Aalen church district

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Basic data
Regional Church : Evangelical Church in Württemberg
Prelature : Ulm
Area : km²
Structure: 24 parishes
Parishioners: approx. 40,925 (December 31, 2009)
Address of the
Dean's Office :		 Dekanstr. 4
73430 Aalen
Dean : Ralf Drescher
map
Location of the church district of Aalen within the Evangelical Church in Württemberg

The Evangelical Church District Aalen is one of 44 church districts or church districts of the Evangelical Church in Württemberg . Its area is congruent with the Deanery of Aalen.

geography

The church district of Aalen is located in the east of the Württemberg regional church. Its area mainly comprises the east of the Swabian Alb and the east of the Swabian Forest . Its parishes belong to the political towns and cities of Aalen , Abtsgmünd , Adelmannsfelden , Bopfingen , Ellenberg (only partially), Ellwangen (Jagst) , Essingen , Hüttlingen , Kirchheim am Ries , Lauchheim , Neresheim , Oberkochen , Riesbürg , Rosenberg (partially), Stödtlen , Tannhausen , Unterschneidheim , Westhausen and Wört in the Ostalb district .

Neighboring church districts

The church district of Aalen borders in the east on the Evangelical Lutheran regional church in Bavaria , in the south on the church district Heidenheim , in the west on the church district Schwäbisch Gmünd (both Prelature Ulm), in the north-west on the church district Gaildorf and in the north on the church district Crailsheim (both Heilbronn Prelature ).

history

In contrast to most of the deaneries of the Württemberg regional church, which were established soon after the Reformation, the church district of Aalen is a re-establishment from the 19th century. The area of ​​today's church district of Aalen is predominantly Catholic because it mainly belonged to the prince provost of Ellwangen . Protestant residents only moved here since the 19th century and increasingly after the Second World War. The areas of the church district of Aalen, which were evangelically shaped from historical times, belonged mainly to the Free Imperial Cities of Aalen and Bopfingen or to the rule of Wöllwarth . The Reformation was introduced in Aalen in 1575. From then on, a Protestant pastor worked at the city ​​church of Aalen . All areas of today's church district of Aalen came to Württemberg only in 1803 and so Aalen became the seat of a Württemberg upper office and a deanery to which the Protestant communities of East Württemberg were assigned. Aalen's first pastor, who had been in office since 1782, was appointed dean. His successors were the first parish priests at the town church of Aalen.

Until 1917 the parish of Degenfeld also belonged to the church district of Aalen. When the consistory was announced on May 9, 1917, the parish of Degenfeld was reclassified into the church district of Göppingen (in 1975 it was finally converted into the church district of Schwäbisch Gmünd).

With the establishment of the Schwäbisch Gmünd church district on April 1, 1951, the Aalen church district gave the five evangelical parishes Schwäbisch Gmünd, Bartholomä, Heubach, Oberböbingen and Waldstetten to the new church district and thus achieved its current size.

Head of the church district

The church district is managed by the district synod , the church district committee (KBA) and the dean . Ralf Drescher has been the Dean since May 2011. The deputy dean is Pastor Martin Schuster and Pastor Ulrich Marstaller. The district cantor for the church district, church music director Thomas Haller, also has his seat at the town church .

Deans of the church district Aalen

  • 1803–1810 Johann Christoph Hoyer
  • 1811–1823 Ludwig Friedrich Göritz
  • 1824–1843 Georg Friedrich Daniel Göss
  • 1843–1851 Julius Hartmann (1806–1879)
  • 1851–1873 Karl Gottlob Franz Neuffer
  • 1873–1883 ​​Julius Tscherning
  • 1884–1888 Karl Wilhelm Theodor Hesler
  • 1888–1899 Paul Gottlob Theodor Knapp
  • 1899–1911 Hermann Friedrich Faber
  • 1912–1930 Emil Rohrer
  • 1930–1946 Georg Langbein (1876–1958)
  • 1946–1952 Wilhelm Gümbel (1889–1978)
  • 1952–1967 Georg Pfäfflin (1908–1972)
  • 1968–1978 Wolfgang Thibaut (1912–1990)
  • 1978–1993 Christoph Hahn (* 1929)
  • 1993-2007 Erich Haller (* 1942)
  • 2007–2010 Albrecht Daiss (* 1953)
  • Since 2011 Ralf Drescher (* 1962)

Parishes

There are a total of 24 parishes in the church district of Aalen. There are no general parishes. Before 1800, the area of ​​the church district of Aalen belonged mainly to the prince provost of Ellwangen and to the free imperial cities of Aalen and Bopfingen. The Ellwangen area remained Catholic after the Reformation, the imperial cities of Aalen and Bopfingen became Protestant. Protestant residents have also moved into the Ellwangen area since the 19th century and mostly only after the Second World War, so that the Protestant parishes here are relatively young. The parish numbers given in brackets after the name of the parish relate to the year 2005 and have been rounded.

Aalen parish

The parish of Aalen (approx. 7,100 parishioners) comprises the core city and some associated hamlets as well as the Waldhausen district of the city of Aalen. Aalen was a free imperial city until 1803 and was thus able to regulate religious matters itself. With the help of the Duke of Württemberg, the Reformation was introduced in 1575. Appropriate attempts had already been made before, but the Bishop of Augsburg and the Provost of Ellwangen were able to prevent this at first. Between 1628 and 1632 Catholicism was temporarily predominant. The highest church authority in Aalen was the city council. After the transition to Württemberg, Aalen became the seat of a Württemberg deanery in 1803, whose deanery church became the town church . The current construction of the town church dates from 1765 to 1767 and is probably the third church building at this point. The first church was probably an early Gothic chapel dedicated to St. Nicholas. This was probably replaced by a larger building in 1340. The second church became the first Protestant church in Aalen after the introduction of the Reformation. The second church was also badly damaged in the town fire of 1634, but was provisionally rebuilt after the Thirty Years' War . In 1765 the tower collapsed onto the nave and the current town church was built by 1767. In the meantime the parish celebrated its services in the Johanneskirche in the cemetery, which was renovated in 1561. With a Last Supper fresco from the 12th century, this church is one of the oldest churches in Württemberg. It is still used today by the Aalen parish for church services.

