Flein
Encyclopedia
Flein is a municipality in the district of Heilbronn
in Baden-Württemberg
in southern Germany
.
in the south.
(Stadtkreis
), Untergruppenbach
and Talheim
(both in the district of Heilbronn). Flein has combined with Talheim to form a joint association of administrations.
The communal land of Flein already was settled during the linear pottery culture
of the neolithic
. The village was first mentioned in 1188 within an imperial document as Flina. The name presumably comes from the Old High German
term flins respectively the Middle High German
vlins, meaning something like "pebble" or "hard stone".
In 1385 the free imperial city Heilbronn
bought the village from the Lords of Sturmfeder. During the German Peasants' War
many insurgent farmers of the region assembled in Flein around of their head Jäcklein Rohrbach. Like most of Germany, Flein suffered great damage during the
Thirty Years' War
.
In 1802 Flein became part of Württemberg
. The enormous increase of population after World War II is due to the settlement of many refugees and creation of building land a few years later. In the 1970s the population of Flein voted against an incorporation to Heilbronn and for combining a joint association of administrations with Talheim.
The mayor is also a member of the district council and its chairman.
The holy Vitus
is the patron saint
of Flein. In Flein there's the oldest portrayal of his torture, presumably an old seal. The second oldest one is on a stone of 1699. In a description holy Vitus is named in 1865. In a municipal seal it's attested no earlier than 1903. However, since the Reformation
no Saints' icons were inserted in the arms, which means that the arms are in fact much older, dating to around 1500 or earlier, making them one of the oldest of the whole district.
The colours of the arms were laid down in 1938 by the archive direction of Württemberg. In the same year the Nazi NSDAP party Heilbronn suggested to accept another arms without a religious meaning. The archive direction suggested a blazon containing an arms In a split sign in blue a head of a lion, behind in gold a blue grape with two vine leafs. However, in June 1939 the NSDAP stated that it was of minor importance and not to hurry the change. So Flein remained with its previous arms and confirmed this decision in 1956. This decision was confirmed on January 11, 1957, by the ministry of the interior of Baden-Württemberg. In the same year local artist Hans Epple created a drawing used by the municipality today (see illustration).
, is known for its famous wine. On 180 ha of vineyards several different varietal
s such as Riesling
, pinot meunier
and Samtrot
grow. These wines are mostly commercialized by the Weingärtnergenossenschaft Flein-Talheim, however there are also private wine-growing estates.
In 1951 Hildegard Seitz from Flein got voted to be wine queen of Württemberg.
HNV
is ensured by buses, besides Flein is the only municipality in the district to be connected with the city bus network of Heilbronn. The A 81
is available by Ilsfeld
and Untergruppenbach
. The nearest rail station is Heilbronn Hauptbahnhof
.
including Werkrealschule
Flein is attended by 350 students (2005). Besides there's the Johannesschule, a Förderschule being like a Waldorfschule. The Flein's library has 13,000 media at its disposal (2005).
Building sources
Heilbronn (district)
Heilbronn is a district in the north of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Neighboring districts are Neckar-Odenwald, Hohenlohe, Schwäbisch Hall, Rems-Murr, Ludwigsburg, Enz, Karlsruhe and Rhein-Neckar...
in Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...
in southern Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
Geography
Flein is situated in the south of the district of Heilbronn and directly borders on HeilbronnHeilbronn
Heilbronn is a city in northern Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is completely surrounded by Heilbronn County and with approximately 123.000 residents, it is the sixth-largest city in the state....
in the south.
Neighbouring municipalities
Neighbouring towns and municipalities of Flein are (clockwise from north-west): HeilbronnHeilbronn
Heilbronn is a city in northern Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is completely surrounded by Heilbronn County and with approximately 123.000 residents, it is the sixth-largest city in the state....
(Stadtkreis
Independent city
An independent city is a city that does not form part of another general-purpose local government entity. These type of cities should not be confused with city-states , which are fully sovereign cities that are not part of any other sovereign state.-Historical precursors:In the Holy Roman Empire,...
