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Culture and Leisure

Biberach is a key business location and allows its citizens to enjoy a high quality of life. Work is not everything, however. After work and at weekends, the name of the game is therefore: Enjoy your free time!

The varied cultural and leisure activities can be enjoyed by all who are interested. A guided tour will help you get acquainted with the history of the city and its citizens. You can also hang out with long-time citizens at the Schützenfest marksmen’s fair and experience a piece of German culture up close. While you’re at it, why not drop by Germany’s oldest children’s theatre in July ─ during the Schützenfest ─ and see how much German you already understand.

We hope we can have the opportunity to show you the soul of Germany, Baden-Württemberg and, in particular, Biberach with our multitude of events, cultural and leisure activities. Just come along and bring your family with you!

Integration

Successful integration rests on two pillars:

  • The people who have moved in make an effort to learn and respect the culture, values and language of the new country while
  • The host society remains open to new influences

In Biberach, both pillars are rock solid. Long-time citizens are open to new exposures and welcome people from different cultural backgrounds. Newcomers, on the other hand, thank them by showing a pronounced will to integrate and assimilate.

People of the most diverse religions live together peacefully in Biberach. Churches and houses of worship are also open to all citizens, regardless of religious affiliation. Here, it’s all about being about to freely practice your faith and share it with others.

Exchanging ideas is also at the forefront of the expatriates' meetings that take place from time to time. Newcomers from different countries and long-time citizens meet up in the city’s cafés and restaurants to tell stories, learn new foreign words and make friends over traditional but also international cuisine.

The large choice of language courses also makes integration easier. Here, everyone can find the right course they need to learn German at their own pace and feel a little more at home in Biberach.

Calendar of events

Biberach is home to many festivals. To this end, we have assembled an overview of annual highlights for you.

VolXmusik Grandprix

If you want to experience typical German folk music combined with hip hop, reggae, jazz or pop, the VolXmusik Grandprix is the place to be. It is here that rising musicians show how easily they can get the audience to sing along.

Biberach Jazz award

Biberach is not only home to internationally renowned companies, but also presents a well recognised jazz award. In collaboration with the Jazz Club, the best of the young jazz musicians have been receiving this prestigious award since 1990.

Danceprix

Biberach's hip-hop scene has had its own competition known as the Danceprix for several years now. The “Funky Kidz” came up with the idea for this competition, whereby national and international dance groups demonstrate their skills in urban dance routines.

Biberach celebrates! Bar and club night

One night, one entry, many locations. Biberach's clubs, bars and pubs are transformed into extraordinary party locations on bar and club night. Everywhere you look, you encounter different music, which means that anyone who stops by will definitely find what they are looking for.

Wortkonzert (word concert) - Poetry slam in Biberach

Talented word artists, poets and storytellers alike have been showing how fascinating and entertaining the spoken word can be at the Poetry Slam in Biberach since 2012.

Biberacher Filmfestspiele (Biberach film festival)

Every first weekend in November, Biberach is transformed into a place of congregation for the German film industry. The Biberacher Filmfestspiele (Biberach film festival) has been showcasing the latest works from German filmmakers ever since 1979. Audience members comprise colleagues and, above all, the public.

This audience mix clearly distinguishes the gathering from other events in the film industry. Here, you do not find stars sitting next to other stars being meticulously observed by the attending press as the majority of tickets are sold to the public. Since the founders of the film festival in association with Adrian Kutter were looking for honest feedback for their productions, they thought that this would be best achieved by inviting ordinary movie-goers.

The films shown are presented by the producers and actors themselves and range from experimental short films from young talented individuals to conventional cinema productions. The highlight of the weekend is, of course, the presentation ceremony of no fewer than ten coveted awards for the German film industry, including the “Goldener Biber” as the first-place award and the “Publikumsbiber”.

Information on the Biberach film festival and tickets are available here.

Schützenfest marksmen's fair

The Schützenfest marksmen’s fair is the absolute highlight of the year. Each July, all of Biberach is transformed into one big festival mile for an entire ten days, and the anticipation leading up to this festival lasts year-round.

The Schützenfest includes a carnival, colourful parade with showmen in historical costumes and the “Schützenbatzen”, a donation by Biberach-based company Gerster to the city’s school children.

