77-617: The Ammer Valley Railway ( Ammertalbahn ) runs through the German state of Baden-Württemberg , connecting the university town of Tübingen with Herrenberg in the Böblingen district . It mostly runs through the valley of the Ammer river. The Royal Württemberg State Railways put the line into operation in 1909 and 1910. In 1966, Deutsche Bundesbahn stopped passenger traffic between Entringen and Herrenberg. The Gültstein–Herrenberg section
154-616: A Frankish invasion led by Clovis I . The Holy Roman Empire was later established. The majority of people in this region continued to be Roman Catholics, even after the Protestant Reformation influenced populations in northern Germany. In the late 18th and early 19th century, Künzelsau , the capital of the Hohenlohe district , became the centre of emigration to the UK of pork butchers and bacon factors. The pioneers noticed
231-539: A federated state , Baden-Württemberg is a partly-sovereign parliamentary republic . The largest city in Baden-Württemberg is the state capital of Stuttgart , followed by Mannheim and Karlsruhe . Other major cities are Freiburg im Breisgau , Heidelberg , Heilbronn , Pforzheim , Reutlingen , Tübingen , and Ulm . Modern Baden-Württemberg includes the historical territories of Baden , Prussian Hohenzollern , and Württemberg . Baden-Württemberg became
308-425: A construction track. This is to be put into permanent operation as a siding without a platform, so the halt will thus be reclassified as a full station again. Due to delays in the delivery of individual parts of the electronic interlocking system, the completion of the section between Entringen and Herrenberg was delayed from 12 September until the timetable change on 10 December 2022. From 1 August 1999, services on
385-507: A dozen Fachhochschulen , i.e., universities of applied sciences, as well as Pädagogische Hochschulen , i.e., teacher training colleges, and other institutions of tertiary education in Baden-Württemberg. Pforzheim University is one of the oldest Fachhochschulen in Germany which is renowned and highly ranked for its Engineering and MBA programs. The state has the highest density of universities of any state in Germany. Railways form
462-481: A major part of the transport infrastructure in Baden-Württemberg. As of 2017, the main standard gauge railway network managed by DB Netz consists of about 3,350 kilometres (2,080 mi) of railway lines connecting all major settlements of the state, with about 6,500 trains operating every day. As part of high-speed rail in Germany , the Mannheim–Stuttgart and Stuttgart–Ulm high-speed lines were built, and
539-521: A niche for speciality pork products in the rapidly growing English cities, especially those in the industrial centre and North. Many married local women and sent word home that a good living could be made in England; others followed. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, numerous people emigrated from this primarily rural area to the United States for economic reasons. At the beginning of
616-506: A product from the firm of ADtranz , the RS1 is now being built and sold by Stadler Rail AG , since Bombardier Transportation had to sell the site at Berlin -Wilhelmsruh in 2001 for antitrust reasons when they took over ADtranz. The RS1 is a 1,435 mm ( 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ) standard gauge railbus built to UIC standards, which therefore can withstand longitudinal forces of 1,500 kN (340,000 lb f ); it
693-528: A sovereign country (2020), it would have an economy comparable to that of Sweden in terms of nominal gross domestic product (GDP). A number of well-known enterprises are headquartered in the state, for example Mercedes-Benz Group , Porsche , Robert Bosch GmbH (automobile industry), Carl Zeiss AG (optics), SAP (Europe's most valuable brand as well as the largest non-American software enterprise) and Heidelberger Druckmaschinen (precision mechanical engineering). Despite this, Baden-Württemberg's economy
770-525: A state of West Germany in April 1952 through the merger of South Baden , Württemberg-Baden , and Württemberg-Hohenzollern . These states had been created by the Allies as they separated traditional states into occupation zones after World War II Baden-Württemberg is especially known for its strong economy with various industries like car manufacturing , electrical engineering , mechanical engineering ,