In the 20th century, Aalen's population increased, so that more churches were built. In 1967, in the west of the city, the Markuskirche was built in exposed concrete with a parish hall and kindergarten. The architect was Helmut Burkhardt from Aalen. The artistic equipment comes from Ernst Wanner and Fritz Nuss . Between 1972 and 1974, the Martinskirche in the east of Aalen was built as a multifunctional community center by the architect Kurt Pläcking. The building has a hexagonal floor plan. Finally, in 1986, the Peter and Paul Ecumenical Community Center was built in the northeast of the city. This church service room, which is shared with the Roman Catholic community, was built by the Weber architects from Heidenheim. Georg Sternbacher designed the interior .

Waldhausen remained Catholic after the Reformation. Most of the Protestant residents who moved here after the Second World War were initially assigned to the Lauchheim parish. As a result of their political affiliation with Aalen, the Protestants moved to the parish of Aalen with effect from September 8, 2000 and were assigned to the district of St. Martin's Church.

Today the parish of Aalen is divided into five districts. These are the districts Stadtkirche I and II, Markuskirche, Martinskirche and Peter-und-Paul-Kirche. The parish of Aalen also has a church choir and a youth choir. The trombone choir is organized as part of the YMCA. The parish is also responsible for five kindergartens, namely the Lilliput Kindergarten on Wilhelm-Merz-Straße, the Purzelbaum Kindergarten on Zebertstraße, the Grauleshof Kindergarten on Kantstraße, the Sonnenhaus Kindergarten on Erwin-Rommel-Straße and the Peter and Paul Kindergarten. On the heath.

Until 1954, the Protestant residents of Unterkochen, which is predominantly Catholic, also belonged to the parish of Aalen as a suburb. By announcement of the Oberkirchenrat on October 7, 1954, an independent parish was formed in Unterkochen, to which Ebnat was also assigned in 1955. In 2004 this was renamed the parish of Unterkochen-Ebnat.

Unterrombach formed a branch parish of Aalen since 1947, which was raised to an independent parish by the announcement of the upper church council on May 31, 1951 and expanded to include the areas of Spagenfeld-Siedlung and Spagenweiler.

Parish Abtsgmünd-Leinroden-Neubronn

The parish Abtsgmünd-Leinroden-Neubronn (approx. 1,300 parishioners) comprises the main town and the districts of Laubach (with Leinroden ) and Neubronn with some associated hamlets as well as some hamlets in the Hohenstadt district of the Abtsgmünd municipality and some hamlets in the Aalen district of Dewangen. The remaining hamlets in the Hohenstadt district belong to the parish of Obergröningen (Gaildorf church district). The Untergröningen district forms its own Protestant parish, also in the Gaildorf church district. The district of Pommertsweiler forms its own parish, to which the hamlet of Wilflingen, which belongs to Abtsgmünd, was assigned by an announcement of March 31, 1936. Until then, Wilflingen was part of the church in Neubronn.

The main town of Abtsgmünd remained Catholic after the Reformation. Most of the Protestant residents who moved in after the Second World War were assigned to the parishes of Pommertsweiler, Leinroden and Neubronn.

Laubach and the associated hamlets, including Leinroden , were initially ecclesiastical branches of Abtsgmünd. The Lords of Wöllwarth introduced the Reformation in 1597 and built a church in Leinroden for both places in 1604. The parish of its own at first was united with Neubronn in 1626, with Fachsenfeld in 1665 and again with Neubronn at the end of the 19th century. But Leinroden and Neubronn each formed their own parishes, which until 2003 formed the whole parish of Neubronn-Leinroden. The church in Leinroden has a life-size crucifix made of sandstone from 1604 on the west wall. It also has tombs of the Lords of Wöllwarth from the 17th century. The Neuschmiede residential area belonged to the parish of Fachsenfeld until 1962 and was then assigned to the branch parish of Leinroden. The Wöllstein residential area had been assigned to the Neubronn parish by an announcement by the Upper Church Council on August 22, 1931.

Neubronn was initially a church branch of Abtsgmünd. The Adelmann family introduced the Reformation and made the chapel of St. Patrizius (or Bruccius or Ambrosius) a parish church. From 1626 and again from the end of the 19th century, Neubronn was also looked after by the parish of Leinroden, but formed its own parish, which until 2003 formed the entire parish of Neubronn-Leinroden. With the announcement of the Oberkirchenrat on April 6, 1979, the seat of the parish office in Neubronn was moved to Abtsgmünd and renamed Abtsgmünd-Neubronn . The Neubronner church has a square tower with an octagonal bell house and an early baroque French dome. She owns grave monuments of the von Adelmann family. The church was last renovated in 1958. The Wöllstein residential area had been assigned to the Neubronn parish by the parish of Leinroden by an announcement by the upper church council on August 22, 1931.

Dewangen remained Catholic after the Reformation. Protestant residents also moved in mainly after the Second World War. They were assigned to the parishes of Fachsenfeld, Abtsgmünd-Leinroden, Unterrombach-Hofherrnweiler and Essingen. The hamlet of Reichenbach, which belongs to Dewangen, was reclassified from the parish of Fachsenfeld to what was then the parish of Leinroden by an announcement by the Upper Church Council on November 22, 1949.

