Villingen-Schwenningen: Germany's largest twin city and its history!

Villingen-Schwenningen: Germany's largest twin city and its history!

In Baden-Württemberg there are 42 communities with double names, and the most prominent example of this is Villingen-Schwenningen. This town, which was created as part of a regional reform on January 1, 1972 through the merger of the two independent towns of Villingen and Schwenningen, is the largest municipality with a double name in Germany. According to a report by Mercury Villingen-Schwenningen currently has around 89,784 inhabitants (as of November 2024). This means that the city not only has important historical roots, but also a remarkable size.

The two districts couldn't be more culturally different. Villingen, a thousand-year-old city, was planned by the Zähringer family and presents itself with art-historically significant buildings and a clearly structured cityscape. This city has a Roman Catholic character and is known for its half-timbered houses. Schwenningen, on the other hand, developed from an unplanned village with workers' housing estates and lower-middle-class houses and is historically strongly linked to the watch industry. The Kienzle company manufactured the first battery-operated clocks here in 1956. A report from Regional studies of Baden-Württemberg highlights the different political cultures and mentalities of the two districts: Villingen as a city of trade and administration, Schwenningen as a center of crafts.

A city with a rich history

Both cities were first mentioned in a document from Emperor Ludwig I in 817. Villingen has an eventful history behind it. The city was destroyed several times and then refounded; it belonged, among other things, to Austria and Württemberg before it became part of Baden in 1806. The cultural differences between the two districts are remarkable - while Villingen is Catholic, Schwenningen is Evangelical Lutheran, which also influences social practices and community life. The Protestants in Schwenningen found access to Catholic amusements in Villingen, such as carnival, which shows how different religious traditions find their place in a city coexistence. This is also influenced by the regional Swabian mentality.

Another point in the integration of Villingen and Schwenningen is that the merger met with broad approval among the citizens of both cities. Since the merger, both districts have their own postal codes and their own town halls, which illustrates the challenges but also the advantages of this unique partnership. In 2001, Villingen-Schwenningen received its own coat of arms, which combines the imperial eagle of Villingen and the swan of Schwenningen, thus documenting the symbolic connection between the two places.

Double names in the country

Taken as a whole, double names emerged primarily through community mergers. In Germany, Villaingen-Schwenningen is the largest municipality with a double name, followed by other regional example municipalities. In Baden-Württemberg, double names make up around 3.8% of the municipalities; this trend varies in other federal states. The smallest municipality with a double name in Baden-Württemberg is Häg-Ehrsberg, with only 825 inhabitants.

The interesting development of cities with double names like them Wikipedia compiled shows how complex the municipal landscape in Germany is. Villingen-Schwenningen not only represents a merger of two cities, but also symbolizes the common path of Baden and Württemberg on an equal footing, a vibrant shared future.