), Untergruppenbach
Untergruppenbach
Untergruppenbach is a municipality near Heilbronn, a city in the northern half of the German state Baden-Württemberg.There are a total of 7,600 inhabitants living in six villages that form the municipality of Untergruppenbach. Approximately 5,100 live in Untergruppenbach, Donnbronn and...
and Talheim
Talheim, Neckar
Talheim is a town in the district of Heilbronn in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. It is commonly known for its wine, the tennis tournament Heilbronn Open in its industrial park, and, additionally, for the Death Pit discovered in 1983....
(both in the district of Heilbronn). Flein has combined with Talheim to form a joint association of administrations.
History
Linear Pottery culture
The Linear Pottery culture is a major archaeological horizon of the European Neolithic, flourishing ca. 5500–4500 BC.It is abbreviated as LBK , is also known as the Linear Band Ware, Linear Ware, Linear Ceramics or Incised Ware culture, and falls within the Danubian I culture of V...
of the neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
. The village was first mentioned in 1188 within an imperial document as Flina. The name presumably comes from the Old High German
Old High German
The term Old High German refers to the earliest stage of the German language and it conventionally covers the period from around 500 to 1050. Coherent written texts do not appear until the second half of the 8th century, and some treat the period before 750 as 'prehistoric' and date the start of...
term flins respectively the Middle High German
Middle High German
Middle High German , abbreviated MHG , is the term used for the period in the history of the German language between 1050 and 1350. It is preceded by Old High German and followed by Early New High German...
vlins, meaning something like "pebble" or "hard stone".
In 1385 the free imperial city Heilbronn
Heilbronn
Heilbronn is a city in northern Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is completely surrounded by Heilbronn County and with approximately 123.000 residents, it is the sixth-largest city in the state....
bought the village from the Lords of Sturmfeder. During the German Peasants' War
German Peasants' War
The German Peasants' War or Great Peasants' Revolt was a widespread popular revolt in the German-speaking areas of Central Europe, 1524–1526. At its height in the spring and summer of 1525, the conflict involved an estimated 300,000 peasants: contemporary estimates put the dead at 100,000...
many insurgent farmers of the region assembled in Flein around of their head Jäcklein Rohrbach. Like most of Germany, Flein suffered great damage during the
Thirty Years' War
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
.
In 1802 Flein became part of Württemberg
Württemberg
Württemberg , formerly known as Wirtemberg or Wurtemberg, is an area and a former state in southwestern Germany, including parts of the regions Swabia and Franconia....
. The enormous increase of population after World War II is due to the settlement of many refugees and creation of building land a few years later. In the 1970s the population of Flein voted against an incorporation to Heilbronn and for combining a joint association of administrations with Talheim.
Religions
Apart from an own Protestant parish there's a Catholic one together with Talheim (Catholic Parish Flein-Talheim). Die Protestant parish consists of 3,400 members.Development of population
- 1648: 250
- 1800: 800
- 1900: 1,600
- 2005: 6,535
District council
Following the municipal election of 13 June 2004, the district council of Flein has 18 seats. The election result is as follows:| party | amount | seats | ||
| FW Flein | 37.3% | (−12.2) | 7 | (−2) |
| CDU Christian Democratic Union (Germany) The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum... / Bürgerliste |
34.8% | (+9.0) | 6 | (+1) |
| SPD Social Democratic Party of Germany The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany... |
27.9% | (+7.8) | 5 | (+1) |
| Others | 0.0% | (−4.5) | 0 | (=) |
The mayor is also a member of the district council and its chairman.
