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Sigmaringen ( Swabian: ''Semmerenga'') is a town in southern Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg. Situated on the upper Danube, it is the capital of the Sigmaringen district. Sigmaringen is renowned for its castle,
Schloss Sigmaringen Sigmaringen Castle (German: ''Schloss Sigmaringen'') was the princely castle and seat of government for the Princes of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen. Situated in the Swabian ''Alb'' region of Baden-Württemberg, Germany, this castle dominates the s ...
, which was the seat of the principality of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen until 1850 and is still owned by the
Hohenzollern The House of Hohenzollern (, also , german: Haus Hohenzollern, , ro, Casa de Hohenzollern) is a German royal (and from 1871 to 1918, imperial) dynasty whose members were variously princes, electors, kings and emperors of Hohenzollern, Brandenb ...
family.


Geography

Sigmaringen lies in the Danube valley, surrounded by wooded hills south of the
Swabian Alb The Swabian Jura (german: Schwäbische Alb , more rarely ), sometimes also named Swabian Alps in English, is a mountain range in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, extending from southwest to northeast and in width. It is named after the region of ...
and around 40 km north of
Lake Constance Lake Constance (german: Bodensee, ) refers to three Body of water, bodies of water on the Rhine at the northern foot of the Alps: Upper Lake Constance (''Obersee''), Lower Lake Constance (''Untersee''), and a connecting stretch of the Rhine, ca ...
. The surrounding towns are
Winterlingen Winterlingen is a municipality in the Zollernalbkreis district of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. History Winterlingen was first documented around 1264 as a possession of the County of Hohenberg. It was purchased by the County of Württemberg aroun ...
(in the district of Zollernalb) and Veringenstadt in the north, Bingen, Sigmaringendorf, and Scheer in the east, Mengen, Krauchenwies, Inzigkofen, and Meßkirch in the south, and
Leibertingen Leibertingen is a municipality in the district of Sigmaringen in Baden-Württemberg in Germany. Geography Geographical location Leibertingen is located 600 to 850 meters above sea level directly over the Danube valley in the Heuberg regio ...
,
Beuron Beuron (Swabian: ''Beira'') is a municipality in the district of Sigmaringen in Baden-Württemberg in Germany. Beuron is known for the Beuron Archabbey and the Beuron Art School for religious art. Geography Beuron is divided into subdistricts ( ...
, and
Stetten am kalten Markt Stetten am kalten Markt (Stetten a.k.M.) is a municipality in the Sigmaringen district of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Towns The towns of Nusplingen, Frohnstetten, Storzingen and Glashütte are part of Stetten am kalten Markt. History The area ...
in the west. The town is made up of the following districts: Sigmaringen town center, Gutenstein,
Jungnau Jungnau is a village in the district of Sigmaringen in Baden-Württemberg in Germany. It is part of the City Sigmaringen Sigmaringen ( Swabian: ''Semmerenga'') is a town in southern Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg. Situated on the ...
,
Laiz Laiz is a commune in the Ain department in eastern France. Population Gallery File:Eglise et croix Laiz.JPG See also *Communes of the Ain department The following is a list of the 393 communes of the Ain department of France. The ...
, Oberschmeien, and Unterschmeien.


History

Sigmaringen was first documented in 1077 and was part of the principality of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen until 1850, after which it became the Prussian Province of Hohenzollern.


Prehistory and early history

The history of settlement in the territory of the present town of Sigmaringen dates back to the
Paleolithic The Paleolithic or Palaeolithic (), also called the Old Stone Age (from Greek: παλαιός ''palaios'', "old" and λίθος ''lithos'', "stone"), is a period in human prehistory that is distinguished by the original development of stone too ...
.


Middle Ages

In the 11th century, the end of the Early Middle Ages, the first castle was built on the rock that protected the valley. The first written reference dates from 1077, when King Rudolf of Rheinfelden tried in vain to conquer Sigmaringen Castle. The city was officially founded in 1250. In 1325, it was sold to
Ulrich III, Count of Württemberg Ulrich III (after 1286 – 11 July 1344) Count of Württemberg from 1325 until 1344. Career Ulrich was already strongly involved in politics during the reign of his father Eberhard I. In 1319 he handled a treaty with King Frederick I, the ...
. In 1460 and 1500, the castle was rebuilt into a chateau. About the county of Werdenberg Sigmaringen came in 1535 to the high noble family of the
Hohenzollern The House of Hohenzollern (, also , german: Haus Hohenzollern, , ro, Casa de Hohenzollern) is a German royal (and from 1871 to 1918, imperial) dynasty whose members were variously princes, electors, kings and emperors of Hohenzollern, Brandenb ...
.


