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51-558: WMF (formerly known as Württembergische Metallwarenfabrik ) is a German tableware manufacturer, founded in 1853 in Geislingen an der Steige . WMF was originally called Metallwarenfabrik Straub & Schweizer and was opened as a metal repairing workshop. Through mergers and acquisitions, by 1900 they were the world's largest producer and exporter of household metalware, mainly in the Jugendstil, or Art Nouveau style, designed in

102-565: A loan. In 1396 the city called for repayment, but the House of Helfenstein owed at least 123,439 Gulden to the city. To repay the loan, most of the County of Geislingen including the ancestral castle and 27 villages or hamlets were given to Ulm. The Blaubeuren branch lost most of their property to the House of Württemberg in 1448 when Württemberg acquired Heidenheim . In 1450 Württemberg acquired

153-561: A retail outlet founded by Gordon Freeman Fraser in Berkeley, CA, in 1947. Fraser's grew to become a division of WMF of America, Inc., a subsidiary of WMF AG. With the death of Gordon Fraser in 2005, Fraser's ceased to exist, and WMF products are now distributed in the U.S. by WMF Americas Group of North Carolina. Since 1998 the German cooking pan manufacturer Silit also belongs to the WMF. Silit

204-406: A walk through the town. The coat of arms of Geislingen shows a shield divided by black and silver, overlaid with a five-petaled, golden, red rose with green sepals. The town flag is black and white. In 1367, Count Ulrich von Helfenstein stipulated in a city ordinance that the city seal should have his full coat of arms. This seal remained for some time even after the sale of Geislingen in 1396 to

255-542: Is divided into three divisions: Global Coffee Machine Business, Global Hotel Business and Global Consumer Business with Tables & Kitchens, Branches and Small Domestic Appliances. In these segments WMF brands are offered to a different extent. Some WMF stainless products produced in Germany after World War II are called "Fraser's WMF" because they were distributed in the United States by Fraser's Ltd. of New York,

306-470: Is of Alamannic origin. First traces of settlement go back to the 5th century. On the site of today's "Lindenhof" stood since the 11th century a St. Michael's church, the original church of Altenstadt and the whole surrounding area. So the name of the later helfenstein Geislingen comes from the older neighboring village. Rorgensteig, situated on the upper Rohrach River, was an old parish village into which

357-436: Is still marketed as an independent brand. In 2002, the range of products is rounded off by the acquisition of Kaiser Backformen. Geislingen an der Steige Geislingen is also a city of students. The University of Applied Sciences for Economy and Environment is known far beyond the borders with best rankings. A medieval town with alemannic half-timbered houses testifies to a long history, which can also be seen during

408-554: The Abteilung für Galvanoplastik (Galvanoplastic Division) of WMF. During the 1920s, Abteilung für Galvanoplastic was producing reproductions of large-scale Italian Renaissance bronze works for an American clientele. Albert Weiblen Marble & Granite Co., Inc. of New Orleans pursued the acquisition of a gilt copper reproduction of Ghiberti 's " Gates of Paradise ". In 1910, the Reale Istituto di Belle Arti had granted WMF

459-647: The Archbishop of Salzburg , Gebhard of Salzburg (from the Counts of Vils) was also known as Gebhard von Helfenstein. This connection is debated. The first recorded member of the family was Eberhard the Elder , who built the ancestral castle known as Burg Helfenstein (English: Helfenstein Castle ) around 1100. Helfenstein castle was located at a key point along the imperial road from Brabant to Italy . This allowed

510-579: The Swabian Alb region of Baden-Württemberg , Germany. The family held the rank of Graf or Count and was very significant in the 13th and 14th Centuries, but fell into financial difficulties and the family lost its estate in 1627. Later the main branch of the family emigrated to America and even today they are successor members of this German dynasty. Currently the German-Argentinean Ernst Heinrich von Helfenstein have

561-472: The "artificial" foundation of Geislingen are two present-day districts, Altenstadt and Rorgensteig. Altenstadt, in the oldest times still called "ze der alten Stadt" or "Altengiselingen", is of Alamannic origin. First traces of settlement go back to the 5th century. The great wave of escape in 1944 brought thousands of Estonians to Germany. After the Second World War, 4400 Estonian refugees lived in

