First settlement and origin of place name It is presumed that the area around Lauffen had already been settled in pre-Christian times, although the only evidence consists of a few bones. The settlement's high level of frequentation can be attributed to the shallow water between the present old Neckar bridge and the cliffs by the castle and Regiswindis Church. Here the river was fordable for most of the year and the spot used by both men and animals as a crossing point. Such opportunities were few and far between along this stretch of the original Neckar. Indeed, the nearest fords were some kilometres distant. The two prominent cliffs may well have served as lookouts and refuges since primeval times. The foundations of a Roman estate (Villa Rustica) dating from between the 2nd and 3rd centuries, along with coins and pottery, were discovered some two kilometres () to the southeast of the present town centre. Archaeological excavations show that the Alemannians came to the area in around 260 AD upon the departure of the Romans. With the arrival of the Franks in 500 AD, a royal estate was founded together with a church dedicated to St Martin. The ownership of the estate alternated frequently between princes and church. A document from 823 refers to this “church in the tribal district of Neckar which is dedicated to Saint Martin in the Villa Hlauppa.” The rapids which are occasionally visible at Lauffen were created by erosion when the Neckar shortened its course after breaking through the neck of a great bow – an event which is estimated to have taken place between 400 BC and 100 BC. After this incident, the margrave Ernst returned to his home in the
Upper Palatinate and the village was transferred back to the emperor with effect from 861, before the expiration of the lease and the death of the Graf. In 889, 923 and 993, various German emperors transferred their rule over the village to the
Bishopric of Würzburg. In 1003,
Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor called for the establishment of a convent in the village, which had meanwhile been fortified. A
Benedictine convent was accordingly set up under the auspices of Bishop Heinrich von Würzburg. who were allied to the
Bishopric of Worms and noble descendants of the Poppon tribe of Lauffen. In the 13th century, the town once again reverted to the German Emperor (
Holy Roman Emperor). In 1227, the
Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II mortgaged Lauffen,
Sinsheim and
Eppingen to
Herman V of Baden. In the mortgage deed, Lauffen was first referred to as "civitas" (town with civic institutions). The upward designation to "town" is frequently dated as having taken place in the year 1234. The
Margraves of Baden administered the town through a family of bailiffs. A church was built in 1227 to replace an existing chapel and dedicated to the now canonized Saint Regiswindis. A town hall was built and a weekly market established in 1480. Two years later, the
bubonic plague caused the death of 1,300 inhabitants. During the
German Peasants' War, an 8,000-strong army of peasants set up camp between Lauffen and
Gemmrigheim in 1525. Bowing to superior force, the town council sided with the peasants – as a result only the convent was sacked. On 13 May 1534, at the Battle of Lauffen, the 11,000 troops of Austria were outnumbered by those of the
Rulers of Hesse, whose forces consisted of some 25,000 men. As a result of the victory over the Austrians,
Ulrich, Duke of Württemberg regained his territory and led his subjects towards the Reformation. The section of railway between Stuttgart and Heilbronn was completed in 1847, giving rise to the construction of buildings around the railway station. In 1889, the second shaft of the railway tunnel (584 m) was completed between Kircheim am Neckar and Lauffen, thus removing a major bottleneck on the
Franconia Railway from Heilbronn to Stuttgart. The year 1891 saw the world's first long-distance transmission of alternating three-phase electric current. This important technical achievement – a link between Lauffen and Frankfurt Main – is described in the section 'Economy and infrastructure' below.
20th century In 1914, two districts (Lauffen-Stadt and Lauffen-Dorf) were merged to create the new town of Lauffen am Neckar. On 13 April 1944, an allied bomber formation was returning to base having failed to bomb its primary and secondary targets (
Nuremberg and
Stuttgart) when it was attacked by a German fighter and forced to jettison its load over Lauffen. The town escaped serious damage and casualties from the bombs, which were dropped at random and in some cases unprimed. Most fell in fields or the river although some dropped on the Sonnenstrasse, the Brückenstrasse, the old cemetery and in the vicinity of the cement works and St Martin's Church. There were 59 fatalities including a number of forced labourers. The then mayor was criticised for not having sounded the air raid warning. Secondary targets for the bombers had been in northern Württemberg, Hesse or the Ruhr. As was so often the case, a return to base with the bomb load had not been included in the fuel calculations. The bombing of Lauffen can thus be regarded as the sacrifice of a pawn – a sacrifice in favour of a city. == Religion ==