knowledge Overview
Baden-Württemberg lies in southwestern Germany and borders France and Switzerland. The state capital is Stuttgart. The state covers around 35,750 km² and has about 11.1 million inhabitants (2022 census). Its ISO-3166-2 code is DE-BW. It was established as a state in 1952 through the merger of Württemberg-Baden, Württemberg-Hohenzollern and Baden; the predecessor states were among the founding states of the Federal Republic in 1949.
Administrative divisions
The state is divided into 4 government regions: Stuttgart, Karlsruhe, Freiburg and Tübingen. Below them there are 35 rural districts and 9 urban districts (kreisfreie Städte). The 2005 administrative reform strengthened the regional level.
Major cities
- Stuttgart (around 630,000 inhabitants)
- Mannheim (around 320,000 inhabitants)
- Karlsruhe (around 310,000 inhabitants)
- Freiburg im Breisgau (around 235,000 inhabitants)
- Heidelberg (around 160,000 inhabitants)
Transport
Stuttgart is an important rail and motorway hub in the southwest; the Stuttgart 21 project is transforming the main station into a through station. Stuttgart Airport and the motorways A 5, A 6 and A 8 connect the state with neighbouring regions.
Economy
Baden-Württemberg is one of Europe's strongest industrial states, with companies such as Daimler, Porsche, Bosch and the Schwarz Group; the Stuttgart region is a centre of automotive manufacturing.