Zwingenberg (Baden)

Zwingenberg (South Franconian: Zwingeberg) is a village in the Neckar-Odenwald district, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany.

History
Zwingenberg developed in the valley of the Neckar, below Zwingenberg Castle, as a possession of the Electoral Palatinate ruled via Oberamt Mosbach. In 1803, Zwingenberg became a possession of the Principality of Leiningen, which was mediatized to the Grand Duchy of Baden in 1806. Zwingenberg was assigned to the district of Eberbach in 1813.

Geography
The municipality (Gemeinde) of Zwingenberg covers 4.7 km2 of the Neckar-Odenwald district of Baden-Württemberg, one of the 16 States of the Federal Republic of Germany. Zwingenberg is physically located in the valley of the Neckar, which has cut itself deep into the local sandstone. Elevation above sea level in the municipal area varies wildly, from a high of 424 m Normalnull (NN) to a low of 128 m NN where the Neckar flows out of the municipality.

The Federally protected Zwerrenberg nature reserve lies within the municipal areas of Zwingenberg and Neuenkirchen.

Politics
Zwingenberg has one borough (Ortseil), Zwingenberg, and two villages, Burg Zwingenberg and Zwingenberger Hof.

Coat of arms
Zwingenberg's coat of arms displays three swan's heads, in white with yellow bills, upon a field of blue. This was the coat of arms of the House of Zwingenberg, which began to see local official use again in 19th century town seals. The Karlsruhe General State Archives redesigned these seals into a coat of arms for Zwingenberg in 1913 and it was subsequently adopted by the municipal council.