Backnang – The Metropolis on the The metropolis on the Murr

Top: The illuminated One needs to experience a town – its architecture Backnang Town Tower at night and hospitality. Take time to experience Backnang, Bottom: From left to right: Fountain on Willy-Brandt-Platz. The the metropolis on the Murr, and what it has to offer. fountain symbolises the solution of Stroll through the winding lanes of the old town and the conflict between East and West. The curtain of water is a symbol of enjoy the pleasant atmosphere of the shopping areas. the “Iron Curtain”. | View of the Get to know the fine hospitality of our restaurants and course of the River Murr. | Weekly market in Backnang. | The town is hotels. Take a break in one of the pavement cafés characterised by picturesque vistas and watch the world go by, watching the busy weekly and lanes. | Big wheel at the traditional Backnang Street Festival. market or get talking to the locals. It's worth listening – the Backnangers have plenty of stories to tell, of the Amazon women of the Goose War or the transformation of what was formerly the most important leather-tanning town in Southern to an innovative telecommunications centre. We look forward to seeing you. Countryside & Local Communities

The town of Backnang lies in beautiful surroundings, world! With their rural charm, the five Backnang Top: The idyllic countryside around Backnang: Orchard near Backnang. with orchards, gentle hills and the pretty River Murr suburbs – Heiningen, Maubach and Waldrems in the Bottom: von links nach rechts: winding along its valley. There can be no doubt that south, Strümpfelbach in the north, and Steinbach in Strümpfelbach with a typical former Backnang, its suburbs and the surrounding the north-east – form the perfect transition between schoolhouse. | Heiningen with a colourful sea of flowers. |M aubach communities of the “Backnang Bay” are justified in the town and the picturesque landscape of “Back- with the “Maubach bell”. | Idyllic considering themselves one of the most attractive nang Bay”. view of Steinbach. | Pretty farmstead in Waldrems. cultural landscapes in Swabia. The Plattenwald in Together with the hamlets of Sachsenweiler, Unge- Backnang, the Murr valley and the nearby “Swabian- heuerhof, Horbachhof, Stiftsgrundhof, Germannsweiler, Franconian Forest” national park all invite you to Ober, Mittel and Unterschöntal (locally known as the take long walks, hikes or rides. No surprise therefore “Schöntals”) and Seehof, the suburbs form a necklace that the Backnang region is a popular area for around the town. The excellent public transport people from the metropolitan area to come connections mean that the suburbs are linked to the and spend their free time. The direct suburban town and to the inter-regional road and rail networks. railway connection to Stuttgart airport means that it's easy to get to Backnang from anywhere in the Culture & Art

Top: The Backnang Street Festival – Despite it having so many historic monuments, Art and architecture have undergone an unusual one of the oldest and, without doubt, liveliest street festivals in the region. Backnang is not a museum. The lively town centre is symbiosis in Backnang's historic streets and a popular meeting point, be it at the Weekly, buildings. Bottom: From left to right: A regular spectacle: Appearance by singers as part Christmas, Flea or Goose Markets. Backnangers know Wherever you go in the old part of the town, you of Classic-Ope(r)n-Air. | The Bandhaus: how to celebrate. After all, the Backnang Street Granary with the cellar of the former will find sculptures created back in 1987, during the Augustinian canonry, Latin school, Festival, which, since 1971, has taken place on the Backnang Sculptors' Symposium. Going uphill, you grammar school, Schickhardt last weekend in June, is the oldest and largest event comprehensive school. Now cultural use will find the Sculpture Path of the Backnang Art (including Backnang Youth Music of its kind in the whole of Southern Germany. In Group – this path follows the former route of the School, theatre, puppet theatre) | addition, the “Classic-Ope(r)n-Air” concert takes Backnang Bürgerhaus: The former stations of the cross on the Ölberg. In the Tower Station Hotel forms the cultural heart of place against the historic backdrop on the Market Schoolhouse, Backnang Town Gallery holds its Backnang. | For some years now, the Square in the summer. All throughout the year, Backnang Murr Spectacular has taken renowned exhibitions, with which it has obtained its place by the Murr, around the Murr and, concerts, opera, dance and drama in the Backnanger primarily, on the Murr. | “Goose Bürgerhaus shape the cultural life of our town. Fountain” next to the town hall. Seen here during the Goose Market – a reminder of a significant historical event: the Backnang Goose War. reputation as a bold supporter of young, contemporary Theatre and Professor Pröpstl's Puppet Theatre. When Top: View of the historic Town Tower and the new staircase of the Tower art. Old Masters can be found in the Helferhaus. the Galli Theatre opened, the historic old town was Schoolhouse, designed by Johannes Here, the “Grafik-Kabinett” presents its impressive blessed with yet another cultural centre. The Smithy Manderscheid. collection of high-quality European prints – from Museum on Burgplatz, the Technology Collection, Bottom: From left to right: Backnang Town Gallery. | Ensemble Lucas Cranach to Albrecht Dürer. These artistic jewels with the Information Systems subcollection, the of half-timbered houses with have made Backnang one of the treasure houses of Scheuerle Museum, the Manfred von Ardenne Radio market fountain in Backnang town centre. | The Manfred von Ardenne European printing. Museum and the Hungarian-German Folklore Museum Radio Museum is home to numerous The Helferhaus also hosts the exhibitions and events – all of these show that Backnang well deserves its testaments to German radio history. | The Sculpture Path winds its way reputation as a town of museums. You can see – it's of the Backnang Local History Association (Heimat- through Backnang's old town: Here und Kunstverein). The range of cultural events in the well worth taking a look behind the scenes. you can see a stone sculpture on the Ölberg. | View of the Helferhaus. Bandhaus is expanded further by the Bandhaus Welcome to Backnang! Free time & Industry