With effect from January 1, 2004, the Neubronn parish and the entire Neubronn-Leinroden parish were dissolved. At the same time, the parish of the parish of Neubronn was incorporated into the parish of Leinroden, which was renamed the parish of Abtsgmünd-Leinroden-Neubronn .

Until 1973, the Protestant residents of the community of Heuchlingen, most of whom only moved there after the Second World War, belonged to the parish of Leinroden. With effect from April 1, 1973, these were reclassified to the church district Schwäbisch Gmünd and assigned to the parish of Oberböbingen.

Parish of Adelmannsfelden

Evangelical Church Adelmannsfelden

The parish of Adelmannsfelden (approx. 1,600 parishioners) includes the parish of Adelmannsfelden , some hamlets of the municipality of Neuler and some hamlets of the municipality of Rosenberg (the main town and the other hamlets of Rosenberg belong to the parish of Hummelsweiler, Crailsheim church district). The place was initially a branch of Neuler. In 1113 a chapel was mentioned (from 1380 St. Nicholas), which was elevated to a parish church in 1124. The current church was built in 1813 and renovated in 1955. The late Gothic choir tower is still preserved. A life-size Renaissance crucifix can be seen inside. In the cemetery there is a St. Leonhard chapel from 1473. The Adelmannsfelden parish also looks after the Pommertsweiler parish. Both parishes used to form the entire parish of Adelmannsfelden.

Neuler and Rosenberg remained Catholic after the Reformation. The few Protestant residents were assigned to the parishes of Ellwangen, Fachsenfeld and Adelmannsfelden. Neuler was assigned to the parish of Ellwangen by a notice from the Oberkirchenrat on March 31, 1936. The hamlets Schlierhof, Schliermühle, Bronnen, Binderhof, Ebnat and Kohlwasen, which belong to Neuler, were assigned to the parish of Fachsenfeld by an announcement by the Oberkirchenrat on December 11, 1946. Rosenberg and most of the hamlets belonging to it belong to the parish of Hummelsweiler (today part of Rosenberg), whereby the district of Hohenberg was reclassified from the parish of Adelmannsfelden by an announcement by the upper church council on March 4, 1933. As a result of belonging to the Free Imperial City of Schwäbisch Hall, Hummelsweiler became Protestant and is therefore the only predominantly Protestant place in the Rosenberg community.

Benzenzimmern parish

The Benzenzimmern parish includes the Benzenzimmern district of the Kirchheim am Ries community . A chapel was mentioned as early as 1197. In 1725 she was called St. John Baptist. It was a branch of Munzingen (today Bavaria) and belonged to the Frauenalb monastery. In the 15th century an early measurement pillar and then a chaplaincy were founded. In 1481 the church set came to the Kirchheim monastery. Öttingen introduced the Reformation in 1552 and set up its own parish in 1565. The church is essentially a Romanesque choir tower. Early Gothic wall paintings were uncovered on the east wall. Today the parish of Benzenzimmern is looked after by the parish office in Kirchheim am Ries.

Parish of Bopfingen

City church Bopfingen with a view of the Ipf

The parish of Bopfingen (approx. 2,200 parishioners) comprises the core city and the districts of Aufhausen , Flochberg (excluding Härtsfeldhausen) and Schloßberg of the city of Bopfingen . A women's monastery of St. Agnes was founded in Bopfingen before 1266, which was merged with the Kirchheim monastery in 1283. In 1298 a dean in Bopfingen and a parish church of St. Blasius were mentioned in 1299. The patronage was held by the Counts of Öttingen, who left it to the Kirchheim monastery in 1358. In 1525/46 the council of the Free Imperial City of Bopfingen introduced the Reformation. After that there were disputes over the patronage law, which could only be ended in 1774 when the city exchanged the rights. The church still has Romanesque elements in the nave, the choir has high Gothic forms. The tower is early and late Gothic above. The dome roof has Renaissance shapes. Inside there is a winged altar by Friedrich Herlein from Nördlingen from 1472 and a late Gothic baptismal font and a tomb from the 13th century. Wall paintings from around 1400 were uncovered in the choir. In addition to the parish church, there is also a cemetery church, which was built in 1617/19. She has a roof ridge. It was renovated in 1893. The hospital with the Church of the Holy Spirit was built in 1600.

With effect from January 28, 1998, the Wöhrwiesen parish was separated from the Bopfingen parish and incorporated into the Oberdorf am Ipf parish.

Aufhausen and Flochberg as well as the Schloßberg, which always belongs to Flochberg, remained Catholic after the Reformation. Most of the Protestant residents who moved here after the Second World War were assigned to the parish of Bopfingen.

Since the 19th century, the Protestant residents of the neighboring predominantly Catholic city of Lauchheim belonged to the parish of Bopfingen. Most recently there was the branch parish Kapfenburg (from 1952 branch parish Lauchheim), which together with the parish Bopfingen formed the entire parish of Bopfingen. Through the announcement of the Oberkirchenrat on July 21, 1952, the Lauchheim branch parish was separated from the entire parish of Bopfingen and raised to the status of an independent parish.