Mayor
On June 24, 2007, there were mayoral elections; the incumbent, Jürgen Schmid did not stand for re-election after 16 years in office. Since there was no absolute majority after the first election a run off was necessary. On July 15, 2007. Alexander Krüger was elected as mayor for an eight year term with 63.9% of the votes. He started on August 15, 2007.Arms and flag
The theme of the municipal coat of arms is the martyrdom of Saint Vitus, derived from a picture in the town's St. Vitus Church (see gallery below). The arms depict a golden cauldron on red flames with a blue background, inside which is the bare, praying Saint Vitus. The municipal flag is yellow and blue.The holy Vitus
Vitus
Saint Vitus was a Christian saint from Sicily. He died as a martyr during the persecution of Christians by co-ruling Roman Emperors Diocletian and Maximian in 303. Vitus is counted as one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers of the Roman Catholic Church....
is the patron saint
Patron saint
A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...
of Flein. In Flein there's the oldest portrayal of his torture, presumably an old seal. The second oldest one is on a stone of 1699. In a description holy Vitus is named in 1865. In a municipal seal it's attested no earlier than 1903. However, since the Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
no Saints' icons were inserted in the arms, which means that the arms are in fact much older, dating to around 1500 or earlier, making them one of the oldest of the whole district.
The colours of the arms were laid down in 1938 by the archive direction of Württemberg. In the same year the Nazi NSDAP party Heilbronn suggested to accept another arms without a religious meaning. The archive direction suggested a blazon containing an arms In a split sign in blue a head of a lion, behind in gold a blue grape with two vine leafs. However, in June 1939 the NSDAP stated that it was of minor importance and not to hurry the change. So Flein remained with its previous arms and confirmed this decision in 1956. This decision was confirmed on January 11, 1957, by the ministry of the interior of Baden-Württemberg. In the same year local artist Hans Epple created a drawing used by the municipality today (see illustration).
Twin municipalities
Twin municipalities of Flein are- OnzainOnzainOnzain is a commune in the Loir-et-Cher department of central France. In 2006 the population was recorded as 3,377.Onzain is twinned with Darley Dale in central England and with Flein on the southern edge of Heilbronn....
in the FrenchFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Département Loir-et-CherLoir-et-CherLoir-et-Cher is a département in north-central France named after the rivers Loir and Cher.-History:Loir-et-Cher is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from parts of the former provinces of Orléanais and...
(since March 1990) - SteinthalebenSteinthalebenSteinthaleben is a municipality in the district Kyffhäuserkreis, in Thuringia, Germany....
in the KyffhäuserkreisKyffhäuserkreisThe Kyffhäuserkreis is a district in the northern part of Thuringia, Germany. Neighboring districts are the districts Mansfeld-Südharz, Saalekreis und Burgenlandkreis in Saxony-Anhalt, and the districts Sömmerda, Unstrut-Hainich and Eichsfeld.-History:...
in ThuringiaThuringiaThe Free State of Thuringia is a state of Germany, located in the central part of the country.It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen states....
(since June 1991)
Economy and infrastructure
Flein, situated within the wine region of WürttembergWürttemberg (wine region)
Württemberg is a region for quality wine in Germany, and is located in the historical region of Württemberg in southwestern Germany, which today forms part of the federal state of Baden-Württemberg. Under German wine legislation, Württemberg and Baden are separate wine regions.With under vine in...
, is known for its famous wine. On 180 ha of vineyards several different varietal
Varietal
"Varietal" describes wines made primarily from a single named grape variety, and which typically displays the name of that variety on the wine label. Examples of grape varieties commonly used in varietal wines are Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Merlot...
s such as Riesling
Riesling
Riesling is a white grape variety which originated in the Rhine region of Germany. Riesling is an aromatic grape variety displaying flowery, almost perfumed, aromas as well as high acidity. It is used to make dry, semi-sweet, sweet and sparkling white wines. Riesling wines are usually varietally...
, pinot meunier
Pinot meunier
Pinot Meunier, , also known as Meunier or Black Riesling, is a variety of black wine grape most noted for being one of the three main grapes used in the production of champagne...
and Samtrot
Pinot meunier
Pinot Meunier, , also known as Meunier or Black Riesling, is a variety of black wine grape most noted for being one of the three main grapes used in the production of champagne...
grow. These wines are mostly commercialized by the Weingärtnergenossenschaft Flein-Talheim, however there are also private wine-growing estates.
In 1951 Hildegard Seitz from Flein got voted to be wine queen of Württemberg.
