Balingen
Town
Zollernschloss in Balingen
Zollernschloss in Balingen
Coat of arms of Balingen
Coat of arms
Location of Balingen within Zollernalbkreis district
Balingen is located in Germany
Balingen
Balingen
Balingen is located in Baden-Württemberg
Balingen
Balingen
Coordinates: 48°16′23″N 08°51′02″E / 48.27306°N 8.85056°E / 48.27306; 8.85056
CountryGermany
StateBaden-Württemberg
Admin. regionTübingen
DistrictZollernalbkreis
Government
 • Mayor (2015–23) Helmut Reitemann[1] (CDU)
Area
 • Total90.34 km2 (34.88 sq mi)
Elevation
517 m (1,696 ft)
Population
 (2021-12-31)[2]
 • Total34,604
 • Density380/km2 (990/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes
72301–72336
Dialling codes07433
Vehicle registrationBL
Websitewww.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.

It 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 it 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.

In 1403 it was sold to the County of Württemberg, whose chancellor maintained a residence there until the 18th 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 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.

The castle was reconstructed in 1935.

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.[3] 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).[4] 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.[5][6][7]

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.[8][9]

Notable people

Johann Tobias Beck

Personalities who have worked locally

Karl Friedrich Reinhard
  • Johann Murer, a.k.a. Karsthans[10] (1490–1525), Lutherean priest, arrested at the Church of Balingen, was a prisoner in the tower of Balingen[11]
  • 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

Using the 0 °C isotherm, Balingen has a humid continental climate (Köppen: Dfb).

Climate data for Balingen, Baden-Württemberg (2005—2015)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 2.0
(35.6)		 2.0
(35.6)		 7.0
(44.6)		 12.0
(53.6)		 16.0
(60.8)		 19.0
(66.2)		 21.0
(69.8)		 20.0
(68.0)		 16.0
(60.8)		 12.0
(53.6)		 7.0
(44.6)		 3.0
(37.4)		 11.4
(52.6)
Daily mean °C (°F) −0.5
(31.1)		 −1.0
(30.2)		 3.0
(37.4)		 8.0
(46.4)		 11.5
(52.7)		 14.5
(58.1)		 16.5
(61.7)		 15.5
(59.9)		 12.0
(53.6)		 8.5
(47.3)		 4.0
(39.2)		 0.5
(32.9)		 7.7
(45.9)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −3.0
(26.6)		 −4.0
(24.8)		 −1.0
(30.2)		 4.0
(39.2)		 7.0
(44.6)		 10.0
(50.0)		 12.0
(53.6)		 11.0
(51.8)		 8.0
(46.4)		 5.0
(41.0)		 1.0
(33.8)		 −2.0
(28.4)		 4.0
(39.2)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 42.8
(1.69)		 41.5
(1.63)		 47.0
(1.85)		 38.3
(1.51)		 78.5
(3.09)		 104.7
(4.12)		 129.7
(5.11)		 112.0
(4.41)		 56.4
(2.22)		 47.2
(1.86)		 42.8
(1.69)		 59.6
(2.35)		 800.5
(31.53)
Source: timeanddate.com[12]

Twin towns – sister cities

Balingen is twinned with:[13]

Natural Sport

  • trail mountainbike Tieringen Albtrauf to Balingen-Weilstetten Lochenpass 4,7 km car road, bike trail 1,9 km downhill.[14][15]

References

  1. ↑ Aktuelle Wahlergebnisse, Staatsanzeiger, accessed 15 September 2021.
  2. ↑ "Bevölkerung nach Nationalität und Geschlecht am 31. Dezember 2021" [Population by nationality and sex as of December 31, 2021] (CSV) (in German). Statistisches Landesamt Baden-Württemberg. June 2022.
  3. ↑ Sulfor
  4. ↑ Sebastiansweiler
  5. ↑ Waahenbai in german
  6. ↑ Symbol in german
  7. ↑ Wiegetechnik in german
  8. ↑ film in swabian german
  9. ↑ Kultur in german
  10. ↑ Karsthans Täbingen, täbingen.de, retrieved 4 March 2018.
  11. ↑ Werner-Ulrich Deetjen (1985), 700 Jahre Stadt Ebingen – Geschichte in Bildern Vorträge zur Geschichte: Das Reich Gottes zu Ebingen – Gedanken zu seiner Geschichte und Eigenart (in German), Albstadt: Druck und Verlagshaus Daniel Balingen
  12. ↑ "Climate & Weather Averages in Balingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany". Retrieved 2020-06-04.
  13. ↑ "Städtepartnerschaft Balingen – Royan". balingen.de (in German). Balingen. Archived from the original on 2021-06-03. Retrieved 2021-02-04.
  14. ↑ Trail
  15. ↑ Outdoor
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Balingen.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.