Laupheim | |
|---|---|
 Chapel of St Leonhard | |
 Coat of arms | |
Location of Laupheim within Biberach district  | |
 Location of Laupheim | |
  Laupheim  Laupheim | |
| Coordinates:48°13′44″N9°52′47″E / 48.22889°N 9.87972°E /48.22889; 9.87972 | |
| Country | Germany |
| State | Baden-Württemberg |
| Admin. region | Tübingen |
| District | Biberach |
| Subdivisions | 5 |
| Government | |
| • Lord mayor(2022–30) | Ingo Bergmann[1] (SPD) |
| Area | |
• Total | 61.79 km2 (23.86 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 528 m (1,732 ft) |
| Population (2023-12-31)[2] | |
• Total | 23,044 |
| • Density | 372.9/km2 (965.9/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| Postal codes | 88471 |
| Dialling codes | 07392 |
| Vehicle registration | BC |
| Website | www |
Laupheim (German:[ˈlaʊphaɪm]ⓘ;Swabian:Laoba) is amajor district town in southern Germany in thestate ofBaden-Württemberg. Laupheim was first mentioned in 778 and gainedcity rights in 1869. One of the main trading routes, fromUlm toRavensburg and then on towardsLake Constance ran through Laupheim. Having developed from a rural settlement into a small urban area, Laupheim is home to a number of small to medium-sized industries and businesses. One of the largest employers are theGerman Armed Forces which maintain anairbase close to Laupheim,Laupheim Air Base.
Laupheim was the administrative centre of thedistrict of Laupheim from 1842 until 1938 when the district was abolished. The southern parts of it were incorporated into thedistrict of Biberach (including Laupheim itself) whereas the remainders were allocated to the district of Ulm.
In the second half of the 19th century Laupheim was home to the largestJewish community in theKingdom of Württemberg.
AfterWorld War II, Laupheim became part of theFrench occupation zone in 1945 and became part of the newly foundedstate ofWürttemberg-Hohenzollern in 1947.
Laupheim is the educational centre for the surrounding rural areas particularly with regards to secondary education.
Laupheim is situated in the region ofUpper Swabia approximately 20 km north ofBiberach and 20 km south of Ulm on theBundesstraße 30. Laupheim is the second largest city in the district of Biberach. The original settlement of Laupheim was located close to theRottum which still runs through the city but since 1950 the city has expanded and sprawls onto the surrounding slopes.
With effect of 1 Januar 2016 Laupheim has been awarded the status of major district town.[3]
The elevation within the city confines ranges from 509 m (1670 ft) above sea level at the bottom of the valley to 539 m (1768 ft) in the outlying suburban areas.[4]
Apart from the city of Laupheim itself, the following once autonomous villages nowadays belong administratively to Laupheim: Baustetten (population 2121), Obersulmetingen (population 1389),Untersulmetingen (population 2082) andBihlafingen (population 853), which, with an elevation of 580 m (1903 ft), has the highest elevation of the administrative area.[4]
The area in and around Laupheim has been settled from very early times onwards.Archaeological evidence shows that 15000 years agonomadictribes roamed the countryside. From ca. 2000 BCE onwards,Celts inhabited this area. From the first centuryCE until around the year 260 CE, it was part of theRoman province ofRaetia, after which theAlamanni invaded theAgri Decumates, eventually also settling in the area that was to become Laupheim. Duringarchaeological excavations in 1840-1842 graves dating from theMerovingian period were discovered in the northern part of the town.[5]
Laupheim was first mentioned asLouphaim in a charter dated 778.[6] Thecharter is still kept in thearchives of themonastery ofSt Gallen, Switzerland. This reference is the earliest of any city in Upper Swabia and any parish in the district of Biberach.
Situated in the vicinity of two majortrade routes between theLake of Constance and Ulm and theSwabian Alb and thevalley of the riverIller respectively, Laupheim developed into a major settlement. In 853, it was elevated to the status of town when acourt responsible for theRammachgau (also spelledRammagau) was set up there.
During the 9th century, parts of Laupheim came into the possession of themonastery ofWeißenburg which was afterwards passed on to successive minor Swabian aristocratic houses.
As early as the 10th century, Laupheim possessed aparish church with subsidiaries. In 926, Laupheim and its surroundings were destroyed by theHungarians. Acastle is mentioned around the year 1100.
