A campaign sticker developed byScholz & Friends, translated, "We can [do] anything. Except [speak]Standard German." That is an allusion to Baden-Württemberg being one of the principal centres for innovation in Germany and having its own distinctivedialects.
Baden-Württemberg is formed from the historical territories ofWürttemberg,Baden and PrussianHohenzollern.[14] Baden spans along the flat right bank of the riverRhine from north-west to the south (Lake Constance) of the present state, whereas Württemberg and Hohenzollern lie more inland and hillier, including areas such as theSwabian Jura mountain range. TheBlack Forest formed part of the border between Baden and Württemberg.
In 100 AD, theRoman Empire invaded and occupied Württemberg, constructing alimes[a] along its northern borders. Over the course of the third century AD, theAlemanni forced the Romans to retreat west beyond theRhine andDanube rivers. In 496 AD theAlemanni were defeated by aFrankish invasion led byClovis I.
The Holy Roman Empire was later established. The majority of people in this region continued to be Roman Catholics, even after theProtestant Reformation influenced populations in northern Germany.
In the late 18th and early 19th century,Künzelsau, the capital of theHohenlohe district, became the centre of emigration to the UK of pork butchers and bacon factors. The pioneers noticed 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.[15]
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, numerous people emigrated from this primarily rural area to theUnited States for economic reasons.
After World War II, theAllies established three states in the territory of modern-day Baden-Württemberg: (South)Baden,[h]Württemberg-Baden[i] andWürttemberg-Hohenzollern.[j]Baden andWürttemberg-Hohenzollern were occupied byFrance, whileWürttemberg-Baden was occupied by theUnited 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 theA8 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 theFederal Republic of Germany (West Germany), with Article 118 of theGerman 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.[7] 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 the former pre-war states, the majority of voters overall (69%) voted in favor of a merger.[7] Baden-Württemberg officially became astate on 25 April 1952.[7]
There were still opponents to the merger of Baden and Württemberg, however. In 1956 theFederal Constitutional Court decided that the population of Baden should have their say in a separate referendum. The second referendum was delayed, however, and 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.[16]
TheRhine (German:Rhein) forms the western border as well as large portions of the southern border. TheBlack Forest (Schwarzwald), the central mountain range of the state, rises east of theUpper Rhine valley. The high plateau of theSwabian Alb, between the Neckar, the Black Forest, and the Danube, is an essential Europeanwatershed. Baden-Württemberg sharesLake Constance (Bodensee, also known regionally as theSwabian Sea) with Switzerland, Austria and Bavaria, the international borders within its waters not being clearly defined. It shares the foothills of theAlps (known as theAllgäu) with Bavaria and the AustrianVorarlberg, but Baden-Württemberg itself has no mainland border with Austria.
TheDanube is conventionally taken to be formed by the confluence of the two streamsBrigach andBreg just east ofDonaueschingen. The source of theDonaubach, which flows into 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 nearFurtwangen.
The forests in this region are home to common pests such asMelolontha Hippocastrani, that cause damage to the foliage and soil.
Baden-Württemberg is – along with Bavaria – 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 mildoceanic climate (cfb in Köppen classification). The climate in the eastern parts of the state is more continental.[17] For instance, winters in the city of Ulm are colder than in Berlin.[18][19] While winters in the warmest areas often lack snow, theBlack Forest,Swabian Alb andthe 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 the microclimates of Black Forest andAllgäu up to 13 °C (55 °F) in the Upper Rhine Valley.
Climate data for Karlsruhe (1991–2020), 115 Meters, 377.3 ft
The politics of Baden-Württemberg have traditionally been dominated by the conservativeChristian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU), which had led all but one government since 1952 until 2011. In theLandtagelections held on 27 March 2011, voters replaced the Christian Democrats and centre-rightFree Democrats (FDP) coalition with an alliance of theGreens andSocial Democrats (SPD), which secured a four-seat majority in the state parliament. The alliance elected the Greens-ledfirst Kretschmann cabinet underWinfried Kretschmann because the Greens had surprisingly won 36 seats, one more than the Social Democrats' 35 seats. In the2016 election, 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, thesecond 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,[7] the state is among the most prosperous[14] 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.[22] Apart from the city-states ofBerlin,Bremen andHamburg, Baden-Württemberg offers the fourth-shortest routes to trains and buses on average among all German states.[23] Despite it not being predominantly reliant upon an industrial capacity, Baden-Württemberg is regarded as one of the most strongest economic states in Germany.
