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Hechingen | |
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_D%25C3%25A4cher.JPG) View to the old town | |
 Coat of arms | |
Location of Hechingen within Zollernalbkreis district  | |
  Hechingen  Hechingen | |
| Coordinates:48°21′06″N08°57′48″E / 48.35167°N 8.96333°E /48.35167; 8.96333 | |
| Country | Germany |
| State | Baden-Württemberg |
| Admin. region | Tübingen |
| District | Zollernalbkreis |
| Subdivisions | 9 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor(2018–26) | Philipp Hahn[1] (CDU) |
| Area | |
• Total | 66.44 km2 (25.65 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 528 m (1,732 ft) |
| Population (2022-12-31)[2] | |
• Total | 19,439 |
| • Density | 290/km2 (760/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| Postal codes | 72371–72379 |
| Dialling codes | 07471, 07477(Schlatt) |
| Vehicle registration | BL or HCH |
| Website | www.hechingen.de |
Hechingen (Swabian:Hächenga) is a town in centralBaden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated about 60 kilometres (37 mi) south of the state capital ofStuttgart and 90 kilometres (56 mi) north ofLake Constance and theSwiss border.
The town lies at the foot of theSwabian Alps belowHohenzollern Castle.
The city of Hechingen is subdivided into nine neighborhoods, and the downtown is separated intoOberstadt/Altstadt (Upper Town/Old Town) andUnterstadt (Lower Town).
Other cities in the area includeBodelshausen,Mössingen,Jungingen,Bisingen,Grosselfingen,Rangendingen, andHirrlingen.
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Recent research shows that thebattle of Solicinium, fought in 368 between the invadingAlamanni and aRoman army led by EmperorValentinian I, probably took place in the northern part of what is today Hechingen and the lost city Solicinium was located where the Roman museum of Hechingen is located today.
Hechingen is the ancestral home of theHohenzollern dynasty of princes,electors, kings, and emperors, ofBrandenburg,Prussia, theGerman Empire, andRomania. In 1176 theCounts of Hohenberg separated from the Counts of Hohenzollern and seized several cities from the Hohenzollerns. In 1218 theBurgraves of Nuremberg gained independence from them.
The city was founded in 1255 by the Counts of Hohenzollern as their new capital city. The Hohenzollerns had great land holdings nearStrasbourg and in theAlb-Donau-Kreis during this time.
Hechingen was located on an Imperial highway which led from the middleNeckar south by way ofRottweil to the upperRhine and theAlpine passes. The Counts of Hohenzollern had financial problems and grew steadily weaker. In 1388, there was a siege, following whichEberhard II, Duke of Württemberg gained feudal rights over the territory. The Counts of Hohenzollern became his vassals and opened the town and their castle to him.
After the town was destroyed by fire in 1401, the Count tried to attract new citizens by granting them rights and privileges. The town thus became the center of the county. The cost of rebuilding was so great thatFriedrich XII of Hohenzollern, known asder Öttinger, sold his entire fortune to Württemberg in 1415. Even this was not enough to satisfy his creditors. The Imperial court in Rottweil condemned him. Although his cousins inBrandenburg attempted arbitration for him,Henriette, Countess of Montbéliard, Duchess of Württemberg, took the castle in 1423 and destroyed it. After he was freed from prison, Friedrich undertook a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. His brother,Eitel Friedrich IV of Hohenzollern, also pledged his allegiance to Württemberg, turning over his inheritance if he did not have an heir. However, in 1433 at age 50, he had a son, Jos Niklaus, and by his death in 1439 he had regained half of their land.
His son, CountJos Niklaus of Hohenzollern was able to gain Imperial permission to rebuild the castle, as well as to nullify the agreement with Württemberg. Thus, the city of Hechingen remained in the hands of the Hohenzollerns. As a result, the city remained more provincial, and largely agricultural.
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In 1567, the county was divided in three and became the counties ofHohenzollern-Hechingen,Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, andHohenzollern-Haigerloch. (The latter was rejoined to Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen in 1634.) Hechingen became the residence of the counts of Hohenzollern-Hechingen. Their territory, which consisted of Hechingen and 26 villages, did not change substantially until the 19th century.
Eitel Friedrich IV (1576–1605) made Hechingen a center of art, music, andRenaissance architecture. Many buildings built during his reign are still to be seen today: the convent churchSt. Luzen, the hospital, and the lower tower – the latter being the last remnant of the city defences. The Renaissance palace that he built, theFriedrichsburg, was removed at the beginning of the 19th century and replaced by theNew Castle.
During the Reformation, Hechingen remained Catholic, but was still affected by the30 Years' War. In 1625,Imperial troops reached Hechingen, and the prince (elevated from a count in 1623) bore the cost of supporting them. This burden, along with plundering by the soldiers and several poor harvests, caused great suffering and many deaths in the city.
