The city of Kitzingen in northern Bavaria - interesting information about the economy, politics as well as history, inhabitants and other facts.
Kitzingen
is located in Lower Franconia and is part of the Nuremberg Metropolitan Region.
The
history of
the
city
goes back to the year 745.
The
city's
economy
is based on viticulture and several industries, including automotive suppliers.
Kitzingen - The last municipal elections for the city of Kitzingen took place on March 15, 2020.
The new Lord Mayor in office is Stefan Güntner (CSU), who replaced the local politician Siegfried Müller.
He held the position from 2008 to 2020 and was parliamentary group leader of the Independent Social Voting Group Kitzingen (UsW).
Little has changed in the political landscape as a result of the election: The SPD still holds four seats and the CSU has eight seats, as before.
The Greens with four seats are new to the politics of the city.
City of Kitzingen: location and inhabitants
The city of Kitzingen is located in the administrative region of Lower Franconia in northern Bavaria and is around 94 kilometers from Nuremberg by car.
Other cities in the vicinity are Würzburg and Schweinfurt.
The district of Kitzingen belongs to the Franconian wine-growing region.
The geographic location of the city is also shaped by the Main and the low mountain ranges of the Steigerwald.
The urban area of Kitzingen extends over both sides of the Main, with the city center being located on the western bank.
Four road bridges and one railway bridge lead across the river: North Bridge, Old Main Bridge, Konrad-Adenauer Bridge, Railway Bridge and South Bridge.
The population is 91,367 in the district (as of June 30, 2020) and 22,181 in the city itself (as of September 30, 2020).
The region exceeded the 90,000 mark for the first time in 2017, when the counting date was June 30th.
Kitzingen has steadily grown in population over the past few years.
The region owes its population growth primarily to the brisk economic life including high employment and the settlement of refugees.
Forecasts for the district continue to predict stable to slightly increasing population numbers.
City of Kitzingen: history from the beginning to modern times
The history of the town of Kitzingen probably began in 745, when Hadeloga von Kitzingen founded a convent here.
She was the sister of the Frankish King Pippin the Younger.
The name Kitzingen was derived from the shepherd Kitz: According to legend, he discovered the veil of Hadeloga, which she let blow over the landscape with the wind - in order to determine a location for her new monastery.
In a document from King Heinrich III.
Then a village settlement with the name appeared for the first time in writing.
In 1400 the construction of the parish church of St. John began.
The building in late Gothic style is the oldest surviving structure today.
During the Second World War, Kitzingen suffered heavy air raids on February 23, 1945, which destroyed large parts of the city.
In 1957 a new port area was built and in 1962 the city received a connection to the motorway with two junctions.
In 1972 Kitzingen rose to become a major district town.
In 1995 the city celebrated its 1250th anniversary.
In 2017 it received the title of “Fairtrade City”.
City of Kitzingen: economy and companies
The city of Kitzingen is a flourishing business location.
The following list provides the most important key data:
Unemployment rate of 3.0 percent (January 2021)
Total sales area of 66,500 m²
around 131 companies are located in the city center
Retail sales of 159.1 million euros per year (as of 2018)
One of the largest branches of industry is viticulture with three vineyards: Eherieder Berg, Eselsberg and Wilhelmsberg.
Other important systems in the area are Sickershäuser Storchenbrünnle and Repperndorfer Kaiser Karl.
Interestingly, the oldest German wine law comes from Kitzingen, which was enacted in 1482.
While Kitzingen was still known as the “city of 100 wine merchants” at the beginning of the 20th century, only a few of them can still be found here today.
The viticultural areas cover a total of around 30 hectares.
The economy is also determined by the industrial companies GEA Brewery Systems (breweries) as well as Franken Guss and FS Fehrer Automotive (automotive suppliers).
Deutsche Post AG maintains one of its parcel centers on site, which benefits from its convenient location.
The Netto supermarket chain also operates a distribution warehouse.
City of Kitzingen: tourism, culture and sights
A historic city center and diverse cultural offerings are among the attractions for visitors.
Some of the most famous attractions are:
the Kitzingen market square with town hall from the 16th century
the confectionery museum
the Old Main Bridge
the butterfly tower
the red sandstone column on Königsplatz
the remains of the former Leidenhof
the Catholic parish church of St. John the Baptist
the German Carnival Museum
the city museum with city archive
The city of Kitzingen also offers an extensive cultural program: the venues are several theaters, the arthouse cinema Roxy am Rosenberg and the musical-cultural center called Villa Paganini.
The event calendar features a large number of regular events that attract residents of the city and guests from outside the city alike.
One of them is the county carnival parade, which takes place alternately with the communities of Dettelbach and Volkach.
In October, the Etwashaus parish fair invites you.
Colorful flower and vegetable wagons accompany the parade.
The highlight of the event is always the celebratory coronation of the new gardener queen.
The festival in the gardening suburb of Etwashausen is also called "Ebshäuser Kerm".
The historical background is the consecration of the Kreuzkapelle.
The shops are open on the afternoon of the Sunday church fair.
Visitors can marvel at the traditional fraternities and costume groups.
City of Kitzingen: politics, city council and mayor
The city council of Kitzingen has 30 seats.
Since the local elections in 2020, the distribution has been as follows:
SPD: 4 seats
CSU: 8 seats
Alliance 90 / The Greens: 4 seats
UsW (Independent Social Voting Group): 2 seats
National Association of Free Voters Bayer (FBW): 4 seats
Municipal Initiative Kitzingen (KIK): 2 seats
Ecological Democratic Party (ÖDP): 2 seats
ProKT: 2 seats
Bavaria Party: 1 seat
Alternative for Germany (AfD): 1 seat
The lawyer Stefan Güntner has been the Lord Mayor's office since May 1, 2020.
He is supported by the mayor Astrid Glos (SPD) and the second mayor Manfred Freitag (FW-FBW).
The city of Kitzingen bears in its coat of arms "a continuous, tinned silver bridge with three pillars in blue".
This symbolism is derived from a bridge that spanned the Main even then.
A seal from 1349 provided the template for the city's coat of arms. The colors blue and silver were added in the 16th century.
City of Kitzingen: Well-known personalities
The city of Kitzingen can count numerous famous personalities among its former and present residents.
In addition to the founder Hadeloga von Kitzingen, other people play a role in the town's history.
For example, there is Carl Otto Deuster, who was considered one of the richest wine merchants in the region and who lived until 1877.
The painter Ernst Unbehauen (1899–1980) lived temporarily in Kitzingen after the Second World War.
Female personalities are the journalist and writer Bella Fromm as well as the saints Elisabeth of Thuringia, Thekla von Kitzingen and Hedwig von Andechs - with the exception of Fromm, all members of the local Benedictine monastery.
Some of the city's most famous daughters and sons are: the football player Tim Latteier, the physician and university professor Hans Roland Dürr and the writer Karin Müller.
Kitzingen named the following people as honorary citizens: Prince Otto von Bismarck, Friedrich von Deuster, Paul von Hindenburg and Hans-Joachim Schumacher.
The latter was president of the Kitzinger Carnival Society from 1952 to 1985, which he founded with other carnival friends.
Schumacher was also a board member of the Bund Deutscher Karneval and head of the German Carnival Museum.
