Villingen-Schwenningen Audioguides

Villingen and Schwenningen were two distinct towns on the eastern edge of the Black Forest until administrative reform merged them in 1972. They still feel different. Villingen is the older half: a medieval market town with intact ring walls and towers, granted town rights in 999 AD, successfully defended against a French siege during the War of Spanish Succession in July 1704 when Colonel von Wilstorff held the outdated fortifications for six days and forced Marshal Tallard to withdraw. The medieval walls are still mostly standing, which is why the story is worth telling.

Schwenningen is the industrial town.

The first watch factory opened there in 1858, and by the early 20th century the town was calling itself the greatest watch city in the world, with hundreds of small workshops and manufacturers producing clock movements and precision mechanisms. The Kienzle Uhren company, founded here, became one of Germany's best-known clockmakers. The industry contracted severely after cheaper Asian competition arrived, but the Museum of Clockmaking (Uhrenindustriemuseum) preserves the full story with original machinery and working movements.