Zirndorf () is a town, which is part of the district of
Fürth
Fürth (; East Franconian: ; yi, פיורדא, Fiurda) is a city in northern Bavaria, Germany, in the administrative division (''Regierungsbezirk'') of Middle Franconia. It is now contiguous with the larger city of Nuremberg, the centres of the t ...
. It is located in northern
Bavaria
Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...
,
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 ...
in the
Regierungsbezirk
A ' () means "governmental district" and is a type of administrative division in Germany. Four of sixteen ' ( states of Germany) are split into '. Beneath these are rural and urban districts.
Saxony has ' (directorate districts) with more res ...
of
Middle Franconia
Middle Franconia (german: Mittelfranken, ) is one of the three administrative regions of Franconia in Bavaria, Germany. It is located in the west of Bavaria and borders the state of Baden-Württemberg. The administrative seat is Ansbach; however, ...
.
Neighbouring municipalities
The following towns and municipalities share borders with Zirndorf; they are listed in clockwise order, starting in the north:
*
Fürth
Fürth (; East Franconian: ; yi, פיורדא, Fiurda) is a city in northern Bavaria, Germany, in the administrative division (''Regierungsbezirk'') of Middle Franconia. It is now contiguous with the larger city of Nuremberg, the centres of the t ...
*
Oberasbach
Oberasbach is a municipality in the district of Fürth, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated 6 km southwest of Fürth, and 10 km west of Nuremberg (centre).
Stadtrat
The local council has 24 members.
The election in 2020 showed the ...
*
Stein
Stein is a German, Yiddish and Norwegian word meaning "stone" and "pip" or "kernel". It stems from the same Germanic root as the English word stone. It may refer to:
Places In Austria
* Stein, a neighbourhood of Krems an der Donau, Lower Austr ...
*
Roßtal
Roßtal is a market town in the district of Fürth, Bavaria, 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 mos ...
*
Ammerndorf
Ammerndorf is a municipality in the district of Fürth in Bavaria in 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 ...
*
Cadolzburg
Cadolzburg (outdated also ''Kadolzburg'', colloquially pronounced "Kalschbuʳch" or "Sporch" ) is a municipality in the Middle Franconian district of Fürth, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated west of Fürth. Its name derives from its central c ...
History
The first mention of the town occurs in a document dated 9 September 1297. The town was virtually destroyed 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 ...
, though the
brewing
Brewing is the production of beer by steeping a starch source (commonly cereal grains, the most popular of which is barley) in water and #Fermenting, fermenting the resulting sweet liquid with Yeast#Beer, yeast. It may be done in a brewery ...
industry established in the late seventeenth century helped in its recovery. In the mid-nineteenth century, the toy industry contributed to the town’s industrial development, and remains important today.
Pinder Barracks
In 1935 the city of Zirndorf applied to the
German Reich
German ''Reich'' (lit. German Realm, German Empire, from german: Deutsches Reich, ) was the constitutional name for the German nation state that existed from 1871 to 1945. The ''Reich'' became understood as deriving its authority and sovereignty ...
Administration to have a
caserne built here. The application was approved, with the condition of
Reichsmarschall
(german: Reichsmarschall des Großdeutschen Reiches; ) was a rank and the highest military office in the ''Wehrmacht'' specially created for Hermann Göring during World War II. It was senior to the rank of , which was previously the highes ...
Hermann Göring
Hermann Wilhelm Göring (or Goering; ; 12 January 1893 – 15 October 1946) was a German politician, military leader and convicted war criminal. He was one of the most powerful figures in the Nazi Party, which ruled Germany from 1933 to 1 ...
, that construction must be in the
Franconia
Franconia (german: Franken, ; Franconian dialect: ''Franggn'' ; bar, Frankn) is a region of Germany, characterised by its culture and Franconian dialect (German: ''Fränkisch'').
The three administrative regions of Lower, Middle and Upper Fr ...
n style. The plans were prepared by the Construction Office of the
German Air Force
The German Air Force (german: Luftwaffe, lit=air weapon or air arm, ) is the aerial warfare branch of the , the armed forces of Germany. The German Air Force (as part of the ''Bundeswehr'') was founded in 1956 during the era of the Cold War a ...
, and work began on the Barracks in the spring of 1938. It was completed in mid-1940. This Spotlight and
Anti-Aircraft
Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based, ...
Barracks as it was then called, was one of the best military training barracks in the
Third Reich
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
.
