Pforzheim

Pforzheim is a town of 115,000 inhabitants in the state of Baden-Württemberg, south-west Germany at the gate to the Black Forest. It has an area of 98 km² and lies between the cities of Stuttgart and Karlsruhe at the confluence of three rivers (Enz, Nagold and Würm) and marks the frontier between Baden and Schwaben.

History

Since 90:

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A settlement was established by Roman citizens at the Enz river near nowadays Altstaedter Bruecke (old town bridge). Archeological surveys have unearthed several items from that period which are kept and displayed in the Kappelhof Museum. The settlement was located where the Roman military road connecting the military camp Argentorate (nowadays Strasbourg in France) and the military camp at Cannstatt (now a suburb of Stuttgart) at the Upper Germanic Limes border line of the Roman Empire crossed the Enz river. This place was known as Portus (river crossing, harbor), which is believed to be the origin of the first part of the city's name "Pforzheim". A Roman milestone (the so-called 'Leugenstein') from the year 245 and later excavated at nowadays Friolzheim shows the exact distance to 'Portus'; it is the first document about the settlement.

Related Topics:
Argentorate - France - Cannstatt - Stuttgart - Upper Germanic Limes - Roman Empire - Enz - Friolzheim

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259/260:

Related Topics:
259 - 260

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The Roman settlement 'Portus' was destroyed completely, as the Frank and Alemanni tribes overrun the Upper Germanic Limes border line of the Roman Empire and conquered the Roman administrated area west of the Rhine river. From then on, over an extended period of time historical records about the settlement are not available.

Related Topics:
Frank - Alemanni - Upper Germanic Limes - Roman Empire - Rhine

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6th/7th century: Graves from this period indicate that the settlement had been continued.

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1067:

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The settlement of Pforzheim was mentioned for the first time in a document by Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor as "Phorzheim". Visits to Pforzheim by Henry IV in 1067 and 1074 are documented.

Related Topics:
Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor - 1074

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Before 1080:

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The "old town" of Pforzheim was awarded market rights (Marktrecht). At that time Pforzheim belonged to the estate of Hirsau Monastery, according to monastery documents.

Related Topics:
Market rights - Hirsau - Monastery

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From 1150:

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Establishment of the "new town" west of the "old town" at the foot of the Schlossberg (palais hill) under Margrave Hermann V.

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1200:

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The town charter of the "new town" was mentioned for the first time in a document. The "old town" continued to exist as a legally independent entity.

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1220: The Margraves of Baden selected Pforzheim as their residence. The "new town" became prominent.

Related Topics:
1220 - Margraves of Baden

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1240:

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A mayor of Pforzheim was mentioned in a document for the first time.

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13th/14th century:

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Pforzheim enjoyed its first period of flourishment. A group of influential patricians emerged. They developed extensive activities on the financial markets of those days. The town drew its income from the wood trade, timber rafting, the tannery trade, textile manufacturing and other crafts. Documents mention mayor, judge, council and citizens. The town walls surrounding the new town were completed at about 1290. During this era three catholic orders established their convents in town (the Franciscan order established their domicile within the town wall at nowadays Barfuesserkirche (the choir of which remains), the Dominican nun order established their domicile outside of the walls of the old town near Auer bridge, and the Prediger cloister was located east of the Schlossberg, probably inside the town walls). Outside of the town wall across the Enz river, the suburb Floesser Quarters (the home of the timber floating trade) was established. Next to the western town wall, the suburb of Broetzingen gradually developed. The Margraves of Baden considered Pforzheim as their most important power base up to the first half of the 14th century. Under Margrave Bernard I (Bernhard I) Pforzheim became one of the administrative centers of the margraviate.

Related Topics:
Patricians - Timber rafting - Tannery - Textile - 1290 - Catholic - Orders - Convents - Franciscan - Order - Dominican - Nun - Bernard I

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1322:

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Holy Ghost Hospital was founded at Traenk Street (nowadays Deimling Street).

