Biberach (Baden)

coat of arms	Germany map
	Coordinates: 48 ° 20 '  N , 8 ° 2'  E
Basic data
State :	Baden-Württemberg
Administrative region :	Freiburg
County :	Ortenau district
Height :	188 m above sea level NHN
Area :	22.39 km 2
Residents:	3651 (December 31, 2018)
Population density :	163 inhabitants per km 2
Postal code :	77781
Area code :	07835
License plate :	OG, BH , KEL, LR, WOL
Community key :	08 3 17 011
Address of the municipal administration:	Hauptstrasse 27 77781 Biberach / Baden
Website :	www.biberach-baden.de
Mayor :	Daniela Paletta
Location of the community of Biberach in the Ortenau district

Biberach is a municipality in the Ortenaukreis in Baden-Württemberg .

geography

Geographical location

The state-approved resort of Biberach is located in the Middle Black Forest at the confluence of several watercourses. The Erlenbach flows to the right, and the Prinzbach, Emmersbach, Erzbach and Haubach flow into the Kinzig from the left . The place itself is 188  m above sea level. NHN . The district of Prinzbach lies in a side valley.

Community structure

The Kinzig near Biberach / Baden

The community of Biberach is divided into the two districts of Biberach and Prinzbach, which are spatially identical to the former communities of the same name. In the district of Prinzbach, a village within the meaning of the Baden-Württemberg municipal code has been set up with its own local council and mayor as its chairman. The village has its own administrative office called "Ortsverwaltung Prinzbach".

The Biberach district includes the village of Biberach, the hamlets of Bruch and Fröschbach, the Zinken Rebhalde and the farms of Erzbach, Haubach, Rebberg and Reiherwald. The district of Prinzbach includes the village Dörfle and the farms Bergle, Emersbach , Kachelberg, Obertal and Untertal.

Neighboring communities

The following municipalities border on the municipality of Biberach: The cities of Gengenbach in the north, Zell am Harmersbach in the east, the municipalities of Steinach and Schuttertal in the south and Seelbach and Friesenheim in the west.

geology

On the slopes of the valley and on the mountains around Biberach you can see pending gneiss, these form the oldest part of the Black Forest, the basement. The ore veins of the area around Biberach are also located in this basement. From the plant deposits in the carbon , the coal deposits in the rear Emmersbach formed in hollows of the basement, which has meanwhile been eroded into a plateau. Material that was deposited in the subsequent Permian was given a red color by iron-containing minerals. At the Schönberg Pass, this red earth can still be seen on the agricultural areas. The face of Biberach today began to take shape in the ice ages (Diluvium) and the post-ice age. The meltwater created its valleys, and the debris piled up at the edges. The natural landscape in which the municipality of Biberach is located today was created through the interaction of the structural elements (basement) with natural forces (removal, filling).

history

Biberach in the Kinzigtal around 1903

Surname

The origin of the place name "Biberach" has not yet been clarified. The interpretations go in several directions. Heinrich Hansjakob in Bauernblut and Ludwig Heizmann in his home study from the Offenburg district trace the place name back to the many beavers in the Kinzig. Other linguists believe that the name Biberach is of Celtic origin. This is supported by the fact that other Celtic places are known by the names "Bibrax" and "Bibracte". However, there is still no solid evidence that Celts lived in Biberach. Another interpretation derives from Biberach's position between two watercourses. The oldest traditional spelling of Biberach's "Biberaha", mentioned in a document in 1222 , could be composed of bi = two and aha = water.

