Günzburg

Günzburg
Market place

Coat of arms
Günzburg
Location of Günzburg within Günzburg district
Coordinates: 48°27.16′N 10°16.28′E / 48.45267°N 10.27133°E / 48.45267; 10.27133Coordinates: 48°27.16′N 10°16.28′E / 48.45267°N 10.27133°E / 48.45267; 10.27133
Country Germany
State Bavaria
Admin. region Schwaben
District Günzburg
Government
 • Lord Mayor Gerhard Jauernig (SPD)
Area
 • Total 55.40 km2 (21.39 sq mi)
Elevation 478 m (1,568 ft)
Population (2017-12-31)[1]
 • Total 20,355
 • Density 370/km2 (950/sq mi)
Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes 89312
Dialling codes 08221
Vehicle registration GZ
Website www.guenzburg.de

Günzburg is a Große Kreisstadt and capital of the district of Günzburg in the Swabian district of Bavaria. This district was constituted in 1972 by combining the city of Günzburg – which had not previously been assigned to a Kreis (district) – with the district of Günzburg and the district of Krumbach.

Günzburg lies where the river Günz enters the Danube, and has a population of about 19,800.

History

Günzburg was founded in about 70 BC by the Romans to defend the borders of their land along the Danube; it was known as Castellum Guntia, Gontia or Contia. The name comes from that of the Celtic goddess Gontia.[2] It consisted of a fort, later replaced by at least one other on the same site, a fairly large civilian settlement and most likely an important bridge over the Danube.

After the Romans left in the fifth century, the Alamanni tribe settled there. In around 700 the nearby castle of Ricinis was mentioned by the Cartographer of Ravenna as one of the five most important castles of Alemannia. In 1065 first documentary evidence appears of the town itself as Gunceburch.

In 1301 the town became part of the Habsburg house and was developed into the centre of the Margraviate of Burgau; for a time (1803–1805) it was even the capital of all Further Austria.

Very near Günzburg is the site where the "Leipheim Horde" was defeated by the Swabian army in 1525 during the German Peasants' War. The same site saw the first flight by a Messerschmitt Me 262 in 1942.

On 9 October 1805, elements of the Sixth Corps of Napoléon's Grande Armée assaulted Austrian positions in Günzburg. The first assault was initiated by the 25th Light Infantry and the 27th and 50th Infantry Regiments of the Line (under Pierre-Louis Binet de Marcognet), while the second consisted of only the 59th Infantry Regiment of the Line, under Mathieu de la Bassé; around one thousand Austrian prisoners were taken, and six guns captured. In 1806, through the Franco-Bavarian alliance, Günzburg was integrated into the Kingdom of Bavaria.

In April 1945, near the end of the Second World War, the city of Günzburg was bombed by the allies. Among other targets that were severely damaged or destroyed were the nearby town of Denzingen, the castle, and a munitions train that was in the train station.

Günzburg is the birthplace of Dr. Josef Mengele, medical officer at Auschwitz concentration camp.[3]

Günzburg has flourished, boasting a thriving downtown shopping area, scenic views of the nearby historic castle, and one of the top five Legoland theme parks in Germany. It is also home of the soccer player Stefano Celozzi & Music Mogul Benjamin Enfield who moved to Günzburg in 2016

Main sights

Günzburg in about 1918.
Cow tower in the old town.
Altar at the Frauenkirche.
Günzburg Gasthaus Rad Restaurant "Wheel"

The attractions of Günzburg include the Church of Our Lady (Frauenkirche) built by Dominikus Zimmermann, the margraves' castle (the only Habsburg castle built in Germany), the Reisensburg fort, today the congress centre of the University of Ulm and the nearly-intact old town centre.

In 2002 Legoland built a theme park near the town.

Notable people

Literature

  • Wüst, Wolfgang: Historische Einleitung, in: Klaus Kraft: Landkreis Günzburg, Bd. 1: Stadt Günzburg (Die Kunstdenkmäler von Bayern, Teil Schwaben IX), München 1993, p. 1–49.
  • Wüst, Wolfgang: Günzburg. Historischer Atlas von Bayern, Teil Schwaben, Reihe I, Bd. 13, München 1983, ISBN 3-7696-9933-5.
  • Keller, Sven: Günzburg und der Fall Josef Mengele – Die Heimatstadt und die Jagd nach dem NS-Verbrecher. Oldenbourg Verlag, München 2003, ISBN 978-3-486-64587-3.

Freemen

  • 1895 Prince Otto von Bismarck, German chancellor
  • Josef Weizenegger (1924–2012), former county curator
  • Karl Mengele (1884–1959), father of the concentration camp doctor Josef Mengele, temporarily owner Fa. Mengele Agrartechnik, in the 1950s, with 2,000 employees the largest employer in the region
  • 1964 Ludwig Heilmeyer (1899–1969), internist, researcher and university teacher
  • Georg Simnacher (1932–2014), district president in Swabia and president of the Bavarian districts

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Fortschreibung des Bevölkerungsstandes". Bayerisches Landesamt für Statistik und Datenverarbeitung (in German). September 2018.
  2. ↑ Lauren Adams Gilmour, Pagans and Christians, Archaeopress, 2007, p. 24.
  3. ↑ Posner, Gerald L.; Ware, John (1986). Mengele: The Complete Story. New York: McGraw-Hill. p. 4. ISBN 0-07-050598-5.

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