Wittislingen

Wittislingen
Municipality
Town centre of Wittislingen
Town centre of Wittislingen
Coat of arms of Wittislingen
Coat of arms
Location of Wittislingen within Dillingen district
Baden-WürttembergAugsburg (district)Donau-RiesGünzburg (district)AislingenBachhagelBächingenBinswangenBissingenBlindheimButtenwiesenDillingen an der DonauFinningenGlöttGundelfingen an der DonauHaunsheimHöchstädt an der DonauHolzheimLaugnaLauingenLutzingenMedlingenMödingenSchwenningenSyrgensteinVillenbachWertingenWittislingenZiertheimZöschingenZusamaltheim
Location of Wittislingen
Wittislingen is located in Germany
Wittislingen
Wittislingen
Location within Germany
Wittislingen is located in Bavaria
Wittislingen
Wittislingen
Location within Bavaria
Coordinates: 48°37′N 10°25′E / 48.617°N 10.417°E / 48.617; 10.417
CountryGermany
StateBavaria
Admin. regionSwabia
DistrictDillingen
Government
 • Mayor (2020–26) Thomas Reicherzer[1] (SPD)
Area
 • Total
17.41 km2 (6.72 sq mi)
Elevation
450 m (1,480 ft)
Population
 (2024-12-31)[2]
 • Total
2,546
 • Density146.2/km2 (378.8/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes
89426
Dialling codes09076
Vehicle registrationDLG
Websitewww.wittislingen.de Edit this at Wikidata

Wittislingen is a market municipality in the district of Dillingen in Bavaria, Germany. It is the seat of the Verwaltungsgemeinschaft Wittislingen together with Mödingen and Ziertheim.[3]

Geography

Wittislingen lies in the Egau valley on the southern edge of the Swabian Jura. The municipality covers 17.41 km2 (6.72 sq mi) and lies at around 450 m (1,480 ft) above sea level.[4]

History

Early history

A major find is the Wittislingen princely grave, a 7th-century burial of a high-status woman associated with the Merovingian period.[5]

Medieval period

Wittislingen is recorded in early medieval sources as Uuittegislingua. The Vita of Saint Ulrich of Augsburg describes Bishop Ulrich staying in Uuittegislingua shortly before his death in 973. The account also refers to arrangements concerning church property in the settlement.

Control of the area in the Middle Ages was divided between the Duchy of Bavaria and the Bishopric of Augsburg.

Demographics

The population is around 2,500 inhabitants (2023).

Population development
YearPopulation
18711,262
19251,372
19502,133
19701,846–2,355
20112,306
2023~2,550

Economy

The economy of Wittislingen is mostly based on agriculture, dairy farming and mixed cultivation. Most residents commute to nearby towns for work.

Transport

Wittislingen is connected by roads to Dillingen an der Donau, Lauingen, and the B16 corridor. There are local bus services, and the nearest railway stations are in Dillingen a.d. Donau and Lauingen.

Events

Disappearance of Sri Lankan handball players

In September 2004, a 23-member[a] group posing as a Sri Lankan national handball team disappeared after playing a match against TSV Wittislingen.[6] The Sri Lankan players did not seem familiar with the game, and the Bavarian players described them as "awful".[9]

A letter was found in their hotel room, thanking the Bavarians for their hospitality and claiming that the Sri Lankans had gone to France.[7][9]

Two weeks later, a taxi driver told the police that he had brought the Sri Lankans to München Hauptbahnhof, along with a few other taxis.[9] The match had been organised by an in Duisburg, which did not respond to the media. The Sri Lankan embassy in Berlin denied all knowledge of the group and the match,[6] and the Sri Lankan sports ministry said the trip had not been authorised.[7]

The 2008 film Machan was inspired by events.[8]

Archaeological excavations

In 1881, archaeological excavations in the Wittislingen area uncovered a Merovingian burial site, later known for its high-quality grave goods and association with early medieval Alemannic elite culture.[10]

Notes

  1. ↑ Most sources reported that there were 23 people in the group,[6][7][8] but Deutsche Welle reported that there were 24 people in the group, 16 players and 8 trainers.[9]

References

  1. ↑ "Offizielle Website Thomas Reicherzer". Retrieved 23 June 2026.
  2. ↑ "Gemeinden, Kreise und Regierungsbezirke in Bayern, Einwohnerzahlen am 31. Dezember 2024; Basis Zensus 2022" [Municipalities, counties, and administrative districts in Bavaria; Based on the 2022 Census] (CSV) (in German). Bayerisches Landesamt für Statistik.
  3. ↑ "VG Wittislingen". Retrieved 23 June 2026.
  4. ↑ "Statistik kommunal Wittislingen 2022" (PDF). Bayerisches Landesamt für Statistik. Retrieved 23 June 2026.
  5. ↑ "Das alamannische Fürstengrab von Wittislingen". Historischer Verein für Schwaben. Retrieved 23 June 2026.
  6. 1 2 3 Hannah Cleaver (16 September 2004). "Sri Lankans go missing in Germany after sports tour ruse". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 1 March 2016. Retrieved 23 June 2026.
  7. 1 2 3 Priyath Liyanage (15 September 2004). "Sri Lanka handball team vanishes". BBC News. Archived from the original on 13 December 2010. Retrieved 23 June 2026 – via the BBC Sinhala service.
  8. 1 2 Vincent Dowd (31 August 2008). "Machan in Venice Festival". BBC News. Archived from the original on 8 December 2009. Retrieved 23 June 2026.
  9. 1 2 3 4 "Sri Lankans Pull Off Disappearing Act in Bavaria". Deutsche Welle. 9 September 2004. Archived from the original on 29 December 2025. Retrieved 23 June 2026.
  10. ↑ "Der Grabfund von Wittislingen". Historischer Verein für Schwaben. Retrieved 23 June 2026.
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