Villingen-Schwenningen: The history of the largest twin city in Germany!

Villingen-Schwenningen: The history of the largest twin city in Germany!

In Baden-Württemberg there are 42 communities with double names, of which Villingen-Schwenningen stands out as the largest. With around 89,784 inhabitants – as of November 2024 – this city is a real flagship. The municipality was founded on January 1, 1972 through the much-noticed merger of the independent towns of Villingen and Schwenningen. This event was part of the comprehensive regional reform in Baden-Württemberg that took place between 1968 and 1975 and affected numerous communities. The Villingen-Schwenningen merger also took place after a positive vote from the citizens of both cities, which shows that the local population was behind this step. Merkur reports that the regional reform was primarily aimed at creating more efficient communities.

The differences between the two parts of the city could hardly be greater. Villingen is a thousand-year-old city, planned by the Zähringer family, with a clear central structure and art-historical buildings. Schwenningen, on the other hand, grew unplanned and features workers' housing estates and lower-middle-class houses. While Villingen primarily cultivates the Roman Catholic faith, Schwenningen was shaped by the Evangelical Lutheran Reformation. These different political cultures and religious affiliations are still noticeable today and have significantly influenced the mentality of the residents. Landeskunde Baden-Württemberg provides numerous interesting insights into this.

The regional reform and its effects

The regional reform in Baden-Württemberg represented a real turning point. From 1968 to 1975, the goal was to drastically reduce the number of municipalities and strengthen administration in order to create more efficient structures. This led to many independent communities, including Villingen and Schwenningen, being merged. Overall, the number of communities was reduced from 3,379 to 1,111. A new administrative organization was needed that offered simple and clear structures. Wikipedia documents the various measures and laws that were passed as part of this reform.

In the first decades, the economic differences between the two cities were particularly visible. While Schwenningen became known for watch production in the 19th century, Villingen had an eventful history with multiple destructions and re-establishments. Villingen was, among other things, part of Austria and Württemberg before it became part of Baden in 1806. Schwenningen, for example, manufactured the first battery-operated watches in 1956 and was a pioneer in the industry. The city's development was shaped by the economic strengths and challenges encountered throughout history.

The merger not only brought new challenges, but also new opportunities. Villingen-Schwenningen is moving into the future with its own coat of arms, which was introduced in 2001. The imperial eagle from Villingen and the swan from Schwenningen unite there. Even today, the districts still have their own postal codes and town halls, which underlines the identity of the respective districts. Despite this independence, the city is often viewed as a unit.

In conclusion, Villingen-Schwenningen is not only the largest municipality with a double name in Germany, but also shows a good example of the changes that came with the regional reform. Today the city stands as a symbol of the successful fusion of two culturally different communities.