Albstadt (German pronunciation: [ˈalpʃtat] ) is the largest city in the district of Zollernalbkreis in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located on the Swabian Jura mountains, about halfway between Stuttgart and Lake Constance.

Albstadt
A view of Ebingen.
A view of Ebingen.
Coat of arms of Albstadt
Location of Albstadt within Zollernalbkreis district
Sigmaringen (district)Tuttlingen (district)Rottweil (district)Freudenstadt (district)Tübingen (district)Reutlingen (district)AlbstadtBalingenBisingenBitzBurladingenDautmergenDormettingenDotternhausenGeislingenGrosselfingenHaigerlochHausen am TannHechingenJungingenMeßstettenNusplingenObernheimRangendingenRatshausenRosenfeldSchömbergStraßbergWeilen unter den RinnenWinterlingenZimmern unter der Burg
Albstadt is located in Germany
Albstadt
Albstadt
Albstadt is located in Baden-Württemberg
Albstadt
Albstadt
Coordinates: 48°12′43″N 09°01′26″E / 48.21194°N 9.02389°E / 48.21194; 9.02389
CountryGermany
StateBaden-Württemberg
Admin. regionTübingen
DistrictZollernalbkreis
Government
 • Lord mayor (2023–31) Roland Tralmer[1] (FW)
Area
 • Total134.41 km2 (51.90 sq mi)
Elevation
731 m (2,398 ft)
Population
 (2021-12-31)[2]
 • Total45,737
 • Density340/km2 (880/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes
72421–72461
Dialling codes07431, 07432, 07435
Vehicle registrationBL
Websitewww.albstadt.de

Geography edit

Albstadt is spread across a variety of hills and valleys, its elevation ranges between 614 m (2,014 ft) above sea level and 966 m (3,169 ft). One valley is the river Schmiecha, a left-hand tributary of the Danube, a second valley is the river of upper Eyach, a tributary of the Neckar.

To Albstadt belongs also the Raichberg hill in the north, on which there is the Raichberg Transmitter and an observation tower located. South of Albstadt is the Heuberg Military Training Area.

History edit

Settlement in the region dates back to at least the Iron Age. A Hallstatt cemetery in Albstadt was excavated by amateur archaeologists in the late nineteenth century and revealed a wide range of pottery and metal artefacts. Known as the 'Degerfeld Barrow' cemetery, a substantial collection was built up by the local antiquary Hyronimus Edelmann that was eventually deposited in the British Museum.[3][4]

On November 16, 1911, Albstadt was hit by a Ms 6.1 earthquake, particularly affecting the areas of Tailfingen, Lautlingen and Margrethausen. There was high property damage, but there were no fatalities. Thousands of buildings, including landmarks, were damaged, some of them irreparably. The earthquake also resulted in landslides, which caused additional property damage. It is the second most powerful earthquake recorded in Germany, after the 1756 Düren earthquake.[5][6]

On May 28, 1943, Albstadt was hit by a Ms 5.6 earthquake, again affecting the areas of Tailfingen, Lautlingen and Margrethausen. There was again high property damage on thousands of buildings, but there were no fatalities.[7]

During World War II, a heavy bombing raid was carried out on Albstadt on July 11, 1944, which killed 65 people[8] and another one on February 20, 1945, which killed 19 people.[9] In April 1945, the French moved in, and Albstadt, as part of the newly created state of Württemberg-Hohenzollern, was subsequently part of their occupation zone until 1949.

On September 3, 1978, Albstadt was hit by a Ms 5.7 earthquake (de), which caused high property damage but no fatalities. 6850 buildings were damaged, some of them irreparably. The cost of the damage amounted to 275 million Deutsche Mark, which is the costliest earthquake in Germany to date.[10][11]

Religion edit

The following religions are present in Albstadt:

Economy and Infrastructure edit

Most of the textiles industry (among them Hasana J. Hakenmüller) is gone today, leaving some monuments, like Villa Haux. However, one of the world's biggest makers of industrial needles, Groz-Beckert, is still based in the town. Other prominent local companies include Mey (knitwear), Mettler Toledo (weighing systems) and a major part of Assa Abloy security systems (Eff-Eff Brand). Ebingen also hosts the technical and computer science faculties of Albstadt-Sigmaringen University with about 3,000 students (2014).

Education edit

Albstadt presides over its own modern school system, with elementary through high school provided all within the same city, including Kindergartens and boarding schools for the mentally and physically challenged. Also, the city library offers free internet access to residents.

University edit

The university was founded in 1971 and has two campus locations, Albstadt and Sigmaringen. [17]

Sport School edit

In Baden Württemberg training of a sports team or athlete, called Übungsleiter C, is in Tailfingen,Landessportschule Langenwand.As well a hotel with 120 beds. Coach (sport) [18]

Mining edit

 
Truchtelfingen and Tailfingen

In former times iron ore was produced in Albstadt. Fidel Eppler was the name of the mine-inspector. The buttress wood was bought in Truchtelfingen and used from Lautlinger Knappen at the Hörnle area .[19] From an old 3,5 km mine in a Doggererzflöz in Weilheim is wood in the Tuttlinger Fruchtkasten .[20] Steel was produced in Tuttlingen by the Schwäbische Hüttenwerke in Ludwigstal, today iron brakes.

Sports edit

In the city of Ebingen and Tailfingen, there is a Soccer stadium complex.


