Tübingen (/ˈtubɪŋən/;German:[ˈtyːbɪŋən]ⓘ;Swabian:Dibenga) is a traditionaluniversity city in centralBaden-Württemberg,Germany, 30 km (19 mi) south of the state capital,Stuttgart. With students accounting for almost one in three of Tübingen's 90,000 residents, the city has one of the youngest profiles in Germany, with an average age of just under 40.[3]
Founded in 1477,Eberhard Karl University is one of the oldest universities north of the Alps. It associated Tübingen, in the 19th century with the German-patriotic studentBurschenschaften, whose large fraternity houses are still a notable feature of the town; in the years between theWorld Wars, with the rise ofNational Socialism; and in theGerman Federal Republic with the emergence of the liberal-leftGreens, currently the largest tendency in local government.
Exceptionally, Tübingen survived theSecond World War with its historic fabric almost wholly intact. It has since experienced two major expansions: in the 1960s the construction of university institutes and new housing on the high ground to the north, and following theend of the Cold War, and the evacuation of extensive military bases by the French', the new mixed-use Loretto and French Quarter to the south.
Tübingen developed around the base of the fortressSchloss Hohentübingen and of theStiftskirche zu St. Georg, the collegiate church, and on both sides of theNeckar andAmmer rivers.
Immediately north of the city lies theSchönbuch, a densely woodednature park. TheSwabian Alb mountains rise about 13 km (8 mi) (beeline Tübingen City to Roßberg - 869 m) to the southeast of Tübingen. The Ammer andSteinlach rivers aretributaries of the Neckar river, which flows in an easterly direction through the city, just south of themedievalold town. Large parts of the city are hilly, with the Schlossberg and the Österberg in the city centre and the Schnarrenberg and Herrlesberg, among others, rising immediately adjacent to the inner city.
The highest point is at about 500 m (1,640.42 ft)above sea level nearBebenhausen in the Schönbuch forest, while the lowest point is 305 m (1,000.66 ft) in the city's eastern Neckar valley. Thegeographical centre of the state of Baden-Württemberg is in a small forest called Elysium, near the Botanical Gardens of the city's university.
The area was probably first settled in the 12th millennium BC. TheRomans left some traces here in AD 85, when, in confrontation with the localAlamanni, they built alimes frontier wall at the Neckar River. The local castle,Hohentübingen, has records going back to 1078, when it was besieged byHenry IV,King of Germany.[4]
In the middle of the 12th century, the local the Counts of Zollern were raised toImperial Counts Palatine, with their seat inTübingen. By 1231, Tübingen was acivitas, indicating recognition by the Crown of civil liberties, a market and a court system. In the later decades of the 13th century, the town saw the establishment anAugustinian, and aFranciscan, monastery, and a Latin school (today's Uhland-Gymnasium). In 1342, the town and castle passed to theCounts of Württemberg.[5]
TheStiftskirche was built between 1430 and 1470. Its collegiate offices contributed to the founding in 1477 of the university by CountEberhard V (Eberhard im Bart), later the firstDuke of Württemberg. It was to develop as one of the most influential places of learning in theHoly Roman Empire, particularly intheology. Today, the university is still the biggest source of income for the residents of the city and one of the biggest universities inGermany with more than 26,000 students.[6]
Faced with a popular rebellion, in theTreaty of Tübingen 1514, Eberhard's successor,Duke Ulrich, was obliged to submit to co-governance with the assembledEstates (knights, clergy andburghers) and to concede freedom of movement, profession, and enterprise, achievements that were still being fought for in other German states in1848.[7][8] In recognition of the treaty, the town assumed the right to bear the Ducal stag antlers above itsblazon on itscoat of arms.[9]
In 1535, after recovering his bankrupted Duchy from a prolonged imperial-Hapsburg occupation, Duke Ulrich declared for thereformed Lutheran faith and seized church property (the Augustinian monastery was converted to aProtestant seminary, theTübinger Stift). The religious division in Germany contributed to theThirty Years' War (1618-1648) during which the town was successively occupied by theCatholic League, by theSwedes in 1638, and by the French, and was devastated by plague.[5]
In 1789, parts of the old town burned down, but were later rebuilt in the original style. In 1798 theAllgemeine Zeitung, a leading newspaper in early 19th-century Germany, was founded in Tübingen byJohann Friedrich Cotta.[10] At his residence, theCottahaus, a sign commemoratesGoethe's stay of a few weeks while visiting his publisher:"Hier kotzte Goethe" (lit.: "Goethe puked here").[11]
From the beginning of the 19th century, the town grew significantly beyond its medieval borders for the first time with the rectangularWilhelmsvorstadt at the Neue Aula and the oldBotanical Garden.
