier townships have bestowed the right of honorary citizenship on the following people (in addition to others):

• 1949: Karl and Oskar Birkel, owners and managers of the 1909-1998 Endersbach-based Schwabennudelwerke B. Birkel Söhne (Endersbach)
• 1950: Christian Graze, owner of the Graze Bienenzuchtgerätefabrik, which has been based in Endersbach since 1872 (Endersbach)
• 1972: Sophie Weishaar, senior teacher and chronicler (Strümpfelbach)
• 1972: Karl-Christian Birkel, owner and manager of the Schwabennudelwerke B. Birkel Söhne (Endersbach)
• 1974: Hermann Plessing, Mayor of Beutelsbach (Beutelsbach)
• 1977: Prof. Fritz Nuss, Skulptor from Strümpfelbach
• 1983: Walter Eberhardt, Mayor of Strümpfelbach[13]
• 2007: Jürgen Hofer, Mayor of Weinstadt from 1975 to 2000[14]
• Karl Baisch, owner and manager of the Fabrik für Arzt- und Zahnarztpraxenmobiliar (factory for medicinal and dental furnishings) and primary donor for the construction of the indoor swimming pool in Beutelsbach
• Karl Dippon, wine grower and politician

• Peter Gais, Gaispeter from Beutelsbach, led 1514 the peasant revolt of the Poor Conrad against the Duke of Württemberg
• Georg Daniel Auberlen (1728–1784), schoolmaster, musician, and composer
• Philipp Friedrich Silcher (1789–1860), song composer
• Karl Wilhelm Bauerle (English: Carl Bowerley) (1831–1912), painter, from 1869 at the court of Queen Victoria
• Karl Dippon (1901–1981), wine grower and politician, member of the state parliament
• Heinrich von Idler (1802–1878), Württemberg Oberamtmann, member of the state parliament
• Mathias Richling (born 1953), cabaret artist
• Juan Amador (born 1968), cook

• Johann Jakob Thill (1747–1772), poet esteemed by Friedrich Hölderlin
• Karl-Georg Pfleiderer (1899–1957), lived in Landgut Burg near Beutelsbach
• Gotthilf Fischer (1928–2020), choral conductor, lived in Weinstadt
• Jürgen Rohwer (1924–2015), naval historian, lived in Weinstadt