Schelklingen () is a town in the district of
Alb-Donau
Alb-Donau-Kreis is a (district) in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is bounded by (from the south and clockwise) the districts of Biberach, Reutlingen, Göppingen and Heidenheim, the two Bavarian districts Günzburg and Neu-Ulm, and the city o ...
in
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 ...
in
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 10 km north of
Ehingen
Ehingen (Donau) (; ) is a town in the Alb-Donau (district), Alb-Donau district in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, situated on the left bank of the Danube, approx. southwest of Ulm and southeast of Stuttgart.
The city, like the entire district o ...
, and 20 km west of
Ulm. Schelklingen and 82% of its territory form part of the
Swabian Jura Biosphere Reserve.
Geography

The town centre of Schelklingen is located in the prehistoric valley of 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 ...
at the feet of the
Swabian ''Alb'' or Swabian Jura (). The villages of Hausen ob Urspring, Justingen, and Ingstetten are located on the table land of the Swabian Alb. In the Schmiech valley are located the villages of Schmiechen, Hütten, Gundershofen, and Sondernach.
Neighbouring municipalities
To the north of Schelkingen is the town of
Heroldstatt, to the east the town of
Blaubeuren, to the south-east the town of
Erbach, to the south are
Altheim and
Allmendingen, and to the west are
Mehrstetten and the town of
Münsingen, the latter both belonging to the county of
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 ...
.
Municipal structure
The borough of Schelklingen has the following municipal subdivisions: the villages of Schmiechen, Hausen ob Urspring, Justingen, Ingstetten, Hütten, Gundershofen and Sondernach. Within the borough are the municipalities of Schmiechen, Hausen ob Urspring, Justingen, Ingstetten, Hütten, Gundershofen and Sondernach. Also within the borough are smaller hamlets, individual farms, old corn mills, castles and an old monastery: Muschenwang Farm (Hausen ob Urspring), Oberschelklingen Farm (to Schelklingen), the hamlet of Sotzenhausen (former cement factory, Schelklingen: not to be confused with the hamlet of Sotzenhausen which was incorporated in 1835 into Pappelau, today the town of
Blaubeuren), the corn mill hamlet of Springen (Gundershofen), the Riedmühle mill (Sondernach), the hamlet of Talsteußlingen and Neusteußlingen Castle (Hütten), the hamlet of Teuringshofen (Hütten) and the old monastery of Urspring (Schelklingen).
Rivers and lakes
* The little river of
Urspring begins near the former monastery of Urspring and discharges after approximately 500 m into the river Ach.
* The
Ach originates near Urspring and empties into the
Blau at
Blaubeuren.
* The
Schmiech has its source in Springen and discharges into 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 ...
at
Ehingen
Ehingen (Donau) (; ) is a town in the Alb-Donau (district), Alb-Donau district in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, situated on the left bank of the Danube, approx. southwest of Ulm and southeast of Stuttgart.
The city, like the entire district o ...
.
* The ''Sondernach'' stream originates in the Sondernach valley and empties into the Schmiech near the ''Riedmühle'' mill.
Landmarks
* The ''
Hohle Fels'' (''Hohler Fels'', hollow rock) is a huge limestone rock in the Ach valley, its interior almost completely excavated by water. The cave was inhabited at least during the
Stone Age
The Stone Age was a broad prehistory, prehistoric period during which Rock (geology), stone was widely used to make stone tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years and ended b ...
. In September 2008, the
Venus of Hohle Fels
The Venus of Hohle Fels (also known as the Venus of Schelklingen; in German variously ') is an Upper Paleolithic Venus figurine made of mammoth ivory that was unearthed in 2008 in Hohle Fels, a cave near Schelklingen, Germany, part of the Ca ...
, the earliest known figurine in the world was discovered in the cave. Visits are possible.
* The ''Schmiechener See'' or ''Schmiecher See'' (''d’r Sai'') (''Lake of Schmiechen'') is a remnant from the ice age, and today forms part of a nature reserve.
* The ''Sirgenstein'', like the ''Hohle Fels'' a huge limestone rock, but located on the opposite side of the Ach valley. During the Stone Age this cave was inhabited as well. During the Middle Ages a
castle
A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...
was built on the top of the rock. Some remains are still visible.
* The ''
karst spring
A karst spring or karstic spring is a Spring (hydrology), spring (exsurgence, outflow of groundwater) that is part of a karst hydrological system.
