Tübingen (, , Swabian: ''Dibenga'') is a traditional university city in central

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 (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

. It is situated south of the state capital, Stuttgart, and developed on both sides of the

Neckar The Neckar () is a river in Germany, mainly flowing through the southwestern state of Baden-Württemberg, with a short section through Hesse. The Neckar is a major right tributary of the Rhine. Rising in the Schwarzwald-Baar-Kreis near Sc ...

and

Ammer Ammer may refer to: *Amper, or called Ammer, is a river in Bavaria. *Ammer (Neckar), a small river in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, tributary of the Neckar *The upper course of the river Amper in Bavaria, Germany *Thomas Ammer Thomas Ammer (bo ...

rivers. about one in three of the 90,000 people living in Tübingen is a student. As of the 2018/2019 winter semester, 27,665 students attend the

Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen Eberhard is an old Germanic name meaning the strength or courage of a wild boar. People First name *Eberhard of Friuli (815–866), Duke and key figure in the Carolingian Empire *Eberhard of Béthune (died 1212), Flemish grammarian *Eberhard I, Du ...

. The city has the lowest median age in Germany, in part due to its status as a university city. As of December 31, 2015, the average age of a citizen of Tübingen is 39.1 years. The city is known for its veganism and

environmentalism Environmentalism or environmental rights is a broad Philosophy of life, philosophy, ideology, and social movement regarding concerns for environmental protection and improvement of the health of the environment (biophysical), environment, par ...

. Immediately north of the city lies the

Schönbuch Schönbuch is an almost completely wooded area south west of Stuttgart and part of the Southern German Escarpment Landscape ( German: ''südwestdeutsches Schichtstufenland''). In 1972 the centre zone of Schönbuch became the first nature park in ...

, a densely wooded nature park. The Swabian Alb mountains rise about (beeline Tübingen City to Roßberg - 869 m) to the southeast of Tübingen. The Ammer and Steinlach rivers are tributaries of the Neckar river, which flows in an easterly direction through the city, just south of the

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

old town In a city or town, the old town is its historic or original core. Although the city is usually larger in its present form, many cities have redesignated this part of the city to commemorate its origins after thorough renovations. There are ma ...

. Large parts of the city are hilly, with the Schlossberg and the Österberg in the city centre and the Schnarrenberg and Herrlesberg, among others, rising immediately adjacent to the inner city. The highest point is at about

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as '' orthometric heights''. The ...

near Bebenhausen in the Schönbuch forest, while the lowest point is in the city's eastern Neckar valley. The geographical centre of the state of Baden-Württemberg is in a small forest called Elysium, near the Botanical Gardens of the city's university.

Regional structure

Tübingen is the capital of an eponymous district and an eponymous administrative region (''Regierungsbezirk''), before 1973 called ''Südwürttemberg-Hohenzollern''. Tübingen is, with nearby Reutlingen (about east), one of the two centre cities of the Neckar-Alb region. Administratively, it is not part of the Stuttgart Region, bordering it to the north and west (

Böblingen district Böblingen (; Swabian: ''Beblenga'') is a town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, seat of Böblingen District. Sindelfingen and Böblingen are contiguous. History Böblingen was founded by Count Wilhelm von Tübingen-Böblingen in 1253. Wü ...

). However, the city and northern parts of its district can be regarded as belonging to that region in a wider regional and cultural context.

History

The area was probably first settled by ancient humans in the 12th millennium BC. The Romans left some traces here in AD 85, when they built a

limes Limes may refer to: * the plural form of lime (disambiguation) * the Latin word for ''limit'' which refers to: ** Limes (Roman Empire) (Latin, singular; plural: ) is a modern term used primarily for the Germanic border defence or delimitin ...

frontier wall at the Neckar River. Tübingen dates from the 6th or 7th century, when the region was populated by the

Alamanni The Alemanni or Alamanni, were a confederation of Germanic tribes * * * on the Upper Rhine River. First mentioned by Cassius Dio in the context of the campaign of Caracalla of 213, the Alemanni captured the in 260, and later expanded into pr ...

people. Some historians argue that the Battle of Solicinium was fought at Spitzberg, a mountain in Tübingen, in AD 367, although there is no evidence for this. Tübingen first appears in official records in 1191. The local castle, ''Hohentübingen'', has records going back to 1078, when it was besieged by Henry IV, king of Germany. Its name was transcribed in

Medieval Latin Medieval Latin was the form of Literary Latin Classical Latin is the form of Literary Latin recognized as a Literary language, literary standard language, standard by writers of the late Roman Republic and early Roman Empire. It was used f ...

