WURTTEMBERG

In the summer of 2015, Richard and I traveled through Germany and visited Crailsheim and Dinkelsbuhl. We knew the Holzingers came from the area, but did not know exactly where. It turns out that Wildenstein, where the Holzingers lived for at least 150 years, and probably longer, is just off the road that connects the two towns. It is a beautiful area of Germany with small villages separated by fields and woods. The so-called Romantic Road with its medieval walled towns and old castles cuts through the area. During the 16th and 17th centuries, what is now southwestern Germany was deeply impacted by the Reformation and the Thirty Years War. During the mid 19th century, when Johann Holzinger and Rosina Schmidt left for America, Wurttemberg was undergoing crop failures and Europe was in political turmoil. 

Crailsheim was the market town and ecclesiastical center of the region, so it is likely that both Johann and Rosina went there for festivals and other events. Crailsheim was bombed in the last days of World War II, and only the Johanneskirche survived. The town was rebuilt to resemble its former self. It's a wonderful place to visit.

Below is a brief article about Wurttemberg.

Conquered by the Romans in ancient times, Wurttemberg was part of the German region of Swabia for much of the Middle Ages. In the 12th century, a family of local counts named Wurttemberg increased their influence in the region to such an extent that they began to withdraw the area from Swabia's control and gave their name to the region. In 1495, Holy Roman emperor Maximilian I declared the region a duchy.

In the early 16th century, Duke Ulrich introduced Lutheranism into the state and proved himself one of the most ardent defenders of Protestantism in Germany, a role in which his heirs continued. In fact, one of his successors, Duke Frederick, emerged as one of the most devoted members of the Protestant Union and had even led the effort for its formation in 1608.

Wurttemberg's location in central Germany placed it at the center of the 17th-century wars over religion in Europe. The country suffered extensive damage in the Thirty Years' War and subsequent conflicts. During the 18th century, it regained much of its prosperity, in part due to its reputation as a bastion of liberal reform and its willingness to accept Protestant refugees from other parts of Europe.

In 1806, Austrian emperor Francis I raised the duchy to the status of electorate. Three years later, Napoleon I further elevated it to the level of kingdom. Although Wurttemberg served voluntarily as one of Napoleon's allies during the Napoleonic Wars, the Congress of Vienna did not impose harsh penalties on it after Napoleon's defeat in 1814; it even allowed Wurttemberg to remain a kingdom.

For the remainder of the 19th century, Wurttemberg retained its reputation for liberalism, and King William I introduced a constitution and a representative legislature in 1819, well before most other European countries adopted such measures. Wurttemberg joined the Prussian-dominated Zollverein in 1834. However, it allied itself with Austria against Prussia in the Austro-Prussian War of 1866. By 1870, however, the kingdom had reestablished its ties with Prussia and offered assistance in the Franco-Prussian War.

When Wurttemberg joined the German Empire in 1871, it retained substantial privileges of self-government and autonomy. The kingdom continued to enjoy those special rights until after World War I, when the Weimar government reduced it to the same status as other German provinces. Following the German defeat in World War II, Wurttemberg was reconstituted as Baden-Wurttemberg, a state within the federal republic of West Germany.

"Wurttemberg." World History: The Modern Era, ABC-CLIO, 2017, worldhistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/308702. Accessed 7 July 2017.

19th CENTURY MAP OF THE KINGDOM OF WURTTEMBERG
Wildenstein is in section J-g at upper right
For zoomable view, go to
http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~george/wuerttemberg-map-1495-1809.jpg

MODERN MAP OF GERMAN STATES
Baden-Wurttemberg (in yellow) is bordered by Bavaria (Bayern) to the east
Switzerland (Schwiez) to the south
France (Frankreich) to the west
Wildenstein is in the northeast corner of Baden-Wurttemberg, on the border with Bavaria