Baden-Württemberg has thehighest exports (2019)[24] and third-highest imports (2020),[25] the second-lowest unemployment rate with 4.3% (March 2021),[26] the most patents pending per capita (2020),[27] the second-highest absolute and highest relative number of companies considered "hidden champions",[28] and the highest absolute and relative research and development expenditure (2017)[29] among all states in Germany, as well as the highest measured Innovationsindex (2012),[k][30] making it the German state with thethird-highestgross regional product (GRP) as of 2019[update] (behindNorth Rhine-Westphalia andBavaria) with €524,325 billion (around US$636.268 billion).[31] Baden-Württemberg also has the most employees (233,296) in the automotive industry of all German states as of 2018[update],[32] as well as the third-highest number of motor vehicles of all German states (2020).[33] If Baden-Württemberg were a sovereign country (2020), it would have an economy comparable tothat of Sweden in terms of nominalgross domestic product (GDP).[34]
A number of well-known enterprises are headquartered in the state, for exampleMercedes-Benz Group,Porsche,Robert Bosch GmbH (automobile industry),Carl Zeiss AG (optics),SAP (Europe's most valuable brand[35] as well asthe largest non-American software enterprise) andHeidelberger Druckmaschinen (precision mechanical engineering). Despite this, Baden-Württemberg's economy is dominated bysmall and medium-sized enterprises, likemost 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 the 1.2 million persons employed in the industry. TheMittelstand or mid-sized company model is the backbone of the Baden-Württemberg economy.[36] 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 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 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 theStuttgart area.[37] Baden-Württemberg is also the region with the highest GDP of theFour Motors for Europe.
A study performed in 2007 by the neo-liberal thinktankInitiative for New Social Market Economy and the trade newspaperWirtschaftswoche 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 theEuropean Union.[38]
Baden-Württemberg 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 historicWilhelma zoo), its castles (such asCastle Solitude), its museums as well as a rich cultural programme (theatre, opera) andmineral spring baths in Bad Cannstatt (also the site of a RomanCastra); it is the only major city in Germany with vineyards in an urban territory.
In spring and autumn (April/May and September/October), beer festivals (fun fairs) take place at theCannstatter Wasen in Stuttgart. TheCannstatter Volksfest, in the autumn, is the second-largest such festival in the world after the MunichOktoberfest. In late November and early DecemberChristmas markets are a tourist magnet in all major towns, the largest being in Stuttgart during the three weeks before Christmas.
Baden-Württemberg is home to some of the oldest, most renowned, and prestigious universities in Germany, such as the universities ofHeidelberg (founded in 1386, the oldest university within the territory of modern Germany),Freiburg (founded in 1457), andTübingen (founded in 1477). It also contains three of the eleven Germanexcellence universities (Heidelberg, Tübingen,Konstanz andKarlsruhe and formerly, Freiburg ).[45]
Furthermore, there are more than a dozenFachhochschulen, i.e., universities of applied sciences, as well asPädagogische Hochschulen, i.e., teacher training colleges, and other institutions of tertiary education in Baden-Württemberg.[l]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.[46]
Starting in the 1970s, regional rail around major cities has been transformed into high-frequentS-Bahn networks, currently the following systems exist (partly) in Baden-Württemberg:Stuttgart S-Bahn,Rhine-Neckar S-Bahn,Breisgau S-Bahn andBasel S-Bahn. In and around the cities of Karlsruhe and Heilbronn, theKarlsruhe Stadtbahn system combines elements of traditional S-Bahns with tram operations within the urban cores (tram-trains).
Historically, the railway system in Baden-Württemberg was developed at first by the state's predecessors' state railways: theGrand Duchy of Baden State Railway opened its first railway line betweenMannheim andHeidelberg on 12 September 1840; uniquely in Germany, it used abroad gauge of1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in) in its early years. In Württemberg, theRoyal State Railways opened their first line on 22 October 1845 between two present-day suburbs of Stuttgart.[52] In 1900, theHohenzollerische Landesbahn (HzL) was founded to expand the rail system in the Prussian province, which had previously only been served by short sections of Württemberg lines passing through "foreign" territory. After the construction of the main lines, various private or local government initiatives constructed branch or local railway lines, some of which survive today as AVG, SWEG,RNV or WEG lines. In 1920, the Baden and Württemberg state railways merged with other state railways to formDeutsche Reichsbahn, which was replaced byDeutsche Bundesbahn after World War II. A lot of smaller railway lines, both DB and remaining local or private lines, closed in the decades after World War II, or were at least run-down with minimal service for passengers. Since the 1990s, some of these lines have been revived and revitalised marking good examples for increased ridership through attractive trains and timetables, with some examples being theKraichgau Railway (taken over by AVG) and theSchönbuch Railway (reopened by WEG).[53]
A popular TV programme portraying railways around Germany and the world,Eisenbahn-Romantik, originates in Baden-Württemberg and is produced by its public broadcasterSWR.
