Metzingen () is a

Swabia Swabia ; , colloquially ''Schwabenland'' or ''Ländle''; archaic English also Suabia or Svebia is a cultural, historic and linguistic region in southwestern Germany. The name is ultimately derived from the medieval Duchy of Swabia, one of ...

n city with about 22,000 inhabitants, in Reutlingen county,

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg ( ; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a states of Germany, German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million i ...

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 ...

, south of

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...

. The city of Metzingen is known internationally for its outlets of all kinds of famous companies, centered around Hugo Boss who was one of the first companies that opened a store back in the 1970s. The former quarter of textile factories which was changed to a quarter of outlets is called 'Outlet City', and people from all over the world come here for a shopping experience. In a local context, Metzingen is known for its wine. In the center of the city there is a square with the biggest ensemble of wine pressing houses worldwide. In the entire municipality 11 wine pressing houses and two ancient wooden wine presses are preserved.

Geography

The following towns and municipalities are on the borders of Metzingen, they are named starting in the north and belong to district

Reutlingen Reutlingen (; ) is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is the capital of the eponymous Reutlingen (district), district of Reutlingen. As of June 2018, it had an estimated population of 116,456. Reutlingen has a Reutlingen University, univ ...

and to district Esslingen: Riederich, Grafenberg, Kohlberg, Neuffen, Dettingen an der Erms, St. Johann, Eningen unter Achalm and Reutlingen.

History

Metzingen was first mentioned in documents from 1075. The cultivation of wine led to a spread of wealth around 1600. From the early 1600s it was under the jurisdiction of Oberamt Urach. During the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...

, Metzingen suffered considerable destruction, and two thirds of the population died in a plague epidemic soon after. From the 1800s Metzingen was under the joint jurisdictions of Urach and Schwarzwald county; and finally under the jurisdiction of just Schwarzwald county from the abolition of the Oberamt to 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 ...

, when it was reassigned to the jurisdiction of

Reutlingen (district) Reutlingen, nicknamed "The Gate to the Swabian Alb" (), is a Districts of Germany, ''Landkreis'' (district) in the middle of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The former free imperial city (until 1802) reached the limit of 100,000 residents in 1989. It ...

. Following

industrialization Industrialisation (British English, UK) American and British English spelling differences, or industrialization (American English, US) is the period of social and economic change that transforms a human group from an agrarian society into an i ...

, different textile factories were built in Metzingen. In 1859, Metzingen was connected to the railline from

Tübingen Tübingen (; ) is a traditional college town, university city in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated south of the state capital, Stuttgart, and developed on both sides of the Neckar and Ammer (Neckar), Ammer rivers. about one in ...

Neighbourhoods

Since the municipal reform in 1974 the city of Metzingen includes Neuhausen and Glems. Glems has about 1,000 inhabitants and is located about 5 kilometers from the core city in a side valley of the Erm valley. Until the beginning of 20th century, Glems was predominantly agricultural. As of 2022, Glems still has some full-time farmers who guarantee sustainable landscape management and supply products from regional agriculture. Local shepherds contribute to the preservation of the cultural landscape of the Albtrauf, which are difficult to manage areas. Buildings from the 17th century such as the church, the town hall and the wine press have been preserved. Glems has renovated its town centre since 2000 and has an active village bakery and the Glemser Kelter is a listed building, used as a fruit tree museum, cider farm and community building. The pumped storage plant Glems (Tiefenbachtalsperre or Glemstalsperre) was built in 1962 to supply the region with electricity is located about 1.6 km southwest of the city of Metzingen.

Mayors

Politics

The town council has 26 seats, of which the FWV has 9, the GREEN has 6m the CDU has 5, the FDP has 3, the SPD 1. 1 seat has a free cabndidate.

International relations

Metzingen is twinned with: *

Hexham Hexham ( ) is a market town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, on the south bank of the River Tyne, formed by the confluence of the North Tyne and the South Tyne at Warden nearby, and close to Hadrian's Wall. Hexham was the administra ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

Nagykálló Nagykálló () is a small town in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg county, in the Northern Great Plain region of eastern Hungary. Before World War II it belonged to Szabolcs (county), Szabolcs county. Location from county seat Nyíregyháza. History Nag ...

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

Noyon Noyon (; ; , Noviomagus of the Viromandui, Veromandui, then ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Oise Departments of France, department, Northern France. Geography Noyon lies on the river Oise (river), Oise, about northeast of Paris. The ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Economy

Hugo Boss Hugo Boss AG (stylized in all caps) is a designer fashion company headquartered in Metzingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The company sells clothing, Fashion accessory, accessories, footwear, and Leather, leather goods. Hugo Boss is one of the ...

was founded in Metzingen and still has its headquarters there. It started first with its factory outlet and was soon followed by other companies (e.g.

Burberry Burberry Group plc is a British luxury fashion house established in 1856 by Thomas Burberry and headquartered in London, England. It designs and distributes ready to wear, including trench coats, leather accessories, and footwear. It is l ...

Reebok Reebok International Limited ( ) is an American footwear and clothing brand that is a part of Authentic Brands Group. It was established in England in 1958 as a companion company to J.W. Foster and Sons, a sporting goods company which had bee ...

, JOOP!, Strenesse,

Escada Escada SE is a luxury women's designer clothing company headquartered in Aschheim, Germany. The company is owned by Regent, L.P., an international private equity firm led by investor Michael Reinstein. The company was founded in 1978 by desi ...

, Bally, Puma,

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine giv ...

Adidas Adidas AG (; stylized in all lowercase since 1949) is a German athletic apparel and footwear corporation headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, Germany. It is the largest sportswear manufacturer in Europe, and the second largest in the ...

Tommy Hilfiger Thomas Jacob Hilfiger ( ; born March 24, 1951) is an American fashion designer and the founder of Tommy Hilfiger (company), Tommy Hilfiger Corporation. After starting his career by co-founding a chain of jeans/fashion stores called People's P ...

, etc.) who offer a range of their clothing at reduced prices. There are over 80 so-called "outlet-stores". Metzingen's

factory outlets An outlet store, factory outlet or factory store is a brick and mortar or online store where manufacturers sell their merchandise directly to the public. Products at outlet stores are usually sold at reduced prices compared to regular stores due ...

called Outletcity attract people from all over the country and Europe.

Notable people

(1885–1948), fashion designer *

Christian Friedrich Schönbein Christian Friedrich Schönbein HFRSE (18 October 1799 – 29 August 1868) was a German-Swiss chemist who is best known for inventing the fuel cell (1838) at the same time as William Robert Grove and his discoveries of guncotton and ozone. He a ...

(1799–1868), German chemist

References

External links

Metzingen Homepage

Information portal about factory outlet, leisure and gastronomy

Information portal and list of shops in Outletcity Metzingen

Information about Metzingen Factory Outlet Stores

Information and deals about Outletcity Metzingen

Official marketing portal from the Outletcity-Metzingen

Information about Metzingen Factory Outlet Center

Information about Metzingen Outlet Center

Information about Metzingen

some nice information about Metzingen
{{Authority control Reutlingen (district)