Parish of Ellwangen

Evangelical town church Ellwangen / Jagst

The parish of Ellwangen (approx. 5,300 parishioners) includes the town of Ellwangen (Jagst) with the exception of parts of the districts of Pfahlheim and Röhlingen, which belong to the parish of Walxheim, as well as the parish of Rainau , some hamlets of the parish of Ellenberg as well as the main town and some hamlets of the parish Newbie . Ellwangen remained Catholic after the Reformation, although the Reformation was to be introduced from 1524. However, this failed due to the resistance of the Prince Provost Heinrich von der Pfalz and his successor. Protestants therefore came back to Ellwangen only after the transition to Württemberg in 1802. As early as 1802, the former Jesuit church connected to the Catholic collegiate church became a Protestant garrison church. In 1817 it became the city's first Protestant parish church. The parish of Ellwangen also looks after all Protestants in the districts of Rindelbach and Schrezheim and the associated hamlets. Today there are three parishes I, II and III within the parish of Ellwangen.

Ellenberg and Neuler as well as the two districts of Dalkingen and Schwabsberg in the community of Rainau also remained Catholic after the Reformation. In the case of Ellenberg, the few Protestant residents were assigned to the parishes of Wört, Ellwangen and Unterdeufstetten (Crailsheim parish), in the case of Neulers, initially to the parish of Adelmannsfelden, finally in 1936 to the parish of Ellwangen and in the case of Dalkingen and Schwabsberg to the parish of Ellwangen. However, some of the hamlets of Neuler still belong to the Adelmannsfelden parish or Fachsenfeld.

Parish Essingen

The parish of Essingen (approx. 2,500 parishioners) comprises the main town and some associated hamlets (including Dauerwang, Forst and Hermannsfeld) of the parish of Essingen as well as the courtyards Großdölzerhof, Kleindölzerhof, Steithöfle, Aushof, Rauburr and Freudenhöfle in the Aalen district of Dewangen. The Essingen district of Lauterburg forms its own parish. In Essingen there were initially two parish churches, St. Quirinus and another in the cemetery. They belonged to the monastery Hirsau and the monastery Neresheim that his church in 1313 the monastery Ellwangen transferred. In 1361 both parish churches were donated by Emperor Charles IV to the Neresheim monastery, which they sold to the local authorities in 1538. In 1425, the name Friedrich Reicher was mentioned as the first pastor of Essingen. The Lords of Woellwarth introduced the Reformation in 1538. After that only the church of St. Quirinus was continued as a parish church. The name Michael Bosch has been handed down as the first Protestant pastor from 1573.

Today's Quirinus Church is a late Gothic church from the 15th century, which was later changed several times, most recently in 1565/66. The tower is probably older. As a special feature, the church has a Gothic real hair crucifix. Of the second parish church in the village, built around 1400, only the cross-vaulted, flat, closed choir has survived. There has been a Protestant kindergarten in Essingen since 1928. Today the parish of Essingen has two kindergartens, one in Rathausgasse (founded in 1955) and the Sonneneck kindergarten (founded in 1995). The parish also has a trombone choir (founded in 1965) with about 100 members and a church choir (founded in 1896) with about 30 members.

Dewangen and its associated settlements remained Catholic after the Reformation. Protestant residents also moved in mainly after the Second World War. They were assigned to the parishes of Fachsenfeld, Abtsgmünd-Leinroden, Unterrombach-Hofherrnweiler and Essingen.

Until 1983, Aalen's Sandberg residential area also belonged to the Essingen parish. With effect from December 4, 1983, this residential space was assigned to the parish of Unterrombach (today Unterrombach-Hofherrnweiler).

Parish Fachsenfeld

The parish of Fachsenfeld (approx. 1,550 parishioners) includes the district of Fachsenfeld as well as the main town of the district of Dewangen and some associated hamlets of the city of Aalen (e.g. Treppach, which came to the parish of Fachsenfeld in 1938 from the parish of Wasseralfingen in exchange for Affalterried) two hamlets in the municipality of Abtsgmünd and some hamlets in the municipality of Neuler. In terms of church, Fachsenfeld initially belonged to the neighboring parishes of Hüttlingen, Dewangen and Neuler. The local rule of the Lords of Wöllwarth and Leinroden introduced the Reformation and established their own parish. The parish church was built in 1591. In the 16th century, however, more and more Catholics came, so that the place was then mostly Catholic. However, the church remained Protestant, the Catholics only built their own church in 1895.

Dewangen, Abtsgmünd and Neuler remained Catholic after the Reformation. Protestant residents also moved in mainly after the Second World War. In the case of Dewangen and Abtsgmünd, they were assigned to the parishes of Fachsenfeld, Abtsgmünd-Leinroden, Unterrombach-Hofherrnweiler and Essingen, and in the case of Neulers to the parishes of Ellwangen, Fachsenfeld and Adelmannsfelden. The hamlet of Reichenbach , which belongs to Dewangen, was reclassified from the parish of Fachsenfeld to what was then the parish of Leinroden through an announcement by the Upper Church Council on November 22, 1949. The hamlets Schlierhof, Schliermühle, Bronnen, Binderhof, Ebnat and Kohlwasen, which belong to Neuler, were assigned to the parish of Fachsenfeld by the Adelmannsfelden parish on December 11, 1946.

Until 1967, Onatsfeld also belonged to the Fachsenfeld parish. By announcement of the upper church council on April 21, 1967 this place was assigned to the parish Wasseralfingen (today Wasseralfingen-Hüttlingen).

In the past, the Protestant residents of the predominantly Catholic community of Hüttlingen also belonged to the Fachsenfeld parish. In 1967 a Protestant church, the Reconciliation Church, was built in Hüttlingen. With effect from January 1, 2003, the Hüttlingen parish was detached from the Fachsenfeld parish and assigned to the Wasseralfingen parish, which was also renamed the Wasseralfingen-Hüttlingen parish.

Parish of Goldburghausen

The parish of Goldburghausen (approx. 680 parishioners) includes the district Goldburghausen of the parish of Riesbürg . A parish church already existed in Goldburghausen around 1200. The imperial city of Nördlingen introduced the Reformation in 1543. The church has a vaulted choir and a late Romanesque tower. Since 1711 it has been called St. Michael's Church. The Goldburghausen parish also looks after the Pflaumloch parish.

