Maulbronn

Maulbronn Monastery (German: Kloster Maulbronn) is a former Cistercian abbey and ecclesiastical state in the Holy Roman Empire located at Maulbronn, Baden-Württemberg. The monastery complex, one of the best-preserved in Europe, was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993.The monastery was founded in 1147 and experienced rapid economic and political growth in the 12th century, but then hardship in the late 13th century and the 14th century. Prosperity returned in the 15th century and lasted until Maulbronn was annexed by the Duchy of Württemberg in 1504. Over the 16th century, the Cistercian monastery was dissolved and replaced with a Protestant seminary. It also became the seat of an important administrative district of the Duchy and later Kingdom of Württemberg. The complex, surrounded by turreted walls and a tower gate, today houses the Maulbronn town hall and other administrative offices, and a police station. The monastery itself contains an Evangelical seminary and a boarding school.

The Protestant (Evangelische, Gr.) Seminaries of Maulbronn and Blaubeuren (Evangelische Seminare Maulbronn und Blaubeuren) in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, are two Gymnasien (high schools) and Protestant boarding schools in the Württemberg tradition. Until 2008, grades 9 and 10 were taught in the former Maulbronn Abbey, and Grades 11 through 13 in Blaubeuren, partly in cooperation with the Gymnasium Blaubeuren ("Blaubeuren High School"). As of 2013, the two schools exist independently of each other. While both schools share their commitment to classical (Latin, Greek and Hebrew) and modern languages, music and religious education, the Maulbronn seminary especially focuses on the European culture tradition, whereas Blaubeuren places special emphasis on internationalism and the interdisciplinary dialogue between theology and science. The seminaries were founded as Protestant schools in 1556 by Christoph von Württemberg in order to provide a broad education for gifted boys. Since the schools first admitted girls in 1969, the seminaries have become a leading co-educational boarding school for talented pupils.

Ötisheim, known in local dialect as Aize, is a municipality in the Enz district of Baden-Württemberg, Germany.

Mettenbach is a small river of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is a left tributary of the Erlenbach at Ötisheim.

Aalkistensee is a lake in Kraichgau, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. At an elevation of ca 250 m, its surface area is 0.136 km2.

Mühlacker is a town in the eastern part of the Enz district of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Mühlacker station has direct rail connections with Stuttgart, Karlsruhe, Heidelberg, Pforzheim and the Northern Black Forest. Mühlhausen an der Enz where Spree killer Ernst August Wagner killed 13 people in 1913 has been a part of the city since 1972. The community of Ötisheim joined onto the city so as to act as a single municipality for certain tasks.

Knittlingen is a town in the Enz district in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. It lies at the eastern edge of the Kraichgau in the centre of a rectangle that is formed by Heidelberg, Karlsruhe, Heilbronn, and Stuttgart. The centre of Knittlingen consists of many old half-timbered houses.

Mühlacker station is in the town of Mühlacker in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is at the junction of the Karlsruhe–Mühlacker line and the Western Railway. With its five platform tracks, it is the largest station in Enz district. It is served by InterCity, regional and Karlsruhe Stadtbahn services.

Erlenbach is a river of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is a left tributary of the Enz at Mühlacker.

Oberderdingen is a municipality in the district of Karlsruhe, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated 30 km east of Karlsruhe and 32 km west of Heilbronn.

Sternenfels, consisting of the villages of Diefenbach and Sternenfels, is the most northern municipality in the Enz (district) in Baden-Württemberg in Germany. The town is located at the border of the Kraichgau and Stromberg regions. Sternenfels is considered a showcase village and was mentioned in several national and European studies and competitions. It is about 20 km from Pforzheim and close to the UNESCO world heritage site of Maulbronn.

The Mühlacker Water Tower is a 42 metres (138 ft) reinforced concrete water tower in Mühlacker, Germany. The tower was built in 1972/73 and has a container for 600 cubic metres (21,000 cu ft) of water. It is often decorated at Christmas time.