| Main | Births etc |
|---|
Weil am Rhein | |
|---|---|
 Vitra Design Museum | |
| Country | Germany |
| State | Baden-Württemberg |
| Admin. region | Freiburg Region |
| District | Lörrach District |
| Subdivisions | 7 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Wolfgang Dietz (CDU) |
| Area | |
• Total |
19.47 km2 (7.52 sq mi) |
Weil am Rhein is a German town and commune which is a suburb of the city of Basel in Switzerland. It is on the east bank of the River Rhine, and close to the point at which the Swiss, French and German borders meet. It is the most southwesterly town in Germany.
Geography[]
Weil am Rhein is located at in the district of Lörrach in the Federal State of Baden-Württemberg. The city limits border France to the west and Switzerland to the south including the triple border of the three countries. Locally, Weil is situated in the region referred to as Markgräflerland.
The city's location on the Rhine and proximity to the Black Forest give it a continental climate, particularly suited to viticulture.
History[]
The town is first documented in the year 786 as Willa, a name which is thought to be of Roman origin. The duc de Villars crossed the Rhine here in October 1702 to fight the Battle of Friedlingen during the War of the Spanish Succession. Weil was severely damaged as a result of the conflict.
Agriculture dominated local industry until the 19th century, when the city began to grow, aided by its favourable transport connections. A railway marshalling yard linking Weil am Rhein to Basel was built in 1913. Swiss textile factories were established in the Friedlingen quarter. 1934 saw the construction of a harbour on the Rhine.
After the Second World War the population again grew rapidly due to the influx of refugees and stateless persons. Between 1971 and 1975 the communities of Ötlingen, Haltingen and Märkt were incorporated and Weil am Rhein became a substantial town.
International relations[]
Weil am Rhein is twinned with:
Bognor Regis (United Kingdom)
Huningue (France)
Trebbin (eastern Germany)
Tourism and leisure[]
- The premises of the furniture maker Vitra, featuring buildings by architects such as Frank Gehry, Zaha Hadid and Tadao Ando, are an attraction for architecture fans. The premises also include the Vitra Design Museum.
- The Laguna water park
References[]
- ^ "Bevölkerung und Erwerbstätigkeit" (in German). Statistisches Landesamt Baden-Württemberg. 31 December 2009. http://www.statistik-bw.de/Veroeffentl/Statistische_Berichte/3126_10001.pdf.
External links[]
- Official site (German)
- Vitra Design Museum (German)(English)
- Laguna water park (German)
- Weil am Rhein: pictures (German)
Template:Cities and towns in Lörrach (district)
| This page uses content from the English language Wikipedia. The original content was at Weil am Rhein. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with this Familypedia wiki, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons License. |