Parish Kirchheim am Ries

The parish of Kirchheim am Ries (approx. 750 parishioners) comprises the main town and the district of Dirgenheim of the parish of Kirchheim am Ries . The Benzenzimmern district forms its own parish, which, however, is looked after by the Kirchheim am Ries parish. The actual church life began in Kirchheim am Ries with the establishment of the Cistercian monastery of the Assumption by Count Ludwig VI. von Öttingen in 1267. The exemte monastery was able to unite a considerable amount of property in Kirchheim am Ries, which at that time still consisted of two villages Ober- and Unterkirchheim, as well as the entire surrounding area and existed until 1805 (in the 19th century it became Part canceled). Count Louis XV wanted to introduce the Reformation, which, however, Emperor Charles V prohibited. So the monastery always remained Catholic, but the place itself became Protestant. This was stipulated in the Passau Treaty of 1552. From then on, the Protestant community was served by the originally Romanesque church of St. Joseph in Oberkirchheim, which was rebuilt in the late Gothic style in 1497. This church was rebuilt in 1902. Another parish church was the early Gothic church of St. Martin in Unterkirchheim. This church now serves as a cemetery church.

Dirgenheim and today's Unterschneidheim districts Geislingen, Unterwilflingen (with Oberwilflingen) and Zipplingen (with) remained Catholic after the Reformation. Most of the Protestant residents who moved there only after the Second World War were initially assigned to the parish of Kirchheim am Ries. By order of May 11, 2001, the districts of Geislingen, Unterwilflingen (with Oberwilflingen) and Zipplingen (with Sechtenhausen, Wössingen) were separated from the Kirchheim am Ries parish and incorporated into the Walxheim parish.

Parish of Lauchheim-Westhausen

The parish of Lauchheim-Westhausen (approx. 1,900 parishioners, until 2008 only Lauchheim) includes the city of Lauchheim and the parish of Westhausen . Lauchheim and its districts of Hülen and Röttingen remained Catholic after the Reformation. Since the 19th century, however, Protestant residents moved to the Lauchheim area, who initially belonged to the Bopfingen parish. The parish administration of Kapfenburg was established for the Evangelicals in Lauchheim in 1892 and later the Kapfenburg branch parish was formed within the entire parish of Bopfingen. Since then, the Protestant services have been celebrated in the Gothic Barbara Chapel in Lauchheim. For this purpose the chapel was rebuilt accordingly. Through the announcement of the Oberkirchenrat on July 21, 1952, the Kapfenburg branch parish was renamed the Lauchheim branch parish, it was detached from the association of the entire parish of Bopfingen and made an independent parish. At the same time, the parish administration of Kapfenburg was formed into the parish administration of Lauchheim, which was elevated to the parish of Lauchheim in 1955.

Westhausen and its district of Lippach also remained Catholic after the Reformation. The few Protestant residents were assigned to the parish of Kapfenburg, while the hamlets of Lindorf and Stockmühle, which belong to Lippach, were initially assigned to the parish of Walxheim by an announcement by the upper church council of April 21, 1938, but then again to the parish of Kapfenburg / Lauchheim by a new announcement of October 18, 1952 were. In 1965 its own church, the Kreuzkirche, was built in Westhausen.

With effect from January 8, 2008, the Lauchheim parish was renamed the Lauchheim-Westhausen parish.

The Protestant residents of the predominantly Catholic Aalen district of Waldhausen also belonged to the parish of Lauchheim from 1952 to 2000, before they were assigned to the parish of Aalen and the Martinskirche district with effect from September 8, 2000. Before 1952 these belonged to the parish of Oberkochen, from which they were reclassified to Lauchheim by an announcement by the Oberkirchenrat on October 18, 1952. The hamlet Affalterwang , which belonged to Ebnat, also belonged to Oberkochen until 1952 , before it was assigned to the parish of Lauchheim. By order of the Upper Church Council of February 27, 1979, the Protestant residents of the hamlet of Hohenlohe in the Neresheim parish were reclassified from the Lauchheim parish to the Neresheim parish.

Parish Lauterburg

The parish of Lauterburg (approx. 450 parishioners) includes the Lauterburg district of the Essingen community, which was part of the Essingen community until 1820. In terms of church, Lauterburg initially belonged to the neighboring Lautern , which belonged to the parish of Lauterburg until 1979, but was then reclassified to the parish of Schwäbisch Gmünd and assigned to the parish of Heubach with effect from January 1, 1980 .

The Lords of Wöllwarth introduced the Reformation in Lauterburg. After that the place belonged to the parish Bartholomä, since 1638 to Essingen. In 1721/22 the von Wöllwarth family, who had their headquarters in Lauterburg, set up their own parish. Its castle chapel served as the parish church. This was built by Georg Wolf von Wöllwarth in the late mannerist style. The sanctuary is cross-vaulted. The tower has an octagon.

