Weil am Rhein


Weil am Rhein is a German town and commune. It is on the east bank of the River Rhine, and extends to the tripoint of Switzerland, France, and Germany. It is the most southwesterly town in Germany and a suburb in the Trinational Eurodistrict of Basel. The town has around 30,000 inhabitants, and the Eurodistrict metropolitan area has about 830,000.

Geography

Weil am Rhein is located at 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.
An archaeologist found a bronze helmet nearby.

Mergers

The former municipalities were merged into Weil am Rhein:
;Coat of arms of the former municipalities

Twin towns – sister cities

Weil am Rhein is twinned with:
  • Bognor Regis, United Kingdom
  • Huningue, France
  • Trebbin, Germany

    Tourism and leisure

  • 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"

    Notable people

  • Enjott Schneider, composer and writer
  • Patrik Köbele, politician, President of the German Communist Party
  • Christian Streich, football player and manager

    Associated with Weil am Rhein

  • Erwin Bowien, painter and writer
  • Hubert Schardin, physicist, lived in Weil am Rhein
  • Artimus Pyle, Lynyrd Skynyrd drummer, traces his ancestry to Weil am Rhein through
  • Martin Beneke, physicist, completed his schooling at the Kant-Gymnasium in Weil am Rhein
  • Georg Norin, pharmacist