Learn more about the Biberach Schützenfest event or download the flyer, which is available in eight languages.

Cultural Institutions

Biberach offers its citizens many different opportunities to further their cultural education and enjoy a wide range of activities. Below we have provided a list of the most noteworthy cultural places and events.

Biberach Museum

The Biberach Museum is the first place to go for anyone looking to immerse themselves in Biberach’s rich cultural heritage. Here, you can marvel at the paintings from Johann Heinrich Schönfeld (1609 - 1684) and Johann Baptist Pflug (1785 - 1866), delve into the colourful world of the all-important German impressionist Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (1880 - 1938) and admire the craftsmanship of goldsmith Johann Melchior Dinglinger (1664 - 1731), who rose to world fame with his works at the Court of Augustus the Strong.

The museum not only reveals the cultural heritage of Biberach and Baden-Württemberg, but also its geological heritage. From fossil finds from prehistoric times to the Stone Age, to the settlement of different tribes and the Middle Ages, through to more recent German history, visitors acquire a good impression of Biberach through the years.

https://biberach-riss.de/Tourismus-Kultur-Freizeit/Kultur/Museum-Biberach

Wieland Museum

Poet Christoph Martin Wieland (1733 - 1813) not only touched and influenced countless individuals with his work, but also maintained a very eccentric lifestyle according to his contemporaries. Wieland’s summer home in which he lived from 1766 to 1769 is now a frequently visited museum that takes visitors on a journey into Wieland’s life and the city of Biberach some 300 years ago.

http://www.wieland-museum.de/en/the-wieland-museum.html

The Wieland Archive

If you want to delve even deeper into the works of Christoph Martin Wieland, head on over to the Wieland Archive at the House of Archives. Here you will find numerous documents, testimonies and letters from the life and work of this famous poet.

http://www.wieland-museum.de/en/wieland-archive.html

Film- und Kinomuseum Baden- Württemberg (Baden-Württemberg film and cinema museum)

Biberach’s very first cinema saw the light of day as early as 1912. This early achievement can be attributed to Gottlob Friedrich Erpff, the grandfather of Adrian Kutter and founder of the Biberach film festival. Back in 2005, the film and cinema museum opened its doors to showcase significant collectors’ items from the 100 years of film history in Biberach.

http://www.film-kinomuseum-bw.de

Stadtbücherei Biberach (Biberach public library)

The Biberach public library is not only a popular place for all bookworms, but also an award winner as in 2009, it was presented the German Library Association award for its good all-round work. In addition to boasting a large selection of books, you can browse through various artworks, movies and digital media. You can also drop by for an author’s reading! 

https://www.medienzentrum-biberach.de/

Statistics on the cultural institutions

Stadtbücherei (public library) (2021)

  • Media in stock: 115.313
  • Media usages: 635.646

Volkshochschule (adult education centre) (2021)

  • Visitors: 134.314
  • Lessons: 19.513

Bruno-Frey-Musikschule (Bruno Frey music school) (2021)

  • Number of pupils at the school: 1,150

Stadtarchiv (city archive)

  • Total size: 3 kilometres of shelving

Statutory holidays

In addition to the range of festivals and cultural highlights, there are also several statutory holidays that are observed. On these days, nobody has to work and everyone can relax and spend time with the family or partake in excursions into the beautiful countryside surrounding Biberach.

  • New Year: 1. January
  • Epiphany: 6. January
  • Good Friday: Friday before Easter, March/April
  • Easter Sunday/Monday: March/April
  • Labour Day: 1. May
  • Ascension Day: One Thursday in May
  • Pentecost Sunday/Monday: May/June
  • Corpus Christi: One Thursday in June
  • German Unity Day: 3. October
  • All Saints' Day: 1. November
  • 1st Christmas Day: 25. December
  • 2nd Christmas Day: 26. December

 

Leisure

Biberach also offers its citizens numerous recreational opportunities in addition to its rich festival and cultural offering. From relaxing in the “Jordanbad” thermal spa to a range of city tours and the oldest children’s theatre in Germany, you can choose your favourite activity from a well-represented selection.

Guided City Tours

Guided city tours are perfect, to get a first impression of your new home town. The guides will show you hidden places and historical treasures. Have a look back into the past, in a way you won't forget.

