Bihlafingen is a village and part of the municipality of

Laupheim Laupheim (; Swabian German, Swabian: ''Laoba'') is a Große Kreisstadt, major district town in southern Germany in the States of Germany, state of Baden-Württemberg. Laupheim was first mentioned in 778 and gained German town law, city rights in ...

, in the state of

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg (; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million inhabitants across a ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

and has a population of 848.

Geography

Bihlafingen is an

exclave An enclave is a territory (or a small territory apart of a larger one) that is entirely surrounded by the territory of one other state or entity. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is sometimes used improperly to deno ...

of the municipality of Laupheim, being surrounded by the municipality of

Achstetten Achstetten () is the northernmost municipality in the district of Biberach, in the region of Upper Swabia in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The villages of Oberholzheim, Bronnen and Stetten were incorporated into the municipality of Achstetten ...

to the west, the municipality of

Burgrieden Burgrieden () is a municipality in the district of Biberach in Baden-Württemberg in Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe a ...

to the south,

Hüttisheim Hüttisheim is a municipality in the district of Alb-Donau in Baden-Württemberg in Germany. The municipality is a member of the local government association Kirchberg Weihungstal headquartered in Illerkirchberg. Geography Hüttisheim lies be ...

to the north, and

Schnürpflingen Schnürpflingen is a municipality in the district of Alb-Donau in Baden-Württemberg in Germany. Mayors *1945-1976: Alfred Jans *1976-1986: Jürgen Guse *1986–2010: Manfred Häberle *2010–current: Michael Knoll (independent) References< ...

to the east. The latter two municipalities are part of the

Alb-Donau-Kreis Alb-Donau-Kreis is a (district) in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is bounded by (from the south and clockwise) the districts of Biberach, Reutlingen, Göppingen and Heidenheim, the two Bavarian districts Günzburg and Neu-Ulm, and the city of ...

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

. Most of the village's built-up area is situated on the slopes of the river Schmiehe which runs through Bihlafingen.

History

Bihlafingen is an

Alamannic The Alemanni or Alamanni, were a confederation of Germanic tribes * * * on the Upper Rhine River. First mentioned by Cassius Dio in the context of the campaign of Caracalla of 213, the Alemanni captured the in 260, and later expanded into pres ...

foundation, named after Pilolf, a leader or founder of an

extended family An extended family is a family that extends beyond the nuclear family of parents and their children to include aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins or other relatives, all living nearby or in the same household. Particular forms include the stem ...

. Bihlafingen was first mentioned in a document in 1129 as ''villa Pilolvingen'' and was mostly property of

Wiblingen Abbey Wiblingen Abbey was a former Benedictine abbey which was later used as barracks. Today its buildings house several departments of the medical faculty of the University of Ulm. The former abbey is located south of the confluence of the river ...

between 1318 and 1704. Up until then some property in Bihlafingen was owned by the Biberach Spital (a hospital foundation) which sold their remaining assets in 1704 to Wiblingen Abbey. In 1635, during the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (80 ...

, the population of Bihlafingen fell victim to the plague. Except for one man, who then moved to neighbouring Hüttisheim, the whole population perished and the village was abandoned until 1649 when the

abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the male head of a monastery in various Western religious traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not the head of a monastery. The fem ...

of Wiblingen Abbey sent new settlers to repopulate the village. The village church is dedicated to St Theodolus. In 1749,

tailor A tailor is a person who makes or alters clothing, particularly in men's clothing. The Oxford English Dictionary dates the term to the thirteenth century. History Although clothing construction goes back to prehistory, there is evidence of ...

Mathias Eberle returned from a pilgrimage to

Steingaden Abbey Steingaden Abbey (German: ''Kloster Steingaden'') was a Premonstratensian monastery in Steingaden in Bavaria, Germany. History Dedicated to John the Baptist, the abbey was founded in 1147 as a Premonstratensian house by Welf VI, third son of H ...

with a

replica A 1:1 replica is an exact copy of an object, made out of the same raw materials, whether a molecule, a work of art, or a commercial product. The term is also used for copies that closely resemble the original, without claiming to be identical. Al ...

of the flagellated Christ. The following year Bihlafingen became a place of

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

and has been ever since. In March 1806, following the

War of the Third Coalition The War of the Third Coalition) * In French historiography, it is known as the Austrian campaign of 1805 (french: Campagne d'Autriche de 1805) or the German campaign of 1805 (french: Campagne d'Allemagne de 1805) was a European conflict spanni ...

and the defeat of the coalition, Bihlafingen, being he property of Wiblingen Abbey, became part of the

Kingdom of Bavaria The Kingdom of Bavaria (german: Königreich Bayern; ; spelled ''Baiern'' until 1825) was a German state that succeeded the former Electorate of Bavaria in 1805 and continued to exist until 1918. With the unification of Germany into the German E ...

, only to be transferred to the

Kingdom of Württemberg The Kingdom of Württemberg (german: Königreich Württemberg ) was a German state that existed from 1805 to 1918, located within the area that is now Baden-Württemberg. The kingdom was a continuation of the Duchy of Württemberg, which exist ...

in September of the same year. In 1972 the village of Bihlafingen was incorporated into the municipality of

Geography

History

See also

References

Further reading