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612-619: The Austro-Hungarian market until about 1914. WMF purchased Orivit AG, a company known for its Jugendstil pewter in 1905, followed a year later by the purchase of the Orion Kunstgewerbliche Metallwarenfabrik , another German metalware company. WMF continued to use the goods from the acquired companies on their own markets, and conversely, they produced and distributed their objects under their acquired companies brands. One other brand they acquired

663-683: The Bodelschwinghschule für Geistigbehinderte. Although the area had settlements since the Bronze Age, Geislingen was founded by the counts of Helfenstein as a transit collection station on the important commercial route between the Rhine valley and the Mediterranean. The fortified Helfenstein castle existed since 1100. Giselingen was first mentioned as civitas in a document dated 1237. From 1396 through 1802, Geislingen

714-476: The Counts of Helfenstein to guard and tax travellers and merchants. The city of Geislingen an der Steige grew up at the foot of the castle as a toll collection station and rest stop for travellers. Around 1200 Count Ludwig IV of Spitzenberg (near Kuchen ) and Sigmaringen married the heir of Eberhard II (known as the Younger) of Helfenstein, his daughter. Through the marriage to the heir of Helfenstein family,

765-539: The Geislingen area is included in the DING network (Donau-Iller-Nahverkehrsgesellschaft). Anyone traveling by bus or train from Geislingen to the Alb-Donau district can now take advantage of all the price benefits of the DING transport association there. Long-distance connections Detailed, personalized timetable information can be obtained from the electronic timetable information system Baden-Württemberg. You can access

816-501: The Geislingen refugee camp (including Voldemar Päts , Priit Vesilind , Olev Piirsalu, Elias Kasak, Verner Hans Puurand , Henrik Visnapuu , Pedro Krusten, Roman Toi , Peeter Puusep , Harald Raudsepp and others). The Geislingen Estonian Gymnasium, Geislingen Estonian Primary School, Geislingen Estonian Theater and the Geislingen Estonian Symphony Orchestra operated there. The newspaper Eesti Post

867-635: The Geislingen station, which is called the main station in bus transport, there is also the Geislingen West station. From 1903 to 1981, Geislingen was the starting point of the Tälesbahn, a branch line to Wiesensteig. The Königlich Württembergische Staats-Eisenbahnen built the station building in Geislingen-Altenstadt for this purpose as a unit station of type. The section to Geislingen-Altenstadt remained in operation until 2002. In

918-856: The Michelberg-Gymnasium as well as a Wirtschaftsgymnasium and a Sozialwissenschaftliches Gymnasium (school authority is the district of Göppingen), two Realschulen, the Daniel-Straub-Realschule and the Schubart-Realschule, two special schools (Pestalozzischule, Bodelschwingh-Schule), one Waldorf school, three elementary and secondary schools with Werkrealschule (Lindenschule, Tegelbergschule and Uhlandschule) and three independent elementary schools (Albert-Einstein-Schule, Grundschule Aufhausen and Grundschule Eybach). The Michelberg Gymnasium underwent ecological renovation in 2016, during which mistakes were made that led to

969-529: The Museum im Alten Bau.linger Marienkapelle to the parish church (around 1393) and the construction of the present town church in the years 1424 to 1428. The Rorgensteig with its mills was of particular importance as the first medieval "industrial center" of the town. Since January 1, 2014, the district of Göppingen has been part of the VVS . This partial integration is an important step for the district communities into

1020-644: The Spitzenburg lands would be combined and Ludwig IV of Spitzenburg became Ludwing I of Helfenstein. He quickly expanded his county, adding numerous holdings in the upper and middle Fils River Valley, on the highlands of the Swabian Alb , in Ulm , in Heidenheim an der Brenz as well as in the Danube River Valley near Sigmaringen and Schloss Sigmaringen . The next significant Helfenstein count

1071-555: The WMF Art Studio under Albert Mayer, sculptor and designer, who was director from 1884 to 1914. WMF has been operating under the name WMF GmbH since July 1, 2012 - and no longer under WMF Group GmbH as before. Since 2016, the company has been part of the French Groupe SEB. Being a group within the group, however, has increasingly irritated both internally and externally. With the simpler name, WMF fits smoothly into

