The town of Vöhrenbach lies in the Breg valley in the central Black Forest between Furtwangen and Villingen-Schwenningen. The land belonging to the town is heavily forested, comprising 77% of the total area.
The town of Vöhrenbach consists of Vöhrenbach (which includes the town with its older borders from before 1971) and the three Stadtteile (quarters) of Hammereisenbach-Bregenbach, Langenbach und Urach in addition to 89 further villages, hamlets, farms and homes.[3][4] In the course of the municipal reforms in Baden-Württemberg, Vöhrenbach grew to include Hammereisenbach-Bregenbach on 1 July 1971 and then Langenbach as well as Urach on 1 December 1971.[5] The districts now belonging to the town Vöhrenbach are territorially identical to the formally independent municipalities of the same name. The town center (Vöhrenbach) and the three districts (Hammereisenbach-Bregenbach, Langenbach and Urach) are local communities in their own right, each having a local chairman.
Vöhrenbach received a town charter in 1244 from the Counts of Urach as competition to Villingen. However, the town never reached the importance of Villingen. In 1806, the city became part of the newly founded Grand Duchy of Baden.
The municipal council of Vöhrenbach has 14 members. The municipal council consists of the elected municipal councilmen and the mayor as chairman. The mayor is entitled to vote in the municipal council. The municipal election of 25 Mai 2014 resulted in 49.1% turnout (2009: 52.4%) with the following results:
According to the legend of the Seven Virgins, it is not possible in Vöhrenbach to re-elect a mayor. Mayors Sorg, Neininger and Wolf were all voted out of office after their first term. In 1981, Karl-Heinz Schneider first succeeded in being re-elected. Karl-Heinz Schneider lost the election for a fourth term in 1997 to Robert Strumberger.[6] Robert Strumberger has now been re-elected twice.
1813–1821: Joseph Merz
....
1918–1931: Karl Kraut
1939–1941: Paul Siedle
1941–1945: Fritz Dold
1945: Karl Faller
1946: Bernhard Wiedemann
1946: Egon Hettich
1946–1957: Ernst Sorg
1957–1964: Friedrich Neininger (1957–1971 Mayor of Langenbach, 1971–1977 local chairman of Langenbach)
The dam Linachtalsperre (de) is a listed structure of historical importance. This dam and hydroelectric power station, which had been shut down for years, was reactivated on 16 March 2007. The renewable energy power plant is expected to generate 1.2 million kilowatt hours. In addition, the Linach Reservoir is to become a tourist attraction in the future.[7]
The Catholic parish church St. Martin (de), newly constructed in 1953–54 and integrated in the tower build 1871–73, contains sculptures from two members of the Vöhrenbacher sculptor family Winterhalder, Adam Winterhalder (de) and Johann Michael Winterhalder.
The Catholic parish church Allerheiligen (de) in the district of Urach dates from the 11th to the 18th century and contains works by Matthias Faller (de).
The Uhrmacherhäusle (clockmaker's house) from 1726 war recently renovated.
The BruderkirchleorMichaelskapelle: The chapel on the old road from Vöhrenbach to Villingen via Herzogenweiler was first mentioned in 1580.
The town's economy is characterized by medium-sized industry, handicrafts, commerce and tourism. Agriculture plays a major role in the districts and villages. Vöhrenbach is economically strongly connected with neighboring Furtwangen.
The connections to Furtwangen and Villingen are via L 173. L 172 offers a connection to Titisee-Neustadt and via L 180 to Donaueschingen. A 81, east of Villingen-Schwenningen is the closest highway (Autobahn).
Until 1972, Vöhrenbach was also served by the train Bregtalbahn (de), which ran between Donaueschingen and Furtwangen. The western section from Bräunlingen to Furtwangen was turned into a bicycle path after its closure.
In Vöhrenbach, there was the elementary and secondary school Josef-Hebting-Schule. The schools were though reorganized and this merged with secondary schools in Unterkirnach und Eisenbach (Hochschwarzwald). The Josef-Hebting-Schule is now a primary school and Werkrealschule with branches in Unterkirnach und Eisenbach. The municipal council of Eisenbach decided on 8 May 2014 to cancel this agreement by Summer 2016.[9] All secondary schools are located in Furtwangen. There are also two Roman Catholic Kindergartens. The university of applied scienceHochschule Furtwangen University is located in neighboring Furtwangen, providing an offer of higher education.
^Das Land Baden-Württemberg. Amtliche Beschreibung nach Kreisen und Gemeinden. Band VI: Regierungsbezirk FreiburgKohlhammer Verlag, Stuttgart 1982, ISBN3-17-007174-2. pg. 606–609
^Historisches Gemeindeverzeichnis für die Bundesrepublik Deutschland: Namens-, Grenz- und Schlüsselnummernänderungen bei Gemeinden, Kreisen und Regierungsbezirken vom 27.5.1970 bis 31.12.1982. 1983. p. 494. ISBN3170032631.