as and . From 1146, Count Hugo V (1125–52) was promoted to

count palatine A count palatine ( Latin ''comes palatinus''), also count of the palace or palsgrave (from German ''Pfalzgraf''), was originally an official attached to a royal or imperial palace or household and later a nobleman of a rank above that of an o ...

as Hugo I. Tübingen was established as the capital of a County Palatine of Tübingen. By 1231, Tübingen was a ''civitas'', indicating recognition by the Crown of civil liberties and a court system. In 1262, an Augustinian monastery was established by

Pope Alexander IV Pope Alexander IV (1199 or 1185 – 25 May 1261) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 12 December 1254 to his death in 1261. Early career He was born as Rinaldo di Jenne in Jenne (now in the Province of Rome), h ...

in Tübingen; in 1272, a Franciscan monastery was founded. In 1300, a Latin school (today's Uhland-Gymnasium) was founded. During the Protestant Reformation, which Duke

Ulrich Ulrich (), is a German given name, derived from Old High German ''Uodalrich'', ''Odalric''. It is composed of the elements '' uodal-'' meaning "(noble) heritage" and ''-rich'' meaning "rich, powerful". Attested from the 8th century as the name of ...

of Württemberg converted to, he disestablished the Franciscan monastery in 1535. In 1342, the county palatine was sold to Ulrich III, Count of Württemberg and incorporated into the County of Württemberg. Tübingen - Neckarfront 04

Between 1470 and 1483, St. George's Collegiate Church was built. The collegiate church offices provided the opportunity for what soon afterwards became the most significant event in Tübingen's history: the founding of the

Eberhard Karls University Eberhard is an old Germanic name meaning the strength or courage of a wild boar. People First name * Eberhard of Friuli (815–866), Duke and key figure in the Carolingian Empire *Eberhard of Béthune (died 1212), Flemish grammarian * Eberhard I, ...

by Duke Eberhard im Bart of Württemberg in 1477, thus making it one of the oldest universities in Central Europe. It became soon renowned as one of the most influential places of learning in the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. From the accession of Otto I in 962 ...

, especially for

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing th ...

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

faculty, Tübinger Stift, was established in 1535 in the former Augustinian monastery). Today, the university is still the biggest source of income for the residents of the city and one of the biggest universities in

with more than 26,000 students. Between 1622 and 1625, the Catholic League occupied

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...

Württemberg in the course of the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battl ...

. In the summer of 1631, the city was raided. In 1635/36 the city was hit by the Plague. In 1638, Swedish troops conquered Tübingen. Towards the end of the war, French troops occupied the city from 1647 until 1649. In 1789, parts of the old town burned down, but were later rebuilt in the original style. In 1798 the '' Allgemeine Zeitung'', a leading newspaper in early 19th-century Germany, was founded in Tübingen by Johann Friedrich Cotta. From 1807 until 1843, the poet Friedrich Hölderlin lived in Tübingen in a tower overlooking the Neckar. In the Nazi era, the Tübingen Synagogue was burned in 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 Sturmabteilung, (SA) paramilitary and Schutzstaffel, (SS) paramilitary forces along ...

on November 9, 1938. The Second World War left the city largely unscathed, mainly because of the peace initiative of a local doctor, Theodor Dobler. It was occupied by the French army and became part of the French zone of occupation. From 1946 to 1952, Tübingen was the capital of the newly formed state of Württemberg-Hohenzollern (as french: Tubingue), before the state of Baden-Württemberg was created by merging

Baden Baden (; ) is a historical territory in South Germany, in earlier times on both sides of the Upper Rhine but since the Napoleonic Wars only East of the Rhine. History The margraves of Baden originated from the House of Zähringen. Baden ...

, Württemberg-Baden and Württemberg-Hohenzollern. The French troops had a garrison stationed in the south of the city until the end of the Cold War in the 1990s. In the 1960s, Tübingen was one of the centres of the German student movement and the

Protests of 1968 The protests of 1968 comprised a worldwide escalation of social conflicts, predominantly characterized by popular rebellions against state militaries and the bureaucracies. In the United States, these protests marked a turning point for the ci ...

and has ever since shaped left and

green Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 Nanometre, nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by ...

political views. Some radicalized Tübingen students supported the leftist

Rote Armee Fraktion The Red Army Faction (RAF, ; , ),See the section "Name" also known as the Baader–Meinhof Group or Baader–Meinhof Gang (, , active 1970–1998), was a West German far-left Marxist-Leninist urban guerrilla group founded in 1970. The ...