Parish of Neresheim

The parish of Neresheim (approx. 1,750 parishioners) includes the city of Neresheim with the exception of the districts of Kösingen and Schweindorf, which belong to the parish of Schweindorf. The hamlet of Hohenlohe only came from the parish of Lauchheim to the parish of Neresheim by order of the upper church council on February 27, 1979. Neresheim and the surrounding area remained Catholic after the Reformation. The few Protestant residents initially belonged to the parish of Schweindorf. In 1949 a parish vicariate was set up in Neresheim, which was elevated to a parish in 1953. A Protestant church was built in Neresheim as early as 1952. Before 1951 a branch parish of Schweindorf had already been established for Neresheim. Through the announcement of the Oberkirchenrat on May 31, 1951, the towns of Ballmertshofen, Dischingen and Trugenhofen with taxis were assigned to it, which until then belonged to the parish of Fleinheim. Through the announcement of the Oberkirchenrat on April 14, 1953, the Neresheim branch parish was separated from the Schweindorf mother parish and made an independent parish. At the same time, the Protestant residents of Demmingen, Dorfmerkingen , Dunstelkingen, Duttenstein, Eglingen, Elchingen, Frickingen and Ohmenheim with all the associated hamlets were assigned to it, which today form the municipality of Dischingen with Ballmertshofen and Trugenhofen. However, with effect from January 1, 2007, the community of Dischingen was separated from the parish of Neresheim and (again) assigned to the parish of Fleinheim (parish of Heidenheim).

Parish of Oberdorf am Ipf

The parish of Oberdorf am Ipf (approx. 900 parishioners) comprises the districts of Oberdorf am Ipf , Baldern and Kerkingen of the city of Bopfingen. Oberdorf am Ipf was initially a church branch of Bopfingen. From there the Reformation was introduced. A chapel of St. Pantaleon was mentioned as early as 1317. The former pilgrimage church of St. George was first mentioned in 1463. The church, which is essentially late Romanesque, has a neo-Gothic nave from 1890. Inside, a late-Gothic crucifix can be seen, probably from the school of Jörg Syrlin the Younger. The pilgrimages ended after the Reformation. The surrounding monasteries assigned their subjects to other parishes. In 1958 a Protestant parish was established in Oberdorf am Ipf and the former pilgrimage church became the parish church of the village. Also by the announcement of the upper church council of December 31, 1958, the then branch parish of Oberdorf was separated from the mother parish of Bopfingen and made an independent parish. With effect from January 28, 1998, the parish of Oberdorf am Ipf was enlarged by the parish of Wöhrwiesen, which until then belonged to the parish of Bopfingen.

Baldern and Kerkingen remained Catholic after the Reformation. Most of the Protestant residents who moved there only after the Second World War were assigned to the parish of Oberdorf am Ipf.

Parish of Oberkochen

Reconciliation Church Oberkochen

The parish of Oberkochen (2,267 parishioners; as of December 31, 2015) includes the city of Oberkochen . In the 15th century, Oberkochen was politically and therefore also ecclesiastically divided between different rulers, including the monasteries Ellwangen and Kirchheim am Ries. The Kirchheim part came to Württemberg after the Reformation and was therefore Protestant, the other part remained Catholic. Living together was regulated by the Aalen Protocol from 1749 . The Catholics used the old parish church of the village until it was replaced by the current building in 1899. The Protestant residents initially belonged to the parish of Königsbronn (Heidenheim church district) until they received their own church from 1582 to 1593, which was built in the late Mannerist style. In 1875 it was demolished and rebuilt on the old foundation walls. In 1953 it received a new tower. As a result of the strong growth of the community, a new church with a community center, the Reconciliation Church, was built in the Gutenbach district in 1968 . The old church now serves as the city library. The community maintained another community hall between 1992 and 2013 in the Heidehaus in the Heide district. In 2013 the heather building used as a parish and community center was sold.

Today there are two parish offices in Oberkochen. They are named I and II.

Until 1952, the Protestant residents of the predominantly Catholic village of Waldhausen also belonged to the parish of Oberkochen. However, by the announcement of the Oberkirchenrat on October 18, 1952, these were reclassified to the parish of Lauchheim. With effect from September 8, 2000 it was assigned to the parish of Aalen and assigned to the district of the Martinskirche. Furthermore, the hamlet Affalterwang belonging to Ebnat belonged to the parish of Oberkochen until 1952 before it was assigned to the parish of Lauchheim. The evangelicals of the main town Ebnat, however, were assigned to the parish of Unterkochen by an announcement of the upper church council on July 14, 1955.

Parish of Pflaumloch

The parish of Pflaumloch includes the district of Pflaumloch of the municipality of Riesbürg. The place Pflaumloch remained mostly Catholic after the Reformation, although the imperial city of Nördlingen wanted to introduce the Reformation. Oettingen-Wallerstein prevented this, however, so that there were violent disputes that were brought up to the Reich Chamber of Commerce. The church in Pflaumloch, however, always remained Catholic; the evangelical residents went to church in Goldburghausen. Politically, Pflaumloch belonged to the community of Goldburghausen until 1851 and only then became independent. In 1862 the Evangelicals from Pflaumloch built their own church on the cemetery by the architect Leins. A parish of its own was also created, which is still looked after by the Goldburghausen rectory to this day. The church in Pflaumloch was renovated in 1963.

Parish of Pommertsweiler

The parish of Pommertsweiler includes the district of Pommertsweiler and the hamlet of Wilflingen in the Abtsgmünd community. Pommertsweiler was politically divided. It once belonged to the Prince Provosty of Ellwangen and to the lordships of Adelmannsfelden and Neubronn. Since Ellwangen did not introduce a Reformation, it was also ecclesiastically divided. As a branch, the Protestant part always belonged to Adelmannsfelden, but forms its own parish, so that both parishes used to form the entire parish of Adelmannsfelden. The parish of Pommertsweiler is still looked after by the Adelmannsfelden rectory to this day. 1950 Pommertsweiler got its own church.

The hamlet of Wilflingen, which belongs to Abtsgmünd, was assigned to the parish of Pommertsweiler by a notice dated March 31, 1936 by the parish of Neubronn.