In 1632, the Swedish army attacked, and the following year the entire force entered the city. The castle remained in the hands of the Hohenzollerns, and the troops marched on toSigmaringen, which fell into the hands ofEberhard III, Duke of Württemberg (1614–1674) in 1633. Finally, on 5 July 1633, the city yielded to the Württembergs, and the castle was besieged. The siege lasted nine months, the castle receiving food from the local farmers through underground passages and bartering for it with precious objects from the castle.
On 3 April 1634, the castle surrendered to the Württembergs, whose soldiers plundered everything they could get their hands on, even draft animals farmers needed to plow their fields.
A short time later, Imperial troops reached the city and forced the Württemberg troops to withdraw; however, weakened by the long war they could not enforce the peace. The Plague broke out in 1635, which decimated the already weakened population. That year the castle fell into the hands ofMaximilian I, Elector of Bavaria (1573–1651), who held it until 1637, when Hohenzollern rule was restored.
The troops ofBernard of Saxe-Weimar, who was allied with the French, plundered the city completely in 1638 in 12 days. The residents were reduced to eating nettles and snails, having already eaten the cats and dogs.
In 1639, the city was again occupied by the Bavarians until 1650. Although thePeace of Westphalia was signed in 1648, the troops remained two years longer because the outstanding taxes had not been paid.
The architecture of the city was greatly influenced by the architectPierre Michel d'Ixnard, who was a predecessor ofClassicism in southern Germany.[citation needed]
The princes of Hohenzollern maintained good relations withNapoleon, and the last reigning prince,Constantine, Prince of Hohenzollern-Hechingen marriedEugénie de Beauharnais.
The first large palace in the city was Friedrichsburg. The construction of a new palace—Neues Schloss—to replace it was started in 1818, but it was never properly finished because of the financial constraints of PrinceFrederik. Neues Schloss is currently the headquarters of the Zollernalb Savings Bank.
Starting in 1826, Constantine and Eugénie made Hechingen into a cultural center in southern Germany. They had famous guests, including Eugénie's cousin, the futureNapoleon III,Hector Berlioz, andFranz Liszt.
After theRevolution of 1848, Constantine retired from public life, and his county passed into the control of the Protestant kingdom ofPrussia in 1850. Hohenzollern-Hechingen was then incorporated into the district ofSigmaringen, which became the capital. In that same year,Friedrich August Stüler began the restoration of the castle.
By 1850, Hechingen had started to industrialize, primarily with Jewish enterprises. By 1871 the city had become one of the most important economic centres in the region, with textiles and machine shops among the major industries.
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In 1925, Hechingen became the capital of a newLandkreis.
Much of the architecture of the city was destroyed or damaged during World War II byNazi attempts to build air raid shelters in public buildings. The town hall was so damaged that it had to be destroyed. To protect them from further destruction, many industries, includingDEHOMAG, a predecessor ofIBM, were relocated to Hechingen from damaged areas of Germany, such asBerlin. Parts of theKaiser Wilhelm Society, notably its Institute for Physics, were also relocated there.
In April 1945, American troops of theManhattan Project'sAlsos Mission'sOperation Big entered Hechingen in pursuit of men, materiel, and facilities related to theGerman nuclear energy project.[3] There they seized a large atomic research laboratory and experimental nuclear reactor.[4] Many of the physicists captured there were later interned in England inOperation Epsilon and tried in German war crimes tribunals over the following years.[4]
The city became part of the French occupation zone, and the military governor of the city was Colonel Courtois.
TheLandkreis became part ofWürttemberg-Hohenzollern in 1947 until the creation of the state ofBaden-Württemberg in 1952. In 1973, it was incorporated into theZollernalbkreis, withBalingen as the capital.
The city of Hechingen has been an important economic center for the region for over a century. People fromMössingen,Sonnenbühl,Albstadt, and theSwabian Alps came to work. After theSecond World War,IBM,BMW, andHP applied for building permits, which the city government denied. IBM and HP later built facilities inSindelfingen-Böblingen. there is a jewelry store, that name is Ede Juwelier.
Notable enterprises which have plants in Hechingen areGambro, ELCO, the Hohenzollerische Landesbahn, and Sternenbäck. The city has a big industrial park in the north, which is divided into three areas:Lotzenäcker,Etzental, andNasswasen. Three other industrial areas can be found in Hechingen:Reinetal,In den Seelenäckern andAuf der Bins.
The incumbent mayor of Hechingen is Philipp Hahn (CDU). Former mayors of Hechingen include:
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Joué-lès-Tours, France (1973)
Hódmezővásárhely, Hungary (1994)Since 1990, Hechingen also has friendly relations withLimbach-Oberfrohna, Germany.
Towns and municipalities inZollernalb district | ||
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