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86-576: As of December 2007 it had 11,963 inhabitants. The core city Blaubeuren lies at the foot of the Swabian Jura , 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) west of Ulm. The city is borders to the north to Suppingen and Berghülen , on the east to Blaustein , in the south to Ulm and Erbach and in the west to Schelklingen and Heroldstatt . The city Blaubeuren consists of the districts Blaubeuren, Gerhausen, Altental, Asch, Beiningen, Pappelau, Beimerstetten, Sotzenhausen, Seißen, Wennenden, Sonderbuch and Weiler with

172-616: 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

258-539: 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

344-487: A "luxury outlet town", with people from all over Europe coming to buy expensive clothes cheaper). From this, machine building and advanced engineering developed. With the invention of cars and the founding of Daimler-Benz nearby, the car industry and later also electronics and computer industries developed. The " Neckar-Alb " region is the third largest industrial zone in Germany, and the most stable. The best known company

430-452: 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

516-511: A long time, it was often stagnant. Thus disinfection via alcohol was very popular: "Most" ( cider ) was mixed with water and even given to babies. A modern water supply system (outstanding for its time) was built in the late 1880s, which eased the situation. Locals in the areas speak the distinct German dialect known as Swabian German , which varies even throughout the Jura and is difficult to understand for speakers of Standard German. The dialect at

602-481: 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

688-521: 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

774-603: A proper noun referring more or less exclusively to the Swabian and the Franconian Jura ( German : Fränkische Alb ) areas however, and as such has no direct translation into most other languages. It is perhaps for this reason that Schwäbische Alb has sometimes been translated into English as 'Swabian Alps', thus avoiding the lesser-known name Jura . However, the area is not part of the Alps (despite its proximity), nor

860-524: A small man dressed in blue on a gold background. The Merckle group (pharmaceutical industry) is headquartered in Blaubeuren. Blaubeuren is also the headquarters of Centrotherm Photovoltaics . Blaubeuren is located on the Ulm–Sigmaringen railway . Once an hour regional express trains run to Sigmaringen and Ulm , and every two hours to Donaueschingen and Titisee-Neustadt . Blaubeuren belongs to

946-528: 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

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1032-525: 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 ,

1118-476: A stronger Fasnet tradition. A Swabian Fasnet celebration in any case has little or nothing in common with the simultaneous celebrations along the Middle Rhein, which are well known across Germany because they are televised every year. Swabians generally are expected to go to work as normal on Rose Monday and Fat Tuesday, unlike their neighbors to the northwest. Since raising crops was not easy, raising sheep

1204-646: 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

1290-467: A water bird, and two statues of a lion man all of surprising quality and all more than 30,000 years old. The oldest known musical instruments have been found here, too: flutes made from the bones of swans and griffon vultures, some 35,000 years old, and in 2004 a flute carved from the tusk of a mammoth dating from the Ice Age, around 37,000 years ago, and the oldest representation of

1376-550: 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

1462-465: 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

1548-556: Is also often the case that, while in one town a strong tradition of celebrating Fasnet has survived, the neighboring town will have almost no tradition. This is in many instances linked to the after-effects of the Protestant Reformation and the later influence of the Calvinistic Pietists, who more or less strictly opposed such frivolous - even heathen - behaviour. Catholic regions to this day tend to have

1634-626: 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

1720-524: Is it ever referred to as such in German, the Alps being die Alpen in German (plural). 48°18′N 9°21′E  /  48.3°N 9.35°E  / 48.3; 9.35 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 ,

1806-530: Is located in Blaubeuren and has a branch church in Gerhausen. The New Apostolic Church also has here a municipality. The Muslim community in Blaubeuren is largely Turkish dominated, originated by the migration of workers since the early 1960s from Turkey . Near the Blautopf lies the former Blaubeuren Abbey (founded in 1085). Blaubeuren also has an old town with many half-timbered buildings. In 1926