Rulership history

Biberach belonged to the imperial city of Zell am Harmersbach from the end of the 13th / middle of the 14th century until 1802. Numerous rights were retained in Biberach for the Reichsstift Kloster Gengenbach , so that the Biberachers had to pay an annual tithe . With the abolition of the imperial monastery in 1803, the Baden rulership became the tenth lord of the Biberach. With the replacement of the great and minor tithes from 1838 onwards, the compulsory cultivation of fruits of the great tithing was released, and free building of land was possible. From 1504, Biberach exercised water and road tolls for the Free Imperial City of Zell am Harmersbach . This income was an important source of finance for the people of Zell until the imperial city was incorporated into the newly founded Grand Duchy of Baden in 1803 . On June 15, 1803, Biberach was released from all oaths and duties towards the city of Zell and released into independence. At that time, Prinzbach belonged to the County of Hohengeroldseck until it finally became Baden in 1819. Biberach belonged to the Wolfach district, while Prinzbach belonged to the Lahr district. With the district reform in 1973, both Biberach and Prinzbach became communities of the Ortenau district, and the merger to form one community took place in 1974 with the incorporation of Prinzbach.

History of Prinzbach

The district of Prinzbach has had an eventful past. A possible foundation period for the mountain village are the years 1100–1200, the first church was built back then. In 1257, Prinzbach was first mentioned in the yearbooks of the Dominican monastery in Colmar in connection with large silver finds ; the amount of silver ore found is said to have been very large and profitable. The citizens of Prinzbach were even able to give the Bishop of Strasbourg a loan. The former mountain village quickly developed into a so-called mountain town , built its own infrastructure and even began building a city wall up to 10 meters high to protect it from attackers. Parts of this city wall were renovated and can still be viewed in Prinzbach today. After a heyday with multiple documented mentions of wealthy Prinzbach nobles, the yield of silver mining fell noticeably. Prinzbach is destroyed and only achieved a certain fame again through a spa that became known in 1493. In 1560 the parish of Prinzbach was occupied by the von Geroldseck family with Protestant clergymen. From 1600 on, Prinzbach was once again a pure farming village; occasional excavations for silver were unsuccessful. After the Geroldseck family died out in 1634, Prinzbach came to Vorderösterreich and in 1697 as a fief to the von der Leyen family . In 1819 the place came to Baden with the principality of the Leyen. Biberach belonged to the Wolfach district office , later the Wolfach district , which was added to the Ortenau district in 1973. Prinzbach, on the other hand, initially belonged to the Lahr district office , but then moved to the Wolfach district in 1939, from which it was reclassified to the Lahr district in 1945 . This district has also been part of the Ortenau district since 1973. From the beginning of the 1950s, Prinzbach became a popular holiday and recreation area due to its quiet, scenic location.

The coat of arms of Prinzbach

The Prinzbach coat of arms is shaped by the former rule of the Geroldsecker over Prinzbach and the mining industry. The coat of arms has the following description: “In gold, a red crossbar, accompanied by three black hammers (two in the upper and one in the lower half of the coat of arms). The hammers represent so-called mountain irons. "

Incorporation

Today's Biberach was created in the course of the municipal and administrative reform in Baden-Württemberg . The town of Prinzbach, which has around 400 inhabitants, was incorporated into the municipality of Biberach on July 1, 1974 on the basis of an incorporation agreement of April 29, 1974.

Rafting on the Kinzig

Due to its location on the Kinzig just below the Erlenbach inflow, Biberach was an important place for the Kinzig rafting operations. The only short tributary opened up the wooded valleys of its two long upper reaches, Nordrach and Harmersbach . Because the roads were completely inadequate for this, only the waterway could be used to transport the wood. The rafting industry developed well, in Wolfach a raft and customs regulation was issued in 1470 and a ship's regulation in 1527. After a second heyday of rafting in the middle of the 19th century, timber transport by water ended at the end of the 19th century with the advent of the railroad. In 1895 the last raft on the Kinzig went to the valley.

