Offenburg

Imperial City of Offenburg Reichsstadt Offenburg
before 1240–1803
Status	Free Imperial City of the Holy Roman Empire
Capital	Offenburg
Government	Republic
Historical era	Middle Ages
• First documentary mention	1148
• Gained Reichsfreiheit	before 1240 the 13th century
• City razed in Nine Years' War	1689
• Became Badish fief	1701–71
• Ceded to Baden	1803
Succeeded by Margraviate of Baden
Today part of	Germany

In recent times the remains of Roman settlements have been found within the city's territory. Offenburg was first mentioned in historical documents dating back to 1148. Offenburg had already been declared a Free Imperial City by 1240. In September 1689, the city - with the exception of two buildings - was totally destroyed by the French during the Nine Years War. Due to Napoleon's dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1803 and subsequent reorganization of the German states, Offenburg lost its status as a Free Imperial City and fell under the rule of the Grand Duchy of Baden.

During the outbreak of the Revolutions of 1848, the "Offenburger Programm" which consisted of thirteen demands "in the name of the people of Baden", was put forward at the Salmen Inn on 12 September 1847. This was the first known demand for democracy in Germany. Along with the Carlsbad Decrees, the Offenburger Program demanded basic and human rights as well as freedom of the press and a progressive income tax structure. On 19 March 1848 the demands were confirmed by the 20,000 member Offenburg Peoples' Assembly.

During World War I Offenburg was one of the first cities to experience the effects of aerial bombardment, the operations against Offenburg railway sidings were mostly flown by aircraft from the Independent Force from Ochey aerodrome.

It is mostly neglected, that in the aftermath of World War I, during the Occupation of the Ruhr, French troops occupied Offenburg, because it fell within the perimeter of the Kehl bridgehead. The French occupation forces entered the town in February 1923 and remained until 1924, blocking all traffic on the Rhine Valley Railway between Offenburg and Appenweier.

Following the rise to power of the NSDAP in the 1930s, Offenburg's Jewish population fell victim to acts of repression, that culminated in the vandalization of the local synagoge in November 1938. After the war had begun, those members of the Jewish population that had not managed to emigrate were deported to Gurs concentration camp in October 1940 and from there to Auschwitz during 1942.

In World War II, it was the location of the Heilag V-C, Oflag 55/V-D and Stalag V-C prisoner-of-war camps for Allied POWs of various nationalities, including French, Polish, Belgian, British, Serbian, American, Soviet, Italian, Indian and South African.[3] Owing to its geographical proximity to the French border, Offenburg was either exposed to temporary evacuations during the Battle of France in 1940 or artillery fire towards the final stages of the conflict. It was only a primary target on one occasion during World War II on 27 November 1944, when a force of more than 300 USAAF B-17 and Liberator bombers attacked the marshalling yards. Many other tactical attacks were flown during 1944 and 1945 against the railway installations.[4]

French Forces entered Offenburg on 15 April 1945 and from then on Offenburg became part of the French Zone of Occupation until the creation of the Federal Republic of Germany in May 1949.

Since the creation of the Federal Republic, Offenburg has continually developed in size, inhabitants and prosperity. Between 1971 and 1975 eleven adjacent villages were incorporated into the commune of Offenburg and are now an integral part of the city.

Offenburg is located approximately 15 km east of the river Rhine between Karlsruhe and Freiburg. The French city of Strasbourg lies 20 km northwest across the Rhine. Offenburg is situated at the mouth of the Kinzig river valley and at the foot of the Black Forest. The Kinzig flows out of the Black Forest and meets the Rhine near Kehl.[5]

Offenburg has a rich trade and manufacturing sector and is home to a number of well-known brands.

Apart from the primary and secondary schools that are within the responsibility of several public bodies, Offenburg houses a diverse number of educational institutions.

Offenburg is also home to the University of Applied Sciences Offenburg, with its main campus location in Offenburg, and the other campus in Gengenbach (less than 12 km away).

City Hall

There are several historical attractions in Offenburg including:

Medieval city wall with banana trees in Zwinger Park

Medieval city wall

• Hirschapotheke is an old pharmacy built in 1698. The Löwenbrunnen (Lions' Fountain) in front of it dates from 1599.[7]
• The City Hall was founded in 1521 and enlarged in a baroque style in 1741.[8]
• Saint Ursula's Column in the middle of the Market Place was erected in 1961. Legend has it that Saint Ursula saved the city in the Thirty Years' War in 1631.
• The Salmen Inn
• The Capuchin Monastery
• The Ritterhaus, a 1784 manor-house that has been converted into the city archives and museum
• The Jewish Bath (Mikveh): a bathhouse belonging to the city's historical Jewish community; it was held to be medieval, but recent research suggests it may be from the 16th or 17th century[9]
• The former Royal Palace (Königshof) built by Michael Ludwig Rohrer 1714 - 1717, now housing the Police station
• A part (1,340 metres) of the medieval city wall built in the 11th century can be visited in the west of the city centre.[10] Zwinger Park in front of the wall with its banana trees is worth a visit as well.
• The Protestant Church (Evangelische Stadtkirche) was built from 1857-1864 in a neogothique style. Its tower was damaged by artillery at the end od World War II.[11]
• Holy Trinity Church (Dreifaltigkeitskirche) was built from 1906 to 1908 in a neoromanesque style and damaged during World War II.[12]
• The Church of the Holy Cross (Heiligkreuzkirche) was built in the 13th century, burnt down in 1689 and was rebuilt at the end of the 17th century.[13]

Offenburger FV is a German association football club based in the city of Offenburg, Baden-Württemberg. The club is one of the most successful amateur football clubs in Germany.

• Lorenz Oken (1779–1851), naturalist
• Johann Hofer (1810–1880), lawyer, lived and died here
• Artur Dinter (1876–1948), writer and politician
• Kurt Baschwitz (1886–1968), journalist
• Emil Sutor (1888–1974), sculptor
• Hermann Vallendor (1894–1974), World War I flying ace
• Hans Furler (1904–1975), politician
• Otto Kumm (1909–2004), senior officer of the Waffen SS
• Aenne Burda (1909–2005), publisher and honorary citizen
• Hanns Martin Schleyer (1915–1977), manager, employer and industry representative
• Hubert Burda (born 1940), publisher and honorary citizen
• Jürgen Todenhöfer (born 1940), author, journalist, politician, and executive
• Martin Wagner (born 1968), footballer
• Jonas Alber (born 1969), conductor and violinist
• Dirk von Lowtzow (born 1971), musician
• Michael Kaeshammer (born 1977), Canadian pianist, vocalist and composer
• Atika Bouagaa (born 1982), volleyball player
• Madeline Juno (born 1995), singer-songwriter

Offenburg is twinned with:[14]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Offenburg.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Offenburg.

• Official website
• "Offenburg" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 20 (11th ed.). 1911. p. 16.
• (in German) Information about and images Archived 2017-06-06 at the Wayback Machine
• (in German) Messe Offenburg-Ortenau (fair Offenburg-Ortenau)
• (in German) Webcam over the Burda-Tower