Modern times

In 1632, the
Swedes Swedes ( sv, svenskar) are a North Germanic ethnic group native to the Nordic region, primarily their nation state of Sweden, who share a common ancestry, culture, history and language. They mostly inhabit Sweden and the other Nordic countr ...
occupied the castle during the Thirty Years' War. From 1806 to 1849, Sigmaringen was the
capital Capital may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** List of national capital cities * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences * Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used f ...
of the sovereign
Principality A principality (or sometimes princedom) can either be a monarchical feudatory or a sovereign state, ruled or reigned over by a regnant-monarch with the title of prince and/or princess, or by a monarch with another title considered to fall under ...
Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen and residence of the princes of Hohenzollern. As a result of the Sigmaringen Revolution of 1848, the Princes of Hechingen and Sigmaringen abdicated, whereby both principalities fell to Prussia in 1850. From 1850 to 1945, Sigmaringen was the seat of the Prussian Government for the Province of Hohenzollern. Karl Anton von Hohenzollern was 1858-1862 Prime Minister of Prussia. From 1914 to 1918, around 150 men from the town lost their lives during World War I. In the Nazi era, a Gestapo office was located in Sigmaringen. From 1937, it belonged to
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 ...
's Gestapo. Between 1934 and 1942, more than 100 men were sterilized because of "hereditary diseases". On 12 December 1940, during the Nazi medical experiments known as the " T4", 71 mentally disabled and mentally ill patients became the victims of Nazi injustice. These men and women were deported to the Grafeneck Euthanasia Centre, where they were killed as "unworthy of life". After the closure of Grafeneck in December 1940, a further deportation to the Hadamar Euthanasia Centre occurred on 14 March 1941.


Vichy French enclave (1944–1945)

On 7 September 1944, following the
Allied An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...
invasion of France, Philippe Pétain and members of the Vichy government cabinet were relocated to Germany. A city-state ruled by the government in exile headed by Fernand de Brinon was established at Sigmaringen. There were three embassies in the city-state, representing each of Vichy-France's allies: Germany, Italy, and
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
. French writers Louis-Ferdinand Céline,
Lucien Rebatet Lucien Rebatet (15 November 1903 – 24 August 1972) was a French writer, journalist, and intellectual. He is known as an exponent of fascism and virulent antisemite but also as the author of '' Les Deux étendards'', regarded by some as one of ...
and
Roland Gaucher Roland Gaucher (13 April 1919 – 27 July 2007) was the pseudonym of Roland Goguillot, a French far-right journalist and politician. One of the main thinkers of the French far-right, he had participated in Marcel Déat's fascist party Rassemblemen ...
, fearing for their lives because of their political and anti-Semitic writings, fled along with the Vichy government to Sigmaringen. Céline's novel ''D'un château l'autre'' (English: ''
Castle to Castle ''Castle to Castle'' is the English title of the 1957 novel by Louis-Ferdinand Céline, titled in French ''D'un château l'autre''. The book features Céline's experiences in exile with the Vichy French government at Sigmaringen, Germany, towards ...
'') describes the fall of Sigmaringen. The city was taken by Free French forces on 22 April 1945. Pétain returned to France, where he stood trial for treason.


Religions

The following religions are present in Sigmaringen: * Catholic Church * Evangelische Landeskirche in Württemberg * Evangelische Militärkirchengemeinde * Pentecostalism *
Jehovah's Witnesses Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The group reports a worldwide membership of approximately 8.7 million adherents involved in ...
*
New Apostolic Church The New Apostolic Church (NAC) is a Christian denomination, Christian church that split from the Catholic Apostolic Church during an 1863 schism in Hamburg, Germany. The church has existed since 1863 in Germany and since 1897 in the Ne ...


Transportation infrastructure

Three railways meet in Sigmaringen, the Ulm–Sigmaringen railway leading to Ulm, the
Tübingen–Sigmaringen railway The Tübingen Hbf–Sigmaringen railway (also known in German as the Zollernalbbahn—Zollernalb Railway) is a main line railway in the German State of Baden-Württemberg. It runs from Tübingen to Sigmaringen. It is consistently single track and ...
from Tübingen to Aulendorf and connecting to the Tuttlingen–Inzigkofen railway to
Tuttlingen Tuttlingen (Alemannic: ''Duttlinga'') is a town in Baden-Württemberg, capital of the district Tuttlingen. Nendingen, ''Möhringen'' and ''Eßlingen'' are three former municipalities that belong to Tuttlingen. Tuttlingen is located in Swabia eas ...
, and the Engstingen–Sigmaringen railway operated by the Hohenzollerische Landesbahn. Sigmaringen lies in the serving area of Verkehrsverbund Neckar-Alb-Donau (NALDO).


