Böblingen (; ) is a town in
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg ( ; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a states of Germany, 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 i ...
,
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
, seat of
Böblingen District.
Sindelfingen and Böblingen are
contiguous
Contiguity or contiguous may refer to:
*Contiguous data storage, in computer science
*Contiguity (probability theory)
*Contiguity (psychology)
*Contiguous distribution of species, in biogeography
*Geographic contiguity
Geographic contiguity is t ...
.
History
Böblingen was founded by
Count Wilhelm von Tübingen-Böblingen in 1253.
Württemberg
Württemberg ( ; ) is a historical German territory roughly corresponding to the cultural and linguistic region of Swabia. The main town of the region is Stuttgart.
Together with Baden and Province of Hohenzollern, Hohenzollern, two other histo ...
acquired the town in 1357, and on 12 May 1525 one of the bloodiest battles of the
German Peasants' War
The German Peasants' War, Great Peasants' War or Great Peasants' Revolt () was a widespread popular revolt in some German-speaking areas in Central Europe from 1524 to 1525. It was Europe's largest and most widespread popular uprising befor ...
took place in Böblingen.
Jörg Truchsess von Waldburg attacked a force of 15,000 armed peasants; 3,000 were killed. By the end of the
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...
in 1648, the population of Böblingen had been reduced to 600.
After the establishment of the
Kingdom of Württemberg
The Kingdom of Württemberg ( ) was a German state that existed from 1806 to 1918, located within the area that is now Baden-Württemberg. The kingdom was a continuation of the Electorate of Württemberg, which existed from 1803 to 1806.
Geogr ...
, Böblingen became the seat of an ''Oberamt'' (administrative unit) in 1818. The town was connected to the railroad network in 1879, allowing
industrialization
Industrialisation (British English, UK) American and British English spelling differences, or industrialization (American English, US) is the period of social and economic change that transforms a human group from an agrarian society into an i ...
to take place. In the context of administrative reform in 1938, Böblingen ''Oberamt'' became Böblingen ''Landkreis'' (district).
During World War I, an airbase was established. It went into service on 16 August 1915. It had a significant impact on the further development of the city. In 1925 the airbase became the Landesflughafen (
state
State most commonly refers to:
* State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory
**Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country
**Nation state, a ...
airport) of
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg ( ; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a states of Germany, 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 i ...
called
Böblingen Airport. The aircraft pioneer
Hanns Klemm (1885–1961) established his company "Klemm Leichtflugzeugbau GmbH" ("Klemm Light Aircraft Company") next to it. Until the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
it was the major employer in Böblingen.
During World War II, the town had a Luftwaffe airbase and military barracks. On 1 September 1939 (the day the war began) the airbase was the home station for the I/JG 52 (1st Group of the Jagdgeschwader 52) flying the Bf 109 E-1 fighter aircraft.
On the night of 7 October 1943 during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, Allied air forces dropped 408 incendiary bombs and 35 high explosive bombs, killing 20 men, 12 women, 12 children and wounding 200 people. 1,735 people lost their homes and 70 percent of the old town was destroyed. In July 1944, another attack followed, killing 36 more civilians.
In 1945 the district town of Böblingen fell into the American zone of occupation and belonged to the newly founded state of Württemberg-Baden, which merged in 1952 in the present state of Baden-Württemberg.
After the currency reform of 20 June 1948, a dynamic reconstruction began. The population tripled in just two decades (1950: 12,600; 1970: 37,500). With the settlement of future-oriented companies such as IBM (1949) and Hewlett-Packard (1959) as well as medium-sized companies, which have also settled on the Hulb since the 1970s, strong economic growth began in parallel with the increase in population.
In 1962, Böblingen was designated a ''
Große Kreisstadt
''Große Kreisstadt'' (, "major district town") is a term in the municipal law (''Gemeindeordnung'') of several States of Germany, German states. In some federal states the term is used as a special legal status for a Districts of Germany, distric ...
'' (major district town). Its current boundaries were established in 1971 when it was merged with the municipality of
Dagersheim.
Population history
Climate
The climate of Böblingen is classified as
temperate oceanic(''Cfb'') in
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
, which transitions to
humid continental climate
A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...
(''Dfb'').
Transport
Böblingen is easily reached by multiple forms of transport.
;Air
Böblingen is about 20 minutes away from
Stuttgart Airport via S-Bahn.