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1892-661: Is named after the region of Swabia . It is part of the Table Jura ( Tafeljura ). The Swabian Jura occupies the region bounded by the Danube in the southeast and the upper Neckar in the northwest. In the southwest it rises to the higher mountains of the Black Forest . The highest mountain in the region is the Lemberg (1,015 m (3,330 ft)). The area's profile resembles a high plateau, which slowly falls away to

1978-498: Is still Daimler-Benz, today known simply as Daimler AG , followed by Robert Bosch . The region has one of the highest patents-to-population ratios in the world. Many products fall into the high-tech category. The small and medium enterprise sector (100-5,000 employees) predominates. Perhaps as a result, the unemployment rate is low. In general, products are expensive but compete through high quality. Several districts are recognised as especially attractive to business, e.g. Reutlingen as

2064-509: 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

2150-592: Is the Fasnet celebration in Rottweil. Typical of the Allemannic tradition are the witches and forest- or well-spirits, who typically signify Winter or the forces of nature coming to drive Winter out. The various roles are often claimed to have been defined in pre-Christian times and here the exact traditions vary from village to village, creating a fantastic variety of heroes, villains and good and evil creatures. It

2236-574: The Achalm or the Hohenstaufen ) which testify to the former territory of the range. The omnipresent caves are great tourist spots, beautiful and not very crowded. Many different types can be found, from dry dripstone caves to caves that can only be entered by boat. Sometimes the discharge of the water from subterranean rivers can be spectacular, too, e.g. the Blautopf , a source for a tributary of

2322-850: The Donau-Iller-Nahverkehrsverbund (DING). Blaubeuren is located on the Bundesstraße 28 between Reutlingen and Ulm. In the city also begins the Bundesstraße 492 to Ehingen. The next junction of the Bundesautobahn 8 from Stuttgart to Munich is 12 kilometers (7 miles) away. Blaubeuren is the seat of the church district Blaubeuren of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Württemberg . The Roman Catholic church Mariä Heimsuchung

2408-582: 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

2494-632: The Jura mountains , of which the Swabian and Franconian plateaux are geographically part. In German, at least outside geological circles, the word Alb is used almost universally in place of Jura . The origin of the word is uncertain. One theory is that it derives form the Latin albus ("white"). Another is that it is from a pre-Indo-European word albhros ("hill"). It is related to the German words Alpe , Alm or Alp (from Old High German alpâ ), meaning an " upland pasture ". The word Alb functions as

2580-652: 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

2666-732: The Patenterrennen (Patent Race), teams consisting of 'drivers' and 'brakesmen' compete against each other with their historic sleds. Swabian Jura The Swabian Jura ( German : Schwäbische Alb [ˈʃvɛːbɪʃə ˈʔalp] , more rarely Schwäbischer Jura [ˈʃvɛːbɪʃɐ ˈjuːʁa] ), sometimes also named Swabian Alps in English, is a mountain range in Baden-Württemberg , Germany , extending 220 km (140 mi) from southwest to northeast and 40 to 70 km (25 to 43 mi) in width. It

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2752-788: 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

2838-568: 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

2924-510: The Ulm area (e.g., Turritellenplatte of Ermingen). Constant rain and other weather influences are slowly dissolving the entire range. Each year, it recedes approximately 2 mm (0.08 in). Some millions of years ago, the mountains reached as far as Stuttgart . In some places, the limestone was more resistant to decay and thus the recession of the main range has left small mountains (called "Zeugenberge"—"witness mountains" or outliers ; e.g.