Notable residents

Sigmaringen was the birthplace of
Saint Fidelis of Sigmaringen Fidelis of Sigmaringen, O.F.M. Cap. (1577 - 1622) was a Capuchin friar who was involved in the Catholic Counter-Reformation, and was martyred by his opponents at Seewis im Prättigau, now part of Switzerland. Fidelis was canonized in 1746. Ea ...
, a Roman Catholic martyr of the
Counter-Reformation The Counter-Reformation (), also called the Catholic Reformation () or the Catholic Revival, was the period of Catholic resurgence that was initiated in response to the Protestant Reformation. It began with the Council of Trent (1545–1563) a ...
in Switzerland, and Ferdinand of Romania, King of Romania. It was one of the residences of deceased Prince Friedrich Wilhelm of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, the late representative of the house, who was the first in the line of succession to the throne of Romania, by Salic law. Frederick Miller, founder of the Miller Brewing Company, was living in Sigmaringen during the start of his brewing career.


People who worked locally

* Louis-Ferdinand Céline (1894–1961), pro-Nazi and antisemitic French writer, fled in 1944 to Sigmaringen, along with several members of the Vichy government. *
Lucien Rebatet Lucien Rebatet (15 November 1903 – 24 August 1972) was a French writer, journalist, and intellectual. He is known as an exponent of fascism and virulent antisemite but also as the author of '' Les Deux étendards'', regarded by some as one of ...
(1903–1972), pro-Nazi and antisemitic French writer, fled in 1944 to Sigmaringen, along with several members of the Vichy government. * Winfried Kretschmann (born 1948), politician, Minister-President of Baden-Württemberg (The Greens), lives in the district of Laiz.


Notable people

* Rosina Gräf genannt Nellin (born in Sigmaringen, died 1577) not guilty in fire as witch * Richard Lauchert (1825–1868), painter and professor *
Theodor Bilharz Theodor Maximilian Bilharz (23 March 1825 – 9 May 1862) was a German physician who made pioneering discoveries in the field of parasitology. His contributions led to the foundation of tropical medicine. He is best remembered as the discoverer ...
(1825–1862), physician and scientist * Carol I of Romania (1839-1914), King of Romania * Ferdinand I of Romania (1865-1927), King of Romania * Max Giese (1879–1935), contractor, inventor of the concrete pump *
Josef Henselmann Josef Henselmann (16 August 1898 in Sigmaringen – 19 January 1987) was a German sculptor and professor. Henselmann was born in Sigmaringen, Province of Hohenzollern. After studying at the Gymnasium he completed an apprenticeship to be a woo ...
(1898–1987), sculptor and longtime head of the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich *
Franz Gog Franz may refer to: People * Franz (given name) * Franz (surname) Places * Franz (crater), a lunar crater * Franz, Ontario, a railway junction and unorganized town in Canada * Franz Lake, in the state of Washington, United States – see Fran ...
(1907–1980), a member of the state parliament in Württemberg-Hohenzollern and later Baden-Württemberg, was a judge in Sigmaringen * Johann Georg of Hohenzollern (1932–2016), art historian and museum director * Hermann Schwörer (1922-2017), lawyer, entrepreneur and politician (CDU), was a recipient of the Medal of Merit of the State of Baden-Württemberg as of 1998 * Karl Lehmann (1936-2018), Cardinal and Bishop of Mainz, from 1987 to 2008 chairman of the German Bishops' Conference *
Lothar Späth Lothar Späth (16 November 1937 – 18 March 2016) was a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union (Germany), CDU. Life Späth was born in Sigmaringen. From 30 August 1978 to 13 January 1991 Späth was the 5th Minister President of ...
(1937–2016), politician (CDU), former Prime Minister of Baden-Württemberg *
Dietmar Schlee Dietmar is a German forename. *Dietmar I (archbishop of Salzburg), ruled 874 to 907 *Dietmar von Aist, Minnesinger from a baronial family of Upper Austria, documented between 1140 and 1171 *Dietmar Bär (born 1961), German actor *Dietmar Bartsch ...
(1938-2002), politician (CDU), holder of the Medal of Merit of the State of Baden-Württemberg since 1989 *
Norbert Lins Norbert Lins (born 22 December 1977 in Ravensburg) is a German politician who has been a Member of the European Parliament since 2014. Since 2019, he is chairman of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development.European Parliament (July 26, ...
(born 1977), politician (CDU), Member of the European Parliament, looks after the administrative district of Tübingen * Pascal Wehrlein (born 1994), Formula 1 racing driver


Bibliography

*


References


External links


Official website

Sigmaringen castle
{{Authority control Populated places on the Danube Towns in Baden-Württemberg Vichy France Sigmaringen (district)