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15th century:

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Various fraternities among people working in the same trade were established: The fraternity of tailors in 1410, the fraternity of bakers on May 14, 1422, the fraternity of the weavers in 1469, the fraternity of the wine-growers in 1491, the fraternity of the skippers and timber raftsmen in 1501, and the fraternity of the carters in 1512. Members of the same fraternity assisted each other in various ways, for example with funerals and in cases of sickness. In a sense, the fraternities were early forms of health and life insurance.

Related Topics:
Fraternities - 1410 - 1422 - 1469 - 1491 - 1501 - 1512 - Funerals - Life insurance

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August 8/9, 1418:

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Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor visits Margrave Bernard I (Bernhard I) in Pforzheim. On this occasion the mint of the Margraves of Baden in Pforzheim was mentioned. The emperor appointed the master of the Pforzheim mint, Jakob Broglin, and Bois von der Winterbach for five years as the masters of the mints of Frankfurt and Noerdlingen. The Margrave was appointed as their patron.

Related Topics:
Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor - Margrave - Bernard I - Mint - Frankfurt - Noerdlingen

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1447:

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The wedding of Margrave Charles I (Karl I) of Baden with Katharina of Austria, the sister of Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor (Friedrich III), was celebrated in

Related Topics:
Margrave - Charles I - Katharina - Austria - Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor

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Pforzheim with great pomp (including tournaments and dances).

Related Topics:
Tournaments - Dances

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1455:

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Johannes Reuchlin, the great German humanist, was born in Pforzheim on January 29 (he died in Stuttgart on June 30, 1522). He attended the Latin School section of the monastery school run by the Dominican order of Pforzheim in the late 1460s. Later, partly due to Reuchlin's efforts, the Latin School of Pforzheim developed into one of the most prominent schools in southwestern Germany. The school's teachers and pupils played an outstanding role in the dissemination of the ideas of humanism and the protestant reformation movement. The most famous pupils included Reuchlin himself, Reuchlin's nephew Philipp Melanchthon, and Simon Grynaeus.

Related Topics:
Johannes Reuchlin - Humanist - 1522 - Latin School - Humanism - Protestant reformation - Philipp Melanchthon - Simon Grynaeus

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1460:

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Margrave Karl I established a kind of monastery (Kollegialstift) at the site of Schlosskirche St. Michael, turning the church into a collegiate church.

Related Topics:
Karl I - Collegiate church

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1463:

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Margrave Karl I was forced to transfer the palais and the town of Pforzheim as a fiefdom to the Elector Palatine. He then began to build a new palais in nowadays Baden-Baden. Margrave Christoph I finally moved the residence of the margraves to Baden-Baden. This gradually ended the first period of Pforzheim's flourishment. The rich merchants gradually left the town, which declined to the status of a country town of mostly small traders.

Related Topics:
Karl I - Fiefdom - Elector Palatine - Baden-Baden - Christoph I

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1486:

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The Weavers Ordinance (Wollweberordnung) for the towns Pforzheim und Ettlingen was approved by Margrave Christoph I. This regulation of the weaving trade did not allow the formation of a regular guilt (Zunft).

Related Topics:
Weavers - Ordinance - Ettlingen - Margrave - Christoph I - Guilt

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1501: Margrave Christoph I of Baden enacted the "Ordinance on the timber rafting profession in Pforzheim". The single timber logs that were floated from the deeper Black Forest areas down the Enz, Nagold and Wuerm rivers were bound together in the Au area to form larger timber rafts. Those rafts were then floated down the lower Enz, Neckar and Rhine rivers. The timber rafting stations of Weissenstein, Dillstein and Pforzheim were well known in the profession.