St. Blasius in Biberach, 2015

Churches and parish offices

• Catholic Church of St. Blasius in Biberach
• Catholic Church of St. Mauritius in Prinzbach
• Catholic sister house in Prinzbach

Population development

Biberach population development

Population figures according to the respective area. The numbers are estimates, census results (¹) or official updates from the Baden-Württemberg State Statistical Office .

year Residents 1871 ¹ 1721 1880 ¹ 1938 1890 ¹ 1744 1900 ¹ 1868 1910 1929 1925 ¹ 2013 1933 ¹ 1969 1939 ¹ 2003 1950 ¹ 2215 1956 2447 1961 ¹ 2582 1966 2803 1970 ¹ 2891 December 31, 1975 2775 December 31, 1980 2639

year Residents 1985 2792 December 31, 1990 2928 December 31, 1995 3173 December 31, 2000 3221 December 31, 2005 3305 December 31, 2010 3365 December 31, 2015 3601

politics

Municipal council

The municipal council in Biberach consists of 12 members and the mayor as chairwoman. The mayor is entitled to vote in the municipal council. The local elections on May 26, 2019 led to the following preliminary final result.

Parties and constituencies		% 2019	Seats 2019	% 2014	Seats 2014	Local elections 2019  % 50 40 30th 20th 10 0 44.6% 32.7% 19.1% 3.5% FW CDU SPD AfD Gains and losses compared to 2014  % p    6th    4th    2    0   -2   -4   -6   -8th + 5.3  % p -2.7  % p -6.2  % p + 3.5  % p FW CDU SPD AfD
FW	Free voters Biberach	44.6	6th	39.3	5
CDU	Christian Democratic Union of Germany	32.7	4th	35.4	4th
SPD	Social Democratic Party of Germany	19.1	2	25.3	3
AfD	Alternative for Germany	3.5	0	-	-
total		100.0	12	100.0	12
voter turnout		66.9%		55.7%

mayor

• 1892–1904: Gustav Isidor sweat
• 1904–1913: Josef Ringwald
• 1913–1921: Gustav Karl Schweiß
• 1921–1923: Franz Xaver Jehle
• 1924–1930: Leonhard Willmann
• 1930–1935: Josef Himmelsbach
• 1935–1943: Dr. Theodor Seiberlich
• 1943–1946: Johann Dürrholder
• 1946–1953: Hermann Kühn
• 1953–1974: Karl Allgeier
• 1974–1998: Wolfgang Bösinger
• 1998–2014: Hans Peter Heizmann
• Since 2014: Daniela Paletta

Coat of arms and logo

Until the end of the 19th century, Biberach had used a different coat of arms than the current one. In older seals a coat of arms with a green fir tree, black trunk and roots on a blue background was used. At the main entrance of the town hall, which was built in 1913, you can see a different logo, which was awarded by the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of the Interior on October 3, 1969 after decades of use by the municipality of Biberach. In the certificate, the coat of arms is described as follows: “In green a silver (white) linden tree with roots and a silver (white) beaver crouching in front of its trunk, holding a silver (white) piece of wood in its front paws”. The community of Biberach later developed a city logo, it shows the words "Biberach - A beautiful piece of Black Forest" spanned by the silhouette of a beaver.

administration

Biberach belongs to the agreed administrative community in Zell am Harmersbach, which also includes the communities of Nordrach and Oberharmersbach .

Culture and sights

Theaters and museums

• Kettererhaus

The "Kettererhaus", named after its last private owner, the "Kettererschmied", is probably one of the oldest structures in Biberach. In the opinion of well-known experts, the half-timbered building shows structural features of the 17th century. However, the exact year of construction cannot be identified either on the building itself or in the files in the Biberach municipal archive. Today the “Heimatmuseum Kettererhaus” is housed in the building, in which valuable local cultural assets from the areas of rural work, living, customs and associations are exhibited.

• City Chamber of Prinzbach

The "Stadtkammer" (city chamber) is located in the Prinzbach Town Hall and houses some remarkable finds and gems from the history of the former mining town of Prinzbach.

• Tavern evenings around the Kettererhaus in the new town center
• Regular spa concerts and traditional events

Buildings

• Biberach town hall

The Biberach town hall was built in 2 construction phases in 1913 and 1925. It was a very stately building for the time, a partial renovation of the facade and the roof was carried out in 1978/80. The historic town hall was extensively renovated and modernized in 2002.