terrorist group, with active member Gudrun Ensslin, a local and a Tübingen student from 1960 to 1963, joining the group in 1968. Although noticing such things today is largely impossible, as recently as the 1950s, Tübingen was a very socioeconomically divided city, with poor local farmers and tradesmen living along the ''Stadtgraben'' (City Canal) and students and academics residing around the ''Alte Aula'' and the ''Burse'', the old

university A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase ''universitas magistrorum et scholarium'', which ...

buildings. There, hanging on the ''Cottahaus'', a sign commemorates Goethe's stay of a few weeks while visiting his publisher. The German tendency to memorialize every minor presence of its historical greats (comparable to the statement " Washington slept here" in the United States) is parodied on the building next door. This simple building, once a dormitory, features a plain sign with the words ''"Hier kotzte Goethe"'' (lit.: "

Goethe Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as t ...

puked here"). In the second half of the 20th century, Tübingen's administrative area was extended beyond what is now called the "core city" to include several outlying small towns and villages. Most notable among these is Bebenhausen, a village clustered around a castle and

Bebenhausen Abbey Bebenhausen Abbey (''Kloster Bebenhausen'') is a former Cistercian monastery complex located in Bebenhausen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The complex is also the location of Bebenhausen Palace, a hunting retreat created and maintained by two ...

, a

Cistercian The Cistercians, () officially the Order of Cistercians ( la, (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Sain ...

cloister A cloister (from Latin ''claustrum'', "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cathedral or church, commonly against ...

about north of Tübingen.

Overview

, the city had 90.000 inhabitants. Life in the city is dominated by its roughly 28.000 students. Tübingen is best described as a mixture of old and distinguished academic flair, including liberal and green politics on one hand and traditional German-style

student fraternities Fraternities and sororities are social organizations at colleges and universities in North America. Generally, membership in a fraternity or sorority is obtained as an undergraduate student, but continues thereafter for life. Some accept gradua ...

on the other, with

rural In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry typically are descri ...

agricultural Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled peopl ...

environs and shaped by typical

Pietist Pietism (), also known as Pietistic Lutheranism, is a movement within Lutheranism that combines its emphasis on biblical doctrine with an emphasis on individual piety and living a holy Christian life, including a social concern for the needy and ...

characteristics, such as

austerity Austerity is a set of political-economic policies that aim to reduce government budget deficits through spending cuts, tax increases, or a combination of both. There are three primary types of austerity measures: higher taxes to fund spendi ...

and a

Protestant work ethic The Protestant work ethic, also known as the Calvinist work ethic or the Puritan work ethic, is a work ethic concept in theology, sociology, economics and history which emphasizes that diligence, discipline, and frugality are a result of a ...

, and traditional Swabian elements, such as frugality,

order Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of d ...

, and tidiness. The city is home to many picturesque buildings from previous centuries and lies on the River Neckar. , the German weekly magazine ''Focus'' published a national survey according to which Tübingen had the highest quality of life of all cities in Germany. Factors taken into consideration included the infrastructure, the integration of bicycle lanes into the road system, a bus system connecting surrounding hills and valleys, late-night services, areas of the city that can be reached on foot, the pedestrianised old town, and other amenities and cultural events offered by the university. Tübingen is the city with the youngest average population in Germany.

Main sights

In central Tübingen, the Neckar divides briefly into two streams, forming the elongated '' Neckarinsel'' (Neckar Island), famous for its ''Platanenallee'' with high plane trees, which are around 200 years old. Pedestrians can reach the island via stairs on the narrow ends leading down from a bridge spanning the Neckar. During the summer, the ''Neckarinsel'' is occasionally the venue for concerts, plays, and literary readings. The row of historical houses across one side of the elongated ''Neckarinsel'' is called the ''

Neckarfront The Neckarfront is one of the most famous places and a heritage tourist attraction in Tübingen, Germany.{{cite web, title=Die Tübinger Neckarfront, periodical=, publisher=Schwäbisches Tagblatt, url=https://www.tagblatt.de/Nachrichten/Die-Tueb ...

'' and includes the house with adjoining tower where poet Friedrich Hölderlin stayed for the last 36 years of his life, as he struggled with mental instability. TuebingenNeckar

Tübingen's ''Altstadt'' (old town) survived the

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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

due to the city's lack of heavy industry. The result is a growing domestic

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism ...

business as visitors come to wander through one of the few completely intact historic ''Altstädte'' in Germany. The highlights of Tübingen include its crooked cobblestone lanes, narrow-stair alleyways picking their way through the hilly terrain, streets lined with canals, and well-maintained traditional half-timbered houses. Old city landmarks include the city hall on Markt Square and the Hohentübingen Castle, now part of the University of Tübingen. The central landmark is the '' Stiftskirche'' (Collegiate Church). Along with the rest of the city, the Stiftskirche was one of the first to convert to

Martin Luther Martin Luther (; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, theologian, author, hymnwriter, and professor, and Augustinian friar. He is the seminal figure of the Protestant Reformation and the namesake of Luther ...

protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

church. As such, it maintains (and carefully defends) several "

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

" features, such as patron saints. Below the ''Rathaus'' is a quiet, residential street called the ''Judengasse'', the former

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

neighborhood of Tübingen until the city's Jews were expelled in 1477. On the street corner is a plaque commemorating the fate of Tübingen's

Jews Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""T ...