3010-454: 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

3096-523: 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

3182-675: The " Ruckenkreuz " was erected on a rocky mountain, an 8.4-metre (28 ft) tall memorial cross made of reinforced concrete with a span of 2.8 metres (9.2 ft), which commemorates the fallen of the First World War . The " Urgeschichtliches Museum Blaubeuren " displays archaeological findings, including the Venus of Hohle Fels , the earliest known undisputed example of a depiction of a human being in prehistoric art. Scientific findings, experimental archeology and modern museum education can be found under one roof. The former bathhouse of

3268-560: 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

3354-445: 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

3440-621: 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:

3526-711: 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 ,

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3612-588: 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 –

3698-496: The Danube. Also because of the porous limestone, the Danube nearly disappears near Immendingen (in 1911, 1921, 1928 and 1943 it disappeared completely), only to reappear several kilometers further down. Most of the water lost by the Danube resurfaces in the Aachtopf , a spring for a tributary to the Rhine . The soil is not very fertile, the humus is often as thin as 10 cm (4 in). Many small limestone pebbles are found on

3784-513: 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

3870-412: 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

3956-465: 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

4042-710: The core city Blaubeuren and 18 other villages, hamlets, farms and (individual) houses. Within the town borough are the ruins of a number of castles: Ruck Castle and Blauenstein Castle, Hohengerhausen Castle (in Gerhausen), Günzelburg Castle and Burkartsweiler (both in Seißen), Sirgenstein Castle (in Weiler), and Gleißenburg Castle (in Beiningen). The coat of arms for the town shows the so-called Blaumännle (little blue man),

4128-672: 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

4214-564: The foreland of the Swabian Jura officially don't belong to it. There are many castles, monasteries, churches, ruins and old towns. Here is a small selection. A good way for tourists to get to know the Swabian Jura is to travel on the Schwäbische Albstraße , a "National Scenic Byway", leading from Tuttlingen or Trossingen to Nördlingen or Aalen . The name German : Jura (related to Jurassic ) derives from

4300-493: 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

4386-507: 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

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4472-467: The highest rents in Germany, while land on the plateau itself is considered cheap (by south German standards). Many town names end in -ingen . There were several military training grounds, some also used by NATO troops. On the Münsingen training ground which existed for over 100 years, a biosphere reserve is in the making. The region has several larger and many small nature reserves. The towns in

4558-473: The hills are not steep or high) and numerous small resorts can be found. It is often windy and a bit colder than the rest of Germany. Because of a special micro climate, a small weather station near the town of Stetten am kalten Markt is known as the "coldest spot in Germany". The Swabian Jura are not densely populated by German standards. Most of the larger towns are outside the region, though they are often counted as part of it. These towns often have some of

4644-484: The human body, the Venus of Schelklingen . This region, located south of the limes , was part of the Roman Empire from around the first to third century A.D. A Roman road ran along the Neckar river and over the plateau. In Hechingen-Stein a Roman outpost along this road was discovered in the 1970s and has been turned into an outdoor museum. The limes actually cuts across the plateau at Aalen , which gets its name from

4730-610: 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

4816-453: 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

4902-435: 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

4988-671: 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

5074-469: The monks in the monastery presents in the basement historic bathing facilities, and on the upper floors the local museum with furniture and objects from Blaubeuren. The most striking sight in Blaubeuren is the Blautopf, a karst spring . The Blautopf is 21 meters deep and one of the deepest and largest sources in Germany, with a flow out of minimum 310 L/s and maximum 32,000 L/s. A unique sled race takes place in Gerhausen every year. In this event, known as

5160-405: 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

5246-425: The original Roman cavalry post, or ala , on the outskirts of the modern town. Here too, the Roman ruins are being excavated and a museum has been open to the public since the late 1980s. Life was extremely hard in the Swabian Jura. The lack of water and the poor quality of the soil made it a backward region. For many villages fetching water required a long journey by horse. Since water often needed to be stored over

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5332-402: The plateau. In some places, former volcanic activity has left traces, such as maars and hills. In the west, the Zollerngraben (a geological depression in a tectonically active region) sometimes causes mild earthquakes. The Nördlinger Ries is a large meteorite crater (15 million years old). Tertiary relicts can be found in the southern part of Swabian Jura. Famous locations are known in

5418-512: 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,

5504-407: 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 ,

5590-407: The range: Black Jurassic , Brown Jurassic , and White Jurassic . White Jurassic may be as pure as 99% calcium carbonate . Since limestone is soluble in water, rain seeps through cracks everywhere, forming a karst landscape, featuring subterranean rivers which flow through a large system of caves before they emerge. As a result there are hardly any rivers, lakes or other forms of surface water on