Laupheim appears to have been home of an indigenous noble family, whose members used the suffixvon Laupheim. They were attested for the first time in 1110 with Landoldus de Lobhein and seemed to have been in service of the counts ofKirchberg. The last known member of this family was Berchtolt von Laupheim who was a citizen of Ulm 1372,[7] long after his family has lost possession of any rights in Laupheim around 1310.[8]
After the collapse of the Empire of theStaufers during the 13th century, the castle and parish of Laupheim came into the possession of theTruchsessen vonWaldburg who, in 1331, sold Laupheim together with their other possessions in Upper Swabia to theAustrian House ofHabsburg.
The Habsburgsmortgaged Laupheim in 1334 to thebarons von Ellerbach andenfeoffed this baronial family in 1407 with castle, town andpatronage of the church.
The village was badly affected by the crisis of the mid 14th century, caused by theBlack Death and other factors. The population shrunk and as a consequence thehamlet ofRingelhausen, situated between Laupheim andBronnen, was abandoned and eventually lost in the 15th century.[9] Only the name of a street and a development area in the city of Laupheim nowadays hints at the existence of this hamlet.
The Herren von Ellerbach hadSt Leonhard's Chapel built in 1448, which soon became a place ofpilgrimage.
In 1430, EmperorSigismund bestowed upon Burkhard von Ellerbach the right to hold regular markets, Laupheim thereby becoming amarket town, and also the privilege of inflictinghigh justice, which gave him the right to hold acriminal court inflicting bodily punishment, including the death penalty. The local ruler was now master of life and death. Due to the weekly market and the annualGallus-market, Laupheim quickly developed into a commercial centre.
During the course of theGerman Peasants' War 1525, Laupheim Castle was destroyed by theBaltringer Haufen, an army ofpeasants named after the nearby village ofBaltringen, where approximately 12.000 farmers gathered to form an army. After the suppression of the revolt, the peasants were forced to rebuild the castle.
After theagnatic line of theEllerbachdynasty became extinct in 1570, Laupheim passed throughHans Pankraz von Freyberg to the Herren vonWelden in 1582. They turned Laupheim into their permanentresidence and established the first school in 1584. From 1582 until 1806, Laupheim was a Lordship (Reichsritterschaft) ruled by the heir of the Welden family, whose title was "Imperial Knight" (Reichsritter).
In 1596, the right to bear acoat of arms was given to Laupheim, showing the colours of green, white and red together with three leaves on a three hills, thereby incorporating the coat-of-arms of the family of Welden with the three leaves, referring to the name of the town on the hills of the valley of the river Rottum.
The last member of the House of Ellerbach,Anna von Freyberg, founded the Hospital of theHoly Spirit in 1601, the building of which still exists and now functions as aretirement home.
Between 1623 and 1661, the church St. Peter and Paul was built in the vicinity of the castle.
Due to the inheritance laws of the house of Welden, the market town was divided into two different territories,Großlaupheim andKleinlaupheim (Great Laupheim andLittle Laupheim), in 1621, at the beginning of theThirty Years' War (1618–1648), each territory being ruled by its own dynasty. As a consequence economic growth slowed down.
During theThirty Years' War, Laupheim repeatedly fell victim to the ravages of war, mainly due to marauding troops, bothimperial, that is Catholic, andSwedish, theirProtestant opponents. A massiveoutbreak of thebubonic plague in 1635 further diminished the population.[10] At the close of the Thirty Years' War, Laupheim had lost two-thirds of its pre-war population, so that ultimately towards the end of the 17th century, Laupheim had sunk to the status of an unimportant, impoverished village. As a consequence of the Thirty Years' War, the feudal lords attempted to increase taxation and extend the amount of socage the peasants had to do for them. This led to legal conflicts between the two parties, which lasted for decades.
In order to stimulate the local economy and income generated by taxation,Carl Damian von Welden allowed the firstJewish families to settle in Großlaupheim in the 1720s. This which was made possible by a contract, protecting theJews. The Jews were made to settle in an area of the town soon to be calledJudenberg (literallyJews' mountain orJews' hill). Subsequently, aJewish quarter evolved, with a cemetery, synagogue, school and aRabbi's office.[11]
During the 18th century, the Welden dynasty had the old castle,Großlaupheim Castle, restored, and subsequently renewed inBaroque-style in 1752. Between 1766 and 1769, the branch of the Welden dynasty that ruled Kleinlaupheim had their residence renewed inBaroque-style by architectJohann Georg Specht. This castle is now calledSchloss Kleinlaupheim (Kleinlaupheim Castle). This makes Laupheim unique in that it has two castles within its city boundaries, as a result of once having been two independent states.
