Biberach an der Riss


Biberach an der Riss, often referred to as simply Biberach, is a town in southern Germany. It is the capital of Biberach district, in the Upper Swabia region of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is called Biberach an der Riss after the small river Riss which flows through the city to distinguish it from the other towns of similar names.

Geography

Biberach has a population of about 32,000 and is located in Upper Swabia between the river Danube and Lake Constance.
The districts of Biberach comprise the inner city and its suburban, integrated villages Rissegg, Rindenmoos, Ringschnait, Stafflangen and Mettenberg.

History

For many centuries, Biberach was an Imperial Free City in the Holy Roman Empire. In that role it participated in the 1792 Reichstag.
During the Protestant Reformation, Biberach was notable for being — eventually along only with Ravensburg, Augsburg and Dinkelsbühl — a "Mixed Imperial City" where the Peace of Westphalia caused the establishment of a joint Catholic–Protestant government and administrative system, with equality offices and a precise and equal distribution between Catholic and Protestant civic officials. This status ended in 1803, when Biberach was annexed by the Margraviate of Baden, soon to become a grand-duchy. In 1806, it was traded to the Kingdom of Württemberg in exchange for the town of Villingen; becoming part of the German Empire on its creation in 1871.
During the French Revolutionary Wars, Biberach and its environs were the site of two sizable battles in 1796 and 1800.
During World War II, two large prisoner-of-war camps were located here, with Oflag V-B for officers, and internment camp Ilag V-B for allied civilians, mainly from the Channel Islands.

Economy

With an unemployment rate of around 3.6 percent and place of business of companies like EnBW, Handtmann, Liebherr, KaVo Dental GmbH, and Boehringer Ingelheim, Biberach is a significant industrial location in the southwest of Germany.

KaVo

KaVo is a company producing dental medicine equipment and products like instruments, dental systems, laboratory and equipment for training centres for universities. The head office is in Biberach. In March 2004, Danaher, an American industrial company, took over KaVo.

Boehringer Ingelheim

researches, develops and produces drugs. Boehringer Ingelheim was founded in Ingelheim am Rhein, Germany, in 1885, where the corporate headquarters are located. There are about 4,500 employees in Biberach.

EnBW

EnBW means "Energy Baden-Württemberg". Its corporate centre is in Karlsruhe. EnBW is Germany's third largest energy company. In Biberach there are about 900 employees.

Liebherr Biberach

The beginning of Liebherr Biberach was in 1954. The firm produces many sorts of cranes. 1,700 people and 112 trainees work there. The group's founder, Dr. Hans Liebherr, invented the mobile tower crane in 1949 in Kirchdorf/Iller.

Transportation

The town has two stations on the Southern Railway and hourly trains to Ulm and Friedrichshafen.

Arts and entertainment

Museums

Biberach has a film fest for German films which was founded in 1978.

"Biberacher Schützenfest"

The Biberacher Schützenfest is a historic festival for children and the town. The event is held annually in July and lasts nine days. The name "Schützenfest" derives from the German noun Schütze, meaning marksman. But nowadays, the crossbow competition and the appraisal of the best male and female champion shot are only small events during the week of the Schützenfest. Other attractions and events during the festival are:
The annual Christmas market, called "Christkindlesmarkt", which lasts 16 days, is another highlight of the year. Exotic foods from Britain, France, and Italy, kitsch, and beautiful arts and crafts are there to see and buy. People meet to drink mulled wine.

Music

The church music in Biberach is specially determined by the St.-Martins-Chorknaben Biberach.

Other events in Biberach

*
TG Biberach 1847 e. V. is one of the biggest clubs in the region. It has more than 6,000 members and 27 divisions including American football, tennis, chess or volleyball.
IBOT Another important sports festival in Biberach is IBOT, an annual international handball tournament for youth with more than a thousand participants which takes place at Easter.

Notable people

Biberach is twinned with five cities. It also has close links to Guernsey, one of the Channel Islands.