More Information about Guided City Tours

Abdera Cultural Hall

The Abdera Cultural Hall is run on a voluntary basis. Volunteers from the Lilienthal Association provide young people a venue for trying themselves out and discovering their own talents.

https://www.abdera-bc.de/

Biberach adventure park

On the state-of-the-art, beautiful high ropes course in Upper Swabia ─ the Biberach adventure park ─ a wide variety of courses and climbing elements are just waiting to be explored by those who dare! (Open to almost all ages.) Pure fun and adventure!

https://www.kletterwald-biberach.de

«Jordanbad» thermal spa

At the “Jordanbad” thermal spa on the outskirts of the city, the young and old alike can let go of the stresses of everyday life and relax. The long, rich history of the Jordanbad spa is associated with well-known and holistic therapist Priest Sebastian Kneipp (1821-1897). Today, the spa with its distinct offerings (thermal spa, park hotel, wellness, therapy and fitness centre, PraxisAktiv and residential park for senior citizens) combines tried-and-tested methods with a modern approach to meet the needs of its visitors.

https://www.jordanbad.com

Traumpalast movie theatre

If you are in the mood for a good movie played out on the big screen in Biberach complete with popcorn and a soft drink, the Traumpalast is just the place for you. Choose your new favourite movie from the wide selection available and sit back and relax in the wide armchairs.

https://biberach.traumpalast.de/

The Jugendhaus 9teen

This is where the youth meet up. Children and youngsters can organise their day by themselves or take advantage of the services offered by “Jugend Aktiv” offering.

https://jugendaktiv-biberach.de/jugendhaus/

Biberach City Rally

Explore the city on an exciting quest. The Biberach city rally trails past key sights and places as well as imparts important knowledge about the city in a playful fashion. Answers to the questions fielded are available by sending in an e-mail request.

Wieland Geocaching

Exercise, history and plenty of fun in the fresh air ─ with Wieland Geocaching, the young and old alike can explore the city in the footsteps of the well-known poet.

http://www.wieland-museum.de/en/the-wieland-museum.html

Schützentheater

The oldest children’s theatre in Germany opens its doors every year for the Schützenfest event. Young talented individuals have been showing what they can do here ever since 1819. A comprehensive repertoire of performances, several thousand visitors and numerous young actors as well as actresses revive the tradition every year.

Learn more about Schützentheater (Information only in German)

Sports

The positive effects of sports on mental and physical health have been confirmed in countless studies. Be it in the fresh air or in a hall, playing in a team or by yourself, inside the city or out in nature ─ in Biberach, numerous sports clubs provide a comprehensive range of sports.

Jogging

One of the city’s most popular jogging routes is located just outside Biberach in the Burrenwald forest. The Lauffreunde Biberach e. V. association recently assembled a number of interesting running paths in a published brochure.

Adventure park

The Burrenwald forest is also home to the adventure park, which has several courses and elements for team-based training.

The city is currently expanding the already extensive range of sports offered in collaboration with the Deutscher Alpenverein (German alpine club). At the Kletterzentrum Biberach (Biberach climbing centre), exciting climbing and bouldering routes can be found on numerous walls with different heights. For everyone looking to aim high in their free time ─ quite literally!

Skater park

The young people of Biberach in particular like to show what they can do at the skater park. This facility is located behind the sports facilities on Erlenweg and is conveniently reached via Hans-Liebherr-Straße.

BMX course

The BMX course is also popular. It is run by the BMX Initiative Biberach e. V. and is located behind the McDonald’s at Leipzigstraße 45.

Bowling

Sociability, precision, movement ─ Bowling has enjoyed great popularity for decades. There are several bowling alleys on offer in Biberach.

Biberach Bowling Center

Riding

The Reitervereinigung Biberach (Biberach riders' association) brings people and horses together and looks forward to your visit!

 

Haven’t found anything yet? In Biberach you have lots of opportunities to become a member of one of the numerous sports clubs. From team sports to individual sports to senior sports – in Biberach you are guaranteed to find your favorite sport and your suitable club. For example, the TG Biberach is one of the largest clubs in Baden Württemberg with 28 departments and about 6000 members.

Overview on more sports clubs in Biberach

Discover more about the leisure activities for children and families that Biberach has to offer.

Or you can learn about upcoming events directly from the associations.

Additional information on all cultural events in Biberach can be found here.