Everything about Bretten totally explained
» For the town in France, see Bretten, Haut-Rhin.
Bretten is a
city in the state of
Baden-Württemberg,
Germany.
Bretten lies in the centre of a rectangle that's formed by
Heidelberg,
Karlsruhe,
Heilbronn and
Stuttgart as corners. It has a population of approximately 28,000. The centre of Bretten consists of many old half-timbered houses around a lively marketplace. Towns and villages under the administration of Bretten include
Bauerbach,
Büchig,
Diedelsheim,
Dürrenbüchig,
Gölshausen,
Neibsheim,
Rinklingen,
Ruit and
Sprantal.
History
Bretten was first mentioned as "villa breteheim" in the "
Lorscher Codex" in
767. Since
1148 Bretten had the right to mint and issue coins. In
1254 Bretten received city rights. In
1492 Bretten was granted to hold four fairs by Pfalzgraf Philipp.
Philipp Melanchthon was born in Bretten in
1497. The residents of Bretten successfully sallied against the
Swabian besiegers around Ulrich of
Württemberg in
1504. In
1803 Bretten became “Badische Amtsstadt”. After the industrial revolution, the local economy was dominated by cooker production for many years. In
1975 Bretten was given the status of a "
Große Kreisstadt" (district city).
Transport
Many commuters live in Bretten and use the
Karlsruhe Stadtbahn (City Train), which brings them three times an hour to
Karlsruhe and back. In Bretten there are 5 City Train stations and five additional stations in the villages that belong to the district of Bretten. Every two hours there are direct train connections to
Stuttgart and
Heidelberg. The motorways
A5,
A6 and
A8 are reachable within approximately 30 minutes.
Famous residents
The Peter and Paul Festival in Bretten
The largest event in Bretten is the annual Peter and Paul Festival, which usually attracts up to 80,000 visitors. It is held one long weekend in
summer. The main attractions are the numerous performances in countless camps and in the mediaeval lanes in the old town of Bretten. On Sunday, a huge procession of dressed up citizens and guest groups takes place.
Visitors may be irritated by the mixture of costumes which are related to different centuries. You can see mediaeval men-at-arms, shepherds, musicians, jugglers as well as
Biedermeier styled families and militias. But the festival has three different sources. The oldest is the successful sally of citizens and men-at-arms on
June 28 in
1504 against
Swabian besiegers. Bretten was also the place for a traditional competition called “shepherds’ jump”, that was celebrated by all local shepherds. During the 16th and the 18th century several shooting competitions took place, some of them on the Peter and Paul Day. In 1805 a
citizen militia was founded in Bretten. Since then the Peter and Paul Festival has been celebrated regularly. After the
Revolution in Baden the militias were not allowed to wear weapons anymore and the festival became a children’s festival. In
1923 the militia was refounded and the festival became bigger, with lots of guests and militias from other towns. After
World War II the American administration allowed the festival to happen again in
1950, with a new militia and several societies that promoted the mediaeval aspects of the sally in
1504. Nowadays the organising society tends to advance the mediaeval aspects of the festival. Many citizens of Bretten are busy all the year round organising the Festival, preparing their costumes, studying old books, practicing music (especially drumming), fighting, dancing, juggling or practicing other performances. Since the 1980’s, the organising society has also engaged professional artists.
The festival also provides a fairground that attracts mainly kids and teenagers. For most citizens and guests the festival is the most important meeting point for former, existing or new friendships, or - as a pupil told the Bretten newspapers: “For me the Peter-and-Paul-Festival is a festival of love”.
History of the Peter and Paul Festival (German)
Partner cities
Partner cities/twin towns of Bretten are
Wittenberg, Germany
Hemer (Germany)
Condeixa (Portugal)
Longjumeau (France)
Bellegarde (France)
Pontypool (Wales)
Some of the villages have additional twin towns:
Diedelsheim is twinned with
Hidas (Hungary)
Neibsheim is twinned with
Neuflize (France) and
Nemesnadudvar/Nadwar (Hungary).Further Information
Get more info on 'Bretten'.
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