Waiblingen

Waiblingen (Swabian: Woeblinge) is a town in the southwest of Germany, located in the center of the densely populated Stuttgart region, directly neighboring Stuttgart. It is the capital and largest city of the Rems-Murr district. , Waiblingen had 55,449 inhabitants (27,334 men and 28,115 women).

, the area of the town (including all external properties, such as forests) was 42.76 km2.

History
Waiblingen was first mentioned in Carolingian documents in 885 at the time of Charles the Fat. It received its town charter in 1250.

Waiblingen was the property of the Salian kings, from whom the Hohenstaufen dukes and kings inherited it. It is intimately tied to the conflict between Guelphs and Ghibellines in the 12th and 13th century. During the Siege of Weinsberg in 1140, the Hohenstaufens of Swabia (led by Conrad III of Germany) used "Wibellingen" - a version of the town name - as their rallying cry; "Wibellingen" subsequently became Ghibellino in Italian.

The town was almost completely destroyed in 1634 during the Thirty Years' War, when Imperial and Spanish troops sacked the city after the Battle of Nördlingen. Fires raged for more than a week, and most of Waiblingen's citizens were killed or had to flee. Rebuilding only began four years after this catastrophe; the existing old central part of the town dates back to the years between 1640 and 1700. Its fortifications are now well restored.

Incorporation
The following towns were incorporated into Waiblingen:
 * 1 December 1971: Beinstein
 * 1 January 1975: Bittenfeld, Hegnach, Hohenacker, and Neustadt

Economy
Waiblingen houses the principal office of the world's biggest chainsaw manufacturer, Stihl. Engineering and technology multinational Robert Bosch GmbH has two factories in the city producing polymer and packaging technology.

It is also the location for the letter processing center for the Stuttgart region of the Deutsche Post.

Twin towns – sister cities
Waiblingen is twinned with:
 * 🇭🇺 Baja, Hungary
 * 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Devizes, England, United Kingdom
 * 🇮🇹 Jesi, Italy
 * 🇫🇷 Mayenne, France
 * 🇺🇸 Virginia Beach, United States

Notable people

 * Ludwig II, Count of Württemberg-Urach (1439–1457, the Count of Württemberg, reigned from 1450 to 1457.
 * Eberhard II, Duke of Württemberg (1447–1504), a nobleman, Count of Württemberg-Stuttgart from 1480 to 1496.
 * Jakob Andreae (1528–1590), a significant German Lutheran theologian and Protestant Reformer
 * Adam Gottlieb Weigen (1677–1727), a German pietist, theologian and early animal rights writer.
 * Luise Duttenhofer (1776–1829), a German papercutting artist.
 * Karl Daiber, (DE Wiki) (1878-1956) architect and politician in Ulm
 * Carl Paul Pfleiderer (1881–1960), mechanical engineer and university lecturer, developed the centrifugal pump
 * Christian Mergenthaler (1884–1980), a Nazi politician, Ministerpräsident of Württemberg, 1933–1945
 * Gottlob Kopp, (DE Wiki) (1895-1970), a German painter, president of the Stuttgart Chamber of Crafts
 * Lenore Volz (1913–2009), a Protestant theologian, one of the first local women to be a church minister.
 * Manfred Wundram, (DE Wiki) (1925–2015), a German art historian, died locally
 * Ulrich Gauß, (DE Wiki) (born 1932), politician (FDP), Lord Mayor of Waiblingen, 1970-1994.
 * Alfred Biolek (1934–2021), a German entertainer and TV producer, grew up locally
 * Norbert F. Pötzl, (DE Wiki) (born 1948), journalist, author and editor of Der Spiegel
 * Mathias Richling (born 1953), actor, author, comedian and Kabarett artist.
 * Claus E. Heinrich ((born 1955), a German manager and entrepreneur
 * Christoph Niemann (born 1970), an illustrator, graphic designer and children's book author.
 * Boris Palmer (born 1972), politician and former member of the Green Party; mayor of Tübingen since 2007.

Sport

 * Manfred Winkelhock (1951–1985), a German racing driver.
 * Joachim Winkelhock (born 1960), a German motor racing driver.
 * Günther Schäfer (born 1962), a German football coach and a former player who played 373 games
 * Thomas Winkelhock (born 1968), a German racing driver.
 * Anouschka Bernhard (born 1970), a retired German footballer who played 47 games for Germany women
 * Bernd Mayländer (born 1971), a German racing driver and current Formula One safety car driver.
 * Achim Pfuderer (born 1975), a German former footballer who played over 240 games
 * Michael Fink (born 1982), a German football manager and player who played 414 games
 * Nadine Krause (born 1982), a German former handballer who played 188 games for Germany women
 * Matthias Morys (born 1987), a Polish-German former footballer who played over 400 games
 * Alessandro Abruscia (born 1990), an Italian-German footballer who has played over 380 games
 * Simon Skarlatidis (born 1991), a German footballer who has played over 330 games