In the so-calledGôgenaufstand (Gôgen Uprising) of 1831, journeymen and winegrowers marched through the town in protest against police brutality, singing singing a hymn to freedom fromFriedrich Schiller's dramaDie Räuber (The Robbers). The local authorities appealed for help to the officially bannedBurschenschaften, and armed student security guards were deployed against the insurgents. They relied on students once more during theTübinger Brotkrawall (Tübingen Bread Riot) of 1847.[12]
In 1861, with the opening on the right bank of the Neckar of today's main train station, Tübingen was connected to theRoyal Württemberg State Railways network.
In 1873, the 10thWürttemberg Infantry Regiment was quartered in barracks erected behind the station, the laterThiepval Kaserne so named for the village where the regiment suffered heavy losses during theFirst World WarBattle of the Somme in 1916. A second barracks, later named theLoretto Kaserne, was built in 1913, and a third, theHindenburg Kaserne was constructed in the course ofNational Socialistrearmament in the 1930s.[13]: 21–22
In 1934, in a rare instance of resistance to the new order,Corps Suevia, one of the university's typically nationalist and conservative studentBurschenschaften, refused an order to exclude Jewish students and was dissolved.[18]
There were threebombing raids on the town duringSecond World War, but damage was comparatively slight: the Neckar Bridge and some 85 houses.[19] In April 1945, the town was surrendered to the French who were to remain asoccupiers until the creation of theGerman Federal Republic in 1949, and as an allied garrison until the end of theCold War in 1991.
Consistent with the role of theMarshall Plan in post-war reconstruction, theUnited States also had a presence in the town. Originally theAmerika Haus, the German-American Institute ("d.a.i."), at the Neckar Bridge continues to promote English-language classes and "cultural exchange".[20]
In 1946, under the French, Tübingen served as the capital of the consolidated state ofWürttemberg-Hohenzollern, but in 1952, in a further amalgamation, it was absorbed in the federal state ofBaden-Württemberg with its capital inStuttgart.
In the second half of the 20th century, Tübingen's administrative area was extended beyond what is now called the "core city" to include several outlying small towns and villages. Most notable among these isBebenhausen, a village clustered around a castle andBebenhausen Abbey, aCisterciancloister about 2 miles (3.2 km) north of Tübingen. The enlargement accommodated a 1958 general development plan for hills overlooking the town from the north, which included, a new botanical gardens, natural sciences institute and contemporary art museum (Kunsthalle Tubingen).[21]
Following the departure of the French in 1992, the vacated Thiepval Barracks served as a hostel forasylum seekers and German immigrants from Eastern Europe,[13]: 21 and the Loretto and Hindenburg barracks were redeveloped as the new mixed-use French Quarter (Französische Viertel).[22][23] Success in developing the new district has been followed up, more recently, by a car-free, courtyard-cluster project in the Derendingen district,[24] and an extensive renovation of the Waldhäuser Ost district featuring timber-hybrid construction methods.[25]
In the 1960s, Tübingen was one of the centres of theGerman student movement and of theprotests of 1968,[26] which made an issue of perceived continuities between the Federal Republic and the Hitler regime.[27] Emerging from this scene, in the early 1970s, a graduate of the university,Gudrun Ensslin, led herRed Army Faction in a nation-wide campaign of bombing and assassination.