• Prinzbach town hall

The town hall in Prinzbach was built in 1880. After Prinzbach's incorporation in 1974, the town hall is only used sporadically for administrative purposes, the "Prinzbacher Stadtkammer" is housed on the ground floor.

• City wall of Prinzbach

After the silver discovery in Prinzbach, the settlement was no longer inhabited only by farmers, but also by miners, craftsmen and traders. These had other rights that had to be protected just like the large silver finds. The granting of city rights and the construction of a city wall were the result. The city was completely enclosed by an elliptical city wall with a moat in front. This oval wall had a circumference of 800 m, it was only interrupted by the "Lower Gate" in the north and the "Giant Gate" in the south. Parts of the historic city wall are still visible today.

• St. Mauritius Prinzbach is the Roman Catholic parish church of Prinzbach, a choir tower church with a magnificent baroque high altar by Philipp Winterhalder .
• Geroldseck Castle

Geroldseck Castle was first mentioned in 1139 in an umbrella letter from Pope Innocent II for the Gengenbach Monastery. At that time the castle was on the brink. In 1250 the ruling seat of the Geroldsecker family was moved to the Schönberg and the castle was completed. In 1689 the Geroldseck was destroyed by the French. The first restoration work began at the end of the 19th century, and further measures to preserve the ruins followed from 1951.

Tower Alter Kichplatz

• The old church square

For centuries the parish church of the Biberach community stood on the old church square. In 1749 the last church was consecrated, which was demolished in 1966 when a new one was built to the east (St. Blasius). As early as 1740, an older church was demolished because it was in disrepair. Today only the tower of the two earlier churches remains, which contains a memorial for peace. The old church square served as a cemetery until 1865. Paving stones in the lawn reveal the layout of the old buildings.

Green spaces and recreation

• Green area between the railway line and Bahnhofstrasse
• Green area at the old church tower
• Green area on the main road / Strandbadweg

Regular events

• Fasent with various foolish balls and parades (spring)
• Spring concert Musikverein Biberach eV
• Easter market of the WSB trade association / Biberach community in the new town center (spring)
• Street run / fun run, organized by the Turnverein Biberach eV (spring)
• Maypole positions by the Biberach football club in front of the town hall
• Kinzigfest; Depending on the level of the Kinzig and the return flow to the Hohengeroldseck, a folk festival (approx. every 7 years)
• UNIMOG and tractor meeting at the town hall as part of the MGV summer festival "Liederkranz Biberach 1867" eV (summer)
• Village festival in the park, organized by the Musikverein Biberach eV in the green area at the train station (summer)
• Motorbike meeting, biker meeting with cult status, organized by the curve spirits with participants from all over Germany (summer)
• Highland Games, Scottish sports competitions, organized by the Prinzbach-Highlanders eV at the church in Prinzbach (summer)
• Floodlit bathing in the Biberach forest terrace pool, organized by the DLRG local group (summer)
• Local show of the small animal breeding association C12 Biberach eV (autumn)
• Annual concert of the Musikverein Prinzbach-Schönberg eV (winter)

Fascinating

The Biberacher Fasend is organized by the Narrenrat (11 members), the witches, the beavers and the mining spirits. The opening and first highlight is the “Witches Ball”. At the “Schmutzigen Dunnschdig”, the teachers are first dropped off at the school and taken to the town hall. There, the mayor is dismissed and the fools take over the office, an event that is then duly celebrated in the citizens' hall. With the "Guild Evening" of the beavers on Dirty Thursday in the gymnasium and festival hall, the Biberacher Fasend reaches another high point. Saturday brings the big Fasendumzug with themed carriages and guest guilds from near and far, then fools in the town center, on Monday the "price purring" takes place and on Tuesday the children's parade with subsequent serving of the "Oberdörfler fool's soup", its ingredients (chickens, eggs, etc.) . Ä.) Immediately in front of the Fasend by foolish "Oberdörflern" are collected from the population.