Description
Because of their often conical or inverted bowl shape, karst springs are also known i ...
s'' of the rivers
Urspring,
Ach (Blau) and
Schmiech.
History
Middle Ages and early modern times
''Castro et villae Schälkalingen'' (castle and village of Schelklingen) were first mentioned in an 1127 deed. The first owners were the
Swabian ''
edelfrei'' Lords of Schelklingen, three brothers: Rüdiger, Adalbert and Walter, who donated property to the newly established
Benedicitne abbey of Urspring nearby. In the early 13th century, by the way of purchase, marriage or inheritance, the Schelklingen territory was acquired by the Swabian counts of Berg (''Grafen von Berg'', not to be confused with the Rhenish
Berg dynasty). Descending from Berg Castle near
Ehingen
Ehingen (Donau) (; ) is a town in the Alb-Donau (district), Alb-Donau district in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, situated on the left bank of the Danube, approx. southwest of Ulm and southeast of Stuttgart.
The city, like the entire district o ...
, Count Henry III (d. 1242), also Margrave of
Burgau
Burgau () is a Town#Germany, town in Günzburg (district), the district of Günzburg in Swabia (Bavaria), Swabia, Bavaria. Burgau lies on the river Mindel (river), Mindel and has a population of just under 10,000.
History
The territory around ...
, appeared as the holder of Schelklingen from 1234 onwards, at the time when for the first time the settlement was called 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 ...
(''civitas'', according to municipal law). His son and heir Ulrich II adopted the title of a Count of Berg-Schelklingen in 1248. In 1343, the last Count of Berg-Schelklingen, Conrad, sold the estates to the
Habsburg
The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout Europe d ...
dukes of
Austria
Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
and received it back as fief. When he died three years later, the territory of Schelklingen fell to the Austrian dukes as a reverted fief.
Schelklingen was later administered within
Further Austria (''Vorderösterreich'') and remained with the
Habsburg monarchy
The Habsburg monarchy, also known as Habsburg Empire, or Habsburg Realm (), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities (composite monarchy) that were ruled by the House of Habsburg. From the 18th century it is ...
until 1806. The
Peace of Pressburg (''Frieden von Pressburg'') of 1805 brought Schelklingen to the
Electorate of Württemberg
The Electorate of Württemberg was a short-lived state of the Holy Roman Empire on the right bank of the Rhine. In 1803, the Imperial diet raised the Duchy of Württemberg to an Electorate, the highest form of a princedom in the Holy Roman Empire. ...
as reward for the military help given to Napoleon by the Württemberg rulers.
The permanent shortage of money on the side of the Dukes of Austria and the high prestige connected with an own dominion on the side of the landed gentry were the reasons why the territory of Schelklingen (together with Ehingen and Berg) most of the time was mortgaged and given away as a fief. While during the period from 1346 to the end of the 15th century the masters of the mortgage changed fast, the situation became more stable afterwards. Up to 1568 the territories of Ehingen, Schelklingen and Berg were possessed by the following persons respectively families:
*John the Rich of
Stadion (''Hans der Reiche von Stadion'') and his inheritants (from the beginning of the 15th century to 1507)
*''Ludwig of Freyberg'', residing in
Öpfingen
Öpfingen is a municipality in the district of Alb-Donau in Baden-Württemberg in 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 ...
(1507–1530)
*''Konrad of Boyneburg (or Bemelberg)'' (1530–1568)
In 1568, the town of
Ehingen
Ehingen (Donau) (; ) is a town in the Alb-Donau (district), Alb-Donau district in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, situated on the left bank of the Danube, approx. southwest of Ulm and southeast of Stuttgart.
The city, like the entire district o ...
was able to free herself from a new mortgage, while paying a large sum of money to the Austrian rulers residing in
Innsbruck
Innsbruck (; ) is the capital of Tyrol (federal state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the Wipptal, Wipp Valley, which provides access to the ...
. This way, the direct aristocratic rule ended, and the territories of Ehingen, Schelklingen and Berg in future were administered by Austrian governors, most of the time noblemen. In 1680 the Count of the Empire (''Reichsgraf'') and bishop of
Eichstätt
Eichstätt () is a town in the federal state of Bavaria, Germany, and capital of the district of Eichstätt. It is located on the Altmühl river and has a population of around 13,000. Eichstätt is also the seat of the Roman Catholic Dioce ...
