Weinheim
Weinheim () is a town with about 43,000 inhabitants in northwest Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is in the Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region, approximately north of Heidelberg and northeast of Mannheim. Weinheim is known as the "Zwei-Burgen-Stadt", the "town of two castles", after two fortresses overlooking the town from the edge of the Odenwald in the east. Geography. Weinheim is situated on the Bergstraße theme route on the western rim of the Odenwald. The old town lies in the valley, with the new part of town further to the west. The Market Square is filled with numerous cafes, as  well as the old "Rathaus" (guildhall). Further to the south is the "Schlossgarten" (Palace Garden) and the "Exotenwald" (Exotic Forest), which contains species of trees imported from around the world, but mostly from North America and Japan. History. Weinheim celebrated its 1250th anniversary in 2005. The earliest record of Weinheim dates back to 755 CE, when the name "Winenheim" was recorded in the Lorsch codex, the record book of Lorsch Abbey. In 1000, Emperor Otto III bestowed on Weinheim the right to hold markets, and in 1065 the right to mint and issue coins. A new town developed next to  the old town from 1250. In 1308, the old town was transferred to the Electorate of the Palatinate. From 1368 the whole town belonged to the Electorate of the Palatinate, and since the end of the 14th century to the Heidelberg "Oberamt" district. With the transfer to Baden in 1803, Weinheim became the seat of its own "Amt", which was unified with Landkreis Mannheim in 1936. From 1938 onwards Weinheim belonged to Landkreis Mannheim until January 1, 1973, when the Rhein-Neckar-Kreis was formed. A Jewish community in Weinheim is first recorded in 1228. There were persecutions in Weinheim  in 1298 (Rintfleisch massacres) and 1348–49 (Black Death persecutions). The Jews were expelled from Weinheim in 1391. The Weinheim Jewish community began to grow again in the Thirty Years' War. There was a synagogue, a beth midrash, and a mikveh, and, in the 19th century, a school for boys and a teacher-training college. The synagogue was destroyed in the Kristallnacht (9–10 November 1938) and the last few Jews sent to Gurs on 22 October 1940. Local attractions. Museum. Weinheim's town museum occupies what used to be the local headquarters of the Teutonic Order and holds exhibits about Weinheim  and its surroundings: archaeology from the prehistoric through to the Merovingian dynasty, the highlight of which is the Nächstenbach bronze hoard of 76 objects from the late Bronze Age; displays documenting the Medieval and modern social history of the town and works from contemporary artists. Transport. Trains. Weinheim has two main train stations on the Main-Neckar Railway, these being Weinheim (Bergstraße) station (served by Regional and long-distance IC trains) and Lützelsachsen (served by Regional trains). These provide connections to Frankfurt, Hamburg and other destinations within Germany. Weinheim is also served by the OEG tramway, which is used daily  by people who use this to commute to the cities of Mannheim and Heidelberg. Air. The closest airports to Weinheim are: Twin towns – sister cities. Weinheim is twinned with: Population. These are the population figures for particular years. There are drawn from guesses, "'Volkszählungsergebnisse" (semi-official figures, demarcated by a ¹) and official statistics based on place of residence (Hauptwohnsitz). ¹ These are taken from a Volkszählungsergebnes. Notable people. Honorary citizens. The town of Weinheim has made the following people honorary citizens ("Ehrenbürger"):