Balingen

Balingen
Town
Zollernschloss in Balingen
Coat of arms
Location of Balingen within Zollernalbkreis district
Balingen Balingen
Coordinates: 48°16′23″N 08°51′02″E
Country	Germany
State	Baden-Württemberg
Admin. region	Tübingen
District	Zollernalbkreis
Government
• Mayor (2023–31)	Dirk Abel (CDU)
Area
• Total	90.34 km2 (34.88 sq mi)
Elevation	517 m (1,696 ft)
Population  (2022-12-31)
• Total	34,945
• Density	390/km2 (1,000/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes	72301–72336
Dialling codes	07433
Vehicle registration	BL
Website	www.balingen.de

Balingen with Industrial Area Gehrn in the foreground

Balingen (German pronunciation: [ˈbaːlɪŋən] ^ⓘ; Swabian: Balenga) is a town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, capital of the district of Zollernalbkreis. It is located near the Swabian Jura, approx. 35 km to the south of Tübingen, 35 km northeast of Villingen-Schwenningen, and 70 km south southwest of Stuttgart.

Balingen is the second largest town in the Zollernalb district after Albstadt. It is a medium-sized center for the surrounding municipalities and was named a large district town in 1974. The town of Balingen has undergone dynamic development since 1945.

Balingen is home to the Bizerba and Ideal companies.

History

Balingen is first mentioned in 863. Initially a possession of the lords of Haigerloch, in 1162 Balingen was acquired by the count of Hohenberg. In the 13th century it received the title of city from Friedrich der Erlauchte, it was largely rebuilt on the left bank of the river Eyach.

The earliest signs of settlement in what is now the town area are the Alemannic terraced graves. However, Balingen did not initially serve as the town's center; according to historical records, it was established in 1255 by Count Friedrich von Zollern. The town was fortified before 1377.

In 1403 it was sold to the County of Württemberg, whose chancellor maintained a residence there until the 18th century. When the entire territory was sold to Württemberg, it led to the establishment of the administrative district known as “Amt Balingen.” A legal officer took up residence in the official town, specifically in the castle built in 1372, and remained there until the mid-18th century. In 1973, Balingen became the seat of the newly formed district of Zollernalb, not least as a continuation of the old official town tradition.

Zollernschloss Balingen: The foundation walls of Zollern Castle in Balingen date back to the 13th century. Initially, it was a typical late medieval town castle designed for residential use. In 1403, the castle and the entire Schalksburg estate were acquired by Württemberg, where it was used as the official residence of the head bailiff. Following the Thirty Years' War, the castle was left in a state of disrepair, and it was not until spring 1651 that the new head bailiff, Count von Kandel, could take up residence after necessary renovations were completed. In 1403, the castle and the entire Schalksburg estate came to Württemberg and was used as the seat of the head bailiff.

Balingen has faced a challenging history marked by different devastating fires. As early as 1286, chroniclers tell that the town, which was only three decades old at the time, was engulfed in flames during a feud between the Zollern and Hohenberg families. Subsequent fires in 1546, 1607, 1672, 1724, and 1809 added to the town's sufferings, with the last blaze leaving only 55 out of 445 buildings standing. The fire in 1809 was particularly devastating, as it wiped out nearly the entire town. The efforts to rebuild after these disasters gave rise to the classicist character of the city.

The existence of a hospital in the 15th century was a clear reflection of the community spirit in the town. The Balingen Hospital was established in 1489 by a civic foundation to care for the poor and the elderly. Initially located just behind the town church, it later moved to the upper suburbs. This social institution served the community until the 20th century.

Balingen became part of the unified Germany in 1870.

During the Second World War (1939-1945) Balingen was the site of a sub-camp of the German death camp of Natzweiler-Struthof in the occupied French region of Alsace. After the war this camp became a French internment camp for former Nazi war criminals, the Camp d’internement de Wurtemberg.

Main sights

The town features the Zollern Castle, which is nestled alongside the historic tanners' district, often referred to as "Little Venice." The castle was reconstructed in 1935.

The city was destroyed by a fire in 1809, from which only the Protestant church, the castle and a few other edifices escaped. The Protestant church's construction finished in 1541; it has a characteristic sundial in the apse.