Parish of Schweindorf

The parish of Schweindorf (approx. 300 parishioners) comprises the districts of Kösingen and Schweindorf with the associated hamlets of Märtingen, Hohenstein and Fluertshäuserhof in the city of Neresheim. A parish church in Schweindorf, probably dedicated to St. Stephen, was first mentioned in 1380. It came to the Nördlingen hospital in 1507 through the von Katzenstein family. The imperial city of Nördlingen introduced the Reformation. The core of the church is still Romanesque. It has a vaulted choir tower with a rib cross vault. The baptismal font as well as a crucifixion group and a figure of St. Nicholas are late Gothic. In 1954 the church was renovated.

Kösingen remained Catholic after the Reformation. Most of the Protestant residents who moved there only after the Second World War were assigned to the Schweindorf parish.

Until 1953, the Protestant residents in the Neresheim area also belonged to the Schweindorf parish as a separate branch parish of Neresheim. Through the announcement of the Oberkirchenrat on April 14, 1953, the Neresheim branch parish was separated from the parent parish Schweindorf and made an independent parish.

Parish Trochtelfingen

The parish of Trochtelfingen (approx. 860 parishioners) comprises the districts of Trochtelfingen and Unterriffingen (with Oberriffingen ) of the city of Bopfingen and the district of Utzmemmingen of the municipality of Riesbürg. Two churches were mentioned in Trochtelfingen as early as 1340. A church in the village itself (from 1468 called St. Andreas) and a church in the cemetery (from 1430 called St. Margareta). There was also a chapel of St. Bartholomew. The church records of both churches, which possibly both had parish rights, belonged to the Lords of Emershofen, who sold them to the Kirchheim monastery. The Reformation was introduced in 1541, but not fully implemented until 1563. Since the place politically belonged to various smaller lordships, the church affiliation also changed. The Lords of Öttingen reintroduced the Catholic faith for their subjects and assigned the residents to the parish of Utzmemmingen. St. Andrew's Church became the main Protestant church in the community. It has a high baroque tower from 1690, the nave is late baroque from 1732. The cemetery church is an originally Gothic choir tower that has been changed several times. It was last renovated in 1961. It has wall paintings from around 1350 and 1300.

Unterriffingen (with Oberriffingen) and Utzmemmingen remained Catholic after the Reformation. Most of the Protestant residents of these places, who only moved there after the Second World War, were assigned to the Trochtelfingen parish.

Parish of Unterkochen-Ebnat

The parish of Unterkochen-Ebnat (approx. 1,530 parishioners) comprises the districts of Unterkochen and Ebnat and the associated hamlets of the town of Aalen. Unterkochen and Ebnat remained Catholic after the Reformation. Protestant residents also moved in mainly after the Second World War. Unterkochen was then a subsidiary of the parish of Aalen, Ebnat was assigned to the parish of Oberkochen. Through the announcement of the Oberkirchenrat on October 7, 1954, an independent parish was formed for Unterkochen, which was also assigned to Ebnat through an announcement of July 14, 1955. A Protestant parish was set up for the two places in Unterkochen and a church was built in 1960. With effect from January 29, 2004, the parish of Unterkochen was finally renamed to Unterkochen-Ebnat.

Parish of Unterrombach-Hofherrnweiler

The parish of Unterrombach-Hofherrnweiler (approx. 2,850 parishioners) includes the places Unterrombach and Hofherrnweiler , which together with some other hamlets formed the political municipality of Unterrombach until 1938 and have belonged to the city of Aalen since then or since 1952. The Sandberg residential area belonging to Unterrombach, however, belonged to the Essingen parish until 1983. It was only assigned to the parish of Unterrombach with effect from December 4, 1983.

Ecclesiastically, the places Unterrombach and Hofherrnweiler initially belonged to Unterkochen. Aalen introduced the Reformation. In the period that followed, the places belonged to Aalen as a branch. In 1912 a Protestant church was built in Unterrombach ( called the Christ Church since 1987 ) and in 1947 Aalen's own parish and branch church was established. With the announcement of the Oberkirchenrat on May 31, 1951, the Unterrombach branch parish was separated from the mother parish of Aalen and raised to the status of an independent parish. At the same time, the Protestant residents of the Spagenfeld settlement and the hamlet of Spagenweiler, which until then belonged to the parish of Aalen, were assigned. With effect from January 13, 2005 the parish of Unterrombach was renamed the parish of Unterrombach-Hofherrnweiler . Today there are two parish offices in Unterrombach, Parish Office I and Parish Office II.

Parish Walxheim

The parish Walxheim (approx. 1,030 parishioners) comprises the communities Unterschneidheim , Stödtlen and Tannhausen and parts of the districts Pfahlheim and Röhlingen of the city of Ellwangen (Jagst). The districts of Unterschneidheim Geislingen , Unterwilflingen (with Oberwilflingen) and Zipplingen (with Sechtenhausen, Wössingen) were only dissolved by the parish of Kirchheim am Ries and incorporated into the parish of Walxheim with a ruling on May 11, 2001.

The area of ​​Unterschneidheim / Tannhausen / Stödtlen / Kirchheim am Ries remained predominantly Catholic after the Reformation. Only in today's Unterschneidheimer district Walxheim was 1558 by Count Ludwig XVI. von Öttingen introduced the Reformation. The Walxheim church, known as St. Erhard and Bonifatius from 1344, initially belonged to the Hirsau Monastery , and from 1448 to the Mönchsroth Monastery. The church was destroyed in the Thirty Years War. In 1699 the present church was built in its place. In the west tower there is an inscription from 1529. The Protestant residents of the Catholic neighboring towns of Nordhausen (Unterschneidheim) , Unterschneidheim, Zöbingen , Stödtlen and Tannhausen, who mainly moved there after the Second World War, were assigned to the Walxheim parish .

