Hohenlohe and Künzelsau became part of Württemberg. Following the foundation of the Kingdom of Württemberg by Napoleon and the ensuing "mediatisation", most of the territories of the previously imperial Hohenlohe principalities (including the town of Künzelsau) were assumed into the new Kingdom of Württemberg (except Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst, which went to the Kingdom of Bavaria).The properties of the regional imperial knights (for example those of the von Stetten barony) were also assumed into the Kingdom of Württemberg, which became an integral part of Napoleon's newly formed Confederation of the Rhine. This was the final blow to end the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation. The Ganerben had not only an important influence on the history of Künzelsau, but also on its buildings. Several of the original administration buildings can still be seen today in good condition in the centre of the town. King Friedrich of Württemberg awards Künzelsau the status of Oberamtsstadt (centre of district administration), which was previously held by the neighbouring town of Ingelfingen. At the insistence of the citizens of Künzelsau, a secondary school was established which, in addition to Latin, Greek and French, also taught Mathematics, Geometry, Technology, Geography and History. Revolution also in Künzelsau The aim of the failed revolution was to combat the despotism of the noble ranks and to achieve more freedom. The recommendation of citizens from Künzelsau to the first free German parliament in Frankfurt / Main was :"Moderate socialists - remain steadfast; extreme socialists - become more moderate; extreme conservatives - improve yourselves" Birth in Künzelsau of Karoline Breitinger, the first woman doctor in Württemberg. Her dissertation was presented in Bern in 1896 and she finally received her approbation after a long and arduous legal battle in 1909. She so became the first practicing woman doctor in Württemberg and was also active in the female emancipation movement. The river Kocher in Künzelsau was defined as part of the demarcation line in the Austro-Prussian War. One anecdote relates the story of some Prussian soldiers who crossed this line into Künzelsau to enjoy the wine and the girls narrowly escaped from the tavern through the windows. The Hohenlohe nobles sold the castle in Künzelsau to the Kingdom of Württemberg.In 1873 a teachers seminary was established in the building; today it houses a secondary school, the Schlossgymnasium. The railway reaches Künzelsau, financed by the citizens of the town. Long awaited since 1844, the decision was finally approved once the community agreed to purchase the necessary land themselves. Passengers were carried until 1981 and goods until 1991, when the rail link was finally closed. The world's first motorised post bus started service in Künzelsau.This was a technical pioneering feat, financed by a private company. For a year the Benz bus travelled between Künzelsau and Mergentheim, until technical problems forced the return of the old post coach. However, Carl Benz had gained valuable knowledge from this experience which he used to advantage in the development of the omnibus. Garnberg is officially incorporated into Künzelsau; as religious parishes they had always been united. The population of Künzelsau suffered the loss of 89 townsmen who served during the First World War. They are named on a memorial in the town cemetery. If the losses of the surrounding towns are included, the figure rises to 150 lives. Nagelsberg, the nearby hilly village originally belonging to the Archbishopric of Mainz, was officially incorporated into Künzelsau, since some of the Nagelsberg areas were needed for the industrial expansion planned for Künzelsau. Destruction of the Künzelsau synagogue by SA troops during the Reichspogromnacht.After their first expulsion in 1580/81, Jewish families had resettled in Künzelsau and Nagelsberg in the 18th and 19th centuries and built the synagogue in 1907. This tolerant integration was completely reversed by the national-socialistic dictatorship. Almost 50 of Künzelsau's Jewish men and women died during the NS period, many of them in the concentration camps. Only one Jew survived in Künzelsau as a forced labourer during those twelve terrible criminal years of the "Thousand Year Third Reich" Künzelsau was spared from heavy air attacks during the Second World War. Following negotiations between courageous citizens and the advancing US troops, the town was handed over virtually undamaged in April 1945. Only a few houses had been damaged by artillery fire prior to the negotiations. However, the population suffered considerable personal losses during the war years. The local cemetery records 233 deaths and 64 missing in action; if the outlying villages are included the figures rise to over 300 deaths and over 100 missing in action. A direct result of the war started and lost by Nazi Germany was the arrival and successful integration of many refugees and expelled families from the German regions and in Central and Eastern Europe which had been settled up to 1945: Population of Künzelsau in 1931: 3,150 and in 1951: 5,250. Künzelsau and Germany experienced a remarkably positive economic development following the monetary reform in 1948 and the introduction of the Deutschmark. Künzelsau profited from the success of existing and newly established family companies, many of which have advanced today to become world market leaders in their field.

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