Waldenburg is a hilltop town in south central Germany, eastwards of Heilbronn in the Hohenlohe (district) of Baden-Württemberg. The town is the site of Waldenburg Castle and some hilltop churches. Records first mention Waldenburg in the year 1253, but the town was destroyed in April 1945, at the end of World War II, and it has been rebuilt since. Geography Geographical form Waldenburg covers part of the natural Schwäbisch-Fränkische forest-hills and the Hohenloher-Haller Ebene. City outline Waldenburg includes the village of Waldenburg proper and the 2 sections Obersteinbach (173 people, as of 31 March 2006) and Sailach (222 people). History of Waldenburg dates from 1253. By 1330 it was a free city. Plague and war reduced the population during the Thirty Years' War. The Confederation of the Rhine of 1806 annexed Waldenburg into the Kingdom of Württemberg under the process of "mediatisation", and the town has been part of the Federal Republic of Germany state of Baden-Württemberg since 1952. In April 1945 at the end of World War II the town had been occupied for a last-ditch stand by the Wehrmacht against the advancing United States 3rd army, and was almost completely destroyed by American artillery. Postwar efforts have reconstructed some historic buildings. The ancient castle still belongs to the Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Schillingsfürst family that built it. On 1 January 1971, there was the annexation of Upper Steinbach. Religions In Waldenburg, there are Protestant, Catholic and Apostolic churches. The Catholic Church, together with the parishes of Pfedelbach and Bretzfeld form a pastoral unit. Population growth Estimated population of Waldenburg, per year: 1648: 640 2000: 3079 2005: 3083 Politics Mayors Franz Gehweiler (November 1945–March 1978) Gerhard Lauth (March 1978–August 1990) Roland Weinschenk (December 1990–April 2004) Markus Knobel (July 2004–2020) Bernd Herzog (since 2020) Coat of arms and flag The blazon of arms of Waldenburg is: in the upper part of gold with green ground, are three green fir trees; below in a silver border, is a red-tongued black lion (leopard), with tail curled underneath. The flag of the city is red and white. From the 16th Century since, the seals in the Waldenburg detectable crest reaches into the upper half of the city name, and displays in the bottom half with the leopard, the emblem of Hohenlohe. The city colors are the colors of the Hohenlohe house. Sister cities Waldenburg maintains partnership relations with Sierck-les-Bains in Lorraine, France. Economy and infrastructure Traffic Waldenburg