5676-481: 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

5762-415: 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

5848-425: The rest of Swabia . In former times, Yiddish , Pleißne and Romani was also spoken. The Pleißne was spoken by hawkers selling items such as baskets, brushes, and whips, and belongs to Rotwelsch . It was used as a code. The " Swabian – Alemannic " carnival is an important tradition in many of the villages, called variously " Fastnacht ", "Fasnacht", "Fasnet", or "Fasching". Of particular cultural importance

5934-408: 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

6020-608: 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

6106-431: 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

6192-485: The southeast. The northwestern edge is a steep escarpment (called the Albtrauf or Albanstieg, rising up 400 m (1,300 ft), covered with forests), while the top is flat or gently rolling. In economic and cultural terms, the Swabian Jura includes regions just around the mountain range. It is a popular recreation area. The whole Schwäbische Alb area is a UNESCO global geopark covering 6,688 km (2582 sq mi.); it

6278-496: 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

6364-473: 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

6450-649: The southwestern part of the Jura, in the region of the Großer Heuberg . There are many other peaks in the Alb, such as the Hornau , Ochsenberg , and Achalm . Fossils can be found everywhere in the Swabian Jura. Many large and important fossils were found here. At Holzmaden, outside of Weilheim unter Teck, a small private museum, called Urwelt-Museum Hauff, provides visitors with the opportunity to "dig" for fossils in their shale deposits. The Urwelt-Museum Hauff houses

6536-672: 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

6622-472: 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

6708-528: 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

6794-430: The surface. Much of the Swabian Jura consists of gentle to moderate hills often covered with forest or cleared for small-scale agriculture . The traditional landscape was grass fields with juniper bushes . Today this has become a comparatively rare sight. However, in certain places it is protected by the government of Baden-Württemberg. The highest elevations reach just over 1,000 metres (3,300 ft). They are all in

6880-456: The top of the plateau ( German : Albschwäbisch ) is markedly different from, and stronger than, even the broadest Swabian of the lowland areas. Across the whole Swabian region, many phrases and grammar are highly localized, even down to the village level; however, the Swabian dialect of the highland regions is characterised by a sing-song melody, and some of the verb forms are also distinct, not only from Standard German , but also from those of

6966-400: The town in Germany where it is simplest to open a new business. Educational resources are at a high level. The schools and universities of the region all enjoy top rankings within Germany. The Swabian Jura and the neighbouring region have developed from one of the poorest regions of Germany to one of its richest within the past 150 years. In winter it often snows. Skiing is popular (though

7052-688: 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,

7138-404: The world's largest petrified crinoid (sea-lily) colony with a size of 18 m × 6 m (59 ft × 20 ft) and an age of about 180 million years. In a number of caves (including Vogelherd, Hohlenstein-Stadel , Geißenklösterle and Hohle Fels ), all just a few kilometers apart, some of the oldest signs of human artifacts were found. Best known are: a mammoth, a horse head,

7224-661: Was designated as a National Geopark in Germany in 2002 and became a member of the European Geoparks Network in 2004; in 2015 it was included in the newly established scheme of UNESCO Global Geoparks. In its central area it comprises a Swabian Alb Biosphere Reserve of 852.69 km (330 sq. mi.). The geology of the Swabian Jura is mostly limestone , which formed the seabed during the Jurassic period. The sea receded 50 million years ago. Three layers of different limestones are stacked over each other to form

7310-606: 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

7396-408: Was popular. This yielded the development of a strong textile industry. In the 1950s, Reutlingen was the German town with the highest number of millionaires, until the decline of the German textile industry hit them as well. Still, many high quality textile companies can be found, such as Hugo Boss , Merz b. Schwanen , Trigema , Reusch, Groz-Beckert and others (the town of Metzingen is widely known as

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