Baden-Württemberg's area is covered by 19Verkehrsverbünde (transport associations), organising and managing local public transport, as well as ensuring harmonised fares between different bus and train operators.[54] For inter-Verbünde journeys, thebwtarif, created in 2018, offers seamless tickets across the state.[55]
The population of Baden-Württemberg was 10,486,660 in 2014, of which 5,354,105 were female and 5,132,555 male. In 2006, the birth rate of 8.61 per 1000 was almost equal to the death rate of 8.60 per 1000. 14.87 percent of the population was under the age of 15, whereas the proportion of people aged 65 and older was at 18.99 per cent (2008). Thedependency ratio–the ratio of people aged under 15 and over 64 in comparison to the working-age population (aged 15–64)–was 512 per 1000 (2008). In 2018, Baden-Württembergranked 2 on theHuman Development Index (HDI) among all states in Germany, afterHamburg. With an averagelife expectancy of 79.8 years for men and 84.2 years for women (2017–2019life table), Baden-Württembergranks first in this category among all states in Germany for both sexes.[58]
Baden-Württemberg has long been a preferred destination of immigrants. As of 2013[update], almost 28% of its population had amigration background as defined by the Federal Statistical Office of Germany; this number clearly surpassed the German average of 21% and was higher than in any other German state with the exception of the city states of Hamburg and Bremen.[59] As of 2014[update], 9,355,239 of the population held German citizenship, whereas 1,131,421 wereforeign nationals.[60]
Northern and most of central Württemberg has been traditionallyProtestant (particularlyLutheran) since theReformation in 1534 (with its centre at the famousTübinger Stift). The formerElectorate of the Palatinate (Northwestern Baden) with its capital Heidelberg was shaped byCalvinism before being integrated into Baden.Upper Swabia, and the Upper Neckar Valley up to the bishop seat ofRottenburg, and Southern Baden (the Catholic archbishop has its seat inFreiburg) have traditionally been bastions ofRoman Catholicism. Catholics have a very narrow plurality in the state, with 6% of the population adhering to Islam and 24% of the population disclaiming any religion or adhering to other faiths.
The same or similar Alemannic dialects are also spoken in the neighboring regions, especially inBavarian Swabia, Alsace (Alsatian), German-speaking Switzerland (Swiss German), and the AustrianVorarlberg. In contrast, the other Franconian dialects range from the Netherlands over theRhineland,Lorraine, andHesse up toFranconia in northernBavaria.
A variant of the Alemannic German of Baden developed into theColonia Tovar dialect, spoken by descendants of immigrants from Baden who went toVenezuela in 1843.
^Vollmuth, Hannes; Bauer, Wolfgang; Kemper, Anna; Faller, Heike (25 September 2014)."Baden-Württemberg: Kein schöner Ländle".Die Zeit. ZEIT MAGAZIN. Retrieved21 February 2017.
^"Ländle". Duden Wörterbuch. Retrieved18 September 2020.
^Güll, Reinhard (2017)."Die Eisenbahn im Großherzogtum Baden und im Königreich Württemberg" [The railway in the Grand Duchy of Baden and the Kingdom of Württemberg](PDF).Statistisches Monatsheft Baden-Württemberg (in German). Statistisches Landesamt Baden-Württemberg. Retrieved13 February 2023.
^Christian Efing (2019),Das Lützenhardter Jenisch: Studien zu einer deutschen Sondersprache (in German), Wiesbaden, p. 74{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^Werner Metzger, Schwäbischer Albverein Stuttgart (ed.),Albvereinsblätter- Festrede 125 Jahre Albverein (in German), pp. 3
^Consisting of the southern part of Baden. Capital:Freiburg.
^Consisting of the northern parts of Baden and Württemberg. Capital:Stuttgart.
^Consisting of the southern part of Württemberg, and the former Prussian province of Hohenzollern. Capital:Tübingen.
^The Innovationsindex (innovation index) is an index developed by theFederal Statistical Office of Germany in Baden-Württemberg that features a variety of indicators for innovation in an identification number that enables a comparativeassessment of the ability of innovation of 86 regions in the 27 member countries of the European Union.
^Among others in Aalen, Biberach an der Riss, Esslingen, Karlsruhe, Ludwigsburg, Nürtingen, Pforzheim, Ravensburg-Weingarten, Reutlingen, several in Stuttgart, Schwäbisch Hall
^With some exceptions, such as the Stuttgart S-Bahn, which is managed by theVerband Region Stuttgart; services on a few minor lines managed by the localLandkreise; and formerly also services running without any state subsidies.
^Connected to the Mannheim/Ludwigshafen system, and toViernheim (Hesse) by metre-gauge interurbans
^Part of theKarlsruhe Stadtbahn system, with which through-running tram-trains exist
^Cross-border network withLudwigshafen in Rhineland-Palatinate. Connected to the Heidelberg system, and toBad Dürkheim (Rhineland-Palatinate) andViernheim (Hesse) by metre-gauge interurbans.
Climate change in Baden-Württemberg: facts – impacts – perspectives / LUBW; Baden-Württemberg, Ministerium für Umwelt, Naturschutz und Verkehr. [In collab. with Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Institute for Meteorology and Climate Research; Süddeutsches Klimabüro. Transl.: InTra eG Fachübersetzergenossenschaft], Stuttgart: Baden-Württemberg Ministry of the Environment, Nature Conservation and Transport Karlsruhe: LUBW, 2010.
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