Marquard Schenk von Castell reminded the German Emperor of his merits and services. Thus, thanks to his efforts, the family Schenk von Castell first received the territories of Schelklingen and Berg (without Ehingen) first as a mortgage and finally in 1732 as a personal fief. The feudal rule of this family over Schelklingen and Berg lasted until the middle of the 19th century when the last obligations were abolished. ''Franz Ludwig Schenk von Castell'' (1736–1821), a prosecutor of criminals, was the most influential owner of the two territories during the 18th century.
In 1806, Schelkingen was acquired by Württemberg, and the King of Württemberg was busy to end feudal rule in his new Kingdom.
Mediatization ended the rule of the Schenk von Castell family in Schelklingen, and the counts step-by-step sold their properties there.
19th and 20th century
During the 19th century Schelklingen evolved from a town of artisans and peasants towards an industrial town. In 1806 the monastery of Urspring was secularized. High costs of maintaining the many buildings finally caused Württemberg to sell the former monastery. In 1832 most of the buildings were bought by the cotton manufacturer Georg Reichenbach with the intention to build up a cotton weaving factory. This factory later adopted the name of Mechanical Weaving Factory Urspring (''Mechanische Weberei Urspring, MWU''). In 1907, the factory was transferred to Schelklingen into a new building along the Ehingerstraße. In Urspring, most of the factory buildings were removed. Caused by international competition from low-wage countries, the MWU in the 1950s got financial problems and was closed.
In Urspring in 1912, after the grain mill (''Dreikönigsmühle'') at the Ach spring (''Achtopf'') was changed into the municipal electricity and water factory, a new grain mill was built which is today used as a school building. From 1907 to 1930 the buildings in Urspring were not inhabited except for a tavern. Only in 1930 the former monastery found a new utilization by the foundation of the Urspring School (''Urspringschule''), a Protestant country boarding school and gymnasium.
A second industry branch which developed during the 1830s, was the production of matches. This innovation was based on the invention of the phosphor match. Three factories were founded employing many women and children in home work. These factories were closed at the beginning of the 20th century.
During the late 19th century in the valleys of the rivers Blau, Ach and Schmiech evolved the cement industry, based on the invention of the Portland cement. In 1889, the first ''Barbey'' factory was built, later called ''Hammerstein'' cement factory, and shortly after 1900 the large plant of the ''Stuttgarter Immobilien- und Baugeschäft''. The Hammerstein factory was closed and changed into dwellings for cement workers. This new factory attracted many external workers, especially also many Italian migrant workers: some of them remained in Schelklingen. Later, this cement factory was bought by the ''Portland-Cement-Fabrik AG Heidelberg und Mannheim AG'', today
HeidelbergCement.
During the 1870s a Catholic institution for boys living in bad social conditions (''Katholische Rettungsanstalt für Knaben'') was founded, the St.-Konradihaus. During
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 ...
the town was a place of internment for
POW
POW is "prisoner of war", a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict.
POW or pow may also refer to:
Music
* P.O.W (Bullet for My Valentine song), "P.O.W" (Bull ...
s from
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
. In 1941 the St.-Konradihaus was requisitioned by the government and until 1945 was used as a relocation camp (''Umsiedlungslager'' (''SS-Lager'')) in order to reeducate people from
Alsace
Alsace (, ; ) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in the Grand Est administrative region of northeastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine, next to Germany and Switzerland. In January 2021, it had a population of 1,9 ...
.
After the end of the World War II, Schelklingen was being part of the French occupation zone and in 1947, it was assigned to the newly founded state of Württemberg-Hohenzollern, which was incorporated in the state of Baden-Württemberg in 1952.
Territorial development of the town
According to the administrative reorganization of the municipalities (''Gemeindegebietsreform in Baden-Württemberg'') the following communes have been incorporated into (or merged with) the town of Schelklingen:
* 1 March 1972: Hausen ob Urspring and Justingen
* 1 April 1972: Ingstetten and Hütten
* 1 July 1974: Schmiechen (unification with Schelklingen forming the new borough of Schelklingen)
* 1 January 1975: Gundershofen and Sondernach
Before the district reform, Schelklingen, Hausen ob Urspring and Schmiechen belonged to the district of Ehingen, the other municipalities to the district of Münsingen. During the Baden-Württemberg district reform in 1973, all of Schelklingen's towns came to the Alb-Donau district.