In 1778, atown hall and thegranary were built in the Upper Market Square.
Following theReichsdeputationshauptschluss, themediatisation andsecularisation of numerous secular andecclesiasticalprincipalities within the formerHoly Roman Empire, both parts of Laupheim were annexed by the newly formedKingdom of Württemberg in 1806. The last ruler of Laupheim was Constantin von Welden. Laupheim first became administratively part of the district ofWiblingen, but in 1845 the district administration was moved to Laupheim, creating the district of Laupheim. The district as abolished in 1938 when Laupheim became part of the district of Biberach.
Due to laws based on the ideas of theenlightenment, servitude in the Kingdom of Württemberg was abolished in 1836. During the same period, laws forcing Jews to live in separate quarters and excluding them from most business activities were revoked. This enabled them to contribute enormously to the economic upturn Laupheim was experiencing, even though complete civil rights were not granted until 1864.
In 1848, with the arrival of civil servants from the originalDuchy of Württemberg (Altwürttemberg), a Protestant parish was founded.
In 1850, a train station opened two kilometers west of Laupheim, on therailway line Ulm-Friedrichshafen fromUlm toFriedrichshafen, this station therefore being named asLaupheim-West.
In 1869, Laupheim was granted acity charter byKing Karl I. of Württemberg. In the same year, the first institute of further education, aLateinschule, was established in Laupheim. In 1871, Laupheim, being part of the Kingdom of Württemberg, was incorporated into theGerman Empire.
During the steep economic growth of theGründerzeit, the period between 1871 and 1914, Laupheim had the highest density ofpublic houses in the whole Kingdom of Württemberg.
In 1904, the city was connected to the railway line Ulm-Friedrichshafen by abranch line, linking the railway artery with the city itself. At the same time a train station was built in the city. This extension of the railway line went on for a further 16 km, terminating at the village ofSchwendi.
BeforeWorld War I, Laupheim had one of the largestJewish communities in Württemberg. However, the appointment ofAdolf Hitler asChancellor of Germany in 1933 and the systematic deprivation and subsequent suppression ofJews in Germany, also had their effects on Laupheim, culminating in the destruction by fire of the synagogue duringKristallnacht 1938.
Due to the programme ofaryanization, many businesses in Laupheim originally owned byJews, were expropriated and transferred into German ownership. 126 of 312 Jewish inhabitants of Laupheim managed to flee abroad, most of them after the so-calledKristallnacht. In 1939, the remaining Jews in Laupheim were resettled within the city, only to be deported toconcentration andextermination camps in 1941 and 1942. After the last of four transports, the Jewish community in Laupheim ceased to exist on 19 August 1942.
Sixty-two Jewish citizens of Laupheim were murdered in theShoah, only two survived.
After World War II, in the 1960s, Laupheim began to renew and modernize its appearance. New schools were built: agrammar school, arealschule and a new town hall. From the 1980s onwards, these projects were followed by a new district hospital, a public in-doors swimming pool, a renovated stadium, named afterGretel Bergmann who was born in Laupheim, and an omnibusinterchange.
Additionally, several industrial estates on the outskirts of the city were established in order to attract trade and industry. As a consequence, companies from outside Laupheim established offices and production facilities there, as well as companies that formerly had been operating from the city centre.
