Göppingen (
Swabian: ''Geppenge'' or ''Gebbenga'') is a town in southern
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 ...
, part of the
Stuttgart Region 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 ...
. It is the capital of the
district Göppingen. Göppingen is home to the toy company
Märklin
Gebr. Märklin & Cie. GmbH or Märklin (MÄRKLIN or MAERKLIN in capital letters) is a German toy company. The company was founded in 1859 and is based at Göppingen in Baden-Württemberg. Although it originally specialised in doll house accesso ...
, and it is the birthplace of football player
Jürgen Klinsmann
Jürgen Klinsmann (, born 30 July 1964) is a German professional football manager and former player. Klinsmann played for several prominent clubs in Europe including VfB Stuttgart, Inter Milan, Monaco, Tottenham Hotspur, and Bayern Munich. He ...
. It also hosts the headquarters of
TeamViewer AG
TeamViewer AG is an international technology company headquartered in Göppingen, Germany. The company became known for the TeamViewer remote access and support software of the same name. Today, TeamViewer AG offers its customers a global pl ...
- the main sponsors of
Manchester United.
Geography
Göppingen is situated at the bottom of the
Hohenstaufen mountain, in the valley of the river
Fils
Fils or FILS may refer to:
People
* Anton Fils (1733–1760), German composer
* Arthur Fils (born 2004), French tennis player
* Pascal Fils (born 1984), Canadian football player
Other uses
* Fils (currency), a subdivision of currency used in ...
. The districts of Göppingen are Bartenbach,
Bezgenriet
Bezgenriet (361 m above sea level) is the most southern district of Göppingen in Germany. Schopflenberg, which was created after Second World War by increased influx of refugees and displaced persons, belongs to the ''Stadtteil'' Bezgenriet .
H ...
, Faurndau, Göppingen, Hohenstaufen, Holzheim, Jebenhausen and Maitis.
History
Tradition holds that the city was founded by an
Alemannic leader called Geppo sometime in the 3rd or 4th century. A disastrous fire on August 25, 1782 destroyed most of the town, but it was immediately rebuilt. Industrialisation during the 19th century made the area into a centre of industry. The importance of such industry is still seen in the town in the present day in companies such as
Märklin
Gebr. Märklin & Cie. GmbH or Märklin (MÄRKLIN or MAERKLIN in capital letters) is a German toy company. The company was founded in 1859 and is based at Göppingen in Baden-Württemberg. Although it originally specialised in doll house accesso ...
and
Schuler Schuler, also Schüler, Shuler, and Shuhler, is a surname. The German word ''Schüler'' directly translates to the English word ''scholar'' and can also mean "pupil". Notable people with the surname include:
* Anthony Joseph Schuler, American Roman ...
.
Jewish community
Göppingen and the nearby village of Jebenhausen were home to a thriving Jewish community from 1777 until the Second World War. In 1777, the Baron von Liebenstein issued a "Letter of Protection" granting Elias Gutmann and other Jews permission to settle in Jebenhausen. The community grew and peaked in the mid-1800s, with the population center shifting from Jebenhausen to Göppingen and a substantial emigration of Jewish families to America by the late 19th Century. The Göppingen synagogue, constructed in 1881, was destroyed during the
Kristallnacht
() or the Night of Broken Glass, also called the November pogrom(s) (german: Novemberpogrome, ), was a pogrom against Jews carried out by the Nazi Party's (SA) paramilitary and (SS) paramilitary forces along with some participation fro ...
from 9–10 November 1938. Detailed records of the communities were collected by Rabbi Dr. Aron Tänzer, who served the community from 1907-1937, and who was also a driving force behind the establishment of the secular city library in Göppingen. A comprehensive Jewish community history, ''Die Geschichte der Juden in Jebenhausen und Göppingen'', was first produced by Tänzer in 1927, on the 150th anniversary of the settlement of Jebenhausen, and re-released in 1988 by the city of Göppingen with updated material added by Karl-Heinz Ruess. The Jewish Museum in Jebenhausen, opened in 1992, documents and preserves the history of the Jewish community of Jebenhausen and Göppingen.
Cooke Barracks
In 1930, a civilian air field was built north of Göppingen. This was acquired by the
Luftwaffe
The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...
