Welcome to Balingen

It occured to me that many of you reading this have never been to Balingen, so I thought I'd tell you a bit about our new hometown. Balingen has a long history, going back at least to the year 863. It was slowly built up during the following centuries, and by the time Matthäus Merian made the engraving above in 1643, it had several landmark buildings still standing today -- despite a few devastating fires which destroyed much of the city. The Protestant Church is in the middle, while the Zollern Castle is visible as the three large buildings huddled together on the far right. Even a few sections of the outside wall still remain, but the city has expanded far beyond it to house the current population of 34 000.
                                                                                                                                                       
The Zollern Castle or 'Zollernschloss' stands beside the Eyach River which flows through the city. It is undoubtedly the most famous building in Balingen, and for obvious reasons is a favourite subject for photos and postcards. I may eventually dedicate an entire post to the Zollernschloss, but until then, enjoy this photo taken on our wedding day (we have many others featuring us and family members in front of the castle -- could you ask for a better backdrop?) by a certain Mr. P. Denzinger.

The Protestant Church stands in the middle of the city center, and its imposing bell tower marks the time every hour; a sound which can be heard even outside the city. At the moment I took this photo, it was tolling 11 o'clock, and if you look closely or expand the image, you'll see that the ancient sundial clock is actually reasonably accurate.




















The Stadtmitte, or city center: a tree-lined pedestrian haven dotted by cafes and sculptures, where children play while adults enjoy a cappucino or espresso. It's not hard to get used to. You're pretty much guaranteed a decent cup of coffee or scoop of gelato -- many of the cafes are owned and operated by Italians. This picture was taken on one of the last warm days of the season.

Here is a view of the city center in late afternoon as seen from a footbridge over the railroad tracks. 

 
I hope you've enjoyed this little introduction to the city and want to see more... in person, of course.