Weil am Rhein

Weil am Rhein (High Alemannic: Wiil am Rhii) is a German town and commune. It is on the east bank of the River Rhine, and extends to the point at which the Swiss, French and German borders meet. It is the most southwesterly town in Germany and a suburb of the Swiss city Basel. Weil am Rhein is part of the "trinationale Agglomeration Basel" with about 830,000 inhabitants.

Weil am Rhein, Germany
Townhall and market place of Weil am Rhein
Coat of arms
Location of Weil am Rhein, Germany
Weil am Rhein, Germany
Weil am Rhein, Germany
Coordinates: 47°35′41″N 7°36′39″E
CountryGermany
StateBaden-Württemberg
Admin. regionFreiburg
DistrictLörrach
Subdivisions7
Government
 • MayorWolfgang Dietz (CDU)
Area
 • Total19.47 km2 (7.52 sq mi)
Elevation
281 m (922 ft)
Population
 (2019-12-31)[1]
 • Total30,150
 • Density1,500/km2 (4,000/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes
79546–79576
Dialling codes07621
Vehicle registrationLÖ
Websitewww.weil-am-rhein.de

Geography

Weil am Rhein is located at 47°35′42″N 7°36′39.6″E in the district of Lörrach in the Federal State of Baden-Württemberg. The city limits border France to the west and Switzerland to the south including the triple border of the three countries. Locally, Weil is situated in the region referred to as Markgräflerland.

The city's location on the Rhine and proximity to the Black Forest give it a continental climate, particularly suited to viticulture.

History

The town is first documented in the year 786 as Willa, a name which is thought to be of Roman origin. The duc de Villars crossed the Rhine here in October 1702 to fight the Battle of Friedlingen during the War of the Spanish Succession. Weil was severely damaged as a result of the conflict.

Agriculture dominated local industry until the 19th century, when the city began to grow, aided by its favourable transport connections. A railway marshalling yard linking Weil am Rhein to Basel was built in 1913. Swiss textile factories were established in the Friedlingen quarter. 1934 saw the construction of a harbour on the Rhine.

After the Second World War the population again grew rapidly due to the influx of refugees and stateless persons. Between 1971 and 1975 the communities of Ötlingen, Haltingen and Märkt were incorporated and Weil am Rhein became a substantial town.

Since 2014, line 8 of the Basel tram system has extended across the border from Switzerland to terminate in Weil am Rhein.

Mergers

The former municipalities were merged into Weil am Rhein:

Coat of arms of the former municipalities
  • Haltingen
  • Märkt
  • Ötlingen

International relations
Main article: List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany

Weil am Rhein is twinned with:

Tourism and leisure
Vitra Design Museum
  • The premises of the furniture maker Vitra, featuring buildings by architects such as Frank Gehry, Zaha Hadid and Tadao Ando, are an attraction for architecture fans. The premises also include the Vitra Design Museum.
  • The Laguna water park
  • Landesgartenschau Baden-Württemberg 1999, "Grün 99"[5]

Personalities

Sons and daughters of the city

People who are connected to Weil am Rhein

References
  1. "Bevölkerung nach Nationalität und Geschlecht am 31. Dezember 2019". Statistisches Landesamt Baden-Württemberg (in German). September 2020.
  2. Portrait of Ötlingen (in German). Retrieved 30 June 2014.
  3. Portrait of Haltingen (in German). Retrieved 30 June 2014.
  4. Portrait of Märkt (in German). Retrieved 30 June 2014.
  5. 1999 Landesgartenschau Weil am Rhein Archived 8 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine (in German). Retrieved 30 June 2014.
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