Town in Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany
Walldorf
(
German pronunciation:
[?val?d??f]
ⓘ
;
South Franconian
:
Walldoaf
) is a
town
in the
Rhein-Neckar-Kreis
district in the
state
of
Baden-Wurttemberg
in Germany.
In the eighteenth century, Walldorf was the birthplace of
John Jacob Astor
,
[3]
who emigrated and became a prominent fur trader in the newly independent United States, establishing a monopoly in North America. Concentrating on real estate acquisition and investment, and based in New York City, he grew even wealthier and was the patriarch of the wealthy and influential
Astor family
.
Walldorf is home to the world's
fifth largest
software
company,
SAP
.
Geography
[
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]
The neighbouring town to the southeast is
Wiesloch
. The towns are strongly linked economically. Adjacent municipalities are
Sandhausen
,
Leimen
,
Nußloch
,
St. Leon-Rot
and
Reilingen
. The train station, named
Wiesloch-Walldorf
, is located between the two towns.
History
[
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]
Hallstatt-culture
barrows are preserved in the Hochholz woods, near the offices of SAP Deutschland.
[4]
The earliest documentary mention of the settlement occurs as Waltorf in a 770 deed issued by the Abbey of Lorsch. The Electorate of the
Palatinate
received Walldorf as an Imperial fief in 1230. The town suffered much during the
Thirty Years' War
of 1618?1648, and in 1689 was completely destroyed in the course of the French invasion during
Nine Years' War
. The area was settled anew by religious refugees, among them the predecessors of John Jacob Astor, Waldensians from
Piedmont
.
During the
German Mediatisation
, Walldorf fell to Baden. In 1843 the
Rheintalbahn
was built: this railway decisively promoted economic development. In 1901 Grand Duke
Frederick I of Baden
granted Walldorf town privileges. After World War II the companies Heidelberger Druckmaschinen (founded 1850) and SAP (founded 1972; moved to Walldorf in 1977) were established in Walldorf.
Politics
[
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]
Seats in the municipal assembly (
Gemeinderat
) as of 2019 elections:
[5]
- CDU (Christian Democratic Union): 6 (29,03%)
- SPD (Social Democratic Party of Germany): 6 (24,80%)
- Grune (Alliance '90/The Greens): 5 (24,24%)
- FDP (Free Democratic Party): 5 (21,93%)
Economy
[
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]
SAP SE
has had its headquarters in the city since 1977.
[6]
It is Europe's most valuable brand,
[7]
as well as
the largest
non-American software enterprise by revenue.
Twin cities
[
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]
- Astoria, Oregon
, United States, since 1963
- Kırklareli
, Turkey, since 1970
- Saint-Max
, France, since 1985
- Waldorf, Maryland
, United States, since 2002
- Freeport, New York
, United States, since 2003
Sights
[
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]
The
Astorhaus
was built in 1854, from a pecuniary legacy of the deceased
John Jacob Astor
[3]
to his hometown. For decades, it served as an
almshouse
, and now hosts the register office and a museum.
The 19th-century synagogue was devastated in the 1938
Kristallnacht
attacks and most of the congregation was killed in the
Holocaust
. The building is now used as a
New Apostolic Church
.
[8]
Walldorf is known for cultivating
white asparagus
, which is available in the months of April through June.
Representation in other media
[
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]
Notable people
[
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]
References
[
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]
External links
[
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]
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