(German Air Force) in 1935 and expanded into Fliegerhorst Kaserne. From 1945 through 1949,
displaced person
Forced displacement (also forced migration) is an involuntary or coerced movement of a person or people away from their home or home region. The UNHCR defines 'forced displacement' as follows: displaced "as a result of persecution, conflict, g ...
s and refugees were housed in the
kaserne
''Kaserne'' is a loanword taken from the German word ' (plural: '), which means "barracks". It is the typical term used when naming the garrison location for American and Canadian forces stationed in Germany. American forces were also sometimes hou ...
. In 1949, it was renamed Cooke Barracks in honor of Charles H. Cooke, Jr. who had been posthumously awarded the Silver Star and Soldier's Medal for gallantry in action. In late 1950, the
VII Corps (US) 7th Corps, Seventh Corps, or VII Corps may refer to:
* VII Corps (Grande Armée), a corps of the Imperial French army during the Napoleonic Wars
* VII Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Army prior to and during World War I
* VII ...
had been reactivated in
Stuttgart and U.S. Army units began to be stationed at Cooke Barracks. The barracks began to be expanded and was used as the
28th Infantry Division headquarters. The 28th Infantry was redesignated as the
9th Infantry Division (United States)
The 9th Infantry Division ("Old Reliables") is an inactive infantry division of the United States Army. It was created as the 9th Division during World War I, but never deployed overseas. In later years, it would become an important unit of the U ...
in 1954 and was replaced by the
8th Infantry Division in 1956. They were then replaced by the
4th Armored Division in 1957, which was redesignated as the
1st Armored Division in 1971 and moved to Hindenburg Kaserne in
Ansbach
Ansbach (; ; East Franconian: ''Anschba'') is a city in the German state of Bavaria. It is the capital of the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Ansbach is southwest of Nuremberg and north of Munich, on the river Fränkische Rezat, ...
in 1972. The
1st Infantry Division (Forward) moved from
Augsburg
Augsburg (; bar , Augschburg , links=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swabian_German , label=Swabian German, , ) is a city in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany, around west of Bavarian capital Munich. It is a university town and regional seat of the ...
in 1972 until they were deactivated in 1991. Cooke Barracks was returned to the German government in 1992. The barracks were again used to house refugees for some time, then returned to civilian use.
Mayors
* 1819–1824: Viktor David Keller
* 1824–1858: Ludwig Heinrich Widmann
* 1858–1881: Georg Christian Philipp Friedrich Seefried (1814-1881)
* 1881–1908: Gottlob Friedrich Allinger
* 1908–1919: Julius Keck (1869-1924)
* 1919–1933: Otto Hartmann
* 1933–1945: Erich Pack
* 1945–1954: Christian Eberhard (1886-1973)
* 1954–1980: Herbert König
* 1981–1996: Hans Haller
* 1997–2004: Reinhard Frank (born 1955), (
CDU)
* 2005-2021: Guido Till (born 1955), (SPD/independent/CDU)
* since 2021: Alexander Maier (born 1991), (Greens)
Sport
Local sports club
Frisch Auf Göppingen
Turn- und Polizeisportgemeinschaft Frisch Auf Göppingen e.V. is a sports club from Germany, located in Göppingen, Baden-Württemberg. The club's men's handball team plays under the name FRISCH AUF! Göppingen in Handball-Bundesliga. Nine-time c ...
currently in the German first
team handball
Handball (also known as team handball, European handball or Olympic handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of throwing it into the ...
men's top division
Handball-Bundesliga
The Handball-Bundesliga (HBL) is the top German professional handball league. From 2007 onwards, the league was sponsored by Toyota and has officially been called the ''Toyota Handball-Bundesliga''. This lasted until 2012 when the Deutsche Kr ...
.
Media
Göppingen has its own daily newspaper called "
Neue Württembergische Zeitung". The "
Stuttgarter Zeitung
The ''Stuttgarter Zeitung'' ("Stuttgart newspaper") is a German-language daily newspaper (except Sundays) edited in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, with a run of about 200,000 sold copies daily.
History and profile
It was first edited ...