;Automobile
The interchange between the federal freeways (''
Autobahn
The (; German , ) is the federal controlled-access highway system in Germany. The official term is (abbreviated ''BAB''), which translates as 'federal motorway'. The literal meaning of the word is 'Federal Auto(mobile) Track'.
Much of t ...
'')
A 8 and
A 81 lies northeast from Böblingen. A 81 leads past the north of the city. The exits are Böblingen ''Ost'' (East), Böblingen/Sindelfingen, Böblingen Hulb and Ehningen.
Federal highways B 464 (
Renningen -
Reutlingen
Reutlingen (; ) is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is the capital of the eponymous Reutlingen (district), district of Reutlingen. As of June 2018, it had an estimated population of 116,456. Reutlingen has a Reutlingen University, univ ...
) and
B 14 run by the city.
;Rail
Böblingen station is situated on the
Stuttgart–Horb railway (''
Gäubahn'') from
Stuttgart
Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...
to
Singen
Singen (; Low Alemannic German, Low Alemannic: ''Singe'') is an industrial city in the very south of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany and just north of the German-Swiss border.
Location
Singen is an industrial city situated in the far sout ...
. Regional trains serve the city every hour.
;Local bus and rail
Local public transport within Böblingen operates under the uniform prices and coordination of the ''
Verkehrs- und Tarifverbund Stuttgart
The ''Verkehrs- und Tarifverbund Stuttgart GmbH'' (VVS; ) is a List of German transport associations, transport association that coordinates the local public transport in Stuttgart, the capital of Baden-Württemberg, as well as in the neighbouri ...
'' ("Stuttgart Transit and Fare Association" or VVS). The S1 (
Kirchheim unter Teck
Kirchheim unter Teck (, ; Swabian German, Swabian: ''Kircha'') is a town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, in the Esslingen (district), district of Esslingen. It is located on the small river Lauter (Neckar), Lauter, a tributary of the Neckar. It i ...
–
Stuttgart
Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...
–
Herrenberg
Herrenberg (; Swabian German, Swabian: ''Härrabärg'' or ''Haerebärg'') is a town in the middle of Baden-Württemberg, Germany, about 30 km
south of Stuttgart and 20 km from Tübingen. After Sindelfingen, Böblingen, and Leonberg, it ...
) ''S-Bahn'' (suburban rail) line connects Böblingen with Stuttgart and its
''S-Bahn'' network. The travel time to Stuttgart is about 25 minutes.
In 1996, the
Schönbuchbahn line to
Dettenhausen was re-activated. In 2004 the reactivation of the
Rankbachbahn line to
Renningen began and since 2010 it has been served by line S60 of the S-Bahn.
In addition to the main rail station, the following stations also serve the city: on S-Bahn line S1: Goldberg and Hulb; on the Schönbuchbahn line: Danziger Street, Böblingen ''Süd'' (South), Heusteig Street and Zimmerschlag. Numerous bus routes operate in the city, and are also under the VVS.
U.S. military
Panzer Kaserne (translated as Tank Barracks) is a US base where headquarters are located for
Marine Corps Forces, Europe (MARFOREUR), 'Marine Corps Forces, Africa (MARFORAF) and the 1st Battalion of the US Army's
10th Special Forces Group. This former German military installation was the home of the US Army's 7th Army Support Command (7th Army SUPCOM) until mid-1969 and its
VII Corps successor VII Corps COSCOM (Corps Support Command). Later, units of the 3rd Brigade of the
1st Infantry Division (Forward) were stationed here as part of
VII Corps.
In 1979, several US Army units created a tented barracks area outside the city as part of REFORGER exercises.
Education
Education in Germany
Education in Germany is primarily the responsibility of individual German States of Germany, states (), with the federal government only playing a minor role.
While kindergarten (nursery school) is optional, formal education is compulsory for a ...
has two lower levels of school, ''Kindergarten'' and elementary school (''Grundschule'' - grades 1–4), and three upper levels of school, ''Werkrealschule'' (grades 5–9/10), ''Realschule'' (5–10) and ''Gymnasium'' (5–12/13). Parents decide, at the end of the fourth grade, which level of school the child should attend based on academic performance and aptitude.