. The centre of Tübingen is the site of weekly and seasonal events, including regular market days on the ''Holzmarkt'' by the Stiftskirche and the ''Marktplatz'' by the Rathaus, an outdoor cinema in winter and summer, festive autumn and Christmas markets and (formerly) Europe's largest Afro-Brazilian festival. Students and tourists also come to the Neckar River in the summer to visit beer gardens or go boating in ''Stocherkähne'', the Tübingen equivalent of

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the Un ...

and

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge beca ...

punts, only slimmer. A ''Stocherkahn'' carries up to 20 people. On the second Thursday of June, all ''Stocherkahn'' punts take part in a major race, the '' Stocherkahnrennen''.

lies in the village of Bebenhausen, a district of Tübingen. A subdivision of the pilgrimage route known as the Way of St. James starts here and runs through Tübingen.

Culture

Tübingen has a notable arts culture as well as nightlife. In addition to the full roster of official and unofficial university events that range from presentations by the university's official poet in residence to parties hosted by the student associations of each faculty, the city can boast of several choirs, theatre companies and nightclubs. Also, Tübingen's ''

Kunsthalle A kunsthalle is a facility that mounts temporary art exhibitions, similar to an art gallery. It is distinct from an art museum by not having a permanent collection. In the German-speaking regions of Europe, ''Kunsthallen'' are often operated by ...

'' (art exhibition hall), on the "Wanne", houses two or three exhibits of international note each year.

Events

There are several festivals, open air markets and other events on a regular basis: * January ** Arab Movie Festival ''Arabisches Filmfestival'' * April ** Latin American Movie Festival ''CineLatino'' (usually in April or May) * May ** ''Internationales Pianisten-Festival'' (international festival of pianists) ** Rock Festival ''Rock im Tunnel'' (usually in May or June) * June Neckar Stocherkahn

** Poled boat race (german: Stocherkahnrennen), second Thursday of June, 2pm, around the Neckar Island ** ''Ract!festival'', an alternative open air festival for free with music performances and workshops ** ''Tübinger Wassermusik'': concerts on ''Stocherkahn'' boats * July ** ''Stadtfest'': gastronomy and performances in the streets of the old town ** ''Tübinger Sommerinsel'' festival: various restaurants serving special meals and associations offering activities on the Neckar Island * August ** ''Tübinger Orgelsommer'': organ concerts in the Stiftskirche ** ''Sommerkonzerte'' in the former monastery of Bebenhausen (July-September) ** ''Kennen Sie Tübingen?'' (Do you know Tübingen?): special guided tours on Mondays July-September * September ** ''Vielklang'': classic music concerts at several locations ** ''Umbrisch-Provenzalischer Markt'', open air market for Italian and French products from Umbria and Provence ** ''Tübinger Stadtlauf'' the city 10km race ** ''Retromotor'' oldtimer festival (usually second or third September weekend) * October ** ''Jazz- und Klassiktage'': jazz and classic music festival ** Kite festival ''Drachenfest'' on the Österberg hill (usually third Sunday in October) ** French movie festival ''Französische Filmtage'' * November ** Terre de femmes movie festival ''FrauenWelten'' *December ** ''Nikolauslauf'' half marathon outside Tübingen in the forest ** '' Die Feuerzangenbowle'' film and large amount of Feuerzangenbowle drink made in a public square ** Chocolate festival '' chocolART'' ** Christmas market

Districts

Tübingen is divided into 22 districts, the city core of twelve districts (population of about 51,000) and ten outer districts (suburbs) (population of about 31,000): Core city districts: * Französisches Viertel * Österberg * Schönblick/Winkelwiese * Lustnau * Südstadt * Universität * Waldhäuser Ost * Wanne * Weststadt * Zentrum Outer districts: * Ammerbuch * Bebenhausen * Bühl * Derendingen *

Hagelloch Hagelloch is an administrative district of Tübingen situated around three kilometres to the northwest of the town centre. Hagelloch is known beyond Tübingen for its picturesque setting near Schönbuch and the view across Tübingen. History H ...

