Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)/Heilbronn
HEILBRONN, a town of Württemberg,
situated on the right bank of the Neckar.
The streets of the old medieval town are
narrow, and the houses have quaintly
ornamented gable-ends and tapering
pinnacles. The church of St. Kilian,
partly Gothic and partly Renaissance;
the old town hall; the Diebsthurm
(“Thief's Tower”), in which Götz von
Berlichingen was confined; and the house
of the Teutonic Knights, now a barrack,
are the principal buildings. The chief
industries include the manufacture of
silver plate, paper, sugar, salt, chicory,
and chemicals, and there are iron and
other metal foundries and machine shops.
Fruit and wine are largely grown.
Commercially the importance of Heilbronn
depends on its trade in groceries, corn,
and wood, and on its fairs for cattle,
leather, wool, and fruit. In the vicinity
gypsum and sandstone are quarried.
Heilbronn is first mentioned in 741; in
1360 it became an imperial town; it
suffered during the Peasants' War and the
Thirty Years' War, and in 1802 it fell
into the hands of Württemberg. Pop.
about 43,000.