Related Topics:
1501 - Margrave - Christoph I - Ordinance

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1501 was also the year for which an outbreak of the plague (probably the bubonic plague) is recorded in the Swabian chronicle Annalium Suevicorum by Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen professor Martin Grusius, published 1596. It is not known how many of Pforzheim's citizens died in that year, but there are reports of 500 deceased in the close-by city of Calw and about 4000 in Stuttgart, which accounted for approximately one quarter to one half of the populations of those towns. Outbreaks of the disease were reported for many places in southwestern Germany, Bohemia, the Alsace region in nowadays France, Switzerland, and Italy. Common graves with massive numbers of human bones at the cemetery of St. Michael Church and the cemetery on the estate of the Dominican order near nowadays Waisenhausplatz found during the last century may indicate that hundreds of citizens became the victims of the plague. There are indications that a fraternity for taking care of the sick and removing the bodies of the deceased from houses was formed in 1501, whose members later on stayed together and became known as the choral society Singergesellschaft, which is still active today as the Loebliche Singergesellschaft of 1501 . (They are probably one of the oldest clubs in Europe).

Related Topics:
1501 - Bubonic plague - Swabian - Chronicle - Annalium Suevicorum - Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen - Martin Grusius - 1596 - Calw - Stuttgart - Germany - Bohemia - Alsace - France - Switzerland - Italy - Common graves - Fraternity - Choral society

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1502:

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Foundation of the first printer's shop by Thomas Anshelm. During the first half of the 16th century Pforzheim's printers contributed significantly to the establishment of this (in those days) new medium.

Related Topics:
Printer's shop - Thomas Anshelm - 16th century

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1520s:

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The ideas of the protestant religious movement advanced by Martin Luther spread rapidly in Pforzheim. Its most prominent promoters were Johannes Schwebel, a preacher at Holy Ghost church (Heiliggeistkirche), and Johannes Unger, the principal of the Dominican Latin school.

Related Topics:
Protestant - Religious - Martin Luther - Johannes Unger - Dominican - Latin school

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1535-1565:

Related Topics:
1535 - 1565

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Due to the heritage division of the clan of the Margraves of Baden, Margrave Ernst of Baden made Pforzheim the residential town of his family line. He decided to use the Schlosskirche St. Michael as the entombment site for his family line.

Related Topics:
Heritage - Margrave - Ernst of Baden - Residential town - Family line - Entombment

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1549:

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A large fire caused severe damage to the town.

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1556:

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After the conclusion of the Peace of Augsburg in 1555, Margrave Karl II introduced Lutherism (protestantism) as the state religion in the district Baden-Durlach, which included Pforzheim. The (catholic) monasteries were gradually shut down.

Related Topics:
Peace of Augsburg - 1555 - Margrave - Karl II - Protestantism - Baden-Durlach

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1565:

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Margrave Karl II chooses Durlach as the new residential town. Pforzheim stayed one of the administrative centers of Baden.

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1618:

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At the beginning of the Thirty Years' War, the number of inhabitants of Pforzheim is estimated to have been between 2500 and 3000. This was the largest town among all towns in Baden, even though at that time it had already declined somewhat.

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1645:

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Toward the end of the Thirty Years' War the "old town" was burned down by Bavarian troops. It was rebuilt, but without the former fortifications, which gave it the status of a village-like settlement. It soon vanished from historical records. The "new town" had survived.

Related Topics:
Bavarian - Fortifications

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1688-1697:

Related Topics:
1688 - 1697

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The "War of the Palatinian Succession" (als called the Nine Years War) caused tremendous destruction in Southwestern Germany. Pforzheim was looted and burned down three times during that period by French troops (twice in 1689 when the city hall was burned down and the fortifications were demolished , and once more in 1692). One reminder of those acts are the ruins of Liebeneck castle near Pforzheim, where the city's archives had been hidden. They were destroyed, too.

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1718:

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Inauguration of the "institution for orphans, the mad, the sick, for discipline and work" in a building of the former Dominican order Convent by the Enz river. Fifty years later this institution was to become the incubator of Pforzheim's jewellery and watchmaking industries.

Related Topics:
Dominican order - Convent

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1767:

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Establishment of a watch and jewellery factory in the orphanage. This led to Pforzheim's jewellery industries. Watchmaking was given up later on.