In a town in which neither of the major federal parties, theSPD and theCDU, could command majorities, in 1980 a very different successor to the generation of '68 emerged as an electoral force. Since 2004, theGreens have been the largest party in the local council (Gemeinderat). In the 2024 local elections (in which there was no mandate for theAfD or other far-right groupings), they commanded over a third of the vote.[28]
In 2020[update], the city had 90,000 inhabitants. Life in the city is dominated by its roughly 28,000 students. Tübingen is best described as a mixture of old and distinguished academic flair, includingliberal andgreen politics on one hand and traditional German-stylestudent fraternities on the other, withrural-agricultural environs and shaped by typicalLutheran-Pietist characteristics, such asausterity and aProtestant work ethic, and traditionalSwabian elements, such asfrugality,order, and tidiness. The city is home to many picturesque buildings from previous centuries and lies on the River Neckar.
In 1995[update], the German weekly magazineFocus published a national survey, according to which Tübingen had the highest quality of life of all cities in Germany. Factors taken into consideration included the infrastructure, the integration of bicycle lanes into the road system, a bus system connecting surrounding hills and valleys, late-night services, areas of the city that can be reached on foot, the pedestrianised old town, and other amenities and cultural events offered by the university. Tübingen is the city with the youngest average population in Germany.
In central Tübingen, the Neckar divides briefly into two streams, forming the elongatedNeckarinsel (Neckar Island), famous for itsPlatanenallee with highplane trees, which are around 200 years old, and for the National Socialist-themed memorial to the composer andVolkslied collector,Friedrich Silcher.[13]: 33 Pedestrians can reach the island via stairs on the narrow ends leading down from a bridge spanning the Neckar, and by a smaller foot bridge nearer the middle of the island. During the summer, theNeckarinsel is occasionally the venue for concerts, plays, and literary readings. The row of historical houses across one side of the elongatedNeckarinsel is called theNeckarfront and includes the house with adjoining tower where poet and philosopherFriedrich Hölderlin spent the last 36 years of his life, as he struggled with mental instability.[29]
Tübingen city hallNeckar and HölderlinturmStiftskircheTübingen street art near Blaue Brücke
Tübingen'sAltstadt (old town) survivedWorld War II due to the city's lack of heavy industry. The result is a growing domestictourism business as visitors come to wander through one of the few completely intact historicAltstädte in Germany. The highlights of Tübingen include its crooked cobblestone lanes, narrow-stair alleyways picking their way through the hilly terrain, streets lined with canals, and well-maintained traditionalhalf-timbered houses.
Old city landmarks include the city hall on Markt Square and the Hohentübingen Castle, now part of the University of Tübingen. The central landmark is theStiftskirche (Collegiate Church). Along with the rest of the city, the Stiftskirche was one of the first to convert toMartin Luther'sprotestant church. As such, it maintains (and carefully defends) several "Roman Catholic" features, such aspatron saints. Below theRathaus is a quiet, residential street called theJudengasse, the formerJewish neighborhood of Tübingen until the city's Jews were expelled in 1477. On the street corner is a plaque commemorating the fate of Tübingen'sJews.
The centre of Tübingen is the site of weekly and seasonal events, including regular market days on theHolzmarkt by the Stiftskirche and theMarktplatz by the Rathaus, anoutdoor cinema in winter and summer, festive autumn and Christmas markets and (formerly) Europe's largest Afro-Brazilian festival.
Students and tourists also come to the Neckar River in the summer to visit beer gardens or go boating inStocherkähne, the Tübingen equivalent ofOxford andCambridgepunts, only slimmer. AStocherkahn carries up to 20 people. On the second Thursday of June, allStocherkahn punts take part in a major race, theStocherkahnrennen.
Bebenhausen Abbey lies in the village of Bebenhausen, a district of Tübingen. A subdivision of the pilgrimage route known as theWay of St. James starts here and runs through Tübingen.