Top: The Backnang Bleichwiese with Backnang is a town worth living in. With around Backnang also has a long tradition as an “industrial” Murr Staircase and freshly-renovated Schweizerbau in the background. 36,000 inhabitants, it is the centre of a catchment town. The “Upper Spinning Mill” was founded back area of nearly 120,000 people. The town possesses in 1832, marking the start of industrialisation in the Bottom: From left to right: The Backnang Mineral Baths are popular outstanding kindergarten facilities, secondary town. Numerous companies from the leather tanning both with swimmers and those just modern, comprehensive and grammar schools as well industry turned Backnang into the leather-tanning wanting to relax and are a part of the new Murrbäder Backnang Wonnemar. | as numerous further education facilities. Life in the town in Southern Germany, a reputation which lasted View of the River Murr by the weir. | town is improved yet further by countless clubs and well into the 20th Century. After the Second World Backnang is strongly influenced by the telecommunications and information societies, wide-ranging social support and excellent War there was a shift in the industrial focus of the systems industries – one of the most opportunities for its senior citizens. In addition, town towards electrical and information systems. important employers in this field is Tesat-Spacecom GmbH & Co. KG. | Large modern sports facilities and the popular Murrbäder Today, Backnang is an attractive location for business, and renowned companies have also Backnang Wonnemar form a fine base for spending allowing you to work, live and play in a charming settled in the Lerchenäcker Business Park. | Modern sporting facilities, such leisure time in the town. environment. as the Katharinenplaisir Sports Hall shown here, offer the best possible conditions for leisure and team sports. History

The castle hill, which falls steeply away to the River Century Gothic chancel remains, which, with its Top: District court building, built by Heinrich Schickhardt as a palace for Murr, possesses a unique collection of historical original capitals, makes it one of the earliest the House of Württemberg, once the architecture and is the oldest part of our town, first examples of Gothic architecture in the whole of Chancellory for the county, in the monastery complex (Stiftshof). mentioned in documents in the year 1067. Here, the Germany. In 1816/17, the nave was replaced by the Bottom: From left to right: Margraves of Baden founded an Augustinian so-called “Tower Schoolhouse”, which today houses Gothic chancel with exhibit from an monastery in 1116. Between 1220 and 1230, they the Backnang Town Gallery. Above the chancel is the exhibition held by the Backnang town council. | View from the Ölberg to the turned Backnang into a town, which they used as town tower, rebuilt six years after the town fire of Town Tower. | The historic town hall their religious centre and for burial purposes, for 1693, and today the town's symbol. The original – view from the Market Square. | The Collegiate Church with its which, in 1130, they built the St. Pancras church, plans for the tower go back to the Württemberg Romanesque tower, seen from the with its Romanesque towers. court architect and Renaissance architect Heinrich churchyard. | View of the Mörike school in Backnang. The former Schickhardt. The town hall, built around 1600, and Remains of the tombs of the Margraves can still be German President, Horst Köhler, lived found in the crypt of the church, thus making rebuilt after a fire of 1716, is an expression of civic at the school as a 10 year-old between 13th May and 12th October pride, and is, even today, one of the most beautiful Backnang the perfect “Baden-Württemberg” town. Of 1953, in the then camp for Soviet the nearby St. Michael's church, only the 13th town halls in the whole of Southern Germany. refugees. Stadt Backnang Große Kreisstadt Am Rathaus 1 71522 Backnang Germany

Telephone: +49 (0)7191 894256 Telefax: +49 (0)7191 894100 [email protected] www.backnang.de

Photographs: Edgar Layher | Monika Melchert | Claudia Gollor-Knüdeler | Loc Tien Nguyen | Backnang Public Relations Office