Donaueschingen

Donaueschingen is a city in the southwest of Baden-Württemberg in the Schwarzwald-Baar District. It is located about 13 km south of Villingen-Schwenningen, 24 km west of Tuttlingen, and about 30 km north of the Swiss city of Schaffhausen. As of 2003 the city had a population of 21,300 making it the second-largest city in the Schwarzwald-Baar District.

Geography

Donaueschingen lies on the Baar plateau in the southern Black Forest. The confluence of the Brigach and Breg form the source of the Danube river from which the city gets its name.

History

The place was first mentioned as "Donaueschingen" in 889. In 1283 Rudolph von Habsburg granted the countship of Baar and Donaueschingen to Heinrich von Fürstenberg. The right to brew beer was also connected with this grant. This is the source of the Royal Fürstenberg Brewery. In 1488, possession was passed to the Count of Fürstenberg. From the 18th Century it was the residence of the Princes of Fürstenberg. In 1806 Donaueschingen came under the rulership of the Grand Duchy of Baden and was granted cityhood in 1810. A large part of the city was destroyed by fire in 1908. Donaueschingen has a tradition as a military garrison; since World War II the French military has maintained barracks in the city, and, until the early 1990s, the U.S. Air Force operated a contingency hospital there. Fortunately the hospital never received casualties on a large scale from military operations; it saw the most activity in 1989, when the United States offered the facility as temporary housing for refugees leaving East Germany for the West.

Government

The results of the 2004 city council elections are as follows:

CDU

: 16 Seats

FDP/FW

: 7 Seats

SPD

: 7 Seats

Independents

: 5 Seats

Bündnis 90/Die Grünen

: 4 Seats

Economy

The city's economy consists of nearly 1,000 various enterprises, of which 24 are medium-sized employing 2,200 people. The most important industries are machine assembly, semiconductors, injection moulding, magnetics, dyes, and shoe manufacturing.

Transportation

Donaueschingen is a regional rail hub; four rail lines join in the city. It sits on the Schwarzwaldbahn line from Offenburg to Konstanz and it is the start of the Höllentalbahn from Donaueschingen to Freiburg im Breisgau. Both of these lines are uniquely constructed because of the rough Black Forest terrain they cover. Donaueschingen is also the starting point for the Donautalbahn and the Bregtalbahn which run to Ulm and Bräunlingen respectively. The city is part of the Schwarzwald-Baar public transport system.

The city is on the A 864, a spur of the A 81 to Stuttgart. Three Federal Highways cross each other near Donaueschingen: the B 27 from Stuttgart to Schaffhausen; the B 31 from Freiburg im Bresgau to Lindau and the B 33 from Offenburg to Konstanz.

The long-distance Danube Cycle Trail begins in Donaueschingen and follows the course of the Danube. It is one of the most well-known and longest bicycle trails in Europe.

Education

The city has four secondary schools: the Fürstenberg-Gymnasium and the Wirtschaftsgymnasium, one Realschule, and one Hauptschule. There are four elementary schools associated with these schools: Eichendorffschule, Erich-Kästner-Schule, Grundschule Pfohren, and the Grundschule Wolterdingen. There are two special-needs schools: the Heinrich-Feuerstein-Schule and the Karl-Wacker-Schule.

There are two professional training schools: the Donaueschingen Commercial School and the Business and Home Economics Schools. There is also the Nursing College and the College for Agriculture. The Academy for Continuing Education and Personal Development is located in the former district hospital.

Partner Cities

Donaueschingen has partnerships with the following cities:

Kaminoyama, Japan (since 1995)
Saverne, France (since 1964)
Vác, Hungary (since 1993)

External links

Towns in Baden-Württemberg | Cities on the Danube

Gourt Home::Gourt :: Donaueschingen