Köngen-The Daily Ledger

Köngen is a municipality in the district of Esslingen in Baden-Württemberg in Germany. About nine kilometers from the district city Esslingen am Neckar and about six kilometers away from Nürtingen. It is part of the Stuttgart Region and the European Stuttgart Metropolitan Region.

Geography

Geographical location

Köngen is located on the left side of the river Neckar on the western slopes of the Neckar valley.

Köngen

Neighboring communities

Adjacent communities are in northern Deizisau, northeast Wernau, southeast Wendlingen, south Unterensingen and west Denkendorf (all Esslingen district).

Köngen

Municipality arrangement

The municipality includes the village Köngen, the yards Birkenhöfe, Buchenhöfe, Erlenhöfe, Kempflerhöfe, Lerchenhof, Riedhöfe, Rothöfe, Seehof, Talhof and Wangerhöfe and the house Altenberg.

Köngen

Area distribution by type

According to data from the Statistical State office, effective 2014.

History

Ancient history

Köngen is in the area of the Roman settlement Grinario that was built around 100 AD around a Roman castra. Grinario was the endpoint of the Roman road "Neckar-Alb-Aare" which originated in Windisch (Switzerland). In 260 the place was destroyed by the Alemanni and the Romans were expelled.

Middle Ages

The Alemanni place was first mentioned in 1075 in a document of the Hirsau Abbey. In 1336 the lords of Hohenberg sold the village to Albrecht von Aichelberg. In 1382 the lords of attained the sovereignty, who relocated their residence from Grisons to Köngen in 1430. Hans Friedrich Thumb promoted early the Reformation; already in 1527 was therefore preached Lutheran in Köngen, this is seven years before Duke Ulrich penetrated in 1534 the Reformation in Württemberg.

Modern history

Around the year 1600 about 900 people inhabited the village. During the 17th century Köngen suffered from several outbreaks of diseases and war violence. From 1609 until 1611 there was a first plague outbreak, the second one happened in 1627. About one third of the population died from the disease. Over one hundred inhabitants were killed by marauding troops of the victorious emperorer after the Battle of Nördlingen in 1634. The number of 1,000 inhabitants was only passed during the first half of the 18th century. 1739 Köngen became part of Württemberg, at this time the former owners (Thumb von Neuburg) had already been in Württemberg service for more than 200 years. After the foundation of the Kingdom of Württemberg in 1806 until 1808 Köngen was seat of an . During the consolidation phase of the new württembergian administration it was allocated to the , which was as part of the (county reform) during the National Socialist time in 1938 changed and enlarged to the district of Esslingen. Because Köngen became part of the American occupation zone after the Second World War, it belonged to the state of Württemberg-Baden, founded in 1945 which in 1952 merged into today's state of Baden-Württemberg.

Religion

Since the Reformation Köngen has been mostly Lutheran. Only since 1953 there has been a catholic church again. The new building became necessary because of the relocation of many catholic ("homeland expellees"). Furthermore, there are a United Methodist Church and since 1924 a New Apostolic Church.

Population

The populations are estimates, results of the censuses in Germany (¹) or official updates of the statistical state office (only main residence).

Politics

Mayors

1945–1946 Wilhelm Zaiser

1947 Gustav Bracher

1947–1982 Erwin Rath

1982–2014 Hans Weil

since 2014 Otto Ruppaner

Municipal Council

The municipal council in Köngen has 18 members. The local election on 26 May 2019 had the following official results. The municipal council consists of the elected honorary members of the council and the mayor as chairperson. The mayor is eligible to vote.

Heraldry

Blazon: "In blue a silver bell".

Köngen has the largest bell of its Peter-und-Paulskirche in its coat of arms. This bell is supposed to have been buried during the Thirty Years' War for fear of marauders. When the war was over no one was alive anymore who knew the hiding place. The lost bell was then uncovered from the ground, according to legend, by pigs. Since then the bell is named Sauglocke ("sow bell").