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1809:

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The Administrative District Pforzheim of Baden was split into a Municipal District Administration Pforzheim and two Rural Districts.

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1813:

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The two Rural Districts were combined to form the Rural District Administration Pforzheim.

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1819:

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Municipal District Pforzheim and Rural District Pforzheim are merged to form the Higher District Administration Pforzheim.

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1836:

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Ferdinand Oechsle in Pforzheim invented a device for measuring the sugar content in freshly pressed grape juice for assessing the future quality of wine (Mostwaage). It is still in use in the winery business.

Related Topics:
Ferdinand Oechsle - Wine

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1864:

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The Higher District Administration Pforzheim was made the Regional Administration Pforzheim.

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1861/62:

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Pforzheim was connected to the German railway network with the completion of tracks between Wilferdingen and Pforzheim.

Related Topics:
German railway - Wilferdingen

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1869:

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Establishment of the first worker's union in Pforzheim, the "Pforzheim Gold(-metal) Craftsmen's Union".

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1877:

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Inauguration of the Arts and Crafts School (Kunstgewerbeschule; now incorporated into Hochschule (University) Pforzheim).

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1888:

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Berta Benz and her two sons arrived in Pforzheim on the first "long-distance" drive in the history of the automobile in a car manufactured by her husband Karl Benz and his colleague Gottlieb Daimler in order to visit relatives. She had started her drive in Mannheim, which is located about 60 kilometers from Pforzheim. The very first gasoline-powered automobile of the two inventors had hit the roads only two years earlier after a patent for this new technology had been granted. Mrs. Benz bought the gasoline necessary for her trip back home in a "pharmacy" in Pforzheim.

Related Topics:
Karl Benz - Gottlieb Daimler - Mannheim - Gasoline-powered - Automobile - Patent - Pharmacy

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From 1900:

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Revival of the Pforzheim watchmaking industry.

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1906:

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The 1st FC Pforzheim Football (soccer) Club was defeated by VfB Leipzig with a score of 1:2 in the final game of the German soccer championship.

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1914-1918:

Related Topics:
1914 - 1918

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Pforzheim was not a battle field in World War I, but 1600 men from Pforzheim lost their lives as soldiers on the battlefields.

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1920s:

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The Pforzheim watchmaking industry thrived due to the new popularity of wrist-watches.

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1927:

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Pforzheim-born (1877) Professor of Munich University Heinrich Otto Wieland received the Nobel price in chemistry.

Related Topics:
1877 - Professor - Munich University - Heinrich Otto Wieland - Nobel price - Chemistry

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1938:

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Establishment of the municipal Jewellery Museum.

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1938:

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On November 9th, the so-called Kristallnacht, the Pforzheim Synagogue (see WWW-site) of the Jewish community was so badly damaged by Nazi activists that it had to be demolished later on.

Related Topics:
Kristallnacht - Synagogue - Jewish community - Nazi

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1939:

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Regional Administration Pforzheim (Bezirksamt) was converted to the Rural District Pforzheim (Landkreis) with Pforzheim city as its administrative site. However, the town itself became a district-less administrative body.

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1940:

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Deportation of Jewish citizens of Pforzheim to the concentration camp in Gurs(Spain). Only 55 of the 195 deported persons escaped from the holocaust.

Related Topics:
Deportation - Concentration camp - Gurs - Spain - Holocaust

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1944:

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Many factories were converted to produce weaponry such as anti-aircraft shells, fuses for bombs, and allegedly even parts for the V1 and V2 rockets.