Religions
Schelklingen is predominantly Catholic. The territory of the former dominion of Schelklingen (''Herrschaft Schelklingen''), conististing of the town of Schelklingen, Hausen ob Urspring and Schmiechen and the territory of the former Urspring monastery until 1806 belonged to
Further Austria (''Vorderösterreich''). During the 16th century until the end of the 30 Years War, the villages of the former territory of Justingen (''Reichsherrschaft Justingen'', Justingen, Ingstetten, Gundershofen and Hütten) adhered to the belief of
Caspar Schwenckfeld, promoted by the lords of Freyberg (''Freiherren von Freyberg''). When the territory of Justingen was newly acquired again by the prince bishop (''Fürstbischof'') of Augsburg ''Johann Christoph von Freyberg'' (1665–1690), Catholicism was reintroduced. The village of Sondernach was part of the territory of Neusteußlingen; under the rule of the lords of Freyberg residing in the castle Neusteußlingen (not identical with the former, but related) it was Catholic. When this territory went back to the Dukes of
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 late 16th century, the ''
Reformation
The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...
'' was introduced there.
In Schelklingen at the moment exist each one Roman Catholic (''Römisch-Katholische Kirche''), Lutheran Protestant (''Evangelische Kirche'') and New-Apostolic (''Neuapostolische Kirche'') community. In addition, Muslim inhabitants (primarily Sunni) live in Schelklingen. The Islamic citizens came to Schelklingen since the early 1960s by the way of labour migration, mainly from the
Republic of Turkey
Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
. Some years ago, the Muslim inhabitants built a small mosque (''Gebetsstätte'') at the outskirts of the town.
Politics
Mayors
During Austrian times the town was administered by the governing official
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...
(''regierender Amtsbürgermeister'') and his predecessor, the lower mayor (''Unterbürgermeister''). These were supported by an internal and external council (''innerer und äußerer Rat'') with four members each, called councilors or deputies (''Ratsherren, Deputierte''). The town offices like town, church, and hospital accountancy, etc. (''Stadtrechner, Kirchenpfleger, Spitalpfleger'') were distributed among the councilors. The mayors were elected for one year, but reelections were possible, proved by the mayors' partly long years in office. After 1806
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 ...
introduced the position of the ''
Schultheiß
In medieval Germany, the ''Schultheiß'' () was the head of a municipality (akin to today's office of mayor), a '' Vogt'' or an executive official of the ruler. As official (''villicus'') it was his duty to order his assigned village or county ( ...
'', elected for life. Later for towns the title ''Stadtschultheiß'' was introduced. In 1930 in Württemberg the title ''Bürgermeister'' (mayor) was adopted which is used until the present day. The mayor is currently elected for a term of eight years.
* Haintz Pfortzer 1433
* Ulrich Gyger 1446
* Hans Seiner 1481
...
* Hans Minderer 1560
...
* Franz Bischof 1800
* Franz Joseph Eberle 1800–1823
* Johann Nikolaus Heyschmid 1823–1825
* Johann Baptist Bauer 1826–1835
* Georg Martin Betz 1836–1847
* Philipp Scheitenberger 1847–1873
* Anton Fischer, from Justingen 1873–1906
* Anton Fischer 1906–1946, son of the former
* Karl Oßwald 1946–1960
* Hans-Joachim Baeuchle (SPD) 1961–1974
* Rudolf Stützle (CDU) 1975–2000
* Michael Knapp (without party affiliation) 2000–2016
* since 2016: Ulrich Ruckh
*First deputy mayor: Jürgen Haas
*Second deputy mayor: Reiner Blumentritt
Municipal council
As of the municipal election of 2009, the following was the distribution of seats on the town council:
* ''
Christian Democratic Union (Christlich Demokratische Union (CDU))'': 31.6% (-26.8), 9 seats (−5)
* ''
Free Voters (Freie Wähler (FW))'': 18.0% (-6.4), 5 seats (+0)
* ''
Social Democratic Party of Germany (Sozialdemokratische Partei (SPD))'': 19.0% (+1.8), 5 seats (+1)
* ''Pro Schelklingen e.V.'': 38.4% (+38.4), 8 seats (+8)
Coat of arms
The coat of arms of Schelklingen is the coat of arms of the former ''Counts of Berg-Schelklingen'' except that the red and white strips are organized in the opposite way. They are not running from left to right (coat of arms of
Ehingen
Ehingen (Donau) (; ) is a town in the Alb-Donau (district), Alb-Donau district in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, situated on the left bank of the Danube, approx. southwest of Ulm and southeast of Stuttgart.
The city, like the entire district o ...
), but from the right upper side to the lower left side. The municipal colours are white and red.