847-646: A tourist magnet in all major towns, the largest being in Stuttgart during the three weeks before Christmas. The Bertha Benz Memorial Route is a 194 km signposted scenic route from Mannheim via Heidelberg and Wiesloch to Pforzheim and back, which follows the route of the world's first long-distance journey by automobile which Bertha Benz undertook in August 1888. Baden-Württemberg also contains Europa-Park in Rust . The largest theme park in Germany, and
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#1732790192263924-550: Is a German state ( Land ) 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 as of 2019 across a total area of nearly 35,752 km (13,804 sq mi), it is the third-largest German state by both area (behind Bavaria and Lower Saxony ) and population (behind North Rhine-Westphalia and Bavaria). As
1001-465: Is a popular holiday destination. Main sights include the capital and biggest city, Stuttgart , modern and historical at the same time, with its urban architecture and atmosphere (and famously, its inner-city parks and historic Wilhelma zoo), its castles (such as Castle Solitude ), its museums as well as a rich cultural programme (theatre, opera) and mineral spring baths in Bad Cannstatt (also
1078-606: Is available with centre buffer couplings or the usual European Buffers and chain couplers . 65% of the vehicle floor is low-level and designed for a platform height of 55 cm (22 in). On the Schönbuchbahn a special variant designed for 76 cm (30 in) platforms is in use. The railbus has a high-level floor over the two four-wheeled bogies at each end. Two independent diesel-mechanical drive units, e.g. from MAN , run either on diesel fuel or Biodiesel from rape seed oil , each drive both axles on one of
1155-626: Is dominated by small and medium-sized enterprises, like most companies in German-speaking countries are . Although poor in workable natural resources (formerly lead, zinc, iron, silver, copper, and salts) and still very rural in some areas, the region is heavily industrialised overall. In 2003, there were almost 8,800 manufacturing enterprises with more than 20 employees, but only 384 with more than 500. There are 3,779 companies in Baden-Württemberg corporate family which come to 1000–5000 employees in total. The latter category accounts for 43% of
1232-509: Is the Landtag , located in Stuttgart. The state government is currently formed by a Greens - CDU coalition as the third cabinet of Minister-President Winfried Kretschmann (Greens). The politics of Baden-Württemberg have traditionally been dominated by the conservative Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU), which had led all but one government since 1952 until 2011. In the Landtag elections held on 27 March 2011 , voters replaced
1309-481: Is the station where services are scheduled to cross. In Herrenberg , the trains operate exclusively from platform 102, while in Tübingen they operate from platforms 1, 2 or 13. The line is operated using direct traffic control ( Zugleitbetrieb ) with the train dispatcher located in the Tübingen signalbox. When the line was recommissioned, 700 passengers per day were expected. The number of passengers transported on
1386-642: The German constitution providing an accession procedure. On 9 December 1951, a referendum was held in Württemberg-Baden, Württemberg-Hohenzollern and (South) Baden over a possible merger, or the restoration of the former pre-war states. There was strong support for the merger in Württemberg and Hohenzollern, but opposition in Baden. While a majority in the historic area of Baden (52%) voted to restore
1463-599: The Karlsruhe model . The implementation is to take place in several stages, with the partial double-track upgrade and electrification of the line being one of the first steps. The planning approval process for the electrification of the line with two upgraded sections began in March 2016 and the planning approval was issued on 16 May 2017. In Unterjesingen, a second track was built south of the existing line. This 1.4 kilometres (0.87 mi)-long double-track section begins behind
