Until 1803, Waldshut belonged with the
Hotzenwald to
Further Austria. Tiengen/Hochrhein (until 2 September 1964 Tiengen (Oberrhein)) was the residence of the
Landgraves of Klettgau who belonged in early modern times first to the Counts of
Sulz, and after their line died out, to the
Fürsten of Schwarzenberg. Gurtweil belonged first to the
Abbey of St. Gall, and later to the Rheinau
Monastery, but after the
Thirty Years' War to
Saint Blaise's
Benedictine Monastery the
St. Blaise Abbey, Black Forest. In the Waldshut War of 1468 – a localized conflict over hegemony in the south Black Forest region – Tiengen was absorbed by the
Old Swiss Confederacy, while the town of Waldshut was be
sieged and partly destroyed. In 1805, Waldshut went to
Baden and became the seat of an
Amt, which over the years was changed many times, and in 1939 was turned into the
Kreis (District) of Waldshut. In 1973, the district's area was increased under the municipal reform. Tiengen likewise went to Baden in 1806 and belonged to the
Amt of Klettgau, and in 1812 to the regional
Amt of Tiengen, which was abolished in 1819. Thereafter the town belonged to the regional
Amt of Waldshut.
Amalgamation Waldshut-Tiengen's municipal area developed as follows: • On 1 January 1971 the communities of Breitenfeld and Detzeln were amalgamated into the town of Tiengen/Hochrhein. They were followed on 1 July 1974 by the communities of Aichen and Krenkingen. • On 1 July 1971, the communities of Eschbach, Indlekofen, Oberalpfen and Waldkirch (with the communities of Gaiß and Schmitzingen, amalgamated in 1935) were amalgamated into the town of Waldshut. • On 1 January 1975, both towns, Waldshut and Tiengen/Hochrhein, along with the community of Gurtweil, were amalgamated to form the new town of Waldshut-Tiengen.
Population development Population figures are for respective municipal areas at the times to which the figures apply. Until 1974, the figures for the town of Waldshut are given. The figures are either
census results (¹) or official extrapolations. ¹ Census figures
Religion Waldshut first belonged to the
Bishopric of Konstanz. In 1524, Dr.
Balthasar Hubmaier wanted to introduce the
Reformation. This, however, could not be achieved. As a result of belonging to Further Austria, Waldshut and its environs remained overwhelmingly
Catholic until the 19th century. The town had even been the deaconry seat since the 12th century. The neighbouring town of Tiengen and its environs also remained overwhelmingly Catholic, albeit with a few of Hubmaier's followers who believed in his
Anabaptist teachings. As of 1821, the Catholic communities in today's Waldshut-Tiengen belonged to the
Archbishopric of Freiburg, and indeed to the two deaconries of Waldshut and Wutachtal. These have been merged into three pastoral units (divisions consisting of several parishes). The pastoral unit of Maria Bronnen includes the parishes of St. Marien Waldkirch, St. Sebastian Aichen and St. Simon und Judas Gurtweil as well as the neighbouring parishes of St. Peter und Paul Weilheim, St. Stephan Weilheim-Nöggenschwiel, St. Pankratius Berau and St. Laurentius Brenden (both in the community of Ühlingen-Birkendorf). The pastoral unit of Waldshut includes the Liebfrauengemeinde and the neighbouring parish of St. Klemens in Dogern. In the Deaconry of Wutachtal, the two parishes of Mariä Himmelfahrt Tiengen and St. Nikolaus Krenkingen together with the neighbouring parish of Herz Jesu Lauchringen-Unterlauchringen belong to the pastoral unit of Tiengen. In the 19th century,
Protestants also came to Waldshut and Tiengen. Waldshut's Protestants were at first under Säckingen's care, but in 1870, Waldshut got its own minister, and in 1890, an affiliated parish was established. In 1921, the community became a full-fledged parish in its own right. To this parish also nowadays belong the Protestants in the communities of Eschbach, Indlekofen and Waldkirch, along with a few other neighbouring communities. A Protestant community also developed in Tiengen in 1871, which at first was affiliated with Kadelburg. The
Christuskirche (church) was built in 1905. There has been a full-fledged parish there since 1926. To this
Evangelical parish also nowadays belong the Protestants in the communities of Aichen, Breitenfeld, Detzeln, Gurtweil and Krenkingen along with a few other neighbouring communities. The Protestants in the community of Oberalpfen belong to the Hochrhein church region of the
Evangelical State Church in Baden. Alongside the two big churches, there are also communities belonging to
free churches, among which are an Evangelical Free Church community (
Baptists) with their Balthasar Hubmaier Church, the
New Apostolic Church, and the
Old Catholic Church. == Politics ==