Schwaigern

Schwaigern
Coat of arms
Schwaigern
Location of Schwaigern within Heilbronn district
Coordinates: 49°8′N 9°3′E / 49.133°N 9.050°E / 49.133; 9.050Coordinates: 49°8′N 9°3′E / 49.133°N 9.050°E / 49.133; 9.050
Country	Germany
State	Baden-Württemberg
Admin. region	Stuttgart
District	Heilbronn
Government
• Mayor	Sabine Rothermund
Area
• Total	49.50 km2 (19.11 sq mi)
Population (2015-12-31)
• Total	11,173
• Density	230/km2 (580/sq mi)
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes	74193
Dialling codes	07138
Vehicle registration	HN
Website	www.schwaigern.de

 Schwaigern  is a town in the district of Heilbronn, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated 12 km west of Heilbronn.

The neighbouring towns and municipalities of Schwaigern (clockwise) are: Leingarten, Nordheim (Württemberg), Brackenheim, Eppingen, Gemmingen and Massenbachhausen (all in the district of Heilbronn).

Schwaigern consists of Schwaigern itself and its districts Massenbach, Stetten am Heuchelberg and Niederhofen. Schwaigern has approximately 11,000 inhabitants.

Finds of the Neolithic era and during the Roman period show an early settlement of this area. The town was first mentioned in writing in the Lorsch codex of 766. Bertilo, Lord of Schwaigern, is first mentioned in 1120. The construction of a church is proved in the 13th century. Bertilo's descendants took on the name "Lords of Neipperg" in 1241, after their castle of Neipperg near Brackenheim. In 1407 they also acquired the Lordship of Klingenberg near Heilbronn. In 1702, Schwaigern became the residence of the Lords of Neipperg, who were elevated to the rank of counts in 1726. In 1766, the County of Neipperg became an Imperial State of the Holy Roman Empire, mediatised to the Kingdom of Württemberg in 1806. The last ruling count, Adam Albert von Neipperg, married Napoleon's widow Marie Louise.