* Hirschau * Kilchberg *

Pfrondorf Pfrondorf is part of the city of Tübingen and the district of Tübingen within the state of Baden-Württemberg in Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most p ...

* Unterjesingen * Weilheim, Baden-Württemberg

Population

Population development

Since

, Tübingen's population has almost doubled from about 45,000 to the current 88,000, also due to the incorporation of formerly independent villages into the city in the 1970s. Currently, Lord Mayor Boris Palmer (Green Party) has set the ambitious goal of increasing the population of Tübingen to 100,000 within the next several years. To achieve this, the city is closing gaps between buildings within the city proper by allowing new houses to be built there; this is also to counter the tendency of

urban sprawl Urban sprawl (also known as suburban sprawl or urban encroachment) is defined as "the spreading of urban developments (such as houses and shopping centers) on undeveloped land near a city." Urban sprawl has been described as the unrestricted growt ...

and land consumption that has been endangering the preservation of rural landscapes of Southern Germany

Historical population

Climate

Twin towns – sister cities

Tübingen is Sister city, twinned with: * Monthey, Switzerland (1959) *

Aix-en-Provence Aix-en-Provence (, , ; oc, label=Provençal, Ais de Provença in classical norm, or in Mistralian norm, ; la, Aquae Sextiae), or simply Aix ( medieval Occitan: ''Aics''), is a city and commune in southern France, about north of Marseille. ...

, France (1960) * Kingersheim, France (1963) * Ann Arbor, United States (1965) * Durham, England, UK (1969) * Aigle, Switzerland (1973) * Kilchberg, Switzerland (1981) *

Perugia Perugia (, , ; lat, Perusia) is the capital city of Umbria in central Italy, crossed by the River Tiber, and of the province of Perugia. The city is located about north of Rome and southeast of Florence. It covers a high hilltop and par ...

, Italy (1984) * Petrozavodsk, Russia (1989) * Villa El Salvador, Peru (2006) * Moshi, Tanzania (2014) For their commitment to their international partnership, the Council of Europe awarded the

Europe Prize The Europe Prize is a premium established in 1955 by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe The Council of Europe (CoE; french: Conseil de l'Europe, ) is an international organisation founded in the wake of World War II to uphold ...

to Tübingen and Aix-en-Provence in 1965. The city's dedication to a European understanding is also reflected in the naming of several streets and squares, including the large ''Europaplatz'' (Europe Square) outside the railway station.

Infrastructure

By plane: Tübingen is about from the Baden-Württemberg state airport (''Landesflughafen Stuttgart'', also called

Stuttgart Airport Stuttgart Airport (German: ''Flughafen Stuttgart'', formerly ''Flughafen Stuttgart-Echterdingen'') is the international airport of Stuttgart, the capital of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is christened in honor of Stuttgart's for ...

). By automobile: Tübingen is on the '' Bundesstraße 27'' (a "federal road") that crosses through Baden-Württemberg, connecting the city with Würzburg,

Heilbronn Heilbronn () is a city in northern Baden-Württemberg, Germany, surrounded by Heilbronn District. With over 126,000 residents, it is the sixth-largest city in the state. From the late Middle Ages, it developed into an important trading centre. A ...

, Stuttgart and the ''Landesflughafen'' (

) to the north and Rottweil and Donaueschingen to the south. By rail: Tübingen Hauptbahnhof is on the regional train line Neckar-Alb Railway-Bahn (''Neckar-Alb-Bahn'') from Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof via Esslingen and Reutlingen to Tübingen. The average time of travel to Stuttgart is 1:01 hrs., with some trains taking only 45 mins. Other regional lines are the '' Hohenzollerische Landesbahn'', connecting the city with Hechingen and

Sigmaringen 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, ...

(so-called Zollernalb Railway), '' Zollernalbbahn'' and connections to

Herrenberg Herrenberg ( Swabian: ''Härrabärg'' or ''Haerebärg'') is a town in the middle of Baden-Württemberg, about 30 km south of Stuttgart and 20 km from Tübingen. After Sindelfingen, Böblingen, and Leonberg, it is the fourth largest town ...

( Ammer Valley Railway, ''Ammertalbahn'') and Horb ( Upper Neckar Railway, ''Obere Neckarbahn''). Since 2009, there is also a daily direct Intercity link to

Mannheim Mannheim (; Palatine German: or ), officially the University City of Mannheim (german: Universitätsstadt Mannheim), is the second-largest city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg after the state capital of Stuttgart, and Germany's ...

