Location and landscape
Bad Friedrichshall is located in the northern part of the district of Heilbronn in Baden-Württemberg, at the confluence of the Kocher and the Jagst with the Neckar. The town’s territory is shaped by the valleys of these three rivers. Wide floodplains and mostly level terrain determine large parts of the municipal area.
Altitudes and geology
The elevations range from about 136.5 to 250.2 metres above sea level. The lowest point is near the Neckar, the highest at Jagsthälde east of Untergriesheim. In terms of natural regions, the area belongs to the Hohenloher-Haller plain as well as to the Kocher plateau and the Krumme plain. Local geological formations include river gravel and river sands, Lettenkeuper, shell limestone, loess and loess clay. In the area of Bad Friedrichshall-Kochendorf, rock units of the shell limestone sequence occur, including the Middle Muschelkalk with local deposits of rock salt.
Climate
For Bad Friedrichshall-Duttenberg, a mean annual air temperature of about 10.1 to 10.5 °C and annual precipitation of about 751 to 800 millimetres are given.
History and viticulture
Bad Friedrichshall was formed in 1933 through the merger of Kochendorf and Jagstfeld. In 1934, the use of the name Friedrichshall was approved, and in 1935 Hagenbach was incorporated. In 1951, the town was granted town rights. Historically, viticulture in Jagstfeld and Kochendorf was of little importance: in Jagstfeld, vineyards in 1785 accounted for about five per cent of agricultural land; a small press house (kelter) was established there around 1720. In Kochendorf, the share of vineyards around 1750 was about 2.7 per cent of the municipal area.
