Schwabach

Schwabach
Market square
Coat of arms
Schwabach
Coordinates: 49°19′45″N 11°1′15″E / 49.32917°N 11.02083°E / 49.32917; 11.02083Coordinates: 49°19′45″N 11°1′15″E / 49.32917°N 11.02083°E / 49.32917; 11.02083
Country	Germany
State	Bavaria
Admin. region	Mittelfranken
District	Urban district
Government
• Lord Mayor	Matthias Thürauf (CSU)
Area
• Total	40.71 km2 (15.72 sq mi)
Elevation	326 m (1,070 ft)
Population (2017-12-31)[1]
• Total	40,781
• Density	1,000/km2 (2,600/sq mi)
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes	91101–91126
Dialling codes	09122, 0911
Vehicle registration	SC
Website	www.schwabach.de

Schwabach (German pronunciation: [ˈʃvaːbax]) is a German town of about 40,000 inhabitants near Nuremberg in the centre of the region of Franconia in the north of Bavaria. The city is an autonomous administrative district (kreisfreie Stadt). Schwabach is also the name of the river which runs through the city prior joining the Rednitz.

Schwabach is famous for its crafts made of gold, particularly gold foil. In 2004, Schwabach celebrated this tradition with an anniversary festival, marking "500 years gold foil in Schwabach".

Around 1500, a local typesetter developed the "Schwabacher" font. This font was used for printing the first Bible in German, which had been worked out by Martin Luther.

Schwabach is also the birthplace of composer Adolf von Henselt, the botanist Johann Gottfried Zinn, the biologist Ralf Baumeister and one of the developers of MP3, Bernhard Grill. It was often visited by Albrecht Dürer.

Etymology

The name derives from the old Franconian name Suapaha (later Suabaha, then Villa Suabach) which translates as "Schwaben-Bach" in modern German, which means "Swabian stream", the first part of the name was given by the Franconians who came to the area about a millennium after the Hallstatt culture to the people living on the banks of that stream, which were perceived as "Swabians" by them, while the second part of the name is a reference to the stream which flows through town.

Timeline

The gold roof of the Schwabach town hall

• 750 BC–AD 500: Archaeological evidence of settlement.
• 600–700: Name Schwabach first used to refer to the settlement and the river.
• 1346: City wall built.
• 1371: Municipal law established.
• 1469: Town church built (still in use).
• 1500: (ca.) Schwabacher font invented.
• 1528: City hall built (still in use).
• 1633: First needle factory established in Schwabach.
• 1723: Schwabach river flooded to highest point ever. Markings of the flood are still visible.
• 1768: The landmark Old Linden Tree planted (still there).
• 1792: Schwabach became part of Prussia.
• 1797: Goethe stayed overnight in Schwabach.
• 1806: Schwabach became part of Bavaria.
• 1849: Railway station built.
• 1941: Schwabach bombed in World War II
• 1945: American military base established in Schwabach.
• 1953: City coat-of-arms introduced.
• 1972: Schwabach became an autonomous administrative district.
• 1975: Partner-city relationship with Les Sables d'Olonne established.
• 1980: Schwabach receives the European Union prize for cultural heritage.
• 1992: US Army to be withdrawn from Schwabach and surrounding areas.
• 2004: 500-year anniversary celebration of the gold foil industry.

Sons and daughters of the town

Twin towns

Les Sables-d'Olonne, France

Kemer, Turkey

Kalambaka, Greece

Companies

• Apollo-Optik, optics company

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Schwabach.