1540-652: The Karlsruhe–Basel high-speed line , paralleling the traditional Mannheim–Karlsruhe–Basel railway , is currently under construction. In and around Stuttgart, the old terminal station is currently being replaced with an underground through station as part of the controversial Stuttgart 21 project. Local branch lines of around 860 kilometres (530 mi), managed by the state-owned SWEG and Hohenzollerische Landesbahn (HzL), Karlsruhe-owned Albtal-Verkehrs-Gesellschaft (AVG), private Württembergische Eisenbahn (WEG) and other smaller rail infrastructure operators, complete
1617-788: The Republic of Baden , the Free People's State of Württemberg and the Free State of Prussia . Following Adolf Hitler becoming chancellor of Germany in 1933, the democratic institutions of Baden, Württemberg and Prussia were abolished as part of the Gleichschaltung . After World War II, the Allies established three states in the territory of modern-day Baden-Württemberg: (South) Baden , Württemberg-Baden and Württemberg-Hohenzollern . Baden and Württemberg-Hohenzollern were occupied by France , while Württemberg-Baden
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#17327901922631694-628: The Swabian Jura mountain range. The Black Forest formed part of the border between Baden and Württemberg. In 100 AD, the Roman Empire invaded and occupied Württemberg, constructing a limes along its northern borders. Over the course of the third century AD, the Alemanni forced the Romans to retreat west beyond the Rhine and Danube rivers. In 496 AD the Alemanni were defeated by
1771-685: The SüdostBayernBahn and was deployed in 2008 on the Traun-Alz-Bahn between Traunstein and Traunreut . In 2011 České Dráhy classified new type of regional train as Class 840 (two magnetic track brakes for steep-grade service; gearing for 100 km/h) for routes in Liberecký kraj and little different Class 841 (one magnetic track brake; maximum speed 120 km/h) for routes in Kraj Vysočina . From 2011 to 2012
1848-454: The highest exports (2019) and third-highest imports (2020), the second-lowest unemployment rate with 4.3% (March 2021), the most patents pending per capita (2020), the second-highest absolute and highest relative number of companies considered " hidden champions ", and the highest absolute and relative research and development expenditure (2017) among all states in Germany, as well as the highest measured Innovationsindex (2012), making it
1925-523: The service sector , and more. It has the third-highest gross regional product (GRP) in Germany. Part of the Four Motors for Europe and located in the Blue Banana , some of the largest German companies are headquartered in Baden-Württemberg, including Mercedes-Benz Group , Schwarz Group , Porsche , Bosch and SAP . The sobriquet Ländle , a diminutive of the word Land in
2002-560: The 1.2 million persons employed in the industry. The Mittelstand or mid-sized company model is the backbone of the Baden-Württemberg economy. Medium-sized businesses and a tradition of branching into different industrial sectors have ensured specialisation over a wide range. A fifth of the "old" Federal Republic's industrial gross value added is generated by Baden-Württemberg. Turnover for manufacturing in 2003 exceeded 240,000 million, 43% of which came from exports. The region depends to some extent on global economic developments, though
2079-445: The 1990s, the around 120 individual regional train services in Baden-Württemberg have been managed by the state-owned Nahverkehrsgesellschaft Baden-Württemberg (NVBW), which has started to commercially tender out these train operations. DB Regio, SWEG, HzL, AVG and WEG have been joined in operating regional trains by Abellio , Agilis , Bodensee-Oberschwaben-Bahn , Go-Ahead , SBB , Schwäbische Alb-Bahn and VIAS , which entered
2156-621: The 20th century, the territory of modern-day Baden-Württemberg consisted of the Grand Duchy of Baden , the Kingdom of Württemberg and the province of Hohenzollern of the Kingdom of Prussia . Since 1871, these had been part of the German Empire . In the aftermath of World War I and as part of the German revolution of 1918 , the monarchs of Baden, Württemberg and Prussia were deposed, and these states became democratic republics:
2233-553: The Ammer Valley Railway were operated with Regio-Shuttle (class 650.0, 650.1 and 650.3) DMUs by DB ZugBus Regionalverkehr Alb-Bodensee , a subsidiary of DB Regio AG . Individual services were also operated each day by Hohenzollerische Landesbahn . Services ran every half hour from Monday to Friday and hourly on weekends. Six additional trains ran between Tübingen and Entringen for school traffic in each direction. Uerdingen railbuses (class 796 or 996) were used on