Economy and infrastructure
Traffic
Schelklingen is a small regional railway junction. At this place the
Ulm–Sigmaringen railway meets the
Swabian Alb Railway which comes from
Kleinengstingen over
Münsingen to Schelklingen. While traffic on the Swabian Alb Railway is quite low, departures and arrivals are frequent on the Ulm–Sigmaringen railway. Schelklingen is a stop for both
Regional-Express
In Germany, Luxembourg and Austria, the Regional-Express (; RE, or in Austria: REX) is a type of regional train. It is similar to a semi-fast train, with a top speed of and an average speed of about as it calls at fewer stations than ''R ...
and
Regionalbahn
The ''Regionalbahn'' (; lit. Regional train; abbreviated ''RB'') is a train categories in Europe, type of Regional rail, local passenger train (stopping train) in Germany. It is similar to the Regionalzug (R) and Regio (Swiss railway train), R ...
(stopping) trains. Therefore, at least two trains per hour leave for Ulm. In the opposite direction for
Sigmaringen, a train leaves every hour; and trains leave every two hours for the much more remote town of
Titisee-Neustadt. Every hour, via Ulm station, regional trains leave for
Memmingen
Memmingen (; Swabian German, Swabian: ''Memmenge'') is a town in Swabia (Bavaria), Swabia, Bavaria, Germany. It is the economic, educational and administrative centre of the Danube-Iller region. To the west the town is flanked by the Iller, the ...
. Schelklingen is a member of the Donau-Iller regional transport association
Donau-Iller-Nahverkehrsverbund.
Schelklingen is connected to the supraregional road network via Federal Road 492 (Bundesstraße 492) (
Blaubeuren–
Ehingen
Ehingen (Donau) (; ) is a town in the Alb-Donau (district), Alb-Donau district in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, situated on the left bank of the Danube, approx. southwest of Ulm and southeast of Stuttgart.
The city, like the entire district o ...
). Schelklingen has access to the Federal motorway system via the Federal Motorway A 8 (
A 8) – exit
Merklingen respectively Federal Motorway A 7 (
A 7) – exit
Ulm/
Langenau.
Local enterprises
Larger plants of the ''
HeidelbergCement AG'' and ''Cooper Standard Automotive'' are located in the town.
Education
Schelklingen has an elementary school (''Grundschule''), an extended elementary school (''Hauptschule'') with a practical secondary school (''Werkrealschule''), all included in the ''Heinrich-Kaim-school'', as well as four additional elementary schools in the parts of the town, all supervised by the municipality.
In addition, the Urspring School (''Urspringschule'') offers high school studies (''
Gymnasium'') accompanied by a
boarding school
A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. They have existed for many centuries, and now extend acr ...
, under the supervision of the Protestant Church. In addition to the ''Abitur'', practical studies can be finished as well.

The St. Konradihaus is an institution for youth assistance with a
boarding school
A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. They have existed for many centuries, and now extend acr ...
, where young people from the age of 12 years onwards may obtain general schooling and occupational education.
Furthermore, four Roman Catholic, two municipal and one Protestant kindergarten exist in the town.
Culture and things to see
Library
The municipal public library is located in the ''Old Townhall''. Its holdings are stored in an online library catalogue.
Theatres
A theatre club exists, presenting popular performances. There is no theatre in the strict sense of the word any more.
Museums
* Municipal museum in the former Hospital of the Holy Spirit (''Spital zum Heiligen Geist'')
Orchestras and clubs
* Musikverein Stadtkapelle Schelklingen
* Musikverein Schmiechen
* Brassband
* TSV Schelklingen
* Liederkranz Schelklingen
* DLRG
* Förderverein Freibad Schelklingen
Buildings
Castles and manor houses
* Within the borough are the ruins of several castles: ''Hohenschelklingen'', ''Muschenwang'', ''Sirgenstein'' and ''Studach''. Furthermore, there are remains of the palaces of ''Hohenjustingen'' and of the medieval castle ''Neusteußlingen''. In 1897 the ''Neusteußlingen'' castle was rebuilt in historicist style by the newspaper publisher and economic historian Eugen Nübling from
Ulm.
Religious buildings
* The Benedictine monastery of ''
Urspring'' was founded in 1127. Some buildings date from approximately 1500 (two buildings for visitors and the east branch of the enclosure), otherwise mostly 17th century.