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 millio ...

and

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in ...

as well as to

Berlin Berlin is Capital of Germany, the capital and largest city of Germany, both by area and List of cities in Germany by population, by population. Its more than 3.85 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European U ...

. Local public transport: The city, due to its high student population, features an extensive public bus network with more than 20 lines connecting the city districts and places outside of Tübingen such as Ammerbuch,

Gomaringen Gomaringen is a municipality located about 10 km south of Tübingen in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. Geography Geographical Position Gomaringen is located in the valley of the stream Wiesaz, a tributary of the Steinlach, which in ...

and Nagold. There are also several night bus lines in the early hours every day. A direct bus is available to Stuttgart Airport (via

Leinfelden-Echterdingen Leinfelden-Echterdingen ( Swabian: ''Laefälda-Ächdordeng'') is a town in the district of Esslingen, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located approximately 10 km south of Stuttgart, near the Stuttgart Airport and directly adjacent to ...

) as well as to Böblingen and Reutlingen.

Sport

Tigers Tübingen are the city's only professional sports team, playing

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

Education

Higher education and research

Neue Aula in Tübingen zur blauen Stunde 2019

The

dates from 1477, making it one of the oldest in Germany. Including the university hospitals, it is also the city's largest employer. The town is also host to several research institutes including the Max Planck Institutes for Biological Cybernetics,

Developmental Biology Developmental biology is the study of the process by which animals and plants grow and develop. Developmental biology also encompasses the biology of regeneration, asexual reproduction, metamorphosis, and the growth and differentiation of ste ...

, Intelligent Systems,

The Friedrich Miescher Laboratory of the MPG The Friedrich Miescher Laboratory (FML) of the Max Planck Society is a biological research institute located on the Society's campus in Tübingen, Germany, named after Friedrich Miescher, founded in 1969 to offer highly qualified junior scientists ...

(and formerly the

Max Planck Institute for Biology The Max Planck Institute for Biology is located in Tübingen, Germany, and has been re-established in January 2022. The Kaiser Wilhelm Society, the predecessor organization of the Max Planck Society, established various natural science research i ...

), the Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, the Werner Reichardt Centre for Integrative Neuroscience and many others. A modern technology park is growing in the northern part of the city, where science, industrial companies and start-ups are conducting joint research, primarily on biotechnology and artificial intelligence. The university also maintains an excellent

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...

, the

Botanischer Garten der Universität Tübingen The Botanischer Garten der Universität Tübingen, also known as the Botanischer Garten Tübingen or the Neuer Botanischer Garten Tübingen, is a botanical garden and arboretum maintained by the University of Tübingen. It is located at Hartmey ...

. Furthermore, there is a Protestant College of Church Music.

Schools

More than 10,000 children and young adults in Tübingen regularly attend school. There are 30 schools in the city, some of which consist of more than one type of school. Of these, 17 are primary schools while the others are for

secondary education Secondary education or post-primary education covers two phases on the International Standard Classification of Education scale. Level 2 or lower secondary education (less commonly junior secondary education) is considered the second and final ph ...

: four schools are of the lowest rank, '' Hauptschule'', three of the middle rank, '' Realschule'', and six are '' Gymnasien'' (grammar schools). There also are four vocational schools ('' Berufsschule'') and three special needs schools. Primary schools * Freie Aktive Schule Tübingen * Grundschule Innenstadt / Silcherschule * Grundschule Weilheim * Ludwig-Krapf-Schule * Grundschule Hügelstraße * Französische Schule * Dorfackerschule Lustnau * Grundschule Hirschau * Grundschule Hechinger Eck * Grundschule auf der Wanne * Grundschule Aischbach
Grundschule Winkelwiese / Waldhäuser Ost
* Grundschule Bühl * Grundschule Bühl * Grundschule Kilchberg * Grundschule Hagelloch * Grundschule Pfrondorf * Grundschule Unterjesingen ''Hauptschulen'' * Dorfackerschule Lustnau * Mörikeschule * Geschwister-Scholl-Schule * Hauptschule Innenstadt ''Realschulen'' * Walter-Erbe-Realschule * Albert-Schweitzer-Realschule * Geschwister-Scholl-Schule ''Gymnasien'' * Carlo-Schmid-Gymnasium * Geschwister-Scholl-Schule * Kepler-Gymnasium * Uhland-Gymnasium * Wildermuth-Gymnasium * Freie Waldorfschule Vocational schools (''Berufsschulen'') * Gewerbliche Schule * Wilhelm-Schickard-Schule * Mathilde-Weber-Schule * Bildungs- und Technologiezentrum

Notable people

* Primož Trubar (1508–1586), Protestant Reformer of the Lutheran tradition, lived and died here * Christopher Besoldus (1577–1638), lawyer and publicist * Johann Georg Gmelin (1709–1755), naturalist and botanist, explorer of Siberia * Philipp Friedrich Gmelin (1721–1768), botanist and chemist * Johann Friedrich Cotta (1764–1832), publisher of many important writers of his time such as

and Schiller, industrial pioneer and politician *

Ferdinand Gottlieb von Gmelin Ferdinand Gottlieb von Gmelin (10 March 1782 in Tübingen – 21 December 1848 in Tübingen) was a German physician. He was a nephew of botanist Samuel Gottlieb Gmelin (1744–1784). In 1802 he received his medical doctorate from the Univers ...