The YMCA do Handball, indiaca, Soccer, and natural sports in Halls and the Sportgelände Markenberg YMCA.[21][22]

Districts edit

The districts Ebingen, Laufen, Lautlingen, Pfeffingen und Tailfingen were first mentioned in 793 in a document of the abbey St. Gallen. Ebingen received city rights around 1250 from the Hohenberg ducal family.

Albstadt consists of the following urban districts, which had been independent towns and merged to form Albstadt in 1975:

Coat of Arms                  
District Ebingen Tailfingen (Albstadt) Onstmettingen Truchtelfingen Pfeffingen (Albstadt) Lautlingen (Albstadt) Laufen (Albstadt) Margrethausen Burgfelden
Population (2006) 19,618 12,234 5,384 3,229 2,168 1,998 1,753 1,084 345
Population (2007) 19,339 12,091 5,314 3,223 2,131 1,987 1,753 1,087 338
Population (2008) 19,265 12,072 5,260 3,189 2,147 1,988 1,777 1,069 346
Population (2009) 19,196 11,895 5,194 3,210 2,074 1,942 1,764 1,046 382
Population (2010) 18,718 11,522 5,006 3,101 2,144 1,833 1,709 1,023 364
Population (2011) 18,584 11,500 4,957 3,108 2,048 1,821 1,699 1,025 361
Population (2012) 18,478 11,329 4,900 3,028 1,993 1,771 1,699 0997 314
Population (2014)[23] 18,675 11,208 4,903 3,035 1,982 1,808 1,664 0967 336

Population edit

  • 1975: 50,772
  • 1987: 46,369
  • 1995: 49,463
  • 2005: 46,505
  • 2015: 44,431

Lord Mayors of Albstadt edit

  • 1975–1991: Hans Pfarr (CDU)
  • 1991–1999: Hans-Martin Haller (SPD)
  • 1999–2015: Jürgen Gneveckow (CDU)
  • since 2015: Klaus Konzelmann (Free voters Baden-Württemberg)

Notable people edit

 
Kurt Georg Kiesinger, Oberhausen 1967
  • Walther Groz (1903–2000), producer, mayor of Ebingen
  • Kurt Georg Kiesinger (1904–1988), lawyer and politician (CDU), Prime Minister of Baden-Württemberg (1958–1966) and Chancellor (1966–1969)
  • Gregor Dorfmeister (also known as Manfred Gregor; born 1929), journalist and writer
  • Jürgen Gneveckow (born 1952), mayor of Albstadt in 1999–2015
  • Klaus Konzelmann (born 1963), police official and mayor of Albstadt
  • Monika Herzig (born 1964), jazz musician and musicologist

Personalities who have worked on the ground edit

 
Philipp Matthäus Hahn
  • Philipp Matthäus Hahn (1739–1790), pastor, designer and inventor, lived in Onstmettingen in 1764–1770
  • Ignaz Anton Demeter (1773–1842), 1802–1808 first Parish Councilor in Lautlingen, 1836–1842 Archbishop of Freiburg.
  • Otto Hahn (1879–1968), chemist, nuclear scientist, Nobel laureate. After the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute was bombed out in Berlin in the spring of 1944, he researched from June 1944 to April 1945 in Tailfingen.
  • Berthold Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg (1905–1944), jurist, participant in the assassination attempt on Adolf Hitler; spent parts of his youth in Lautlingen
  • Claus von Stauffenberg (1907–1944), officer, assassin on Adolf Hitler; spent parts of his youth in Lautlingen
  • Martin Schaudt (born 1958), dressage rider

Twin towns – sister cities edit

Albstadt is twinned with:[24]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ [1], Staatsanzeiger, accessed 10 August 2023.
  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. ^ Schwarzwaelder-bote website
  4. ^ British Museum Collection
  5. ^ "Das Albstadt-Erdbeben 1911" (in German). Erdbebennews.de. 2019-11-04.
  6. ^ "Albstadt - Kaum ein Gebäude blieb verschont" (in German). Schwarzwälder Bote. 2011-11-16.
  7. ^ "Historisches Erdbeben (M5.7): 28. Mai 1943 Albstadt" (in German). Erdbebennews.de. 2021-03-15.
  8. ^ "Albstadt - Blick zurück: Im Juli 1944 fielen Bomben auf Ebingen – 65 Menschen kamen ums Leben" (in German). Zollern-Alb-Kurier.de. 2019-07-11.
  9. ^ "Albstadt - Heute vor 75 Jahren fielen die Bomben" (in German). Schwarzwälder Bote. 2020-02-21.
  10. ^ "Das Albstadt-Erdbeben 1978" (in German). Erdbebennews.de. 2019-09-03.
  11. ^ Heino Schütte (2011-03-14). "Alb-Beben 1978: Der nächste Sechser kommt bestimmt" (in German). Stuttgarter Nachrichten.
  12. ^ YMCA Tailfingen
  13. ^ Ortodoxe Osternacht
  14. ^ TOS
  15. ^ Gemeinde Gottes
  16. ^ Adventisten
  17. ^ University
  18. ^ Sport School
  19. ^ Hermann Bitzer, Tailfinger Heimatbuch 1954 (in German), p. 35
  20. ^ Fruchtkasten: Abteilung Ludwigsthal. In: Pressemiteilungen. 21 November 2016.
  21. ^ YMCA
  22. ^ FIT_UP
  23. ^ http://www.albstadt.de/stadt/zahlendatenfakten (in German) Population numbers
  24. ^ "Städtepartnerschaft - Unsere Partnerstadt Chambery". albstadt.de (in German). Albstadt. Retrieved 2021-02-04.

External links edit

  Media related to Albstadt at Wikimedia Commons