Gengenbach is one of the most picturesque places in the Kinzig Valley with a proud past. Originally settled by Celts, Gengenbach later became a Roman settlement for at least 200 years. The important Roman road from Strasbourg to Rottweil ran through Gengenbach. After the Romans, the Alemanni took over, until they had to submit to the Frankish king Clovis in 486. Another 200 years later, the Visigothic itinerant monk and missionary Pirmin was commissioned to Christianise the inhabitants. Around 725, Pirmin founded a Benedictine monastery in Gengenbach. The Frankish king donated extensive lands. Many craftsmen and farmers settled around the monastery walls, where they found secure employment. This development led to the town being granted town rights in 1230. The abbot, who was also an advisor to Emperor Charles IV, succeeded in placing the towns of Gengenbach and Zell directly under the emperor's authority in 1366 by granting them immediate imperial freedom. Gengenbach suffered great unrest in the 16th century during the Reformation and Counter-Reformation.
Zell am Harmersbach - Gengenbach
Gengenbach - Schutterwald