Economy and Infrastructure

Companies

In the Ahfeld-Schmelzhöfe industrial estate, around 5 hectares are currently settled by businesses, and around 8500 m² of open space is still available. In the medium-term, an additional 13 hectares of commercial space are shown in the zoning plan, and the city of Zell is considering developing an additional intermunicipal commercial area. Biberach has a broad mix of industries, starting with packaging and advertising materials, office furniture, aviation hoists, road and building construction, therapy equipment and metal processing.

Public facilities

• Technical relief organization Biberach
• Biberach volunteer fire brigade
• Prinzbach volunteer fire brigade (department of FF Biberach since incorporation)

education

• Elementary and secondary school in Biberach

The primary and secondary school in Biberach was built in 1963 and has been renovated in several construction phases since 2005. About 300 schoolchildren are currently attending the GHS Biberach.

• Prinzbach School

This school was built in 1929 and is used today by the GHS Biberach depending on the number of students and the space required.

traffic

Biberach railway station (Baden)

Biberach is connected to the national rail network by the Black Forest Railway ( Offenburg - Singen (Hohentwiel) ). In the village, the Harmersbachtalbahn branches off to Oberharmersbach from the Black Forest Railway, which is operated by SWEG . Biberach is also connected to road traffic via the B 33 ( Kehl - Ravensburg ) and B 415 to Lahr / Black Forest .

tourism

The district of Prinzbach was a well-frequented holiday and recreation resort relatively early after the Second World War, and this development did not begin until later in Biberach. Due to the use of municipal and private resources, tourism has developed into an extremely important economic factor in the entire municipality of Biberach. In 1981 Biberach was awarded the "State Recognized Resort" award.

The focus of tourist activities in Biberach is on sports activities in the great outdoors. Tourists can pursue their hobby on the circular hiking trails around Biberach, the most famous route is the “Seven Valleys Path”. The mountain bike route "Auf zur Burg Geroldseck" is also available. Other attractions in Biberach are the heated outdoor pool (forest terrace pool) with the longest giant slide in southern Baden, as well as the Agil Park, opened in 2005, where you can climb a climbing rock and a high ropes course.

Personalities

Honorary citizen

• Herbert Erwin Riehle (1904–1978), first honorary citizen of Biberach
• Josef Bühler (1898–1981) has made a special contribution to researching the history of Biberach.
• Karl Knauer (1907–1995), establishment of the largest industrial company in Biberach
• Karl Biemer (* 1912), special merit as a Catholic pastor and pastor in Biberach.
• Ludwig Dilger (* 1932)
• Wolfgang Bösinger (* 1944), mayor of the municipality from 1974 to 1998

Web links

Commons : Biberach  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Website of the community of Biberach
• History & impressions from Biberach & Prinzbach
• Prinzbach, the lost city
• Map of Prinzbach with city walls and former mines

Individual evidence

1. ↑ State Statistical Office Baden-Württemberg - Population by nationality and gender on December 31, 2018 (CSV file) ( help on this ).
2. ↑ Main statutes of the municipality of Biberach from July 28, 2014 (PDF; 127 kB)
3. ^ The state of Baden-Württemberg. Official description by district and municipality. Volume VI: Freiburg region Kohlhammer, Stuttgart 1982, ISBN 3-17-007174-2 . Pp. 435-437
4. ^ Federal Statistical Office (ed.): Historical municipality directory for the Federal Republic of Germany. Name, border and key number changes in municipalities, counties and administrative districts from May 27, 1970 to December 31, 1982 . W. Kohlhammer, Stuttgart / Mainz 1983, ISBN 3-17-003263-1 , p. 513 .
5. ↑ Population development in Baden-Württemberg from 1871 to 2013 ( Memento from September 11, 2014 in the web archive archive.today )
6. ↑ State Statistical Office, preliminary results of the 2019 municipal council elections