* The
Sacred Heart of Jesus
The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus () is one of the most widely practised and well-known Catholic devotions, wherein the heart of Jesus Christ is viewed as a symbol of "God's boundless and passionate love for mankind". This devotion to Christ is p ...
parish church () was newly built in 1934. The former sacristy from the late Gothic period, today used as a sidechapel, and the church tower, in its lower parts stemming from
Romanesque times with hump square stones, were preserved. The upper part of the church tower and the
onion tower were built by Joseph Cades in 1905.

*''St. Afra-Chapel'' (built in the 14th century).
* ''Herz-Jesu-Chapel'' (built in 1708–9).
Parish and curate houses
* The old clergyman's house, an impressive
timber framing
Timber framing () and "post-and-beam" construction are traditional methods of building with heavy Beam (structure), timbers, creating structures using squared-off and carefully fitted and Woodworking joints, joined timbers with joints secure ...
, approximately built in 1600.
* The new clergyman's house, originally a curate house, donated by the ''of Westernach'' noble family for the
family altar in the Urspring monastery, later used as ''municipal chancellery'' (newly built in 1599).
* The curate house of the ''of Wernau'' noble family in the Kanzleigasse: a baroque building in the French style of that time, approximately built in 1750.
* The curate house of the ''Roth von
Bußmannshausen'' noble family in the ''Stadtschreibereigasse'': baroque building from approximately 1750, today strongly modified.
Houses of the nobility
* Hospital of the Holy Spirit ''(Spital zum Heiligen Geist''), former residence of the lords ''of Wernau'' (built in the 14th century) with the former ''hospital well''.
*
Bemelberg Castle, residence of Conrad of Boyneburg (or Bemelberg) (built approximately in 1550).
* Tavern of the Small Horse (''Gasthaus zum Rößle''), former residence of the nobleman Hans Reuß of
Reussenstein (built in the second half of the 16th century).
*
Stauffenberg Castle, residence of the family of the Schenk of
Stauffenberg (built approximately 1600).
* The ''Rennhof'', residence of the noble family of the Renner of
Allmendingen (built in the second half of the 16th century).
Municipal buildings
* The old town hall, in the centre of the Market Street, approximately built in 1450.
* The town walls: original parts have survived in the external walls of houses. The town wall is preserved up to its full height near the Bemelberg castle. Part of the town wall was rebuilt near the Hospital of the Holy Spirit
* The back well (''Hinterer Brunnen''): public well.
Houses of citizens
* House of a citizen with a beautifully restored framework at the Maximilian-Kottmann-Platz (with an unidentified inscription at the south-eastern beam "R.C.I.R. 1544").
* House of a citizen-peasant (''Ackerbürger'') near the former back gate (''Hinteres Tor''), attached to the town wall, in the Stadtschreibereigasse, with restored framework (dated 1705).
* The so-called New House (''Neues Haus''), a baroque building of Franz Xaver Schalch, a steward of the Urspring monastery (built in 1717).
* Tavern of the Sun (''Gasthaus zur Sonne''), formerly called ''Gasthaus zur Güldenen Sonne'', the oldest tavern and hotel (strongly rebuilt or newly built in 1724).
Sport
* Public outdoor swimming pool
* Skate board pipe
* Soccer place and sporting facilities in the ''Längental''
Regular festivals
* Parade of
Swabian-Alemannic Fastnacht groups
* St. Nicolas market on the first Saturday of each December
* Peasant and
street market
A street market or open-air market, with alternative names such as: market square and sometimes charity market, in cases where the sale is made for charity reasons, is a market that is set up on certain days of the week, generally on the street i ...
each Wednesday a.m.
Culinaric specialties
Typical Swabian dishes (like
Spätzle
Spätzle (), Spätzla or Spatzen, called ''nokedli'' () in Hungarian, are a type of Central European egg pasta typically served as a side for meat dishes with sauce. Commonly associated with Swabia (hence Swabian spaetzle) and Alsace, it is als ...
,
Maultaschen,
Saure Kutteln,
Sauerbraten
Sauerbraten () is a traditional German roast of heavily marinated meat. It is regarded as a national dish of Cuisine of Germany, Germany, and is frequently served in German-style restaurants internationally. It can be cooked from a variety of me ...
, etc.) are served by different restaurants and taverns.
Personalities
Honorary citizens
Schelklingen has awarded the rights of honorary
citizenship
Citizenship is a membership and allegiance to a sovereign state.