(1782–1848), physician * Ludwig Uhland (1787–1862), poet and philologist, lawyer and politician, lived and died here * Friedrich Silcher (1789–1860), composer, lived and died here * Christian Gottlob Gmelin (1792–1860), chemist *

Hermann Hesse Hermann Karl Hesse (; 2 July 1877 – 9 August 1962) was a German-Swiss poet, novelist, and painter. His best-known works include ''Demian'', '' Steppenwolf'', '' Siddhartha'', and '' The Glass Bead Game'', each of which explores an individual' ...

(1877–1962), poet, novelist and painter, worked here as a bookseller trainee in 1895–1899, later Nobel laureate for literature *

Ernst Fritz Schmid Ernst Fritz Schmid (7 March 1904 – 20 January 1960) was a German musicologist and Mozart scholar. Life Born in Tübingen, Schmid was the son of Wilhelm Schmid from Graz and grandson of Karl Emil Kauffmann. Initially, Schmid studied violin, v ...

(1904–1960), musicologist and Mozart scholar * Geoffrey Elton (1921–1994), political and historian * Felicia Langer (1930–2018), attorney and human rights activist, lived and died here * Helmut Haussmann (born 1943), academic and politician * Hans-Peter Uhl (1944–2019), politician *

Hartmut Zinser Hartmut Zinser (born 11 November 1944 in Tübingen, Germany) is a German scholar in the field of religious studies, history of religions, and ethnology. Biography Education and Career Zinser studied religious studies at the Free University ...

(born 1944), scholar and religionist *

Eva Haule Eva Sybille Haule-Frimpong (born 16 July 1954) is a former terrorist associated with the third generation Red Army Faction (RAF). She took her abitur in Stuttgart before going underground in 1984. Terrorist activities *On 5 November 1984, Haule ra ...

(born 1954), former leftist terrorist * Dieter Baumann (born 1965), track and field athlete, Olympic winner, lives here * Sigi Schmid (1953–2018), football coach *

Vera Wülfing-Leckie Vera Wülfing-Leckie (1954 – 8 February 2021) was a German-born British homeopath and a translator of African literature. She lived in Africa for much of her adult life, and translated, among others, works by Boubacar Boris Diop from Senegal an ...

(1954–2021), homeopath and translator * Matthias Untermann (born 1956), art historian and archaeologist * Viola Vogel (born 1959), biophysicist and bioengineer * Michael Theurer (born 1967), politician * Despina Vandi (born 1969), singer * Clemens Schick (born 1972), actor * Boris Palmer (born 1972), current Lord Mayor * Benjamin Heisenberg (born 1974), film director and screenwriter * Sung Yu-ri (born 1981), actress *

Thilo Kehrer Jan Thilo Kehrer (; born 21 September 1996) is a German professional footballer who plays as a defender for Premier League club West Ham United and the Germany national team. Mainly a centre-back, he can also play in either full-back positi ...

(born 1996), football player (national team) * Amelie Berger (born 1999), handball player (national team)

Associated with the university

* Johann Reuchlin (1455–1522), Catholic humanist and scholar of Greek and Hebrew *

Philip Melanchthon Philip Melanchthon. (born Philipp Schwartzerdt; 16 February 1497 – 19 April 1560) was a German Lutheran Protestant Reformers, reformer, collaborator with Martin Luther, the first systematic theologian of the Protestant Reformation, intellect ...

(1497–1560), Lutheran reformer * Johannes Kepler (1571–1630), astronomer, mathematician, and astrologer * Wilhelm Schickard (1592–1635), professor of Hebrew and astronomy, inventor of the world's first mechanical calculator in 1623, lived and died here *

Rudolf Jakob Camerarius Rudolf Jakob Camerarius or Camerer (12 February 1665 – 11 September 1721) was a German botanist and physician. Life Camerarius was born at Tübingen, and became professor of medicine and director of the botanical gardens at Tübingen in 1687 ...