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1122-543: The Wiesensteig holdings from Ulm, but lost those holdings seven years later in 1457. The Wiesensteig lands would later pass to Bavaria from 1642 until 1752. Bavaria had already owned the Blaubeuren lands including Heidenheim from 1450 until 1504, but in 1504 Bavaria gave the Blaubeuren lands to Württemberg. Following the loss of their lands, the House of Helfenstein lost all political power. The last male member of

1173-567: The building stock in 1925 based on plans by DB and the Geislingen and Amstetten building administration offices. Railroad buildings exactly replicated, other buildings stylized (true to form and color, but without windows and doors). Construction time: April 1998 - June 2000 Modelers: Doris Benney, Jochen Böhm, Thorsten Böhm, Joachim Frauenstein, Jan Frese, Georg Katsoulis, Martin Moser, Reiner Schöll, Gerhard Stabel, Herbert Strauß, Alfred Wäse, Friedrich Welle, Georg Welle The model can be seen in

1224-562: The citizens of the town of Geislingen were parishioners until 1393. The importance of the Rorgensteig church for the religious life of the Geislingen community decreased since the elevation of the Geislingen Lady Chapel to a parish church (around 1393) and the construction of the present town church in the years 1424 to 1428. Rorgensteig with its mills had special significance as the first medieval "industrial center" of

1275-837: The closure of a section of the building in early 2020 due to the risk of collapse. Furthermore, serious violations of fire safety regulations were discovered. Redevelopment of the renovation or demolition and new construction would lead the city of Geislingen into over-indebtedness. Geislingen is the location of the Faculty of Business and Law of the Nürtingen-Geislingen University of Applied Sciences (HfWU) with Bachelor's degree programs in Automotive Management, Energy and Resource Management, Health and Tourism Management, Real Estate Management, Business Law, and Sustainable Product Management. In addition,

1326-605: The construction of the Geislinger Steige was a pioneering act of the first order. The town experienced a noticeable upswing due to the connection to the "big wide world", which can be seen in new jobs and a growing population. In the year 2000 – 150 years later - the Deutsche Bahn AG, the municipality of Amstetten and the town of Geislingen an der Steige celebrated this "groundbreaking" anniversary with various activities, projects and events. Information about

1377-428: The control of Hugo Debach immediately began to produce arms again. Debach died shortly thereafter. Beginning in 1940 the WMF began using more and more forced labor from Soviet prisoners of war in surrounding camps, these people eventually made up 1/3 of the firm's labor force. WMF also founded their own concentration camp in 1944 to detain and force over 900 Hungarian Jewish women to work for them. In 1955, WMF started

1428-460: The course of development, but whose boundaries are usually not fixed. The town lies on the B 10 (Lebach-Augsburg) and B 466 (to Mühlhausen im Täle) federal highways. Geislingen is located on the Filstalbahn from Stuttgart to Ulm, which was opened in 1847. Geislingen (Steige) station is served hourly by regional train and regional express trains to Stuttgart, Plochingen and Ulm. In addition to

1479-658: The exclusive right to take a sharp cast of the original doors, from which WMF created a reproduction that was exhibited at the International Building Trades Exhibition in Leipzig (1913). WMF produced a trilingual catalog about the doors, titled Erztüre des Hauptportals am Baptisterium in Florenz . In 1900, WMF acquired Albert Köhler's famous Austrian metalwork company AK & CIE , who produced and distributed WMF items under their mark to

1530-625: The family died in 1627 in Wiesensteig, which signified the end of this family name. The Helfenstein family later moved to Salzburg to become part of the "Salzburgers" arriving at the Georgia Colony 1734. One branch of the family 'Latinised' their name to Helveston. During the American Revolution Philip Helveston with family fought as notable rebel's and were routed and driven away in the battle of Ebenezer Georgia by British regulars. In 1782 they resettled in

1581-499: The family may originate about three centuries earlier. Ulric Helfenstein was appointed Second Provost at an earlier Blaubeuren Abbey by Charlemagne in 800. His son Rudolf was born around 820. On 12 December 861 he founded the church at Wiesensteig . Later he also founded the Cyriasus Abbey in Wiesensteig. It is possible that the Counts from Vils ( Fils ) were the ancestors of the House of Helfenstein, because in 1060