Though citizenship is often conflated with nationality in today's English-speaking world, international law does not usually use the term ''citizenship'' to refer to nationalit ...
to the following persons:
* 23 June 1879: Robert Rall (1841–1935), manufacturer of cotton cloth
* 9 March 1923: Heinrich Günter (1870–1951), professor of medieval history
* 22 November 1946: Max Kottmann (1867–1948), prelate and general curate
* 11 April 1956: Anton Fischer (1876–1956), mayor
* 2000: Rudolf Stützle, mayor
* Year?: Erich Karl (1924–), manager and local politician
Sons and daughters of the town
The following list contains important personalities, born in Schelklingen, arranged by year of birth. Persons are included in this list irrelevant of the fact if they lived and worked in Schelklingen later in their life or not.
* ''
Christoph von Stadion
Christoph von Stadion (Mid-March 1478 – 15 April 1543) was Prince-Bishopric of Augsburg, Prince-Bishop of Augsburg from 1517 to 1543.
Biography
Christoph von Stadion was born in Schelklingen in mid-March 1478, the son of Nikolaus von Sta ...
'' (* Schelklingen 1478, †Nürnberg 15 April 1543): Dr. iur., bishop of Augsburg 1517–1543
* ''Johannes Bumüller'' (* Schelklingen 29 December 1811, †Ravensburg 13 September 1890): Dr. phil., professor at a "Gymnasium", editor and Catholic writer
* ''Ludwig Lutz'' (*Schelklingen 27 August 1820, †Ellwangen/Jagst 1889): tinsmith master, manufacturer of tin toys in Ellwangen/Jagst; precursor of the ''
Märklin
Gebr. Märklin & Cie. GmbH or Märklin (stylized as maÌ‹rklÃn) (MÄRKLIN or MAERKLIN in capital letters) is a German toy company. The company was founded in 1859 and is based at Göppingen in Baden-Württemberg. Although it originally specialis ...
'' toy factory
* ''Franz Sales Günter'' (*Schelklingen 9 November 1830, †Oberndorf am Neckar 1 September 1901): since 1855 administrative official (''Verwaltungsaktuar'') of the district (''Oberamt'') of Oberndorf a.N., mayor (''Stadtschultheiß'') of Oberndorf a.N. from 1870 to 1899; he was granted the ''golden medal for civil merits'' (''Goldene Zivilverdienstmedaille''), the ''silver jubilee medal'' (''Silberne Jubiläumsmedaille'') by the King of Württemberg and the ''
Order of Osmanieh 4th class'' by the Turkish sultan
* ''Sebastian Luz'' (*Schelklingen 7 March 1836, †Freiburg/Breisgau 2 May 1898): painter of religious topics, historical motifs, portraits and land scapes
* ''Maximilian Kottmann'' (* Sotzenhausen near Schelklingen 16 June 1867, †Rottenburg am Neckar 22 March 1948): Dr. phil., Dr. theol. h.c., general curate of the diocese of Rottenburg, honorary senator of the University of Tübingen, 1946 honorary citizen of Schelklingen and honorary citizen of Rottenburg am Neckar
* ''Heinrich Günter'' (* Schelklingen 15 February 1870, †Munich 13 Mai 1951): Dr. phil., Dr. theol. h.c., professor of history at the Universities of Tübingen and München, 1923 honorary citizen of Schelklingen
* ''Heribert Jone'' (* Schelklingen 30 January 1885, †Stühlingen/Baden 25 December 1967): Dr. iur. can., Catholic priest, professor of canon law and moral theologist
Other important personalities
In this place well-known personalities are listed which in Schelklingen have spent parts of their life or have died there.
* ''Johann Georg Wolcker the Older'' (* Burgau?, ∞ 1700 or earlier, †Augsburg?): baroque painter in Schelklingen
* ''
Friedrich List
Daniel Friedrich List (6 August 1789 – 30 November 1846) was a German entrepreneur, diplomat, economist and political theory, political theorist who developed the Economic nationalism, nationalist theory of political economy in both Europe and t ...
