HEILBRONN

city, Baden-Wrttemberg Land (state), southwestern Germany. It lies along the Neckar River and is surrounded by vineyards and the Swabian Forest. Built on the site of an old Roman settlement, it was first mentioned in 741, and the Carolingian princes had a palace there. Heilbronn was created a free imperial city in 1281. Its name-originally Heiligbronn, or "holy spring"-refers to a stream that issued from under the high altar of St. Kilian's Church. The city suffered severe damage in World War II, but most of its historic buildings have been rebuilt or restored, including St. Kilian's Church, built in the Gothic and Renaissance styles with a unique tower, and the town hall (1540) with a curious clock installed in 1580. The house of the Teutonic Knights (Deutsches Haus) is in ruins. Several old towers survive, including the Diebsturm, or Gtzenturm, on the Neckar. Situated in a fertile fruit-, vegetable-, and grape-growing region, the city is a commercial centre with a harbour that serves as a transloading point on the Rhine-Neckar shipping route. Metal processing and the manufacture of wine and machinery are important industries. Pop. (1992 est.) 117,427.