Kretschmann in the Golden Book: Filderstadt celebrates 50 years of success!

Kretschmann in the Golden Book: Filderstadt celebrates 50 years of success!

On September 20, 2025, a ceremonial event took place in the city of Filderstadt, at which Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann (Greens) signed his name in the city's Golden Book. The occasion was particularly significant as the celebrations marked the city's 50th anniversary and the 50th anniversary of the volunteer fire department. Mayor Christoph Traub (CDU) and other high-ranking guests received Kretschmann in the winter garden of the Filharmonie in Bernhausen. Before his entry, a piece from the play “BeHaSiBoPl – Portrait of a Filderstadt” was performed, which deals with the eventful history of community mergers in the region.

In his speech, Kretschmann emphasized that the municipal reform of 1975 was particularly successful for Filderstadt. In this context, he described the merger of the five Filder villages into a 'great' city. This illustrated his personal connection to Filderstadt, as the city is part of his Nürtingen constituency and he lived in Echterdingen for a time in the 1970s. He particularly mentioned that his daughter was born in the Filder Clinic, which further strengthens his connection to the city.

Historical background to the founding of the city

Today's city of Filderstadt was created through the merger of five former municipalities, which was signed on June 5, 1974 by the mayors Willy Fischle, Fridhardt Pascher, Klaus Wohlt, Dieter Illig and Gottfried Fischer. This merger came into effect on January 1, 1975. The new town was initially called “Filderlinden”, a name that was met with skepticism among the citizens. In the local elections on April 20, 1975, 63.9% of the population voted for the name to be changed to “Filderstadt”.

On July 2, 1975, the Interior Ministry approved the renaming. The first mayor, Dieter Illig, initially acted as administrator before Karl Feßler was elected mayor in the second round on June 22, 1975. On June 18, 1976, Filderstadt also received the status of a large district town, followed by the awarding of a new coat of arms and a flag on August 10, 1977. The local council decided on the historical coat of arms of the Lords of Bernhausen.

The value of the merger

Kretschmann further emphasized in his speech that the merger of the communities also prevented the negative influence of a possible incorporation into Stuttgart. He emphasized that the merger had strengthened the Filder communities. This became particularly clear when he drew a comparison with Leinfelden-Echterdingen, a municipality that did not choose a new name for its association and thus received a rather complicated double name.

With his entry in the Golden Book of Filderstadt, which fills an entire page, Kretschmann not only left behind a historical moment, but also a benevolent confirmation of the positive development of Filderstadt since its founding. This anniversary is an important occasion to reflect on the past and future of the city and its citizens.

For more information about the celebrations and the history of Filderstadt, you can read the coverage at Esslinger newspaper and the official details on the Website of the city of Filderstadt read up.