Westerheim (Württemberg)

coat of arms	Germany map
	Coordinates: 48 ° 31 '  N , 9 ° 37'  E
Basic data
State :	Baden-Württemberg
Administrative region :	Tübingen
County :	Alb-Danube district
Local government association:	Laichinger Alb
Height :	815 m above sea level NHN
Area :	22.93 km 2
Residents:	3029 (December 31, 2018)
Population density :	132 inhabitants per km 2
Postal code :	72589
Area code :	07333
License plate :	UL
Community key :	08 4 25 134
Address of the municipal administration:	Kirchenplatz 16 72589 Westerheim
Website :	www.westerheim.de
Mayor :	Hartmut Walz
Location of the municipality of Westerheim in the Alb-Donau district

Westerheim is a municipality in the Alb-Donau district in Baden-Württemberg . Westerheim with its entire municipal area part of the biosphere area Swabian Alb and the UNESCO Geopark Swabian Alb .

geography

Geographical location

The climatic health resort of Westerheim is located on the Swabian Alb around 30 kilometers northwest of Ulm . Westerheim is located in the northwestern tip of the Alb-Donau district and is the highest municipality in the district.

Neighboring communities

The community borders in the north on the city of Wiesensteig and in the east on Hohenstadt , both in the district of Göppingen , in the south on the city of Laichingen and in the west on Römerstein in the district of Reutlingen .

history

In the year 861 Westerheim was mentioned for the first time in the foundation letter of the monastery Wiesensteig .

From 1555 to 1567, the Counts of Helfenstein temporarily introduced the Reformation in Westerheim. Afterwards Westerheim became Catholic again; the Catholic denomination still predominates there today.

Westerheim was badly damaged during the Thirty Years War . After the Counts of Helfenstein died out, two thirds of the place came under the rule of Wiesensteig , and in 1752 completely under the Electorate of Bavaria . In 1806 Westerheim fell to the Kingdom of Württemberg , whose government initially subordinated the place to the Oberamt Wiesensteig and in 1810 to the Oberamt Geislingen . In 1938, Westerheim came to the Münsingen district through the Württemberg regional reform during the Nazi era . In the last weeks of the Second World War , half of Westerheim burned down as a result of fighting. Since the district reform that took place in 1973, Westerheim has been part of the newly formed Alb-Danube district.

In 2007, residents of Westerheim founded the pseudo-state Germanitien.

Lost place Waldstetten

In Westerheim, there was a deserted area in Waldstetten, which is attested, among other things, in the Blaubeuren monastery register in 1457.

Religions

Corpus Christi flower carpet in Westerheim.

In Westerheim there is both a Protestant and a Roman Catholic parish.

politics

Administrative association

The community belongs to the Laichinger Alb community administration association.

Municipal council

The municipal council in Westerheim has 12 members. The municipal council consists of the elected voluntary councilors and the mayor as chairman. The mayor is entitled to vote in the municipal council. The local elections on May 26, 2019 led to the following official final result:

Parties and constituencies		% 2019	Seats 2019	% 2014	Seats 2014	Local elections 2019  % 40 30th 20th 10 0 38.24% 19.87% 27.87% 14.02% UBL FROM CDU WfW Gains and losses compared to 2014  % p  16  14th  12  10    8th    6th    4th    2    0   -2   -4   -6   -8th -10 -12 -14 -6.95  % p -12.68  % p + 5.61  % p.p. + 14.02  % p UBL FROM CDU WfW
UBL	Independent citizen list Westerheim	38.24	5	45.19	5
FROM	Active Citizens - New Democratic List	19.87	2	32.55	4th
CDU	Christian Democratic Union of Germany	27.87	3	22.26	3
WfW	We for Westerheim	14.02	2	-	-
total		100.0	12	100.0	12
voter turnout		68.64%		64.80%

mayor

Hartmut Walz was elected as the new mayor in October 2002, he was confirmed in office in September 2010, and in 2018 he was confirmed in office again.

