Location and landscape
Kirchberg an der Murr is a municipality in the western part of the Rems-Murr district near the border with the Ludwigsburg district. The settlement lies in a side valley near the Murr valley and comprises the districts of Frühmeßhof, Neuhof, Rundsmühlhof, Zwingelhausen and Obertorhöfe. On the slopes of the Murr valley, vineyards and orchards shape the landscape.
History of viticulture
Kirchberg was first mentioned in a document on 11 April 1245. A papal document dated 11 December 1247 lists vineyards among the local properties and rights. In the 19th century, extensive viticulture was carried out on the south-facing slopes of the Murr valley. Historically documented among others are vineyard plots called Abstätter, Eichhalden, Halden, Klinge, Lerchenberg and Pälmen.
The grape varieties that have been handed down included Elbling and Silvaner for white wine as well as Trollinger for red wine; in addition, Riesling and Clevner were occasionally cultivated. After the phylloxera and pest crisis in the late 19th century and as a result of labour shortages during the First World War, wine-growing declined. As the remaining wine-growing area, Pälmen was named. Kirchberg an der Murr is assigned to the designated German winegrowing region Württemberg.
Historic wine-press
The municipal wine-press house was built according to plans from 1784 and in 1834 was purchased by the municipality together with weighing and measuring devices. The four historic press trees had been replaced by quick presses by 1913. With the decline of viticulture, the facility was used primarily for pressing apples and pears up to the 1950s.