'' (* at the latest 6 August 1789 in Reutlingen; †30 November 1846 in Kufstein, Austria): 1809-1810 tax renovator of the Kingdom of Württemberg in Schelklingen, author of the Schelklingen tax register of 1810 (2 volumes)
* ''Johann Georg Friedrich Reichenbach'' (* Montbéliard, France 22 Juni 1791 as son of the medical doctor (''Kammerchirurgus'') Wilhelm Heinrich Reichenbach, †Stuttgart 1873): founder and owner of the cotton weaving factory Urspring from 1832 to 1852, politician of the 1830s and 1840s (''Vormärz'')
* ''Robert Rall'' (* Eningen under Achalm 3 Juni 1841, †Ulm/Donau 2 März 1935): owner and director of the Mechanical Weaving Factory (''Mechanische Weberei Urspring, MWU'') from 1870 to 1930; on 23 June 1879 honorary citizen of Schelklingen with the argument "that he treated his factory workers much better, more respectful and more just than it was usually the case"
[Wilhelm Lederer, Schelklinger Persönlichkeiten und Ehrenbürger. In: Stadt Schelklingen (Hrsg.), Schelklingen: Geschichte und Leben einer Stadt. Ulm: Süddt. Verlagsges., 1984, S. 433; Klaus Brügelmann, Urspring als Fabrik. In: Urspring-Nachrichten 1987. Schelklingen. Stiftung Urspringschule, S. 23-25]
* ''
Otto Merz'' (* Esslingen am Neckar 12 June 1889, †Berlin 18 May 1933): chauffeur, race car driver, test driver and mechanic (Mercedes)
* ''
Franz Beyer'' (* Weingarten 26 February 1922 as son of Otto ''Paul Beyer'', music director in Weingarten (* 12 September 1885, †Weingarten 22 November 1973) and of Anna Günter (* Schelklingen 16 July 1895, †Weingarten 7 January 1992)): retired professor for music at the ''University for Music and Theatre Munic'' (''
Hochschule für Musik und Theater München
The University of Music and Theatre Munich (), also known as the Munich Conservatory, is a performing arts music school, conservatory in Munich, Germany. The main building it currently occupies is the former ''Führerbau'' of the NSDAP, locate ...
''); spent the years of his youth in Schelklingen with his relatives there
* ''
Erich Karl'' (* Ulm 1924), manager and local politician
* ''
Marie-Louise Roth-Zimmermann'' (* Haguenau, Alsace 1 August 1926), literary scholar
References
* Immo Eberl and Jörg Martin (2000): ''Urkunden aus Blaubeuren und Schelklingen: Regesten aus den Stadtarchiven Blaubeuren und Schelklingen sowie dem Pfarrarchiv Schelklingen.'' Ulm: Süddeutsche Verlagsgesellschaft (Alb und Donau: Kunst und Kultur, 23). .
* Immo Eberl, with the collaboration of Irmgard Simon and Franz Rothenbacher (2012): ''Die Familien- und Personenstandsfälle in den Pfarreien Stadt Schelklingen und Kloster Urspring (1602-1621, 1657-) 1692-1875''. 2nd ed. Mannheim: Franz Rothenbacher.
* Heinrich Günter (1939): ''Geschichte der Stadt Schelklingen bis 1806.'' Stuttgart and Berlin:
Kohlhammer Verlag
W. Kohlhammer Verlag GmbH, or Kohlhammer Verlag, is a German publishing house headquartered in Stuttgart.
History
Kohlhammer Verlag was founded in Stuttgart on 30 April 1866 by . Kohlhammer had taken over the businesses of his late father-in-la ...
.
* Jörg Martin and Stadtarchiv Schelklingen (1999): ''Blick auf Schelklingen: Fotografien aus 120 Jahren Stadtgeschichte.'' Schelklingen: Stadtarchiv.
* Johann Daniel Georg von Memminger (1830): ''Beschreibung des Oberamts Blaubeuren.'' Stuttgart and Tübingen: J.G. Cotta’sche Buchhandlung (Reprint Horst Bissinger Verlag, Magstadt, ) (
Volltext auf Wikisource).
* Franz Rothenbacher (1995): ''Häuserbuch der Stadt Schelklingen: Häusertabellen.'' Mannheim: Rothenbacher; Schelklingen: Stadt Schelklingen, Stadtarchiv.
*
Franz Rothenbacher (2006): ''Schelklingen: Ein Führer durch Stadt, Kloster Urspring, Burgen und Teilgemeinden''. Mannheim: Selbstverlag
complete text (PDF; 291 kB)
* Stadt Schelklingen, ed. (1984): ''Schelklingen: Geschichte und Leben einer Stadt. Hrsg. von der Stadt Schelklingen zum 750jährigen Stadtjubiläum 1234–1984''. Ulm: Süddeutsche Verlagsgesellschaft. .
Notes
External links
Internet homepage of SchelklingenSchelklingen in the genealogy network
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Alb-Donau-Kreis