Related Topics:
Shell - Fuses - V1 - V2

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1945:

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On February 23, the inner city district was almost completely destroyed by a Royal Air Force of Britain attack. The first bombs were dropped at 19:52 and the last one at 20:10. 379 aircraft participated in the attack on Yellowfin (code name for Pforzheim): 362 Avro Lancaster Bombers of Groups 1, 5, 6, and 8, 13 Mosquito fighterbombers of Group 8, 3 Liberator aircraft and one B-17 Flying Fortress aircraft of Group 100. The master bomber was Captain Edwin Swales of South Africa(then age 29). The bomber fleet attacked in four waves and from a height of 8000 feet (2,400 m) dropped almost half a million bombs of a total weight of 1825 tonnes, including a large amount of phosphorus incendiary bombs. The core area of the town suffered immediate destruction and a firestorm broke out, reaching its most devastating phase after 10 minutes from the start of the raid. The smoke over the town rose about 3.000 meters high, and the returning bomber crews could observe the glare of the fire up to a distance of 160 kilometers. In an area about 3 kilometers long and 1.5 kilometers wide, all buildings were reduced to rubble.

Related Topics:
February 23 - Royal Air Force - Britain - Avro Lancaster - Mosquito - Liberator - B-17 Flying Fortress - Edwin Swales - South Africa - Phosphorus - Incendiary - Firestorm

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17.600 citizens were officially counted as dead and thousands were injured. People died from the impact of explosions, from burns due to burning phosphorus materials that slowly were creeping through basement windows into the cellars of houses, from lack of oxygen and poisonous gases, and from the impact caused by collapsing walls of houses. Some of them drowned in the Enz or Nagold rivers in which they jumped, while trying to escape from the burning phosphorus materials in the streets (but even the rivers were burning as the burning phosphor was floating on the water).

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After the attack, about 30.000 people had to be fed by public makeshift kitchens because their housings had been destroyed. Almost 90 % of the buildings in the core city area had been destroyed. Many Pforzheim citizens were buried in common graves at Pforzheim's main cemetery because they could not be identified. There are also many graves of complete families. Among the dead were several hundred foreigners who had been in Pforzheim as forced labor workers.

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The inner city districts were severely depopulated. According to the State Statistics Bureau (Statistisches Landesamt), in the Market Square area (Marktplatzviertel) in 1939 there were 4.112 registered inhabitants, in 1945 none (0). In the Old Town area (Altstadtviertel) in 1939 there were 5.109 inhabitants, in 1945 only 2 persons were still living there. In the Leopold Square area, in 1939 there were 4.416 inhabitants, in 1945 only 13.

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Twelve aircraft of the bomber fleet did not return to their bases; ten of them were shot down by fighter aircraft of the German Airforce (stationed at Sachsenheim) and two others were supposedly accidentially hit by "friendly" bombs and crashed not far from Pforzheim. Captain Swales was killed in the crash of his aircraft near the French-Belgian border about 400 km from Pforzheim since his aircraft had been damaged by two successive hits from a German nightfighter-plane while circling over Pforzheim and supervising the bombardment.

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The German Army Report of February 24, 1945 devoted only two lines to reporting the bombardment: "In the early evening hours of February 23, a forceful British attack was directed at Pforzheim." The

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British Bomber Command later assessed the bombing raid as the one with "probably the greatest proportion (of destroyed built-up area)(of any target) in one raid during the war".

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In early April as the allied forces and notably the French Army advanced toward Pforzheim, the local German military commander gave orders to destroy the electric power generating plant and those gas and water supply lines that were still working, but citizens succeeded in persuading the staff sergeant in charge of the operation to refrain from this absurd endeavor in the face of the imminent and inevitable surrender of the German Military. Likewise, orders were issued for the destruction of those bridges that had remained unscathed (some of the bridges had been destroyed by air strikes even before and after February 23), and this could not be prevented. Only the Iron (Railway) Bridge in Weissenstein ward was saved by stout-hearted citizens who, during an unguarded moment, pulled off the fuze wiring from the explosive devices, which had already been installed, and dropped it into Nagold river. Soon after that on April 8, French troops (an armored vehicle unit) moved into Pforzheim from the northwest and were able to occupy the area north of Enz river, but the area south of the Enz river was defended by a German infantry unit using artillery. Fighting was especially fierce in Broetzingen. The French army units (including an Algerian and Moroccan unit) suffered heavy losses; among the dead was the commander the army unit, Capitaine Dorance. The advance of the French army came to a halt temporarily, but with the support of fighterbomber aircraft and due to the bad condition of the defenders (which included many old men and young boys who had been drafted in a last desperate war effort) the French troops finally succeeded and on April 18 took possession of the vast rubble field which once was the proud residential town of the Baden Margraves.