| Year | Population[12][13] |
|---|---|
| 1500 | 950 |
| 1600 | 1,240 |
| 1700 | 1,660 |
| 1806 | 2,369 |
| 1820 | 2,687 |
| 1832 | 2,934 |
| 1840 | 3,251 |
| 1844 | 3,457 |
| 1854 | 3,712 |
| 1871 | 6,302 |
| 1900 | 7,319 |
| 1925 | 8,467 |
| 1933 | 8,572 |
| 1939 | 8,402 |
| 1950 | 10,337 |
| 1961 | 11,997 |
| 1971 | 14,582 |
| 1981 | 15,095 |
| 1991 | 16,831 |
| 2001 | 18,626 |
| 2008 | 19,576 |
| 2009 | 19,668 |
| 2010 | 19,796 |
| 2011 | 19,700 |
| 2012 | 19,951 |
| 2013 | 20,213 |
| 2014 | 20,655 |
| 2015 | 21,153 |
| 2016 | 21,742 |
| 2017 | 22,136 |
| 2018 | 22,387 |
| 2019 | 22,429 |
| 2020 | 22,579 |
Having developed from a rural market town into a city, predominated by industry, trade and the service industries, the demographics of Laupheim have changed as well.
After growing continuously from 1871 until 1933, from theGründerzeit until theNazis came to power, this development came to a halt. The stagnation and eventual decrease in population was due to increasing persecution of the Jews, as a result of which many Jewish inhabitants left Laupheim or, after 1940, were deported and subsequently murdered.
Since 1945, the population of Laupheim has almost doubled. This is due to the fact that a great number of refugees fromformerly German territories east of theOder-Neisse line were settled in Laupheim.
The establishment of aGerman Army Aviation Corps airbase in 1964 further contributed to the growth in population.
After the collapse of theSoviet Union in 1991, an influx ofethnic Germans from theCommonwealth of Independent States added to the population growth.
As of 31 December 2019, the number of non-German inhabitants of Laupheim totals 3,269 (14.58% of the total population).[14]
| Years | Name |
|---|---|
| 1825-1838 | Christian Paul Koch |
| 1838–1850 | Johann Gottfried Brigel |
| 1850–1872 | Franz Seraph Müller |
| 1872–1880 | Konrad Hepperle |
| 1880–1882 | Heinrich Hepperle |
| 1883–1924 | Johannes Schick |
| 1924–1934 | Franz Konrad |
| 1934–1945 | Ludwig Marxer |
| 1945–1946 | Adolf Sheffold |
| 1946 | Josef Hyneck |
| 1946–1949 | Karl Wiest |
| 1949–1963 | Alfons Hagel |
| 1963–1966 | vacant |
| 1966–2002 | Otmar Schick |
| 2002–2010 | Monika Sitter |
| 2010–2017 | Rainer Kapellen |
| 2017–2021 | Gerold Rechle |
| 2022–present | Ingo Bergmann |
The city council consists of 27 members.
During thelocal elections on 26 May 2019, all seats on the city council were contested. The elections gave the following result:[15]
| Party | Percentage | Gains/Losses | Seats | Gains/Losses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CDU | 27.9 |  3.3 | 8 | 1 |
| FW | 37.4 |  1.2 | 10 |  |
| SPD | 7.9 | 2.2 | 2 | 1 |
| Open List | 26.8 | 4.2 | 7 | 1 |
The next local elections are due to be held in 2024.
Laupheim is part of theconstituency of Biberach for elections to theLandtag of Baden-Württemberg as well as theBundestag.
The following politicians were or are from Laupheim:
Laupheim is formally twinned with:
Feyzin,France
Neustadt an der Orla, Thuringia (formerGDR)The following companies, some of them operating internationally, are based in Laupheim:
The following educational establishments exist in Laupheim and its subordinate villages:
Laupheim had a magistrates' court which was a branch of thedistrict court of Biberach. The Laupheim branch was closed on 1 April 2004.[17] The town hall houses the offices of thedistrict notary.[18]
Laupheim was home toMedium Transport Helicopter Regiment 25 "Oberschwaben" (Upper Swabia) and SupportSquadron 10 of theGerman Army Aviation Corps (Heeresflieger). The German Army Aviation Corps base was established in 1964 utilizing already existing facilities. Medium Transport Regiment 25 was disbanded on 31 December 2012 when personnel and material were transferred to theGerman Air Force and re-established asHelicopter Wing 64 on 1 January 2013.[19] Helicopter Wing 64 is equipped with transporthelicopterCH-53 and light utility helicopterH145M LUH SOF.[20] German Army Aviation Corps Support Squadron 10 was equipped with helicopters of the typeBo-105. The unit disbanded in 2007.