Traffic
Public transport in the PTEPTE
PTE may refer to:*CVH-PTE Engine, an engine produced by the Ford Motor Company*Partido de los Trabajadores de Ecuador, the Workers' Party of Ecuador*Partido del Trabajo de España, the Party of Labour of Spain...
HNV
Heilbronner Hohenloher Haller Nahverkehr
The Heilbronner Hohenloher Haller Nahverkehr is a regional transport cooperative that coordinates tickets and fares among all transport operators in the metropolitan area of Heilbronn in Germany. Besides the city of Heilbronn, the H3NV area encompasses the districts of Heilbronn and Hohenlohe...
is ensured by buses, besides Flein is the only municipality in the district to be connected with the city bus network of Heilbronn. The A 81
Bundesautobahn 81
is a motorway in Germany. It branches off the A 3 at the Würzburg-West triangle and ends near the border to Switzerland.The oldest part of the A 81 between the Weinsberg intersection near Heilbronn and the Leonberg triangle near Stuttgart was finished in the years 1938 to 1940...
is available by Ilsfeld
Ilsfeld
Ilsfeld is a town in the district of Heilbronn in Baden-Württemberg in Germany. Ilsfeld is twinned with Ottery St Mary , Auenstein and Moşna ....
and Untergruppenbach
Untergruppenbach
Untergruppenbach is a municipality near Heilbronn, a city in the northern half of the German state Baden-Württemberg.There are a total of 7,600 inhabitants living in six villages that form the municipality of Untergruppenbach. Approximately 5,100 live in Untergruppenbach, Donnbronn and...
. The nearest rail station is Heilbronn Hauptbahnhof
Heilbronn Hauptbahnhof
is the main passenger station in Heilbronn in the German state of Baden-Württemberg.-Description :The station is located about 1 km west of the inner city of Heilbronn and the Old Neckar on a 1 km wide island between the old Neckar and the modern canalised Neckar. Southwest of the modern...
.
Media
The Heilbronner Stimme informs about happenings in Flein within its edition South-East (SO).Education
The primary school and HauptschuleHauptschule
A Hauptschule is a secondary school in Germany and Austria, starting after 4 years of elementary schooling, which offers Lower Secondary Education according to the International Standard Classification of Education...
including Werkrealschule
Werkrealschule
Werkrealschule is a relatively young branch of German secondary education , which offers pupils additional lessons in grades 8 and 9 and allows them to qualify after ten years with a final exam which is equal to graduation from Realschule....
Flein is attended by 350 students (2005). Besides there's the Johannesschule, a Förderschule being like a Waldorfschule. The Flein's library has 13,000 media at its disposal (2005).
Notable Buildings
- Protestant parish church St. Veit, first mentioned in 1233, with war memorial
- old town hall, arms of holy Vitus and initials of Schultheiß (built in 1604, rebuilt in 1834/35, 1895 and after World War II)
- Fischerhaus from 1592 at the Ilsfelder Straße (half-timbering)
- Kornhaus from 1595 (further half-timbering at the der Schulstraße)
- former residence of the sculptor Friedrich Göttle at the Ilsfelder Straße no. 72, 1892 in style of Neo-RenaissanceNeo-RenaissanceRenaissance Revival is an all-encompassing designation that covers many 19th century architectural revival styles which were neither Grecian nor Gothic but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range of classicizing Italian modes...
, planned and built by its inhabitant - fountain in front of the mayor office
- outside of the village between vine yards there's the hut of the former Karmeliterkloster monastery
Building sources
Sons and daughters of the municipality
- Friedrich Michael Münzing (* 1807 in Flein; † 1879 in Heilbronn), Stearinkerzenfabrikant, he approached the synthetic production of sulphuric acid for the first time (around 1830)
- Monika Helbing (* November 16, 1953 in Flein), former member of the second generation of the Red Army FactionRed Army FactionThe radicalized were, like many in the New Left, influenced by:* Sociological developments, pressure within the educational system in and outside Europe and the U.S...
and involved in the Schleyer abduction 1977
External links
- www.flein.de (in German)