Tübingen is governed by the mayor, elected by citizens every eight years, and by the municipal council, elected by citizens every five years.[30] The current mayor isBoris Palmer, first elected in 2007 and, after the relatively conservative positions he had taken on a number of issues, including immigration,[31] caused him to be dismissed by theGreen Party,[32] to a third term in 2022 with 52% of the vote as an independent[33]
Tübingen's council decided that the city should be climate-neutral by 2030.[34][35] In 2022, the city was the first in Germany to taxdisposable food packaging.[36] Restaurants in Tübingen are charged 50 cents per disposable cup and cardboard bowl, and 20 cents per piece of cutlery.[37]
Tübingen andReutlingen with a population of over 100,000 (about 15 km (9.3 mi) east) form a large centre of theNeckar-Alb region. Both cities are based on a different heritage and always belonged to different administrative entities. While they both had a long lasting rivalry they also complement each other. Reutlingen is more business oriented and industrialized and is successful in engineering and trade, while Tübingen excels in education and science, specialized health care and arts. The double centre is surrounded by smaller cities and connected to Albstadt, Balingen, Hechingen, Metzingen, Münsingen, Rottenburg, that each form middle centres and contribute to the high population density of the region.
Administratively, it is not part of theStuttgart Region, bordering it to the north and west (Böblingen district). However, the city and northern parts of its district can be regarded as belonging to that region in a wider regional and cultural context.
Tübingen is divided into 22 districts, the city core of twelve districts (population of about 51,000) and ten outer districts (suburbs) (population of about 31,000):
Tübingen has a notable arts culture as well as nightlife. In addition to the full roster of official and unofficial university events that range from presentations by the university's official poet in residence to parties hosted by the student associations of each faculty, the city can boast of several choirs, theatre companies and nightclubs. Also, Tübingen'sKunsthalle (art exhibition hall), on the "Wanne", houses two or three exhibits of international note each year.
SinceWorld War II, Tübingen's population has almost doubled from about 45,000 to the current 88,000, also due to the incorporation of formerly independent villages into the city in the 1970s.
Currently, Lord Mayor Boris Palmer (Green Party) has set the ambitious goal of increasing the population of Tübingen to 100,000 within the next several years. To achieve this, the city is closing gaps between buildings within the city proper by allowing new houses to be built there; this is also to counter the tendency ofurban sprawl andland consumption that has been endangering the preservation of rural landscapes of Southern Germany.[1]
For their commitment to their international partnership, theCouncil of Europe awarded theEurope Prize to Tübingen and Aix-en-Provence in 1965.[43] The city's dedication to European understanding is also reflected in the naming of several streets and squares, including the largeEuropaplatz (Europe Square) outside the railway station.
Local public transport: The city, due to its high student population, features an extensive public bus network with more than 20 lines connecting the city districts and places outside of Tübingen such asAmmerbuch,Gomaringen andNagold. There are also several night bus lines in the early hours every day. A direct bus is available to Stuttgart Airport (viaLeinfelden-Echterdingen) as well as toBöblingen andReutlingen.
More than 10,000 children and young adults in Tübingen regularly attend school. There are 30 schools in the city, some of which consist of more than one type of school. Of these, 17 areprimary schools while the others are forsecondary education: four schools are of the lowest rank,Hauptschule, three of the middle rank,Realschule, and six areGymnasien (grammar schools). There also are fourvocational schools (Berufsschule) and three special needs schools.
Johann Friedrich Cotta (1764–1832), publisher of many important writers of his time, industrial pioneer and politician; took over the local family publishing business.[48]
Pope Benedict XVI (1927–2022), held a chair of dogmatic theology at the university 1966–69
Hans Küng (1928–2021), Roman-Catholic theologian and author, professor of theology, critic of the official church, creator ofFoundation for a Global Ethic (Stiftung Weltethos), lived and died here
^Köpf, Ulrich (1994),Historisch-kritische Geschichtsbetrachtung: Ferdinand Christian Baur und seine Schüler. 8. Blaubeurer Symposion. Stuugart: Franz Steiner Verlag, p. 97.
^abcdGeschichtswerkstatt Tübingen (Hg.) (2001).Tübingen, Historische Photographien einer Stadt. Im Wiesenthal: Wartberg Verlag.ISBN9783861348702.
^Warminski, Andrzej (1987).Readings in Interpretation: Hölderlin, Hegel, Heidegger. Theory and History of Literature. Vol. 26. U of Minnesota Press. p. 209.
^"Cotta (family)" .Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 7 (11th ed.). 1911. pp. 250–251.see para 3 = .....Johann Friedrich, Freiherr Cotta von Cottendorf (1764–1832), who was born at Stuttgart on.....
