Botnang
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Botnang ( ; formerly Bothnang) is a borough of the City of Stuttgart and lies between Feuerbach, Stuttgart-West and Vaihingen.
Botnang ( ; formerly Bothnang) is a borough of the City of Stuttgart and lies between Feuerbach, Stuttgart-West and Vaihingen.
Geography
Botnang is almost entirely surrounded by woodland and lies in the hills to the west of Stuttgart. The centre of Botnang lies 316 metres above sea level. The town's highest point is 479 metres above sea level in woods near to the so-called Forest House. Four streams, all fed by natural sources, flow down from the surrounding woods from the West and South West of Botnang to the Feuerbach valley and beyond.
Coat of arms
The Botnang coat of arms shows a wild boar between two trees (believed to be beech trees). The emblem was created in 1919 after discovering in district archives that the town boasted neither a coat of arms nor any other emblem. It was designed by archive managers in Stuttgart and symbolizes the wild game reserve originally established by King Friedrich in the woods around the town in 18151/16. The coat of arms holds no official status since Botnang's incorporation into Stuttgart City in 1922, but still features prominently on signs, in local buildings and in publications. Wild boar still roam the woods around Botnang, especially during prolonged periods of cold. The emblem considered by many locals to symbolize Botnang more accurately is the cuckoo. It is used half affectionately, half mockingly by residents and nearby communities respectively to refer to Botnang and its inhabitants. This is based on a legend that the Duke of Württemberg once asked the 'Botnangers' to acquire him a cuckoo after walking in the nearby woods. Having fulfilled his request they were then asked to bring him the "Home of the Cuckoo". Unable to decide whether this was based on ignorance or was in fact a trick (cuckoos have no nest; they lay their eggs in other birds' nests), the Botnangers gave the duke an area of their woods - much to the derision of other local communities.
History
Nearly 2000 years ago two important Roman roads travelled through the area near to the modern Forest House behind today's Oberer Kirchhaldenweg. This may be because of a small pot making community that stood to the east of the settlement. Botnang is first mentioned in official records in 1075 when the local landlords, the Counts of Calw, bequeathed their property and all revenues from Botnang to Hirsau Abbey. In 1281, Hirsau sold its ownership of Botnang to Bebenhausen Monastery. In 1418, Botnang was acquired by Eberhard im Bart and thus passed into Württemberg. Until 1631 Botnang then fell into the nearby district of Feuerbach. The Thirty Years War brought much suffering and destruction to the area and this also affected Botnang. In 1621 the combined population of Botnang and the nearby town of Heslach was 645, by 1643 this had slumped to 210. In 1765, Karl Eugen, Duke of Württemberg built Castle Solitude just beyond the woodland surrounding Botnang. Many of the craftsman involved in construction work took up residence in Botnang. The links to Castle Solitude, which now belongs to the district of Stuttgart-West, remain strong to this day. Before the onset of industrialisation Botnang was known as a small township of launderers and bleachers. The woods benefitted from ample provisions of firewood and water so Botnang was in an ideal position to furnish the needs of the expanding city of Stuttgart. For many years the south facing hills also supported a small number of vineyards. After the industrial revolution transformed the nearby city of Stuttgart into a major automotive city, Botnang gradually merged with the expanding commuter belt of Stuttgart, separated only by the surrounding woods which remain under a conservation order to this day. The town is therefore unlikely to grow beyond its current borders. On April 1, 1922 Botnang was incorporated into the city of Stuttgart. In 1925 Botnang had 4579 inhabitants1. In 2006 the town had approximately 13,000 inhabitants1.
Economy and infrastructure
U2 Neugereut – Bad Cannstatt – Stöckach – Charlottenplatz – Rotebühlplatz – Vogelsang – Botnang U9 Hedelfingen – Raitelsberg – Hauptbahnhof – Vogelsang (– Botnang) limited services during school holidays and outside rush hours Bus: 91 Sindelfingen – Vaihingen – Botnang – Feuerbach N2 Schlossplatz – Botnang – Schlossplatz (Fr/Sa/Su nights)
People, culture and architecture
Notable people from Botnang
Jürgen Klinsmann was manager of the Germany national football team from 2004 until 2006. During his playing career he was part of the German squads that won the FIFA World Cup in 1990 and UEFA European Football Championship in 1996. Klinsmann grew up in Botnang where his family ran the Klinsmann bakery until 2020. Ulf Merbold, German physicist and the first West German astronaut. Gerda Herrmann, a German poet and composer, has been living in Botnang since the 1960s and has composed almost 400 songs there.
Politics
The District Council of Botnang has 11 members1. Following local elections in 2004 the seats were divided as follows: CDU 4, SPD 3, Bündnis 90 / The Greens 1, FDP 1, FW (Freie Wähler) 2. The Head of the District Council is Wolfgang Stierle.
References
External links
Official homepage of Botnang Official homepage of Stuttgart Official Stuttgart Tourist Board
Text derived from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1377596002 under CC BY-SA 4.0; modifications have been made.