2310-606: The Ammer bridges and ends shortly before the Unterjesingen Mitte station. At the Unterjesingen Sandäcker station, a second, 110 metres (360 ft)-long outside platform was built on the new track. In Entringen, a new outside platform was built, further north than the previous main platform at the station building. The island platform was dismantled for this, so access to the platform is no longer over
2387-560: The Ammer valley also had to be treated, with 13 metre long oak logs being driven into the ground to stabilise the track. Not least, a citizens' initiative had opposed the approach advocated by Tübingen mayor Hermann Haußer for the rail project. Scholars and artists saw their popular promenades along the streets endangered by the railway line. The dispute was known as the Tübinger Alleenstreit ("Tübingen allee dispute"). The Schwäbische Heimatbund ("Swabian homeland association")
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2464-535: The Ammer valley", ZÖA) was established and bought the line from Deutsche Bahn in 1996. The 4.1 kilometres (2.5 mi)-long section between Gültstein and Herrenberg was rebuilt enabling the line to be reactivated for passenger services over its full length on 1 August 1999. The single-track, non-electrified line was completely modernised and prepared for operations at up to 100 kilometres per hour (62 mph). The stations of Tübingen West , Pfäffingen and Entringen are crossing stations with two platform tracks. Entringen
2541-711: The Christian Democrats and centre-right Free Democrats (FDP) coalition with an alliance of the Greens and Social Democrats (SPD), which secured a four-seat majority in the state parliament. The alliance elected the Greens-led first Kretschmann cabinet under Winfried Kretschmann because the Greens had surprisingly won 36 seats, one more than the Social Democrats' 35 seats. In the 2016 election ,
2618-588: The Danube, in Donaueschingen is often referred to as the "source of the Danube" ( Donauquelle ). Hydrologically, the source of the Danube is the source of the Breg as the larger of the two formative streams, which rises near Furtwangen . The forests in this region are home to common pests such as Melolontha Hippocastrani , that cause damage to the foliage and soil. Baden-Württemberg is – along with Bavaria –
2695-509: The Deutsche Bahn began to place Class 650 railbuses into service and currently runs 74 units (as at: June 2005). They are numbered 650 001–027, 650 100–122, 650 201–203 and 650 301–321. 650 100–119 and 650 201–203 were funded by Baden-Württemberg . 650 001–027 and 650 100–122 are identical, 650 201–203 and 650 301–321 are cyclist shuttles, but otherwise constructionally identical with
2772-513: The Federal Constitutional Court decided in 1969 that another referendum should be held by 30 June 1970. The referendum in the historic area of Baden was finally held on 7 June 1970, with 81.9% of the voters voting in favour of the merger of Baden and Württemberg. Baden-Württemberg shares borders with the German states of Rhineland-Palatinate , Hesse , and Bavaria , and also shares borders with France ( Alsace , within
2849-412: The German state with the third-highest gross regional product (GRP) as of 2019 (behind North Rhine-Westphalia and Bavaria ) with €524,325 billion (around US$ 636.268 billion). Baden-Württemberg also has the most employees (233,296) in the automotive industry of all German states as of 2018 , as well as the third-highest number of motor vehicles of all German states (2020). If Baden-Württemberg were
2926-664: The RB 63 line only run to Tübingen instead of Reutlingen. There are no freight operations on the line any more. The owner of the line is the Zweckverband ÖPNV im Ammertal , which is owned by the Böblingen district (20%) and Tübingen district (80%). Baden-W%C3%BCrttemberg Baden-Württemberg ( / ˌ b ɑː d ən ˈ v ɜːr t ə m b ɜːr ɡ / BAH -dən VURT -əm-burg ; German: [ˌbaːdn̩ ˈvʏʁtəmbɛʁk] ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü ,
3003-468: The Regio-Shuttle may be used for one-man operations on full gauge railways without any restrictions. Its relatively small capacity (maximum under 170 passengers) is balanced by the fact that the vehicle can be driven in multiples of up to seven units. A rake of five RS1's can thus handle a maximum of just under 850 passengers, albeit somewhat uneconomical compared with a locomotive-hauled train due to
