European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - October 28, 1958, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Bumvu a Block Forest farmhouse in the Villinger photos by Mulready severe mayor of Vil for Post eight a City on the Southeastern Edge of Germany Block is a thriving Community that belies a walled the town stands As a jewel of medieval defensive with most the town Walls and three of the original four town Gates still Villinger draws thousands of tourists an within the ambient Walls Are interesting old building housing Art treasures of the a late gothic town Hall now used As a an old franciscan cloister and a Cathedral dating from the Early 17th antiquities Are not the Only attraction for visitors to in addition to its attractive architecture and Art the town also has a firm reputation As a health although there have been settlements on the site of the town since 500 and Graves of the 5th and 7th centuries have been found in the the present town records its history from the late 10th Cen Tury when the influential Zaehringer fam ily selected the site to acquire coinage and customs which gave the town preference Over other nearby in 1120 the building of the town Walls started and for the next 524 years Villinger by Brendan staff writer was Able to successfully withstand various attempts made to assault the from 1326 to 1805 the town was under austrian while the Early fortunes of the Community were tied closely to the ancient German families of staufer and residents in Early times took an interest in the thriving Trade Guild movement unlike other nearby commune the townspeople and guilds men apparently worked out any difficulties they May have had without and thus kept a United front in their fight against the administration of the Noble old documents of Early times show How much importance was attached to the the Wool weavers brought most of the wealth into the and from their produce an extensive Trade developed and the town took care to build Good roads Over which to move their produce to the medieval town also had excellent Beil Glass work sculptors and the town withstood Many sieges in the course of history and in the Spanish War of succession made its final stand As a walled City against the French marshal Tallard in when the French again attacked 40 years inter Villinger sur for by then the fortifications had become ineffective against More Modem practically untouched by world War Villinger nowadays lives not too much Tai the a progressive municipal govern ment has made the town and surrounding areas a Center of Light Industry Man fac mayor of Villinger for the past eight years has Severin a lawyer who toured the for two months 1954 As a guest of the state there were several German mayors in our party and we visited cities right across the Kern i stayed american families wherever we went and i was particularly impressed with the zip Terest the americans have in Public Industrial plants which have recenter settled in the Villinger area manufacture radio and television electronic in Sinh Metal products and at present we have about trial workers in the Villinger Aboff half that number Are working in the new modern said Between summer health ers and new Villinger is Loop ing Forward with Confidence to Start Inid another thousand years of useful he piece from the stars and stripes it