Metzingen () is a

Swabia Swabia ; german: Schwaben , colloquially ''Schwabenland'' or ''Ländle''; archaic English also Suabia or Svebia is a cultural, historic and linguistic region in southwestern Germany. The name is ultimately derived from the medieval Duchy of ...

n city with about 22,000 inhabitants, in Reutlingen county,

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 ...

, south of

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...

Geography

The following towns and municipalities are on the borders of Metzingen, they are named starting in the north and belong to district

Reutlingen Reutlingen (; Swabian: ''Reitlenga'') is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is the capital of the eponymous district of Reutlingen. As of June 2018, it has a population of 115,818. Reutlingen has a university of applied sciences, which ...

and to district Esslingen: Riederich, Grafenberg, Kohlberg, Neuffen, Dettingen an der Erms, St. Johann, Eningen unter Achalm and Reutlingen.

History

Metzingen was first mentioned in documents from 1075. The cultivation of wine led to a spread of wealth around 1600. From the early 1600s it was under the jurisdiction of Oberamt Urach. 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 ...

, Metzingen suffered considerable destruction, and two thirds of the population died in a

plague Plague or The Plague may refer to: Agriculture, fauna, and medicine *Plague (disease), a disease caused by ''Yersinia pestis'' * An epidemic of infectious disease (medical or agricultural) * A pandemic caused by such a disease * A swarm of pes ...

epidemic soon after. From the 1800s Metzingen was under the joint jurisdictions of Urach and Schwarzwald county; and finally under the jurisdiction of just Schwarzwald county from the abolition of the Oberamt to the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, when it was reassigned to the jurisdiction of

Reutlingen (district) Reutlingen, nicknamed "The Gate to the Swabian Alb" (german: "Das Tor zur Schwäbischen Alb"), is a ''Landkreis'' (district) in the middle of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The former free imperial city (until 1802) reached the limit of 100,000 res ...

. Following

industrialization Industrialisation ( alternatively spelled industrialization) is the period of social and economic change that transforms a human group from an agrarian society into an industrial society. This involves an extensive re-organisation of an econo ...

, different textile factories were built in Metzingen. In 1859, Metzingen was connected to the railline from

Tübingen Tübingen (, , Swabian: ''Dibenga'') is a traditional university city in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated south of the state capital, Stuttgart, and developed on both sides of the Neckar and Ammer rivers. about one in thr ...

Neighbourhoods

Since the municipal reform in 1974 the city of Metzingen includes Neuhausen and Glems. Glems has about 1,000 inhabitants and is located about 5 kilometers from the core city in a side valley of the Erm valley. Until the beginning of 20th century, Glems was predominantly agricultural. As of 2022, Glems still has some full-time farmers who guarantee sustainable landscape management and supply products from regional agriculture. Local shepherds contribute to the preservation of the cultural landscape of the

Albtrauf The term Albtrauf (Alp escarpment) refers to the northwest facing escarpment of the Swabian Alps, situated in Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria. It is the most distinctive stepped slope within the alpine region of the South German Scarplands, leadi ...

, which are difficult to manage areas. Buildings from the 17th century such as the church, the town hall and the wine press have been preserved. Glems has renovated its town centre since 2000 and has an active village bakery and the Glemser Kelter is a listed building, used as a fruit tree museum, cider farm and community building. The pumped storage plant Glems (Tiefenbachtalsperre or Glemstalsperre) was built in 1962 to supply the region with electricity is located about 1.6 km southwest of the city of Metzingen.

Mayors

Politics

The town council has 26 seats, of which the CDU has 7. Since 8 February 2009, Ulrich Fiedler (neutral) is the mayor of Metzingen with 93% of all votes in the second voting.

International relations

Metzingen is twinned with: *

Hexham Hexham ( ) is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Northumberland, England, on the south bank of the River Tyne, formed by the confluence of the North Tyne and the South Tyne at Warden, Northumberland, Warden nearby, and ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

Nagykálló Nagykálló ( yi, קאלעוו, Kaliv) is a small town in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg county, in the Northern Great Plain region of eastern Hungary. Before World War II it belonged to Szabolcs county. Location from county seat Nyíregyháza. Histo ...

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...

Noyon Noyon (; pcd, Noéyon; la, Noviomagus Veromanduorum, Noviomagus of the Veromandui, then ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Oise Departments of France, department, northern France. Geography Noyon lies on the river Oise (river), Oise, a ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

Economy

Hugo Boss Hugo Boss AG, often styled as BOSS, is a luxury fashion house headquartered in Metzingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The company sells clothing, accessories, footwear, and fragrances. Hugo Boss is one of the largest German clothing companies, ...

was founded in Metzingen and still has its headquarters there. It started first with its factory outlet and was soon followed by other companies (e.g.

Burberry Burberry is a British luxury fashion house established in 1856 by Thomas Burberry headquartered in London, England. It currently designs and distributes ready to wear, including trench coats (for which it is most famous), leather accessories, ...

Reebok Reebok International Limited () is an American fitness footwear and clothing manufacturer that is a part of Authentic Brands Group. It was established in England in 1958 as a companion company to J.W. Foster and Sons, a sporting goods company ...

, JOOP!, Strenesse,

Escada Escada SE is a luxury women's designer clothing company headquartered in Munich, Germany. The company is owned by Regent, L.P., an international private equity firm led by investor Michael Reinstein. The company was founded in 1978 by design ...

Bally Bally may refer to: Places *Bally, a historical spelling of Bali *Bally (from the Irish ''baile'') or townland, a traditional division of land, as well as a common prefix in the names of settlements throughout Ireland *Bally, Bally-Jagachha, a c ...

, Puma,

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine give ...

Adidas Adidas AG (; stylized as adidas since 1949) is a German multinational corporation, founded and headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, that designs and manufactures shoes, clothing and accessories. It is the largest sportswear manufactur ...

Tommy Hilfiger Thomas Jacob Hilfiger ( /hɪlˈfɪgər/; born March 24, 1951) is an American fashion designer and the founder of Tommy Hilfiger Corporation. After starting his career by co-founding a chain of jeans/fashion stores called People's Place in upst ...

, etc.) who offer a range of their clothing at reduced prices. There are over 80 so-called "outlet-stores". Metzingen's

factory outlets An outlet store, factory outlet or factory shop is a brick and mortar or online store in which manufacturers sell their stock directly to the public. Traditionally, a factory outlet was a store attached to a factory or warehouse, sometimes allowin ...

called Outletcity attract people from all over the country and Europe.

Notable people

(1885–1948), fashion designer *

Christian Friedrich Schönbein Christian Friedrich Schönbein H FRSE(18 October 1799 – 29 August 1868) was a German-Swiss chemist who is best known for inventing the fuel cell (1838) at the same time as William Robert Grove and his discoveries of guncotton and ozone. Lif ...

(1799–1868), German chemist

References

External links

Metzingen Homepage

Information portal about factory outlet, leisure and gastronomy

Information portal and list of shops in Outletcity Metzingen

Information about Metzingen Factory Outlet Stores

Information and deals about Outletcity Metzingen

Official marketing portal from the Outletcity-Metzingen

Information about Metzingen Factory Outlet Center

Information about Metzingen Outlet Center

Information about Metzingen

Information about Metzingen in German
{{Authority control Reutlingen (district) Württemberg