3080-637: The Regio-Shuttles. The vehicles are operated from Tübingen and Ulm by DB subsidiaries DB ZugBus Regionalverkehr Alb-Bodensee (RAB). Since May 2000 all the vehicles have been in daily service. Since 2007, numbers 650 322–327, funded by DB Regio Bayern , have also been in operation. In addition, the WestFrankenBahn has taken over a railbus from the Kahlgrundbahn , number 650 997. This railbus has since been transferred to
3157-576: The city of Ulm are colder than in Berlin. While winters in the warmest areas often lack snow, the Black Forest , Swabian Alb and the Alps tend to get snow frequently, especially in areas of high elevation. Summers here have more rain than in the valleys, but winters tend to have more sun. Due to the differences of the landscapes, average annual temperatures reach from only 5 °C (41 °F) in
Ammer Valley Railway - Misplaced Pages Continue
3234-626: The contract for these services in January 2022. The transport contract is to run until December 2035 at the latest and can be terminated from December 2030. In December 2022, the Regio-Shuttles were replaced by Alstom Coradia Continental sets, which had been used in the Augsburg electric network until December 2022. These were modernised in the course of 2023, equipped with Wi-Fi and request stop buttons and repainted in bwegt (Baden-Wurttemberg public transport) colours. Since June 2024, trains on
3311-468: The diagonal pillar concept allowed mass reduction, improved passenger views and flexibility of seating layout, whilst maintaining adequate body strength and stiffness. ABB applied for a patent on the design. The Bombardier Itino uses a similar angled window pillar design. A similar window pillar design had been used on the Schienenzeppelin railcar in 1929. From an operational point of view
3388-599: The estimated cost of the duplication of the two sections (4 km in total), the electrification of the whole line (including the Schlossberg tunnel) and the construction of a new main platform amounted to €27.8m. In the Hardtwald area, the swampy subsoil caused problems, so the foundations of the existing track had to be rebuilt. For the construction work, the former track 3 in Altingen also had to be temporarily rebuilt as
3465-672: The flower island of Mainau , and the hometown of the Zeppelin , Friedrichshafen a.o., are especially popular for outdoor activities in the summer months. In spring and autumn (April/May and September/October), beer festivals (fun fairs) take place at the Cannstatter Wasen in Stuttgart. The Cannstatter Volksfest , in the autumn, is the second-largest such festival in the world after the Munich Oktoberfest . In late November and early December Christmas markets are
3542-493: The former pre-war states, the majority of voters overall (69%) voted in favor of a merger. Baden-Württemberg officially became a state on 25 April 1952. There were still opponents to the merger of Baden and Württemberg, however. In 1956 the Federal Constitutional Court decided that the population of Baden should have their say in a separate referendum. The second referendum was delayed, however, and
3619-555: The fuel consumption of its ten diesel motors. In 2006 a Regio-Shuttle was converted by Voith . Amongst other things it was to have stricter exhaust emission and the top speed was to be raised to 140 km/h (87 mph). A production series was to follow, however it looks as if the production of the Regio-Shuttle ceased in 2006. In 2007 and 2008 further orders followed from the ODEG , the HzL and Rhenus Veniro . Including machines on order,
3696-507: The great adaptability of the region's economy has generally helped it through crises. Half of the employees in the manufacturing industry are in mechanical and electrical engineering and automobile construction. This is also where the largest enterprises are to be found. The importance of the precision mechanics industry also extends beyond the region's borders, as does that of the optical, clock making, toy, metallurgy and electronics industries. The textile industry, which formerly dominated much of