Community partnerships

A community partnership connects Westerheim with the community of the same name Westerheim in the Bavarian administrative district of Swabia.

Culture and sights

Christmas market on the Rathausplatz with the St. Stephen's Church and the Haus des Gastes

Buildings

• The St. Stephen's Church was built in 1787/88 instead of a previous church from the beginning of the 14th century. It has a high altar in the Baroque style. It was named " Monument of the Month January 2011" by the Monument Foundation Baden-Württemberg .

Natural monuments

Schertelshöhle

The arched entrance hall in the "Stone House"

• The Schertelshöhle is a 212 m long stalactite cave . It is one of the most beautiful show caves in the Swabian Alb, illuminated and can be visited daily from May to October. It has been recognized as an important geotope and geopoint of the UNESCO Geopark Swabian Alb since September 2016 .
• The stone house is a 55 meter long cave with an 8 meter high hall in the entrance area, in which hundreds of large icicles form in winter, which often only melt in spring. The stone house is only a few hundred meters away from the Schertelshöhle on the opposite slope of the valley and can be easily reached via a hiking trail or - faster - via numerous steps down the slope and a short distance up on the other side of the valley. The cave entrance of the unlit stone house is freely accessible through the collapsed ceiling. From the hall there is a worm appendix on the right, which is closed in winter to protect overwintering animals. The Stone House has been recognized as an important geotope and geopoint of the UNESCO Geopark Swabian Alb since September 2016 .

Economy and Infrastructure

traffic

The Swabian Albstraße on its way from Wiesensteig via Westerheim to Donnstetten

Westerheim is on Landesstraße 252, the Swabian Albstraße runs through the village.

As part of the new Wendlingen – Ulm line , which is currently under construction , the Merklingen (Swabian Alb) station is being built, and Westerheim will contribute financially to its costs.

The Alb-Neckar cycle path reaches Westerheim as a long-distance cycle path . It leads from Ulm to Heilbronn .

From west to east, the Swabian-Alb-Oberschwaben-Weg runs through the community of Westerheim as main hiking trail 7 . This long-distance hiking trail leads from the Remstal to Lake Constance and is looked after by the Swabian Alb Association.

education

Westerheim has its own primary school, the Schule am Sellenberg, and a branch of the Heroldstatt Werkrealschule with grades 5 to 7.

Personalities

• Franz Schädle (1906–1945), commandant of the Führer Accompanying Command
• Daniel Bohnacker (* 1990), skier, grew up in Westerheim
• Marius Fischer (* 1993), filmmaker, grew up in Westerheim

tourism

Westerheim has a wide variety of leisure facilities for tourists and visitors, they have an Alb bath with a lawn, sauna and a bistro. as well as an Alb hall with bowling alleys; Inline skating track, playground and tennis court. As well as a summer toboggan run with a zoo. And some cycling and hiking trails.

In winter there is the possibility to use four ski lifts ; At the same time, a well-maintained network of trails for cross-country skiing is maintained.

Web links

Commons : Westerheim  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Westerheim (Württemberg) at LEO-BW
• Internet presence of the municipality of Westerhei

Individual evidence

1. ↑ State Statistical Office Baden-Württemberg - Population by nationality and gender on December 31, 2018 (CSV file) ( help on this ).
2. ↑ Federal Republic does not recognize Germanitien , Schwäbische.de , May 13, 2011; Diplomat "Germanitien" a millionaire conman , merkur-online.de , August 1, 2012; Germanitia will not be cleared for the time being ( Memento from September 4, 2012 in the Internet Archive ), Südwest Presse from August 31, 2011; "Germanitien" is an expensive patch , Augsburger Allgemeine from December 19, 2012.
3. ↑ http://archaeologik.blogspot.com/2013/07/wustungen-im-blaubeurer-lagerbuch-von.html .
4. ^ Community Westerheim: Tourism & Leisure. In: www.westerheim.de. Retrieved January 4, 2017 .