Wernau | |
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 Saint Erasmus Church | |
 Coat of arms | |
Location of Wernau within Esslingen district  | |
 Location of Wernau | |
  Wernau  Wernau | |
| Coordinates:48°41′19″N9°25′20″E / 48.68861°N 9.42222°E /48.68861; 9.42222 | |
| Country | Germany |
| State | Baden-Württemberg |
| Admin. region | Stuttgart |
| District | Esslingen |
| Subdivisions | 2 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor(2023–31) | Christiane Krieger[1] |
| Area | |
• Total | 10.89 km2 (4.20 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 255 m (837 ft) |
| Population (2023-12-31)[2] | |
• Total | 12,443 |
| • Density | 1,143/km2 (2,959/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| Postal codes | 73249 |
| Dialling codes | 07153 |
| Vehicle registration | ES |
| Website | www.wernau.de |
Wernau (German pronunciation:[ˈvɛʁnaʊ]ⓘ;Swabian:Wärnao) is a town in thedistrict of Esslingen inBaden-Württemberg southwesternGermany. It is situated on theNeckar river, 25 km southeast ofStuttgart.
Wernau is located on the southeast bank of theNeckar river, south ofPlochingen and about 25 km east ofStuttgart. The Bodenbach river flows through the city. In 1981 the Wernau Baggerseen (quarry ponds) were declared a wildlife preserve. Today it spans across 45hectares. Another 5.5 hectares of wildlife preserve are located in an area of the city called the Wernau Lehmgrube (clay pits).
The small community of "Freitagshof," which lies to the South, also belongs to Wernau.
Neighboring Wernau are the communities ofDeizisau to the Northwest,Plochingen to the North,Hochdorf to the East andNotzingen to the Southeast; the cities ofKirchheim unter Teck to the South andWendlingen to the Southwest and the community ofKöngen to the West. All of them are located within and belong to the district ofEsslingen am Neckar.
Dark green: Forest 22.5%,Yellow: Agriculture 40.9%,Blue: Water surface 3.0%,Lighter green: Recreational areas 3.3%,Red: Buildings and open areas 16.0%,Beige: Transportation surfaces 10.2%,Purple: Other
According to data from theStatistischen Landesamtes, as of 2014.[3]
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Wernau was established in 1938 by the joining of the two communities Pfauhausen and Steinbach. These communities tried to unite in 1384 and again in 1681. While the first attempt lasted a few decades, the 1681 union by Franz Josef von Wernau did not last seven years.[4]
In 1384 and again in 1681 an attempt was made to establish a community out of Pfauhausen and Steinbach, but these attempts failed after a short period of time. Up until 1769 Pfauhausen belonged to the sovereignty of Neuhausen fromAnterior Austria. It then belonged to thePrince-Bishopric of Speyer up to 1802 and was therefore a catholic community. Steinbach also remained catholic through theProtestant Reformation under the sovereignty of the Speth von Sulzburg. This made both communities an enclave of the Catholics in the predominately Protestant land ofWürttemberg. Pfauhausen and Steinbach were assigned toOberamt Esslingen in 1808 as part of the implementation of theDistrict Reformation of Württemberg in theKingdom of Württemberg. During NAZI-Germany both communities were fused together to form Wernau in 1938 and were assigned, as part of the NAZI District Reformation, to Esslingen.
AfterWorld War II Wernau became a part of theAmerican Zone of Occupation in the German state ofWürttemberg-Baden which was later reformed into the current German state ofBaden-Württemberg in 1952. AfterWWII many refugees from Hungary moved to Wernau. On April 1, 1968, Wernau received its charter as an official city.
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Wernau is an attractive economic location. Famous companies like Bosch-Thermotechnik; the Japanese companyMori Seiki; the manufacturer of electrical component systems, 2E mechatronic; and the producer of folk costumes, Perry have settled here. Handcraft companies and wholesale businesses have also found a home in the city.[7]
A Convention Center is located in the "Quadrium" with an indoor pool and spa. Wernau also has a public outdoor pool and an ice rink.
A public library was opened in 1971. As of 1996 it is located in a building right across from the train station. It houses 24,000 books and other printed and electronic media and in 2012 loaned out 90,000 items.
Wernau is connected by thePlochingen-Tübingen railway (Neckar-Alb-Bahn) to the national rail network. Since December 12, 2009 Wernau is a stop on S1 line of theS-Bahn Stuttgart. The S1 line ends in Kirchheim unter Teck.Wernau is connected by the B 313 to theBundesautobahn 8 and to theBundesstraße 10, that leads to Stuttgart.
The Town Council has 22 seats. TheCouncil Elections on May 26, 2019, reported the following preliminary results.[12] The Town Council consist of elected officials (unpaid posts) and the Mayor as head of the government. The Mayor has voting power in the town council.
| Parties | % 2019 | Seats 2019 | % 2014 | Seats 2014 | |
| WBL/JB | Wernau Citizen List/Young Citizens | 30.97 | 7 | 26.63 | 6 |
| FWV | Independent Voters of Wernau | 22.67 | 5 | 23.90 | 5 |
| CDU | Christian Democratic Union | 19.11 | 4 | 24.20 | 6 |
| SPD | Social Democratic Party | 13.63 | 3 | 14.61 | 3 |
| GRÜNE | Green/Independents | 13.63 | 3 | 10.66 | 2 |
| Total | 100.0 | 22 | 100.0 | 22 | |
| Voter turnout | 59.38 % | 49.00 % | |||
Old town hall of Wernau (photo at right)
On October 8, 2023, Christiane Krieger was elected with 70,13% of the votes.[13]
Blazon: "In silver, a black diagonal stripe with three golden balls."
The coat of arms stems from theHerren von Wernau (Lord of Wernau), whose name is also the origin of the city's name. The three balls symbolize the legend of Nicolaus, according to which, the Bishop of Nikolaus from Myra threw three bags of gold through the window of a house where three poor girls lived, so that they could pay for their weddings.[4]
Wernau istwinned with:
(in German)
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