Leipheim
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Leipheim ( Swabian: ''Leiba'') is a
town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...
in the district of Günzburg, in
Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...
,
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
. It is situated on the
Danube The Danube ( ; see also #Names and etymology, other names) is the List of rivers of Europe#Longest rivers, second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest sou ...
, west of
Günzburg Günzburg (; Swabian German, Swabian: ''Genzburg'') is a town in Bavaria, Germany. It is a ''Große Kreisstadt'' and the capital of the Swabian Günzburg (district), district Günzburg. This district was constituted in 1972 by combining the city ...
, and northeast of Ulm. The village Riedheim and the hamlet Weissingen are districts of Leipheim. Since 1993, Leipheim has been twinned with the Hungarian town Fonyód.


History

Between 1270 and 1373, Leipheim was owned by the family of Güß von Güssenberg who arranged for it to be granted market privileges in 1327 and town privileges in 1330 through Louis IV (Ludwig the Bavarian). In 1343, ownership was transferred to the Count of Württemberg. In 1453, the Free Imperial City of Ulm purchased the town from Count
Ulrich V, Count of Württemberg Ulrich V (14131 September 1480), nicknamed the Much-Loved (), was County of Württemberg, Count of Württemberg from 1419 and then count of Württemberg-Stuttgart until his death in 1480. Life Ulrich was born in 1413, the youngest child of Coun ...
for 23,000 Gulden. When Ulm converted to
Protestantism Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
in 1531, Leipheim officially turned Protestant as well. During the
German Peasants' War The German Peasants' War, Great Peasants' War or Great Peasants' Revolt () was a widespread popular revolt in some German-speaking areas in Central Europe from 1524 to 1525. It was Europe's largest and most widespread popular uprising befor ...
in 1525, roughly 5,000 peasants called the ''Leipheimer Haufen'' (literally: the Leipheim Bunch) gathered near Leipheim to rise against the city of Ulm and were subsequently defeated by the army of the
Swabian League The Swabian League () was a military alliance of Imperial State, imperial estates – Free imperial city, imperial cities, prelates, principalities and knights – principally in the territory of the early Middle Ages, medieval stem duchy of S ...
. During the
German Mediatisation German mediatisation (; ) was the major redistribution and reshaping of territorial holdings that took place between 1802 and 1814 in Germany by means of the subsumption and Secularization (church property), secularisation of a large number of ...
in 1803, the town was integrated into
Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...
. Leipheim was one of the few possessions of the Free Imperial City of Ulm to remain Bavarian after 1810 when Bavaria was forced to transfer certain borderland back to
Württemberg Württemberg ( ; ) is a historical German territory roughly corresponding to the cultural and linguistic region of Swabia. The main town of the region is Stuttgart. Together with Baden and Province of Hohenzollern, Hohenzollern, two other histo ...
. In the course of the administrative reform of Bavaria in 1818 under King
Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria Maximilian I Joseph (; 27 May 1756 – 13 October 1825) was Duke of Zweibrücken from 1795 to 1799, prince-elector of Bavaria (as Maximilian IV Joseph) from 1799 to 1806, then King of Bavaria (as Maximilian I Joseph) from 1806 to 1825. He was ...
, the community emerged in its current form. In 1816/17, following the
Napoleonic Wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...
and long periods of rain and cold, the people of Leipheim suffered famine and hardship. During this time, the city made a promise to celebrate the end of the famine, and in 1818 after a good harvest, they made good on this promise by creating the ''Kinderfest'' (literal: festival of children). Up to this day, the festival is held every year on the second weekend of July, incorporating traditional elements commemorating the end of the famine through song and dance, as well as a modern fairground and
beer garden A beer garden (German: ''Biergarten'') is an outdoor area in which beer and food are served, typically at shared tables shaded by trees. Beer gardens originated in Bavaria, of which Munich is the capital city, in the 19th century, and remain co ...
atmosphere. With the construction of the railroad section Ulm-
Augsburg Augsburg ( , ; ; ) is a city in the Bavaria, Bavarian part of Swabia, Germany, around west of the Bavarian capital Munich. It is a College town, university town and the regional seat of the Swabia (administrative region), Swabia with a well ...
in 1853, Leipheim gained further economic significance. In 1937, construction of the
autobahn The (; German , ) is the federal controlled-access highway system in Germany. The official term is (abbreviated ''BAB''), which translates as 'federal motorway'. The literal meaning of the word is 'Federal Auto(mobile) Track'. Much of t ...
A8 and the motorway bridge crossing the Danube was completed. The air base, which saw the mass production of the cargo glider Messerschmitt Me 321 and the first strategic transport aircraft
Messerschmitt Me 323 The Messerschmitt Me 323 ''Gigant'' ("Giant") was a German military transport aircraft of World War II. It was a powered variant of the Messerschmitt Me 321, Me 321 military glider and was the largest land-based transport aircraft to fly during ...
, was built the same year. The first flight of the prototype of the
Messerschmitt Me 262 The Messerschmitt Me 262, nicknamed (German for "Swallow") in fighter versions, or ("Storm Bird") in fighter-bomber versions, is a fighter aircraft and fighter-bomber that was designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Messers ...
''Schwalbe'' (Swallow), the world's first operational turbojet fighter aircraft took place in Leipheim on July 18, 1942. From 1944, the aircraft was mass-produced (around 800 units). After the end of
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
in 1945, a
displaced persons camp A refugee camp is a temporary settlement built to receive refugees and people in refugee-like situations. Refugee camps usually accommodate displaced people who have fled their home country, but camps are also made for internally displace ...
for Jewish survivors of the
Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...
was established on the premises of the former air base. This camp, which sheltered up to 3,150 people, was disbanded in June 1950. After 1957 the area was used for military air traffic again until 1993. U.S. Army troops, including the 54th Combat Engineer Battalion, were stationed there, at least during the mid-1950s. The city's coat of arms (a blue shield with a golden diagonal bar and three six-pointed stars in red) has been in use since the 14th century and has first been sourced in 1404. The colors are the ones of the family of Güß von Güssenberg. The coat of arms in its current form first emerged the early 19th century. Recently, Leipheim has adopted a modern logo, the city's signature followed by a red circle with a black exclamation mark inside, which is now being used on all official publications to evoke a
corporate identity A corporate identity or corporate image is the manner in which a corporation, firm or business enterprise presents itself to the public. The corporate identity is typically visualized by branding and with the use of trademarks, but it can also i ...
.


Economy

Leipheim is home to three of the four Germany-based production areas of Wanzl, a large manufacturer of shopping carts operating worldwide. Since 1947, the family business has grown from a small workshop to a
world leader This is a list of current heads of state and heads of government. In some cases, mainly in presidential systems, one leader is head of state and head of government. In other cases, mainly in Semi-presidential system, semi-presidential and parl ...
in several areas.


Volunteer Fire Brigade

The Voluntary Fire Brigade Leipheim has existed since 1865.


Deutsche Lebensrettungsgesellschaft

The district association Leipheim/Günzburg of the German Life Saving Association with 450 members is based in Leipheim.


Sons and daughters of the place

* Hans Karg (1551– † ca. 1610), Swabian painter * Ernst Führich (born 1948), professor of law at the Kempten University of Applied Sciences * Bernd Oberdorfer (born 1961), Professor of Systematic Theology and Ecumenism at the University of Augsburg


References

{{Authority control Populated places in Günzburg (district) Populated places on the Danube