3773-660: The international borders within its waters not being clearly defined. It shares the foothills of the Alps (known as the Allgäu ) with Bavaria and the Austrian Vorarlberg , but Baden-Württemberg itself has no mainland border with Austria. The Danube is conventionally taken to be formed by the confluence of the two streams Brigach and Breg just east of Donaueschingen . The source of the Donaubach , which flows into
3850-464: The line until 21 May 1999. Since December 2019, this service has been known as RB 63. At the timetable change in December 2022, electric operations began every 30 minutes from Herrenberg via Tübingen to Bad Urach. Monday to Friday during peak hours, trains ran between Tübingen and Entringen every 15 minutes. The state of Baden-Württemberg put these services out to tender in 2019. DB Regio was awarded
3927-453: The local Swabian , Alemannic and Franconian dialects, is sometimes used as a synonym for Baden-Württemberg. Baden-Württemberg is formed from the historical territories of Württemberg , Baden and Prussian Hohenzollern . Baden spans along the flat right bank of the river Rhine from north-west to the south ( Lake Constance ) of the present state, whereas Württemberg and Hohenzollern lay more inland and hillier, including areas such as
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#17327901922634004-597: The market. Starting in the 1970s, regional rail around major cities has been transformed into high-frequent S-Bahn networks, currently the following systems exist (partly) in Baden-Württemberg: Stuttgart S-Bahn , Rhine-Neckar S-Bahn , Breisgau S-Bahn and Basel S-Bahn . In and around the cities of Karlsruhe and Heilbronn, the Karlsruhe Stadtbahn system combines elements of traditional S-Bahns with tram operations within
4081-740: The microclimates of Black Forest and Allgäu up to 13 °C (55 °F) in the Upper Rhine Valley. Baden-Württemberg is divided into thirty-five districts ( Landkreise ) and nine independent cities ( Stadtkreise ), both grouped into the four Administrative Districts ( Regierungsbezirke ) of Freiburg , Karlsruhe , Stuttgart , and Tübingen . [REDACTED] The 35 districts: Baden-Württemberg contains nine additional independent cities not belonging to any district: The Baden-Württemberg General Auditing Office acts as an independent body to monitor public offices' correct use of public funds. The state parliament of Baden-Württemberg
4158-523: The neo-liberal thinktank Initiative for New Social Market Economy and the trade newspaper Wirtschaftswoche awarded Baden-Württemberg for being the "economically most successful and most dynamic state" among the 16 states. The unemployment rate stood at 3% in October 2018 and was the second lowest in Germany behind only Bavaria and one of the lowest in the European Union . Baden-Württemberg
4235-571: The popular Kretschmann and his Greens were reelected and, with their nationwide best result, turned out first place for the first time in any election in German history. However, because of the Social Democrats' heavy losses, the Greens formed a coalition government with the Christian Democrats, the second Kretschmann cabinet . After the most recent election in 2021, the Greens-CDU coalition was upheld. Although Baden-Württemberg has relatively few natural resources compared to other regions of Germany,
4312-585: The pristine Danube valley Swabian Alb (with Hohenzollern Castle and Sigmaringen Castle ), as well as the largely pristine Swabian Forest , the Upper Rhine Valley , and Lake Constance , where all kinds of water sports are popular, with the former Imperial, today border town of Konstanz (where the Council of Constance took place), the Neolithic and Bronze Age village at Unteruhldingen ,
4389-466: The railway line on average per day rose steadily from 5,150 at the end of 1999 to 2009, by a total of 53% to 7,890 and a further 9% to 8,588 in 2019. In 2020, passenger numbers were 54% lower than the previous year at 3,978—largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic . The Ammer Valley Railway plays an important role in the planned Regionalstadtbahn Neckar-Alb (Neckar-Alb regional light rail) network based on
4466-481: The region of Grand Est ), and Switzerland (cantons of Basel-Landschaft , Basel-Stadt , Aargau , Zürich , Schaffhausen and Thurgau ). Most of the major cities of Baden-Württemberg straddle the banks of the Neckar River , which has its source in Villingen-Schwenningen and runs downstream (from southwest to the centre, then northwest) through the state past Tübingen , Stuttgart , Heilbronn , Heidelberg , and Mannheim . The Rhine (German: Rhein ) forms