" also has a local editorial office in Göppingen. In addition, Göppingen has its own local TV station, the "
Filstalwelle". It can be received in the local cable network and via the web. Göppingen also has "Radio Fips" which is a radio station operated by a non-profit association.
Twin towns – sister cities
![Rathaus Göppingen](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9f/Rathaus_G%C3%B6ppingen.JPG)
Göppingen is
twinned with:
*
Foggia, Italy (1971)
*
Klosterneuburg
Klosterneuburg (; frequently abbreviated as Kloburg by locals) is a town in Tulln District in the Austrian state of Lower Austria. It has a population of about 27,500. The Klosterneuburg Monastery, which was established in 1114 and soon after gi ...
, Austria (1971)
*
Pessac
Pessac (; ) is a commune in the Gironde department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. It is a member of the metropolis of Bordeaux, being the second-largest suburb of Bordeaux and located just southwest of it. Pessac is also home to ...
, France (2000)
*
Sonneberg
Sonneberg in Thuringia, Germany, is the seat of the Sonneberg district. It is in the Franconian south of Thuringia, neighboring its Upper Franconian twin town Neustadt bei Coburg.
Sonneberg became known as the "world toy city", and is home to ...
, Germany (1990)
Notable people
*
Michael Maestlin
Michael Maestlin (also Mästlin, Möstlin, or Moestlin) (30 September 1550 – 26 October 1631) was a German astronomer and mathematician, known for being the mentor of Johannes Kepler. He was a student of Philipp Apian and was known as the tea ...
(1550–1631), mathematician and astronomer
![F-c-oetinger-by-eger1775](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/27/F-c-oetinger-by-eger1775.jpg)
*
Friedrich Christoph Oetinger
Friedrich Christoph Oetinger (2 May 1702 – 10 February 1782) was a German Lutheran theologian and theosopher.
Biography
Oetinger was born at Göppingen. He studied philosophy and Lutheran theology at Tübingen (1722-1728), and was impressed by ...
(1702–1782), theologian, leading pietist
*
August Ludwig Schott (1751–1787), lawyer and university professor
*
Eduard Fuchs
Eduard Fuchs (31 January 1870, Göppingen – 26 January 1940, Paris) was a German Marxist scholar of culture and history, writer, art collector, and political activist.
Early life
Fuchs's father was a shopkeeper. Early in his life, the you ...
(1870–1940), scholar, writer, political activist
* Hugo Borst (1881–1967), private art collector and patron of the arts
*
Adolf Kurz (1888–1959), wrestler
*
Karl Aberle (1901–1963), publisher and politician (SPD), member of Parliament, co-editor of the ''Neue Württembergische Zeitung''
*
Hans Robert Jauss
Hans Robert Jauss (german: Jauß; 12 December 1921 – 1 March 1997) was a German academic, notable for his work in reception theory (especially his concept of horizon of expectation) and medieval and modern French literature. His approach was d ...
(1921–1997), literary scholar and linguist
*
Peter Häberle (born 1934), constitutional lawyer
*
F. W. Bernstein (born 1938), poet, artist and satirist
*
Frieder Birzele
Frieder Birzele (born 17 January 1940) is a German politician from the Social Democratic Party of Germany. He is married and has two children. He studied jurisprudence in Tübingen and Berlin from 1960 till 1965.He served as member of the Landt ...
(born 1940), politician (SPD), former member of Landtag
* Otto Hauser (born 1952), politician (CDU), Member of the Bundestag, parliamentary secretary and government spokesman
* Brigitte Russ-Scherer (born 1956), jurist, 1999-2007 mayor of Tübingen (SPD)
*
Charles Pelkey (born 1958), journalist, lawyer and Democratic Whip of the Wyoming House of Representatives from 2015 to 2021.
*
Jürgen Klinsmann
Jürgen Klinsmann (, born 30 July 1964) is a German professional football manager and former player. Klinsmann played for several prominent clubs in Europe including VfB Stuttgart, Inter Milan, Monaco, Tottenham Hotspur, and Bayern Munich. He ...
(born 1964), footballer, national coach of German football team (2004-2006)
*
Michael Kraus (born 1983), handball player
*Annica Schuler (born 2005)
References
External links
Official website*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Goppingen
Towns in Baden-Württemberg
Göppingen (district)
Württemberg