Mutlangen

Geography

Mutlangen is located between the Welzheim Forest and the Swabian Keuper-Lias Plains on an elevation above the Rems valley. The neighboring communes of Mutlangen are Durlangen in the north, the city of Schwäbisch Gmünd in the east and south as well as Alfdorf in the west. Mutlangen consists of the small town Mutlangen and the hamlet Pfersbach, which belongs to Mutlangen since 1 April 1973.

History

At around 500 AD and later the first verifiable settlement existed (marking of Muotho). However, the site only became more popular at around 1100 to 1200 AD. The manorial systems alternated in a fast pace: Hohenstaufen, Weinsberg and Rechberg. After some time monasteries and families from the nearby Gmünd area were its landlords. The name Mutlangen was first mentioned in 1293 in the scriptures of the Lorch Monastery, which probably was its owner at the time.

In the year 1581, the neighboring town of Schwäbisch Gmünd took Mutlangen as property. In the course of the secularization at around 1800, Schwäbisch Gmünd lost its sovereignty and was assigned to the newly established Kingdom of Württemberg. After World War II Mutlangen had around 1200 inhabitants and exhibited a mostly agricultural labour structure. In addition, in the aftermath of the war numerous refugees and expellees were received. The following decades were characterised by a change to a more industrialised town with newly established enterprises and an increasing population.

The Mutlanger Heide, a heathland nearby, was the site of a US military base for Pershing II missiles, which were assigned to the 56th Field Artillery Command headquartered in nearby Schwäbisch Gmünd. The Pressehütte Mutlangen has since then been a site of peace and antinuclear activism. The missiles were dismantled following the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty in 1990, the base has been almost completely demolished and now is a residential zone. Two remaining blast shelters and a historical path still bear evidence of this part of Mutlangen's history.

Town council and mayor

The town council was last elected on 25 Mai 2014 and consists of the following parties: Independent voters list (41,1 %, 8 seats), CDU (20,9 %, 4 seats), Grüne (19,0 %, 3 seats) and the SPD (17,0 %, 3 seats). On 13 March 2016, Stephanie Eßwein was elected as new mayor with a majority of 77,57 % of the votes, thus replacing Peter Seyfried, who served for about 30 years as mayor.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was awarded to Mutlangen on 1 February 1954 by the government of Baden-Württemberg. Within the red area lays a silver cross, which accommodates the shape of the town's Saint Georg church. The street crossing with the church depicts the accessibility by means of transport, while the colours are a reminder of the affiliation to the former imperial city of Schwäbisch Gmünd.

Town twinnings

Since 1964 there is a partnership agreement with the commune Bouxières-aux-Dames. Furthermore, in 1992 a partnership with the Hungarian town of Vaskút was established.

Mobility

Mutlangen is connected to the national road network via the federal highway Bundesstraße 298 (Gaildorf-Schwäbisch Gmünd). The closest national highway is the Bundesautobahn 7 in the east near Aalen. Of further importance for the regional traffic are the Landesstraße L1155 and L1156. The nearest train station is Schwäbisch Gmünd station.

Public institutions

A larger public hospital with the name Stauferklinikum Schwäbisch Gmünd is located within the boundaries of the town in the south-west.

The indoor swimming pool Mutlantis exists since 1974.

Education

In Mutlangen there are two primary schools, a Werkrealschule and a Realschule, a special school for people with linguistic difficulties and since 2012 the private catholic Franziskus-Gymnasium. For preschool education the town offers two Kindergarten St. Elisabeth and Don Bosco as well as a daycare named Lämmle for children aged 2 to 3.

Notable residents