In 1945, soldiers of the U.S. 26th Infantry Regiment occupied the barracks. On 11 May 1949, this barracks was renamed in honor of
John J. Pinder Jr., an American soldier who fell in a battle near Colleville-sur-Mer,
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 ...
, on 6 June 1944. For his bravery, he was posthumously awarded the
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...
.
In the decades since 1945, many American units were stationed at Pinder Barracks. The 22nd Artillery Battalion of the Fourth Armored Division was based there in the late 1950s. The
1st Armored Division's Divisional Artillery (DIVARTY) called Zirndorf home from 1971 until shortly after the
Gulf War
The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...
in 1991. Shortly thereafter, the
Army and Air Force Exchange Service
The Army & Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES, also referred to as The Exchange and The PX or The BX) is the retailer in U.S. Army and Air Force installations worldwide. The Exchange is headquartered in Dallas, Texas, and its director/chief exe ...
, Europe (AAFES-Europe), headquartered their operations at Pinder Barracks. In the fall of 1993, the
7th Corps Support Group moved its home to Pinder Barracks as well. Within the departure of AAFES-Europe and the 7th Corps Support Group, the chapter of America's presence in Zirndorf came to a close.
Although these barracks were abandoned in the years after 1999, the name Pinder remained by decision of the city administration as the newly formed city district "Pinder Park".
Economy
The
Brandstätter Group
Brandstätter Group (geobra Brandstätter GmbH & Co. KG) is a German company, headquartered in Zirndorf, Bavaria. The group is composed of toy company Playmobil, Playmobil 1.2.3 Ltd, Inmold Ltd, Hob Electronics Ltd, Hob Components Ltd, HOB Inc ...
, producer of the
Playmobil
Playmobil () is a German line of toys produced by the Brandstätter Group (Geobra Brandstätter GmbH & Co KG), headquartered in Zirndorf, Germany. The signature Playmobil toy is a tall (1:24 scale) human figure with a smiling face. A wide ran ...
line of toys, is headquartered in Zirndorf, which also features a
Playmobil Funpark
Playmobil FunPark is the world's second largest Playmobil factory, located in Ħal Far in the extreme south of Malta
Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean ...
.
Metz
Metz ( , , lat, Divodurum Mediomatricorum, then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Metz is the prefecture of the Moselle department and the seat of the parliament of the Grand E ...
has its head office in Zirndorf.
Sport
The towns association football club,
ASV Zirndorf
The ASV Zirndorf is a German association football club from Zirndorf, suburb of the city of Nuremberg, Bavaria. Apart from football the club also offers other sports like table tennis and handball. The club's most successful era was in the 1960s ...
, experienced its greatest success in the 1960s when it spent four seasons in the third division
Bayernliga
The Bayernliga (English: Bavarian league) is the highest amateur football league and the second highest football league (under the Regionalliga Bayern) in the state of Bavaria (german: Bayern) and the Bavarian football league system. It is one o ...
.
Twin towns – sister cities
Zirndorf is
twinned with:
*
Bourganeuf, France
*
Koppl, Austria
*
Wintersdorf (Meuselwitz), Germany
Notable people
* Walter Mayer (1926–2015), physicist, television pioneer; lived and died in Zirndorf
*
Helmut Jahn
Helmut Jahn (January 4, 1940 – May 8, 2021) was a German-American architect, known for projects such as the Sony Center on Potsdamer Platz in Berlin, Germany; the Messeturm in Frankfurt, Germany; the Thompson Center in Chicago; One Liberty ...
(1940–2021), architect
*
Gabriele Pauli
Gabriele Pauli (born 26 June 1957) is a German politician, formerly with the conservative Christian Social Union (CSU) party. She was the District Administrator for the rural district of Fürth from 1990 to 2008.
Career
In 2006 and 2007, Pa ...
(born 1957), politician; attended the primary school in Zirndorf
*
Sylke Otto (born 1969), luger, Olympic champion; lives here, since 2008 member of the Zirndorf town council
Honorary citizen
*
Horst Brandstätter
Horst Brandstätter (June 27, 1933 – June 3, 2015) was the owner of the German company Brandstätter Group. The company was founded by Andreas Brandstätter in 1876. At the age of 19, Horst Brandstätter followed in his father's footsteps by joi ...
(1933–2015), entrepreneur of the brand Playmobil
References
External links
Official Website
{{Authority control
Fürth (district)