In Boeblingen there are:
*Two ''Werkrealschulen'': Eichendorff (combined with primary school) and Theodor Heuss;
*Two ''Realschulen'', Albert-Schweitzer and Friedrich-Schiller;
*Four ''Gymnasiums'', Albert-Einstein, Lise-Meitner, Max-Planck and Otto-Hahn;
*Two special-needs schools (Pestalozzischule);
*Several vocational schools including: The Boeblingen Data Processing Academy, Boeblingen Commercial School, the Biotechnological High School and the Food Sciences High School;
*Eight primary schools: Eichendorff, Eduard-Moerike, Erich-Kaestner, Friedrich-Silcher, Justinus-Kerner, Ludwig-Uhland, Wilhelm-Hauff and Grundschule Dagersheim;
*Other schools include: (loosely translated) The Private Old Person Care School of the Workers' Welfare Institution Nordwuerttemberg, The Free Evangelist School of Boeblingen, The Free Rudolf Steiner/Waldorf School of Boeblingen/Sindelfingen, and the Private Technical High School in the Education Center of Boeblingen of the International Federation;
*There is an American grade school, called Stuttgart Elementary School (on the American Army base of Panzer Kaserne).
*There is an American high school, called Stuttgart High School (next to the Elementary, on the American Army base of Panzer Kaserne).
Museums
* Peasants War Museum
Bauernkriegsmuseum, dedicated to the 1525 Battle of Boeblingen and the fight for freedom by German Peasants; includes today the Boeblingen urban gallery and the farmer war museum (with tin figure diorama and many text boards).
* German Butcher Museum, in a half timbered house (painted walls on the inside).
* Städtische Galerie Böblingen – Art museum
Buildings
* The Protestant parish church at the market place is the landmark of the city. The church was destroyed in the Second World War and rebuilt again after the war.
* Water Tower Böblingen-Waldburg
* Disused
Böblingen Airport: the first commercial airport in the Stuttgart area
* Orplid - a high-rise apartment building built by
Hans Scharoun
Bernhard Hans Henry Scharoun (; 20 September 1893 – 25 November 1972) was a German architect best known for designing the (home to the Berlin Philharmonic) and the Schminke House in Löbau, Saxony. He was an important exponent of Organic arc ...
, proponent of
Organic architecture
Events
* Several fairs around the marketplace/Schlossplatz and the lakes (e.g. Town fair "Böblinger Jahrmarkt" in July, wine festival in September and Christmas Market in December).
* Since 1996: every year "Böblinger Sommer am See" (lit. Summer at the lake) from June to September. There are over 60 events (''e.g.'' concerts, flea market) taking place around the two lakes in Böblingen.
* At regular intervals concerts and other events took place at the former Sporthalle (Civic Center, closed in 2007 and demolished since then) and at the Kongresshalle (Congregational hall; a place where numerous town events happen), like the
Wetten, dass..? show, and concerts by international pop and rock stars.
Business
The Böblingen–
Sindelfingen area is the location of several large enterprises:
*
Advantest (Semiconductor Test)
*
Agilent Technologies
Agilent Technologies, Inc. is an American global company headquartered in Santa Clara, California, that provides instruments, software, services, and consumables for laboratories. Agilent was established in 1999 as a spin-off from Hewlett-Packar ...
(Electronic Equipment, Instruments and Components)
*
Avago Technologies (Semiconductors)
*
Mercedes-Benz Group
Mercedes-Benz Group AG (formerly Daimler-Benz, DaimlerChrysler, and Daimler) is a German multinational automotive company headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is one of the world's leading car manufacturers. Daimler-B ...
(Automobiles)
*
HP Inc. (Computers, Software and Services)
*
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation (using the trademark IBM), nicknamed Big Blue, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational technology company headquartered in Armonk, New York, and present in over 175 countries. It is ...
(Computers, Software and Services)
*
Keysight Technologies
Keysight Technologies, Inc. is an American company that manufactures electronics test and measurement equipment and software. The name is a blend of ''key'' and ''insight''. The company was formed as a spin-off of Agilent Technologies, which inh ...
(Electronic Test and Measurement)
*
Kroll Ontrack
*
Philips
Koninklijke Philips N.V. (), simply branded Philips, is a Dutch multinational health technology company that was founded in Eindhoven in 1891. Since 1997, its world headquarters have been situated in Amsterdam, though the Benelux headquarter ...
(Medical Monitors)
*
Smart
''SMart'' was a British CBBC television programme based on art, which began in 1994 and ended in 2009. The programme was recorded at BBC Television Centre in London. Previously it had been recorded in Studio A at Pebble Mill Studios in Birmingha ...
(Automobiles)
*
Softpro (Electronic Signature Verification)
*
Wörwag Pharma (Drugs and Food Supplements)
Böblingen/
Sindelfingen can be called a center of both automobile and computer industries. Daimler develops and manufactures its
Mercedes brand of luxury cars here.