Sulfor spring

In Balingen there is the enclosed, publicly accessible sulfur spring, whose water is said to have healing powers and support the immune system. As with the medicinal springs in Bad Sebastiansweiler, the spring is made up of dissolved, sulfur-containing sodium hydrogen carbonate (Na-HCO3) from the rock (Black Jura). When the rock containing pyrites (pyrite) is weathered, the oxidation of the pyrite with subsequent bacterial reduction of the sulfate ion produces hydrogen sulfide (H2S). It gives the mineral water the smell of rotten eggs. It contains dissolved substances and hydrogen sulfide. Visitors who regularly drink from it should note that the daily intake of hydrogen sulfide does not exceed the limit of 100 mg.

Nickname

World Capital

Balingen is nicknamed "Waagenstadt", the metropolis of scales. The father Philipp Matthäus Hahn behind the original idea.

Frommern is nicknamed "Möbelstadt", the metropolis of furniture in the time of Wirtschaftswunder. In Frommern a line of high polished industrial production ( fine veneered wood) take up the ideas of the royal Hofebenist. In the Haus der Volkskunstof the Schwäbischer Albverein the traditional Himmelbett is use as a hotel bed.

Notable people

• Gregor Reisch (1470–1525), university teacher and monk, representative of the philosophical school of the late scholastic realists
• Joseph Weiß (c. 1487–1565), also Joseph White painter of Balingen and possibly the Master of Meßkirch , painter of the Renaissance
• Marx Weiß (c. 1518–1580), the Younger, also Marx White from Balingen , painter of Late Gothic

Johann Tobias Beck

• Johann Tobias Beck (1804–1878), Protestant theologian
• Heinrich Lang (1826–1876), theologian
• Martin Haug (1827–1876), orientalist
• Robert Wahl (1882–1955), entrepreneur and local politicians
• Heinrich Haasis (born 1945), mayor, Member of Parliament, President of the German Savings Bank Association (2006–2012)
• Joachim Schmid (born 1955), painter
• Martin Schaudt (born 1958), dressage rider
• Michael Hennrich (born 1965), politician (CDU), Member of Parliament
• Christoph Sieber (born 1970), comedian
• Kathrin Lang (born 1986), biathlete
• Frank Lehmann (born 1989), soccer goalkeeper
• Pascal Bodmer (born 1991), ski jumper
• Florian Kath (born 1994), football player

Personalities who have worked locally

Karl Friedrich Reinhard

• Johann Murer, a.k.a. Karsthans (1490–1525), Lutherean priest, arrested at the Church of Balingen, was a prisoner in the tower of Balingen
• Karl Friedrich Reinhard (1761–1837), French diplomat, statesman and writer of German origin, grew partly up in Balingen
• Andreas Bizer (1839–1914), mechanic and industrialist, co-founder of Bizerba

Geography

Climate

Balingen has an oceanic climate (Köppen: Cfb).

Climate data for Balingen (Bronnhaupten 48°16′N 08°49′E) normals for 1991-2020
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Daily mean °C (°F)	0.2 (32.4)	0.7 (33.3)	4.2 (39.6)	8.2 (46.8)	12.3 (54.1)	15.8 (60.4)	17.7 (63.9)	17.4 (63.3)	13.1 (55.6)	8.9 (48.0)	4.1 (39.4)	1.1 (34.0)	8.6 (47.6)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	51 (2.0)	48 (1.9)	54 (2.1)	58 (2.3)	96 (3.8)	89 (3.5)	101 (4.0)	82 (3.2)	60 (2.4)	67 (2.6)	60 (2.4)	62 (2.4)	828 (32.6)
Mean monthly sunshine hours	69	91	141	176	200	220	237	222	168	119	73	61	1,777
Source: Deutscher Wetterdienst

Twin towns – sister cities

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany

Balingen is twinned with:

• Royan, France

Natural Sport

• trail mountainbike Tieringen Albtrauf to Balingen-Weilstetten Lochenpass 4,7 km car road, bike trail 1,9 km downhill.

External links

• Official website (in German)