Balingen
Town
Zollernschloss in Balingen
Coat of arms
Location of Balingen within Zollernalbkreis district
Balingen Show map of Germany Balingen Show map of Baden-Württemberg
Coordinates: 48°16′23″N 08°51′02″E / 48.27306°N 8.85056°E / 48.27306; 8.85056
Country	Germany
State	Baden-Württemberg
Admin. region	Tübingen
District	Zollernalbkreis
Government
• Mayor (2015–23)	Helmut Reitemann[1] (CDU)
Area
• Total	90.34 km2 (34.88 sq mi)
Elevation	517 m (1,696 ft)
Population  (2021-12-31)[2]
• Total	34,604
• Density	380/km2 (990/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes	72301–72336
Dialling codes	07433
Vehicle registration	BL
Website	www.balingen.de

Balingen (German pronunciation: [ˈbaːlɪŋən] ^ⓘ; Swabian: Balenga) is a town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, capital of the district of Zollernalbkreis. It is located near the Swabian Jura, approx. 35 km to the south of Tübingen, 35 km northeast of Villingen-Schwenningen, and 70 km south southwest of Stuttgart.

It is home to the Bizerba and Ideal companies.

History

Balingen is first mentioned in 863. Initially a possession of the lords of Haigerloch, in 1162 it was acquired by the count of Hohenberg. In the 13th century it received the title of city from Friedrich der Erlauchte, it was largely rebuilt on the left bank of the river Eyach.

In 1403 it was sold to the County of Württemberg, whose chancellor maintained a residence there until the 18th century.

Balingen became part of the unified Germany in 1870.

During the Second World War (1939-1945) Balingen was the site of a sub-camp of the German death camp of Natzweiler-Struthof in the occupied French region of Alsace. After the war this camp became a French internment camp for former Nazi war criminals, the Camp d’internement de Wurtemberg.

Main sights

The city was destroyed by a fire in 1809, from which only the Protestant church, the castle and a few other edifices escaped. The Protestant church's construction finished in 1541; it has a characteristic sundial in the apse.

The castle was reconstructed in 1935.

Sulfor spring

In Balingen there is the enclosed, publicly accessible sulfur spring, whose water is said to have healing powers and support the immune system.^[3] As with the medicinal springs in Bad Sebastiansweiler, the spring is made up of dissolved, sulfur-containing sodium hydrogen carbonate (Na-HCO3) from the rock (Black Jura).^[4] When the rock containing pyrites (pyrite) is weathered, the oxidation of the pyrite with subsequent bacterial reduction of the sulfate ion produces hydrogen sulfide (H2S). It gives the mineral water the smell of rotten eggs. It contains dissolved substances and hydrogen sulfide. Visitors who regularly drink from it should note that the daily intake of hydrogen sulfide does not exceed the limit of 100 mg.

Nickname

World Capital

Balingen is nicknamed "Waagenstadt", the metropolis of scales. The father Philipp Matthäus Hahn behind the original idea.^[5][6][7]

Frommern is nicknamed "Möbelstadt", the metropolis of furniture in the time of Wirtschaftswunder. In Frommern a line of high polished industrial production ( fine veneered wood) take up the ideas of the royal Hofebenist. In the Haus der Volkskunstof the Schwäbischer Albverein the traditional Himmelbett is use as a hotel bed.^[8][9]

Notable people

• Gregor Reisch (1470–1525), university teacher and monk, representative of the philosophical school of the late scholastic realists
• Joseph Weiß (c. 1487–1565), also Joseph White painter of Balingen and possibly the Master of Meßkirch , painter of the Renaissance
• Marx Weiß (c. 1518–1580), the Younger, also Marx White from Balingen , painter of Late Gothic

• Johann Tobias Beck (1804–1878), Protestant theologian
• Heinrich Lang (1826–1876), theologian
• Martin Haug (1827–1876), orientalist
• Robert Wahl (1882–1955), entrepreneur and local politicians
• Heinrich Haasis (born 1945), mayor, Member of Parliament, President of the German Savings Bank Association (2006–2012)
• Joachim Schmid (born 1955), painter
• Martin Schaudt (born 1958), dressage rider
• Michael Hennrich (born 1965), politician (CDU), Member of Parliament
• Christoph Sieber (born 1970), comedian
• Kathrin Lang (born 1986), biathlete
• Frank Lehmann (born 1989), soccer goalkeeper
• Pascal Bodmer (born 1991), ski jumper
• Florian Kath (born 1994), football player

Personalities who have worked locally

• Johann Murer, a.k.a. Karsthans^[10] (1490–1525), Lutherean priest, arrested at the Church of Balingen, was a prisoner in the tower of Balingen^[11]
• Karl Friedrich Reinhard (1761–1837), French diplomat, statesman and writer of German origin, grew partly up in Balingen
• Andreas Bizer (1839–1914), mechanic and industrialist, co-founder of Bizerba

Geography

Climate

Balingen has an oceanic climate (Köppen: Cfb).

Twin towns – sister cities

Balingen is twinned with:^[15]

• Royan, France

Natural Sport

• trail mountainbike Tieringen Albtrauf to Balingen-Weilstetten Lochenpass 4,7 km car road, bike trail 1,9 km downhill.^[16][17]