4543-415: The region, has disappeared from Baden-Württemberg. Research and development (R&D) is funded jointly by the state and industry. In 2001, more than a fifth of the 100,000 or so persons working in R&D in Germany were located in Baden-Württemberg, most of them in the Stuttgart area. Baden-Württemberg is also the region with the highest GDP of the Four Motors for Europe . A study performed in 2007 by
4620-408: The river Neckar, are popular smaller towns. Sites of former monasteries such as the ones on Reichenau Island and at Maulbronn (both World Heritage Sites ) as well as Bebenhausen Abbey are to be found. Baden-Württemberg also boasts rich old Free Imperial Cities such as Biberach , Esslingen am Neckar , Heilbronn , Ravensburg , Reutlingen , Künzelsau , Schwäbisch Hall and Aalen as well as
4697-608: The second most popular theme park in Europe, after Disneyland Paris . Baden-Württemberg is home to some of the oldest, most renowned, and prestigious universities in Germany, such as the universities of Heidelberg (founded in 1386, the oldest university within the territory of modern Germany), Freiburg (founded in 1457), and Tübingen (founded in 1477). It also contains three of the eleven German excellence universities (Heidelberg, Tübingen, Konstanz and Karlsruhe and formerly, Freiburg ). Other university towns are Mannheim and Ulm . Furthermore, two universities are located in
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#17327901922634774-431: The site of a Roman Castra ); it is the only major city in Germany with vineyards in an urban territory. The residential (court) towns of Ludwigsburg and Karlsruhe , the spas and casino of luxurious Baden-Baden , the medieval architecture of Ulm ( Ulm Münster is the tallest church in the world), the vibrant, young, but traditional university towns of Heidelberg and Tübingen with their old castles looking out above
4851-435: The southernmost and sunniest city of Germany, Freiburg , close to Alsace and Switzerland, being an ideal base for exploring the heights of the nearby Black Forest (e.g., for skiing in winter or for hiking in summer) with its traditional villages and the surrounding wine country of the Rhine Valley of South Baden. The countryside of the lush Upper Neckar valley (where Rottweil is famous for its Fastnacht carnival) and
4928-420: The southernmost part of Germany. The climate across the states varies. This is mostly due to a high amount of mountains and highlands inside of the state. Most parts in the western parts (Baden) lower than 500–800 metres (1,600–2,600 ft) enjoy an almost year round mild oceanic climate (cfb in Köppen classification). The climate in the eastern parts of the state is more continental. For instance, winters in
5005-435: The state capital Stuttgart , the University of Hohenheim , and the University of Stuttgart . Ludwigsburg is home to the renowned national film school Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg (Film Academy Baden-Wuerttemberg). The private International University in Germany was situated in Bruchsal , but closed in 2009. Another private university is located in Friedrichshafen, Zeppelin University . Furthermore, there are more than
5082-419: The state is among the most prosperous and wealthiest regions in Europe with a generally low unemployment rate historically. The state's economic performance benefits from and relies on its well-developed infrastructure. Apart from the city-states of Berlin , Bremen and Hamburg , Baden-Württemberg offers the fourth-shortest routes to trains and buses on average among all German states. Baden-Württemberg has
5159-528: The state's railway infrastructure. Passenger train services in Baden-Württemberg are operated partly by various subsidiaries of Deutsche Bahn , the national railway operator, such as DB Fernverkehr with its high-speed ICE , as well as IC trains ; and DB Regio , operating some regional train services in the state. Cross-border train services are also provided by French Railways ' TGV trains, as well as by Swiss Federal Railways and Austrian Federal Railways (including its Nightjet night trains). Since