Hewlett-Packard (and its offspring) and IBM develop computer systems, software and electronic products in the area. Böblingen was once also a major center of European computer manufacturing, with an IBM
semiconductor
A semiconductor is a material with electrical conductivity between that of a conductor and an insulator. Its conductivity can be modified by adding impurities (" doping") to its crystal structure. When two regions with different doping level ...
and
printed circuit board
A printed circuit board (PCB), also called printed wiring board (PWB), is a Lamination, laminated sandwich structure of electrical conduction, conductive and Insulator (electricity), insulating layers, each with a pattern of traces, planes ...
lab and an HP computer systems manufacturing operation. Most of those electronics-production sites have either been closed or moved to other locations (such as nearby
Herrenberg
Herrenberg (; Swabian German, Swabian: ''Härrabärg'' or ''Haerebärg'') is a town in the middle of Baden-Württemberg, Germany, about 30 km
south of Stuttgart and 20 km from Tübingen. After Sindelfingen, Böblingen, and Leonberg, it ...
).
Sports
The
Sporthalle (Böblingen) served as one of two playgrounds for the FIBA
EuroBasket 1971
The 1971 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 1971, was the seventeenth FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship, held by FIBA Europe.
Venues
First round
Group A – Essen
Group B – Böblingen
Knock ...
.
Twin towns – sister cities
Böblingen is
twinned with:
*
Alba
''Alba'' ( , ) is the Scottish Gaelic name for Scotland. It is also, in English-language historiography, used to refer to the polity of Picts and Scots united in the ninth century as the Kingdom of Alba, until it developed into the Kingd ...
, Italy (1985)
*
Bergama, Turkey (1967)
*
Glenrothes, Scotland, United Kingdom (1991)
*
Krems an der Donau
Krems an der Donau (, ) is a city in Lower Austria, Austria. With a population of 24,821, it is the 20th-largest city of Austria and fifth-largest of Lower Austria. It is approximately west of Vienna. Krems is a city with its own statute (or '' ...
, Austria (1972)
*
Pontoise
Pontoise () is a commune north of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris, in the "new town" of Cergy-Pontoise.
Administration
Pontoise is the official (capital) of the Val-d'Oise '' département'', although in reality the ' ...
, France (1972)
*
Sittard-Geleen
Sittard-Geleen (; ) is a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the southeastern Netherlands. It was formed in 2001 from the former municipalities Sittard, Geleen and Born (Netherlands), Born.
The combined municipality has approximat ...
, Netherlands (1962)
*
Sömmerda
Sömmerda () is a town near Erfurt in Thuringia, Germany, on the Unstrut river. It is the capital of the Sömmerda (district), district of Sömmerda.
History
Archeological digs in the area that is now Sömmerda, formerly Leubingen, have uncove ...
, Germany (1988)
All twin towns (excluding Sömmerda) compete in a twin town Olympiad every 3 years.
Notable people
*
Daniel Mögling (1596–1635), alchemist and a
Rosicrucian
Rosicrucianism () is a spirituality, spiritual and cultural movement that arose in early modern Europe in the early 17th century after the publication of several texts announcing to the world a new Western esotericism, esoteric order. Rosicruc ...
.
*
Wilhelm Ganzhorn (1818–1880), jurist and adjudicator, poet of the folk song: ''"In the most beautiful meadows"''
Sport

*
Birgit Hamann (born 1969), athlete, specialized in
100 metres hurdles.
*
Vincenzo Marchese (born 1983), footballer, played 397 games
*
Lukas Kiefer (born 1993), footballer, played about 250 games
*
Tevfik Altındağ (born 1988), footballer, played over 260 games
*
Frank Stäbler (born 1989), Greco-Roman wrestler, multiple medallist in
World Wrestling Championships
The World Wrestling Championships for Greco-Roman wrestling (men, since 1904) and freestyle wrestling (men since 1951, women since 1987) are organized by United World Wrestling (UWW).
Unofficial editions
Several World Greco-Roman Championships h ...
*
Tim Leibold (born 1993), footballer who has played over 290 games
*
Fabienne Dongus (born 1994), football midfielder who has played over 240 games and five for
Germany women
References
External links
*
Memorial plaque to bombing in World War Two at "Sites of Memory"Böblingena
Skyscraperpage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boblingen
1250s establishments in the Holy Roman Empire
1253 establishments in Europe
American diaspora in Europe
Böblingen (district)
Populated places established in the 1250s
Towns in Baden-Württemberg