Until the beginning of the 1990s the regiment had only seen service in otherNATO countries, mainly while on manoeuvre or on aid-missions afternatural disasters. Since then, however, it has been deployed abroad on various aid-missions and so far has seen service onNATO andUnited Nations peacekeeping missions, first inIraq after the 1stGulf War, then on theBalkans withIFOR,KFOR,SFOR andEUFOR, inAfghanistan as part ofISAF, which is ongoing, and most recently in theDemocratic Republic of the Congo as part ofEUFOR RD Congo to support the UN missionMONUC to monitor the general elections in 2006. This mission began in June 2006 and ended with the last soldiers returning in December of the same year.[21]
With aworkforce of about 1,350, both military and civilian, the base is the largest, single employer in Laupheim.[22]
Großlaupheim Castle is situated on a hill on the verge of the city close to the local parish church.The existence of a castle in Laupheim was documented for the first time around the year 1100. There is no evidence that the castle originally consisted of more than a wooden structure. This castle existed until the Peasants' War in 1525, when it was destroyed by rebellious peasants. After the end of hostilities, the peasants were forced to rebuild the castle in stone. The structure as it stands today was erected in three different phases:
The Museum of the History of Christians and Jews is situated in Großlaupheim Castle. It is unique in Germany in that its collection concentrates on the documentation of the relationship between Christians and Jews on a local level, using Laupheim, which once had the largest Jewish community in the Kingdom of Württemberg, as an example. The exhibition documents in chronological order all aspects of more than 200 years of Jewish life in Laupheim.
The park is situated at the bottom of the hill on top of whichSchloss Großlaupheim lies. The castle park was designed in theEnglish Style byKilian von Steiner. A huge number of trees, meadows and lakes created an impressive appearance. Originally, it was well known for its exotic trees and plants. Formerly, there were five lakes, which, during winter, provided a brewery with ice. During summer, the lakes were used for raisingtrout. However, in recent times the maintenance of the ground and the lakes was neglected due to a lack of council funding. In recent years efforts have been made to restore the park, at least in parts, to its former glory. In 2011, the park was declared a "Garden Monument' by the state of Baden-Württemberg's National Trust.[23]
Kleinlaupheim Castle is situated on a hill south-west of the river Rottum within the city limits of Laupheim.In its present state it was built between 1766 and 1769 as a place of residence for the ruler of Kleinlaupheim at the time, theFreiherrJoseph Ignaz von Welden-Kleinlaupheim (1721–1802). It was designed byJohann Georg Specht ofLindenberg in Baroque-style. It consists of a three-storey building with a curvedmansard roof.Pilasters,cornices andgables enliven the facade of the building. Inside there is a remarkable grandstaircase in thevestibule.
It now houses the localpolice station and anart gallery,Die Wache Galerie, a pun on words in thatWache can meanpolice station as well as alert or awake.
The Parish Church St Peter and Paul, built between 1623 and 1661, lies in close proximity to Großlaupheim Castle. It was designed byMartino I. Barbieri fromRoveredo in Baroque-style, showing influences ofmanierism.[24] The interior of the church is decorated with sculptures byDominikus Hermenegild Herberger and paintings byJohann Georg Bergmüller.
Theplanetarium and publicastronomical observatory of Laupheim (German:Volkssternwarte Laupheim) counts about 40000 visitors each year. It is run on a mostly voluntary basis by the clubVolkssternwarte Laupheim e.V. (founded 1975), providing high qualityastronomical education. The work of the club has been recognized by astronomerCarolyn Shoemaker, who named the asteroid7167 Laupheim in honour of the institution.
The annual historical festival, theKinder- und Heimatfest, takes place during the last weekend of June. It consists ofprocessions andparades, performed by various groups, incorporating performances in historical costumes,concert bands andfloats, referring to contemporary and historical events. There is also afunfair, accompanied by severalpole marquees, as well as much revelling in the bars,cafes andpubs of the city.
On the last Sunday of the summer holidays, the traditionalBrunnenfest (fountain party) takes place in the city centre. Astreet party, it is concentrated on the Upper and Lower Market Square. The name of the event derives from theNeptune-fountain, situated in the Upper Market Square. A great number of stalls servesSwabian and internationalcuisine as well as a large variety of beverages. The stalls are organised and staffed by local clubs.Concert bands,Jazz bands andVolksmusik bands entertain visitors. On a stage dance and sport performances are shown. Additionally, aflea market is held at the same time.
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