5236-405: The total number of manufactured Regio-Shuttles comes to 365 units. At the end of June 2008 the Deutsche Bahn AG agreed a contract with Stadler for the delivery of up to 60 Regio-Shuttles. These were to be called off if DB Regio were successful in winning tenders and needed Regio-Shuttles for the services envisaged. The following railway companies have Regio-Shuttle RS1's in their fleet: In 1999
5313-417: The tracks. A further two-track extension was carried out over 2.6 kilometres (1.6 mi) between the western end of the platform in Entringen to the Hardtwald level crossing and the second track is also located on the south side of the existing track. The Hardtwald bridge was no longer connected to the public road network and was demolished without being replaced. According to 2012 figures (at 2006 prices),
5390-454: The two bogies. The RS1's appearance is striking because its window design looks like a timber-framed bridge support (or Warren truss ), the angled bodyshell pillars being visible at the windows. This construction was originally proposed to ABB (later ADtranz ) by Design Triangle during a research study into weight reduction for high speed trains . The study, reported in a paper to the Institution of Mechanical Engineers in 1996, showed that
5467-507: The urban cores ( tram-trains ). Stadler Regio-Shuttle RS1 The Stadler Regio-Shuttle RS1 is the first widely used, new-generation, diesel railcar in Germany and Czech Republic for local railway services. Its most characteristic feature is the trapezium-shaped window frames. The Regio-Shuttle is classified by the Deutsche Bahn as Class 650 , by the České Dráhy as Class 840 or Class 841 , however numerous private railways have their own Regio-Shuttles. Originally
5544-741: The western border as well as large portions of the southern border. The Black Forest (Schwarzwald), the central mountain range of the state, rises east of the Upper Rhine valley . The high plateau of the Swabian Alb , between the Neckar, the Black Forest, and the Danube, is an essential European watershed . Baden-Württemberg shares Lake Constance (Bodensee, also known regionally as the Swabian Sea) with Switzerland, Austria and Bavaria,
5621-420: Was abandoned and eventually dismantled in 1973. The Entringen-Gültstein section was only operated for freight traffic until 31 January 1998. However, the section was never legally closed, that is, it was not decommissioned, but was simply out of service. In 1989, Deutsche Bundesbahn applied for closure of the line. On 26 July 1995, the Zweckverband ÖPNV im Ammertal ("municipal association for public transport in
5698-463: Was delivered 16 units of 840 (840 001-016) to Liberecký kraj. In 2011, 841 001 was delivered to Kraj Vysočina, and a further 16 units (841 002-017) were delivered from 2012 to 2013. In December 2020 České Dráhy purchased an additional 22 units from SWEG Hohenzollerische Landesbahn, increasing the total number of Stadlers' diesel railcars from 33 to 55. As of June 2021, 17 out of 22 units were delivered. The remaining 5 railcars were to have been delivered by
5775-467: Was founded in 1909 during this dispute. Its goal at the time was to prevent industrialisation destroying any more of the old than was really necessary. Deutsche Bundesbahn discontinued passenger services between Entringen and Herrenberg on 25 September 1966. The Entringen–Gültstein section continued to be operated for freight traffic until 31 January 1998, while the Gültstein–Herrenberg section
5852-606: Was occupied by the United States . The new artificial borders were a consequence of France requesting its own occupation zone in Germany after World War II, and the Americans' wish to keep the A8 motorway , which spans east-west across northern Baden and northern Württemberg, wholly within their occupation zone. In 1949, each state became a founding member of the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany), with Article 118 of
5929-526: Was taken out of service and dismantled in the 1960s and 1970s. Since 1999, the entire length of the line has been reactivated for local passenger services. From 2019 to 2022, the line was electrified and partially double-tracked. The Herrenberg–Pfäffingen section was opened on 12 August 1909, while the Pfäffingen–Tübingen section was delayed to 1 May 1910, partly because the construction of the Schlossberg tunnel had not been completed. The swampy ground in
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