Sinsheim
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Sinsheim is a town in southwestern Germany, in the state Baden-Württemberg in the district Rhein-Neckar between Heidelberg and Heilbronn. It consists of a core town and 11 villages; its total population is 35,092 (as of December 2004). Its area is 127 km².
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Tourist attractions
Sinsheim's main tourist attraction is the Sinsheim Auto & Technik Museum, featuring a load of historic vehicles to over 1 million visitors per year. In 1989 a trade fair area has been established that features all kinds of industrial and popular events.
Additionally, Sinsheim has a historic city core; the Altes Rathaus (old city council) is a museum for the town and its role in the 1848 revolution. The town is overlooked by an old fortress, "Burg Steinsberg" in the village of Weiler. With its octagonal tower, dating back to the 13th century, it has sometimes being called the "compass" of the Kraichgau region, and nowadays contains a restaurant.
History
The region around Sinsheim has been settled since 700.000 BC, as shown by the finding of the Homo heidelbergensis in the village of Mauer, about 12 kilometers north of Sinsheim. The Romans ruled the area from 90 AD to 260 AD. The city was possibly founded in about 550 AD by the frankish nobleman Sunno. It was first historically mentioned in 770 AD in the Codex of the cloister Lorsch. Since 1192, the town had "city rights" (special privileges), first granted by Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor.
Sinsheim has been a rather poor town throughout the ages, and has been affected heavily by wars from the 16th to the 18th century. Sinsheim-born revolutionary Franz Sigel became a famous general in the American Civil War.
The first railroad in Sinsheim was built in 1900; Electricity and public water pipes have been introduced into the city from 1910 on. While Sinsheims inhabitants take some pride in the long history of their town, the local history during Nazism is not a popular topic, but it can be said that there was little exception to the rest of Germany during that time.
The World Wars and the Great Depression kept Sinsheim from growing, until in 1968 the A6 Autobahn was built. It connected Sinsheim to national and international traffic ways, with Mannheim, Stuttgart, Frankfurt am Main, Heilbronn, Heidelberg, Ludwigshafen within 1 hour of driving. Traditionally being an agricultural town, the highway made it a small industrial center, but it has been hit by recession and international outsourcing in recent years.
Population
Historic population
The numbers are estimates, census results(¹) or official data of the statistical offices (only primary residences).
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¹ census results
Population of the suburbs
as of 31 December 2004
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