Ebingen is a town in the large district of Albstadt

Albstadt

Albstadt is a city in the district of Zollernalbkreis in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located on the Swabian Alb mountains, about halfway between Stuttgart and Lake Constance...

, district Zollernalbkreis

Zollernalbkreis

The Zollernalbkreis is a district in the middle of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The district is located in the Swabian Alb, and contains the second highest elevation of this mountains, the 1011 meter high Oberhohenberg...

, in the German state of Baden-Württemberg

Baden-Württemberg

Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...

. It is located on the river Schmiecha

Schmiecha

Schmiecha is a river of Baden-Württemberg, Germany....

, a left-hand tributary of the Danube

Danube

The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....

, south of Tübingen

Tübingen

Tübingen is a traditional university town in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated south of the state capital, Stuttgart, on a ridge between the Neckar and Ammer rivers.-Geography:...

 and west of Ulm

Ulm

Ulm is a city in the federal German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the River Danube. The city, whose population is estimated at 120,000 , forms an urban district of its own and is the administrative seat of the Alb-Donau district. Ulm, founded around 850, is rich in history and...

.

History

Ebingen received city rights around 1250 from the Hohenberg

Hohenberg

Hohenberg may refer to:*the Austrian Ducal family of Hohenberg who are descended from the Austrian Imperial and Royal Habsburg-Lorraine dynasty*Hohenberg, Lower Austria, a town in Austria*Hohenberg an der Eger, a town in Bavaria, Germany...

 ducal family. In 1367 it became a part of the kingdom of Württemberg

Württemberg

Württemberg , formerly known as Wirtemberg or Wurtemberg, is an area and a former state in southwestern Germany, including parts of the regions Swabia and Franconia....

. In 1911, it was known for manufacturing velvet

Velvet

Velvet is a type of woven tufted fabric in which the cut threads are evenly distributed,with a short dense pile, giving it a distinctive feel.The word 'velvety' is used as an adjective to mean -"smooth like velvet".-Composition:...

 and cotton-velvet (Manchester) goods, stockings, stays, hats, needles, tools and tanneries. In 1975 Ebingen joined 8 other towns in the area to form the city of Albstadt

Albstadt

Albstadt is a city in the district of Zollernalbkreis in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located on the Swabian Alb mountains, about halfway between Stuttgart and Lake Constance...

. Current population is at 20,000, with all of Albstadt

Albstadt

Albstadt is a city in the district of Zollernalbkreis in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located on the Swabian Alb mountains, about halfway between Stuttgart and Lake Constance...

 having around 45,000 inhabitants.

Economy

Most of the textiles industry is gone today, leaving some monuments, like Villa Haux

Villa Haux

Villa Haux is a villa in the Art Nouveau style built in 1908 by architects Richard Böklen and Carl Feil in the southern German town of Ebingen....

. However, one of the world's biggest makers of industrial needles, Groz-Beckert still resides there. Other prominent local companies include Mey

Mey

Mey or Mei may refer to:People*Cornelius Jacobsen Mey, early 17th century Dutch explorer*Lev Mei , Russian dramatist and poet*Marie-Anett Mey , French musician*Melis Karin Mey , Turkish long jumper...

 (knitwear), Mettler Toledo

Mettler Toledo

Mettler-Toledo is a manufacturer of scales and analytical instruments. It was formed by the merging of two companies: Mettler, based in Switzerland, and Toledo Scale, based in Columbus, Ohio, USA...

 (weighing systems) and a major part of Assa Abloy

Assa Abloy

The Assa Abloy Group is a Swedish lock manufacturer, the world's largest by sales. Assa Abloy was formed in 1994 when ASSA AB was detached from Swedish security firm Securitas AB. Shortly thereafter the Finnish high-security lock manufacturer Abloy Oy was acquired. The company was introduced to...

 security systems. Ebingen also hosts the technical and computer science faculties of Albstadt-Sigmaringen University with about 1,800 students (2006).