Münsingen, Germany

The name Münsingen is probably derived from Alemannic chief called Munigis, who founded a settlement within the present-day city boundaries. In 775, Münsingen was mentioned for the first time on a deed of gift of Lorsch Abbey. The church of Münsingen was first mentioned in 804. The area was under the suzerainty of the Franks. Later, the village was under the suzerainty of county of Württemberg-Urach, who sold it to Ulrich I in 1263.

In 1339, Münsingen was granted Town privileges. After the partition of Württemberg, it came under the purview of Urach, until the re-unification of the County of Württemberg under the auspices of the Treaty of Münsingen in 1482. On October 23, 1654 Münsingen became an administrative center of regional importance. From 1938 to 1973 Münsingen was capital of the district of Münsingen.

In 1895, the German Empire began the construction of a proving ground which later became the Duke-Albrecht-Barracks. On March 31, 2004, the Duke-Albrecht-Barracks was shut down and the ground was converted into a settlement.

The first mention of church building in Münsingen was in 804 AD. In 1537, the Reformation reached Münsingen and the surrounding villages of Apfelstetten, Auingen, Böttingen, Buttenhausen, Dottingen, Hundersingen, Rietheim and Trailfingen. The Lutheran Church Order was introduced to the Duchy of Württemberg in 1559.

The villages of Bichishausen, Gundelfingen and Bremelau, which are currently administered by Münsingen, used to be part of the Principality of Fürstenberg and Further Austria and due to this historical reason, the inhabitants are mainly Roman Catholic.

Due to the location of village of Magolsheim on the erstwhile border between Württemberg and Further Austria it has both Protestant and Catholic churches to cater to the spiritual needs of the villagers.

Münsingen used to be the seat of the Church District of Münsingen of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Württemberg until 1 December 2013 when the neighboring district of Bad Urach was amalgamated with the district of Münsingen to form the Church District Bad Urach-Münsingen.

The Apostolic Church, Baptists, United Methodist Church and the Biblical faith community are also present in Münsingen.

A large Jewish community used to exist in the village of Buttenhausen. The Jews of Buttenhausen were fully integrated into the communal life. This became apparent when during the November 1938 pogrom, the SA squad first had to arrest the mayor of Buttenhausen, who had stubbornly resisted the desecration of the synagogue. Only after his arrest, the SA were able to burn down the synagogue. The remaining Jewish families were deported in the following period and became victims of the Shoah. At the former site of the synagogue, a memorial stone is present. Additionally, in 1961 a memorial was erected in the centre of Buttenhausen with the names of 45 murdered Jewish inhabitants. The Jewish cemetery, Buttenhausen, which was in use from 1787 to 1943, also received a memorial stone.[3]

Münsingen has a mosque which caters to the Turkish-Islamic community.[4] The congregation consists of approximately 70 members as of 2015.[5]

Bichishausen im Großen Lautertal

Bichishausen Lauter valley

Dürrenstetten was in 1822 united with Gundelfingen. As part of the municipal reform in Baden-Württemberg the following previously independent municipalities were amalgamated with Münsingen:

• July 1, 1971: Auingen, Böttingen and Dottingen
• January 1, 1974: Apfelstetten and Gundelfingen
• April 1, 1974: Bremelau and Trailfingen
• January 1, 1975: Bichishausen, Buttenhausen Hundersingen, Magolsheim and Rietheim

Münsingen (Württemberg)

View on Münsingen

Münsingen

Half-timber house, City of Münsingen

The blazon coat of arms reads: "In silver a reclining four-ended black deer rod."

Münsingen is twinned with the following cities:

and maintains friendly relations with:

Münsingen is located on the Swabian Poet Route, which passes by many sights.

Münsingen museums are the memorial site Matthias Erzberger in Buttenhausen, the Jewish Museum Buttenhausen, the local history museum in the Old Palace , the museum for former military training area in the "old camp" at Auingen. The museum Anton Geiselhart and the castle museum are located in Gundelfingen.

• On 1 May, regularly organized by Luftsportverein Münsingen, the international vintage and steam engines meeting takes place. Every year there are about 600 motorcycles, Lanz Bulldogs, steam engines, vintage aircraft and more.
• Every summer takes place in the streets of the old town instead of the city festival, which - with musical entertainment - especially thrives on the commitment of numerous Münsingen clubs.

John Scholl, ca. 1900

Matthias Erzberger, 1919

• Jacob Lorhard (1561–1609) a German philosopher and pedagogue based in St. Gallen, Switzerland
• Johannes Scholl (1827–1916) a German-American woodcarver, known for only using a jackknife and paint
• Lehmann Bernheimer (1841-1918) a German antique dealer, who built the Bernheimer-Haus in Munich.
• Theodor Ehemann (1869-1943) Württembergian official[10]
• Matthias Erzberger (1875-1921) a German publicist and politician, Reich Minister of Finance 1919-1920
• Theodor Rothschild (1876 or 1879 - 1944 in Theresienstadt), educational reformer and victim of the Holocaust[11]
• Erwin Nestle (1883-1972) a German scholar, theologian and philologist
• Max Kommerell (1902-1944), literary scholar and poet[12]
• Johannes Hölz (1906–1945) a highly decorated Generalmajor in the Wehrmacht during World War II
• Rul Bückle (1925-2005), aviation pioneer, fighter pilot and founder of Südflug International[13]
• Friedrich Mildenberger (1929-2012), Evangelical Lutheran theologian and professor of theology[14]
• Heinz Seiffert (born 1952), politician, district chief executive of Alb-Donau-Kreis 2005-2016[15]
• Gabriele Rauscher (born 1970) a German freestyle skier
• Andreas Glück (born 1975) politician and surgeon[16]
• Dirk Schrade, (born 1978), eventer, gold medallist at the 2012 Summer Olympics

Münsingen, Germany is twinned with:

• Jewish cemetery, Buttenhausen

• French army training camp (in French)
• Truppenübungsplatz Münsingen
• Official website of Münsingen

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