(1655–1721), botanist and professor, proved for the first time the sexual reproduction of plants * Christoph Martin Wieland (1733–1813), classical writer of the Enlightenment * J. G. Friedrich von Bohnenberger (1765–1835), pioneer of a modern geodesy, inventor of the gyroscope *

Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (; ; 27 August 1770 – 14 November 1831) was a German philosopher. He is one of the most important figures in German idealism and one of the founding figures of modern Western philosophy. His influence extends ...

(1770–1831), philosopher of Idealism * Friedrich Hölderlin (1770–1843), poet and philosopher, lived and died here * Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling (1775–1854), philosopher of Idealism * Friedrich List (1789–1846), economist, university professor * Ferdinand Christian Baur (1792–1860), Protestant theologian, lived and died here * Immanuel Hermann Fichte (1796–1879), philosopher, held a chair of philosophy at the university * Wilhelm Hauff (1802–1827), writer of the early Romantic period * Eduard Mörike (1804–1875), Lutheran pastor, poet and writer of the Romantic period *

David Strauss David Friedrich Strauss (german: link=no, Strauß ; 27 January 1808 – 8 February 1874) was a German liberal Protestant theologian and writer, who influenced Christian Europe with his portrayal of the " historical Jesus", whose divine nature h ...

(1808–1874), Protestant theologian and writer * Georg Herwegh (1817–1875), poet, revolutionist * Felix Hoppe-Seyler (1825–1895), principal founder of the disciplines of biochemistry and molecular biology, discoverer of the blood pigment hemoglobin * Lothar Meyer (1830–1895), chemist, one of the founders of the periodic table of chemical elements alongside Dmitri Mendeleev * Friedrich Miescher (1844–1895), physician and biologist, discoverer of the nucleic acid as a precondition for the identification of DNA * Ferdinand Braun (1850–1918), inventor, professor, later Nobel laureate for physics * Carl Correns (1864–1933), botanist and geneticist * Alois Alzheimer (1864–1915), psychiatrist and neuropathologist * Gerhard Anschütz (1867–1948), jurisprudent *

Albert Schweitzer Ludwig Philipp Albert Schweitzer (; 14 January 1875 – 4 September 1965) was an Alsatian-German/French polymath. He was a theologian, organist, musicologist, writer, humanitarian, philosopher, and physician. A Lutheran minister, Schwei ...

(1875–1965), theologian, writer, humanitarian, philosopher and physician, Nobel laureate for peace *

Ernst Bloch Ernst Simon Bloch (; July 8, 1885 – August 4, 1977; pseudonyms: Karl Jahraus, Jakob Knerz) was a German Marxist philosopher. Bloch was influenced by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel and Karl Marx, as well as by apocalyptic and religious thinkers ...

(1885–1977), philosopher, lived and died here * Kurt Georg Kiesinger (1904–1988), politician, Chancellor of Germany, lived and died here *

Dietrich Bonhoeffer Dietrich Bonhoeffer (; 4 February 1906 – 9 April 1945) was a German Lutheran pastor, theologian and anti- Nazi dissident who was a key founding member of the Confessing Church. His writings on Christianity's role in the secular world h ...

(1906–1945), Lutheran theologian and pastor, anti-Nazi-dissident, studied here * Hans Mayer (1907–2001), literary scholar and critic, lived and died here *

Walter Jens Walter Jens (8 March 1923 – 9 June 2013) was a German philologist, literature historian, critic, university professor and writer. He was born in Hamburg, and attended the Gelehrtenschule des Johanneums from 1933 to 1941, when he gained his A ...

(1923–2013), philologist, writer and university professor of rhetoric, lived and died here * Martin Walser (born 1927), writer, studied here *

Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereign ...

(born 1927), held a chair of dogmatic theology at the university * Hans Küng (1928–2021), Roman-Catholic theologian and author, professor of theology, critic of the official church, creator of

Foundation for a Global Ethic "Towards a Global Ethic: An Initial Declaration" is a 1993 document by members of the Parliament of the World's Religions that details ethical commitments shared by many of the world's religious, spiritual, and cultural traditions."Towards a Globa ...

(Stiftung Weltethos), lived and died here * Ralf Dahrendorf (1929–2009), held a chair of sociology * Manfred Korfmann (1942–2005), archeologist and professor, excavator of ancient Troy * Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard (born 1942), developmental biologist and Nobel laureate, lives here * Horst Köhler (born 1943), politician, President of Germany 2004–2010

References

External links

*
Eberhard Karls University
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tubingen Former states and territories of Baden-Württemberg Tübingen (district) Württemberg Populated places on the Neckar basin Populated riverside places in Germany Towns in Baden-Württemberg