Related Topics:
Allied forces - French Army - Staff sergeant - Fuze - Armored vehicle - Infantry - Artillery - Algerian - Moroccan - Dorance

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The three months of French occupation were reportedly marked by hostile attitudes on both the French army side and the Pforzheim population side; incidences of rape and looting, mainly by Moroccan soldiers, were also reported. Au Bridge (Auerbruecke) and Wuerm Bridge received makeshift repairs by the French military. The US Army, which replaced the French troops on July 8, 1945, helped repair Goethe Bridge, Benckiser Bridge, Old Town Bridge (Altstaedterbruecke) and Horse Bridge (Rossbruecke) in 1945 and the following year. The relationship between the population and the US military was reportedly more relaxed than had been the case with the French army.

Related Topics:
Occupation - Rape - Looting - US Army

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1945-1965:

Related Topics:
1945 - 1965

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Pforzheim was gradually rebuilt, giving Pforzheim a quite modern look. In September 1951 the Northern Town Bridge (Nordstadtbruecke) was inaugurated (the ceremony was attended by then Federal President

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Prof. Dr. Theodor Heuss). Jahn Bridge followed in December 1951, Werder Bridge in May 1952, the rebuilt Goethe Bridge in October 1952, and the rebuilt Old Town Bridge was inaugurated in 1954.

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1955:

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On the occasion of the 500th birthday anniversary of Johannes Reuchlin, the city of Pforzheim established the Reuchlin Price and awarded it for the first time in the presence of then President of the Federal Republic of Germany (West-Germany), Prof. Dr. Theodor Heuss.

Related Topics:
Johannes Reuchlin - Theodor Heuss

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1961:

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Inauguration of the culture center "Reuchlinhaus", which from then on housed the Jewellery Museum, the Arts and Crafts Association, the City Library, the Homeland Museum (Heimatmuseum), and the City Archives.

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1968:

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On July 10 shortly before 22:00, Pforzheim and its surrounding areas were hit by a rare tornado. It had strength F4 on the Fujita scale. Two persons died and more than 200 were injured, and 1750 buildings were damaged. Across the town between Buechenbronn ward and the village of Wurmberg the storm caused severe damage to forest areas (i.e. most trees fell to the ground). During the first night and the following days the soldiers of the French 3rd Husar Regiment and the US Army Unit, which were still stationed at the Buckenberg Barracks, helped clear the streets of a lot of fallen trees (especially in the Buckenberg/Haidach area). It took about four weeks to carry out the most necessary repairs on buildings. The

Related Topics:
Tornado - Fujita scale

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overhead electric contact wires for the electric trolley buses then still operating in town and the streetcar transport system to the village of Ittersbach were never repaired; those transport systems were retired.

Related Topics:
Trolley - Streetcar

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1971-1975:

Related Topics:
1971 - 1975

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The townships of Wuerm, Hohenwart, Buechenbronn, Huchenfeld and Eutingen were incorporated into the city administration.

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1973

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As part of the reform of administrative districts, the rural district of Pforzheim was incorporated into the newly established Enzkreis rural district, which has its administration in Pforzheim. But the city of Pforzheim itself remains a district-less city. In addition, Pforzheim became the administrative center of the newly formed Northern Black Forest Region.

Related Topics:
Enzkreis - Northern Black Forest Region

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1975

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On January 1, the population exceeded 100.000 and Pforzheim gained the status of a "large city" (Grossstadt).

