Traces of settlements from the
Neolithic, the
Celtic and
Romans era have been found.
Alamannic graves prove the existence of three settlements in the area of the city during the
migration period. Although the first written mention of Kirchheim dates only to the year 960, the town certainly existed during the Alemannic era of the 6th and 7th century. Perhaps the current settlement was founded during the Christianization when several older villages were merged and a church was built and dedicated to St. Martin. In 960, Kirchheim came in the possession of Emperor
Otto I in an exchange for the diocese
Chur. The
Market and the royal mint date back to the mid-11th Century. The place was owned by the
Dukes of Zähringen and was inherited in 1186 by a lateral line, the
Duke of Teck. The Dukes of Teck are known since 1252, but the title of duke more a family name than a proper title. Sometime between 1220 and 1230, they elevated Kirchheim to a
market town under Freiburg law. Duke Louis I of Teck founded the Kirchheim nunnery in 1240. In 1270,
Duke Conrad II of Teck initiated the construction of a city wall. In a process which lasted from 1303 until 1386, Kirchheim became a part of
Austria and later of
Württemberg, due to economic difficulties of the Dukes of Teck. The city was the seat of a Württemberg
Amt. During the 14th century, when the Dukes of Teck played a leading role in the city government, the rise of the middle classes brought an economic boom, especially in the textile industry and the textile trade. After Duke
Ulrich returned from exile in 1539, Kirchheim was expanded to a fortress of Württemberg and at the same time, the ducal palace was constructed. The current appearance of the city is from the reconstruction after a devastating fire in 1690. In 1864, it became the terminal of the first private railway in Württemberg, the line Unterboihingen-Kirchheim. In the 19th century, it became the seat of an
Oberamt. In 1938, the Oberamt Kirchheim was included in the
Landkreis Nürtingen. After
World War II, the population of the city grew significantly due to the influx of refugees and displaced persons. In 1948, the population exceeded the limit of 20,000, and under the Baden-Württemberg Municipal Code, the city received on 1 April 1956 the legal status of
Große Kreisstadt. Since the district reform of 1973, Kirchheim unter Teck is one of the municipalities of the district of
Esslingen. In 1974, two neighboring municipalities were annexed. Thus, the city reached its current dimensions.
Rocket launch pads There are three launch pads for the
Luftwaffe Bachem Ba 349 Natter rocket interceptors located in the Hasenholz forest near Kirchheim unter Teck. They are all that remain from the once active launch site constructed in 1945. The three launchpads are arranged in the form of an equilateral triangle, whose sides point toward the east and the south. The distance between the launchpads is approximately 50 meters. The circular concrete pads on which the Bachem Ba 349s and their launch towers once stood still exist. In the center of each of the three concrete plates is a square hole approximately 50 centimeters deep, which once served as the foundation for the launch tower. Beside each hole is a pipe, cut off at ground level, which was probably once a cable pit. The Natter launchpads at Kirchheim unter Teck are considered the only remnants of these rocket launch pads on publicly accessible terrain, as the ramp in the
Lager Heuberg, where
Lothar Sieber took off for his fatal manned test flight, is still in a restricted military area.
Religions The population of Kirchheim unter Teck originally belonged to the
Bishopric of Constance and was assigned to the
Archdeanery circa alpes, chapter Kirchheim. As the city belonged to
Württemberg at the time of the Reformation, Protestantism was introduced here as early as 1535 by Duke
Ulrich. Consequently, Kirchheim unter Teck was a predominantly Protestant town for centuries. The Martin Church was the seat of the Dean of the Kirchheim Church District. The congregation grew, especially after the
Second World War, due to a strong influx and consequently, the congregation was split. One congregation uses the Christ Church (built in 1909), others use the Church of the Cross (1956), the Thomas Church (1967) and the Resurrection Church (1972). These five congregations in the central city, together with the parish of Ötlingen (separate parish since 1834) and the St. Matthew parish in Lindorf (church built in 1971, formerly part of Kirchheim, later part of Ötlingen), form the Evangelical Church of the City Kirchheim unter Teck. The districts of Jesingen and Nabern were also introduced early to the Reformation, due to their being part of Württemberg as well. Consequently, these district have their own Protestant congregation and church. All Protestant churches in the city are administered by the office of the Dean of Kirchheim unter Teck as part of the
Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Württemberg. Since the late-19th century, there have been Catholics in Kirchheim unter Teck. They built the St. Ulrich church in 1910. Ötlingen and Lindorf and some neighboring communities belong to this parish. In 1967, a second church was built, the Mary Queen of Heaven church. The Catholics in Jessingen and Nabern and some neighboring communities belong to this parish. These two parishes now form the Pastoral Care Unit 5 in the Deanery Esslingen-Nürtingen of the
Diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart. The city also has several
Free Churches and congregations, including the
United Methodist Church and the
Evangelical Free Church (also known as
Baptists). The
New Apostolic Church is also represented in Kirchheim unter Teck. == Annexations ==