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1632-579: The first ancestor of the family, Helfrich, a citizen of Rome in 225 AD, a captain of the 5th Legion of Veterans based in Germany and the Lord of the Fils River. Helfrich acquired an elephant for his coat of arms. Their emblem depicted an elephant and was awarded in 46 BC for bravery against a charge of elephants in the Battle of Thapsus. While the ancestral castle, Burg Helfenstein , was built around 1100

1683-722: The fortunes of both families were intertwined. The Counts of Spitzenberg were closely allied with the Holy Roman Emperor and had served the Empire in a variety of positions. Ludwig's brother, Gottfried , had marched with Frederick Barbarossa on the Third Crusade and had died on the Crusade in 1190. The Spitzenberg male line died out completely a generation later in 1226. This meant that the Helfenstein lands and

1734-500: The group structure while retaining its roots as a premium manufacturer within the group. The change is visible in the new corporate logo: this focuses on the WMF brand logo and visually creates a direct link to Groupe SEB. WMF also takes the new name as an opportunity to change the address at its headquarters in Geislingen. Thus, the previously known address "Eberhardstraße 35" became "WMF Platz 1". In 1880 after Metallwarenfabrik Straub & Schweizer merged with another German company, it

1785-407: The honorary title by inheritance of Baron and Count by subsequent to his Father. The House of Helfenstein used an elephant on their coat of arms. According to one source, the elephant is a type of Namenwappen (German: Coat of Arms from a name), in this case Helfenstein became Elefanten or elephant because of similarity between the sounds. A more fanciful source claims that the elephant comes from

1836-474: The imperial city of Ulm. In 1422 the divided shield of the city of Ulm can be proven in the seal for the first time. Whether the rose was already present in the poorly preserved seal impression cannot be said with certainty. The city colors black and white were mentioned for the first time in a marksmen's book in 1557. Geislingen an der Steige has four grammar schools, the Helfenstein-Gymnasium,

1887-522: The master's programs Automotive Management, Real Estate Management, Corporate Management, and Corporate Restructuring and Insolvency Management are offered at the location. Students in Geislingen are allowed to share the use of WMF's company cafeteria, as Geislingen itself does not have its own cafeteria. The district of Göppingen is the school authority for the three vocational schools (Emil-von-Behring-Schule - Hauswirtschaftliche Schule, Gewerbliche Schule und Kaufmännische Schule founded by Reinhard Nickl) and

1938-462: The model "Geislinger Steige 1925". Scale: 1:250 (railroad models size Z - 1 : 220). Prototype: Railroad line between 60.650 km (Geislingen gas works) and 67.850 km (bridge L 1232 in Amstetten) over a length of 7.2 km. Dimensions: In nature 6.3 km x max. 350 m In model 25.80 m x max. 1.40 m(over turning boxes 28.35 m) Buildings: As exact a replica as possible of

1989-650: The others. The Helfenstein family joined the conflicts. In 1356 Ulrich V (known as Ulrich the Elder) and his cousin Ulrich VI (known as Ulrich the Younger), split the House of Helfenstein into two lines; the Wiesensteiger and Blaubeurer branches. The Wiesensteiger branch inherited the county of Geislingen with Burg Helfenstein, but pledged the entire holding to the Free Imperial City of Ulm in 1382 for

2040-614: The production of commercial coffee machines. These products were designed for restaurants, military mess halls, cruise ships and other commercial applications. Kohlberg Kravis Roberts acquired the company in 2012 and sold it to Groupe SEB in 2016. The group holds six brands WMF, Silit Kaiser, Schaerer, Hepp and Curtis) is represented in over 40 locations worldwide and has almost 200 company-owned branches in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The WMF Group produces household and hotel goods, including cookware, kitchen appliances, cutlery, drinking glasses and professional coffee machines. The WMF

2091-641: The public transport system of the region. On the other hand, passengers from the previous VVS area also benefit from the expanded travel options. For further information, please refer to the Verkehrs- und Tarifverbund Stuttgart . Filsland is the mobility association in the district of Göppingen, the union of all bus companies in the district and the Deutsche Bahn. With the Filsland ticket, you only need one ticket to be mobile by bus and train. In addition,