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1979:

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Inauguration of the Pforzheim City Museum.

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1983:

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Inauguration of the "Technical Museum of the Jewellery and Watchmaking Industry" and the "Citizens Museum".

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1987:

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Inauguration of the City Convention Center.

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1987/1990:

Related Topics:
1987 - 1990

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Inauguration of the City Theater at the Waisenhausplatz.

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1989:

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Sister City agreement with the City of Gernika, Spain.

Related Topics:
Gernika - Spain

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1990:

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Sister City agreement with the City of Saint-Maur-des-Fosses, France.

Related Topics:
Saint-Maur - France

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1991:

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Sister City agreement with the City of Vicenza, Italy.

Related Topics:
Vicenza - Italy

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1992:

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State Gardening Expo in Pforzheim. Enzauenpark was created and part of the Enz river was re-naturalized.

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1994:

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Inauguration of the cultural institution "Kulturhaus Osterfeld".

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1994:

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Merger of the Pforzheim Business School and the Pforzheim School of Design to form the Pforzheim University of Applied Sciences in Design, Technology and Business.

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1995:

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Inauguration of the Archeological Site Kappelhof.

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2000:

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Inauguration of the Pforzheim Gallery.

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2002

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In November, during excavation works for a new shopping center right in the center of the city, a power shovel hit a 250 kg bomb which had not gone off during the bombardment of 1945. On a sunday, about 5000 citizens had to temporarily leave their homes as a precautionary measure while specialists were defusing and deposing of the (so far) last of a large number of unexploded explosive

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devices found in Pforzheim's grounds since 1945.

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(Remark: This brief history is partly based on the German language brief history included in the Web site of the City of Pforzheim and a series of articles in Pforzheimer Zeitung during the first three months of 2005, published on the occasion of the 60th commemoration of Pforzheim's bombardment. The author M.H.)

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See also History of Baden.

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Administrative unions

Formerly independent communities and districts which were incorporated into the City of Pforzheim.

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Population growth

The table below shows the number of inhabitants for the past 500 years. Until 1789 the numbers represent estimates, after that they represent census results (¹) or official recordings by the Statistics Offices or the city administration.

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¹ Result of census

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The population growth diagrams show that the largest growth rates were recorded between about 1830 and 1925, which was the period following the political reorganisation of Europe agreed upon at the Vienna Congress of 1815 after the violent period that was so much dominated by Napoleon Bonaparte of France. This high population growth period coincided with the period of intensive industrialisation of Germany. Population growth weakened due to the effects of World War I and World War II. The population declined sharply due to the destruction on February 23, 1945, and increased sharply in the post-WWII era due to high economic growth levels in West-Germany and the rapid rebuilding efforts in Pforzheim. Earlier setbacks were recorded during the Thirty Years War period in the 17th century.

Related Topics:
1830 - 1925 - Vienna Congress - 1815 - Napoleon Bonaparte - France - Industrialisation - World War I - World War II - Thirty Years War - 17th century

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Religions

After margrave Karl II of Baden in 1556 installed the protestant reformation in the Margraviate of Baden, of which Pforzheim was the capital in those days, Pforzheim continued to be a protestant town for several centuries. The congregations in Pforzheim were affiliated with the deanery (Dekanat) of Pforzheim of the Protestant National Church of Baden, unless they were members of one of the independent churches

Related Topics:
Karl II - 1556 - Reformation - Margraviate of Baden - National Church of Baden

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(Freikirche).

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Since the 19th century at the latest catholics settled in Pforzheim again. They are affiliated with the deanery of Pforzheim which belongs to Archdiocese of Freiburg.

Related Topics:
19th century - Catholics - Archdiocese of Freiburg

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Other denominations and religious sects in Pforzheim are:

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• Israelite Congregation
• Islamic Congregation
• Adventist Congregation
• Jehovah's Witnesses
• Baptist Church
• Salvation Army
• Methodist Church
• Church of Christ, Scientist