Between 1938 and 1952, the Protestant residents of the hamlets of Lindorf and Stockmühle, which belong to Lippach, also belonged to the parish of Walxheim. They had been assigned to the parish Walxheim by the Oberkirchenrat (Council of Churches) on April 21, 1938, and then returned to the Kapfenburg parish (today Lauchheim) by a new announcement on October 18, 1952.

Parish of Wasseralfingen-Hüttlingen

The parish of Wasseralfingen-Hüttlingen (approx. 4,100 parishioners) comprises the districts of Wasseralfingen (approx. 2,740) and Hofen (approx. 360) as well as the associated hamlets of the city of Aalen (excluding Treppach) and the community of Hüttlingen (approx. 1,000), whereby the Wasseralfinger hamlet Onatsfeld belonged to the parish of Fachsenfeld until 1967 and was only assigned to the parish of Wasseralfingen by the announcement of the upper church council on April 21, 1967.

The places Wasseralfingen, Hofen and Hüttlingen remained Catholic after the Reformation. Wasseralfingen has grown rapidly since the 19th century due to the iron smelting plant there. Protestant residents also moved in, so that in 1891 a Protestant parish and two years later a church of its own was built in Wasseralfingen. The foundation stone for this neo-Gothic church with 523 seats was laid on May 1, 1893. The 28.5 m long and 12.5 m wide church was consecrated on September 17, 1894. The tower measures 44 m. The evangelical residents of Hofen were later assigned to the associated parish of Wasseralfingen.

On March 11, 1938, the Oberkirchenrat announced that the hamlet of Treppach, which belonged to Wasseralfingen, was reclassified into the parish of Fachsenfeld. In return, the hamlet of Affalterried, which previously belonged to the parish of Fachsenfeld, was assigned to the parish of Wasseralfingen.

In 1956 the church in Wasseralfingen was renovated for the first time. It received a false ceiling made of wood fiber cassettes, a new baptismal font with a copper bowl and an electric heater. In addition, the belfry was enlarged so that four new bronze bells could be hung. In 1959 the second phase of renovation took place with a new organ, a new altar table made of shell limestone and three new choir windows. The outside renovation of the church took place in 1976. In 1980 the roof of the tower and nave were finally renovated. In 1982 the interior of the church was renovated again. The coffered ceiling was removed again and the beam support structure was exposed. In addition, the rows of benches were rearranged and a new electric bench heater was installed. With the rebuilding of the organ in 1987, the overall renovation measures were completed. On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the parish in 1991, the church in Wasseralfingen was given the name "Magdalenenkirche". The namesake Maria Magdalena can be seen on a window picture "Annunciation by Maria Magdalena" by Sieger Köder .

The Protestants from Hüttlingen initially belonged to the Fachsenfeld parish. In 1967 a Protestant church, the Reconciliation Church, was built in Hüttlingen. However, the Protestant residents continued to belong to the Fachsenfeld parish. As of January 1, 2003, the Protestant residents from Hüttlingen were assigned to the parish of Wasseralfingen, which has since had the double name Wasseralfingen-Hüttlingen. Today Hüttlingen also has its own parish office, so that in addition to the parishes in Wasseralfingen I and II, there are now a total of three parishes within the parish of Wasseralfingen-Hüttlingen.

In addition to the two churches in Wasseralfingen and Hüttlingen, there is also a parish hall in Wasseralfingen. The parish of Wasseralfingen-Hüttlingen is also the sponsor of two kindergartens in Wasseralfingen, Noah's Ark and Regenbogen. She also has a church choir and the recorder ensemble “Flauti Cantanti”.

Parish Wört

The parish Wört (approx. 800 parishioners) comprises the parish Wört as well as the main town and some hamlets of the parish Ellenberg . Wört remained Catholic after the Reformation. In the associated district of Bösenlustnau, however, Protestant residents lived as early as the 19th century, so that in 1905 a separate parish was established and a Protestant church was built by the architect Dolmetsch. The evangelical residents of the other words who moved in later were also assigned to the associated parish. It was therefore renamed accordingly.

Ellenberg also remained Catholic after the Reformation. Most of the Protestant residents who moved here after the Second World War were assigned to the parishes of Wört, Ellwangen and Unterdeufstetten (Crailsheim church district).

literature

  • The Evangelical Württemberg - Its church offices and clergymen from the Reformation to the present. Collected and edited by Christian Sigel, pastor in Gebersheim, 1910.
  • The state of Baden-Württemberg - official description by districts and municipalities (in eight volumes). Edited by the Baden-Württemberg State Archives Department; Volume IV: Stuttgart District - Regional Associations Franconia and East Wuerttemberg, Stuttgart 1980, ISBN 3-17-005708-1 .
  • Christoph Hahn (Ed.): Evangelical parishes in the deanery Aalen. Verlag der Ev.-Luth. Mission, Erlangen 1982, ISBN 3-87214-147-3 .
  • Protestant church buildings in the dean's office in Aalen ; (Ed.) Evangelical Church District Aalen; Einhorn Verlag Schwäbisch Gmünd, 2016. ( ISBN 978-3-95747-042-3 )

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Internet presence of the parish of Bopfingen
  2. ↑ Internet presence of the parish of Ellwangen
  3. ↑ Internet presence of the parish Essingen
  4. ↑ Annual statistics of the Evang. Kirchengemeinde Oberkochen 2015 ( Memento of the original from January 15, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Website of the Ev. Parish - News. Retrieved January 15, 2016. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.oberkochen-evangelisch.de
  5. ↑ Internet presence of the parish of Oberkochen
  6. ↑ Internet presence of the parish Wasseralfingen-Hüttlingen