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2142-594: The size of the locality. Some parts of the town include further partly spatially separated residential districts or residential places with their own names. The Wannenhöfe belong to Aufhausen, Christofshof, Oßmannsweiler and Untere Roggenmühle with the Burgstall of Roggenstein Castle to Eybach, Wittingen to Türkheim and Battenau, Hofstett am Steig and Lindenhof to Weiler ob Helfenstein. In the core town, in addition to Altenstadt, further residential areas with their own names are distinguished, whose designations have arisen in

2193-532: The territorial reform of the 1970s and are now referred to as municipal districts. Each of these boroughs is also a locality within the meaning of the Baden-Württemberg Municipal Code, i.e. they have a local council whose members are elected by those entitled to vote in the locality at each local election. The chairman of the local council is the head of the village. The number of local councillors ranges from seven to eleven, depending on

2244-495: The timetable information of the German railroad under the following link reiseauskunft.bahn.de. Geislingen is twin town of: Geislingen's urban area consists of the core city, which also includes the community of Altenstadt (historically the city's predecessor settlement), which was incorporated in 1912 and has since grown completely into the city center, and the communities of Aufhausen, Eybach, Stötten, Türkheim, Waldhausen and Weiler ob Helfenstein, which were incorporated as part of

2295-757: The town. Industrialization started with the arrival of the railroad and the construction of the Fils Valley Railway (1847-1850) up the Geislinger Steige , a steep incline of rail and road to the plateau of the Schwäbische Alb (Swabian Jura), and Geislingen (Steige) station . The leading industrial enterprise is the Württembergische Metallwarenfabrik (WMF) founded in 1852, a world-renowned manufacturer of goods for kitchen and table. Much older than

2346-545: The urban area, mainly numerous bus lines of the Filsland mobility association provide local public transport (ÖPNV). Geislingen has a central bus station (ZOB), right next to the main train station. House of Helfenstein The House of Helfenstein was a German noble family during the High and Late Middle Ages . The family was named after the family castle, Castle Helfenstein , located above Geislingen an der Steige in

2397-492: Was Radivon Bucarest, a company founded by medalist Theodor Radivon, producing identical art nouveau metal wares under the WMF name with the same model numbers. During WWI, the WMF was responsible for producing arms for the German military and had certified to the Allied Control Commission that the tools used to produce these arms were destroyed. However, after Hitler's call for rearmament the company under

2448-542: Was Ulrich V, who as a member of Emperor Charles IV 's household in 14th century Prague served the Emperor in many ways. The Emperor rewarded him with a marriage, which raised his social status, to Maria of Bosnia . This marriage led to many problems and caused the financial downfall of the Helfenstein family. The collapse of the House of Hohenstaufen ( Kings of Germany from 1138 to 1254) threw southern Germany into chaos. For nearly two centuries, each noble fought against

2499-513: Was owned by the free and imperial city of Ulm on the Danube. In 1803 Ulm and Geislingen became part of Bavaria , but in a land exchange were incorporated into the Kingdom of Württemberg in 1810. Much older than the "artificial" foundation of Geislingen are two present-day districts, Altenstadt and Rorgensteig. Altenstadt, in the oldest times still called "ze der alten Stadt" or "Altengiselingen",

2550-402: Was published in Geislingen in 1945–1953. A memorial at the Geislingen cemetery was erected in 1949, designed by architects Kolmar and Aren, reflecting the fate of Estonians in exile. The names of 102 Estonians who died in Geislingen were carved in stone, with later additions to the list tallying a total of 154 names. The Geislingen refugee camp existed from October 1945 to June 24, 1950. In 1850,

2601-707: Was renamed as the Württembergische Metallwarenfabrik. WMF acquired the Polish metalware factory Plewkiewicz in Warsaw in 1886, which then became a subsidiary of WMF around 1900. During this period, the WMF employed over 3500 people. In 1890 they acquired the Kunstanstalt für Galvanoplastik München , which specialized in electrotyping and electroforming of statues and statuettes for buildings, fountains, tombstones, and gardens; this became

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