Neuzeitlicher Stadtrundgang durch Mössingen

On this varied tour through the Mössingen of the 20th and 21st centuries, we get to know exciting buildings and places from the "economic miracle era" after the Second World War to the present day.

If you take a look at Mössingen, you will see that it was still a village not so long ago. Even the largest in the country with the fastest population growth. A medieval old town is therefore missing and the creation of a real town center was only achieved around 2022. Nevertheless, today's large district town, which only became a town in 1974, was and still is attractive. For living, working and visiting. There are many examples of this on the circular route described here.The tour can easily be started at various points. In addition to the Rathausparklatz or (bus) station, good starting points include the parking lot at the Gottlieb Rühle School (Breite Straße), the Mitte multi-storey parking lot or the Mühlegärtle parking lot.

The description starts at Kirchplatz von Mariä Himmelfahrt, south of Mössingen town hall and just a few steps away from the bus/train station.

Catholic Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary

The new St. Mary's Church near the town hall was consecrated on 11 December 1994 by Bishop Dr. Walter Kasper. The building, which was begun in 1993, was designed by architect Bert Perlia. The ground plan shows two overlapping squares. The axis of the room is marked by a band of skylights that opens the tent-shaped ceiling, which rests on filigree steel trusses, to the sky and lends brightness to the introverted room. The rose windows in the choir and above the gallery, as well as the windows on the south and north sides, break up the wall surfaces and give the room a festive character. The two circular bench blocks offer space for up to 300 visitors and center on the altar by Anna Hajek.

Some artistically valuable furnishings keep the memory of the former Marienkirche on Dachtel alive, which was demolished in 1994 in favor of the new building. These include the statue of the Virgin Mary, the altar cross, the baptismal font by Klaus Herzer and the rose window by Wilhelm Geyer above the organ.

Mössingen school center

The Mössingen school center with all types of schools established Mössingen's reputation as a school town in the second half of the 20th century.Friedrich-List-Gemeinschaftsschule

Like the buildings of the new Pausa and the Gottlieb-Rühle-Schule, the Friedrich-List-Realschule, inaugurated in 1967, was also built according to plans by architect Dr. Manfred Lehmbruck. It was built between 1965 and 1967 as a two-storey exposed concrete and brickwork building.

Today's Friedrich-List-Gemeinschaftsschule emerged from the secondary school. The buildings were extensively renovated a few years ago. An integrated school building with a canteen was added, which is available to the entire educational center.Quenstedt-Gymnasium

The municipal grammar school was inaugurated on September 14, 1973. In 1994, it received an extension including an auditorium, which also took over the function of the missing town hall.

The extension was designed by architects Peter Jaschke and Hermann Denzer, who won an open competition in 1991. The large triangular shape of the building, which preserves the green area in front of the school as far as possible and creates a spacious two-storey interior in the building, was decisive for the success of the competition.

The extension consists of 23 classrooms and the event hall.

The idea of the "indoor school" in combination with an auditorium that can be opened up into the air space of the foyer and offers space for 600 seats is a unique selling point for the Quenstedt Gymnasium in this form. Exposed brickwork made of concrete blocks and open steel beams in the classrooms create new interior spaces, a lively building structure and a fresh, workshop-like feeling of space.The building is named after the geologist and explorer of the Alb, Friedrich-August Quenstedt.

Gottlieb Rühle School

Built from 1954 according to plans by renowned architect Dr. Manfred Lehmbruck in the tradition of Neues Bauen and inaugurated in 1957 as a primary and elementary school. Three-storey central wing with staircase, here a mural by HAP Grieshaber, followed by a two-storey and a three-storey classroom wing with flat pitched roofs. Later a secondary school and today only an elementary school. Named after its initiator and sponsor, Mössingen's mayor from 1932 - 1962.

If you like, you can take a detour north of the Gottlieb-Rühle-Schule to Jakob-Stotz-Platz on the corner of Breite Straße and Karl-Jaggy-Straße. Master glazier Jakob Stotz was one of those who organized the "Mössingen General Strike" in 1933. After the end of National Socialism, he was involved in the new beginning in Mössingen as a local councillor, among other things.Mössingen fire station

The fire station for the central department was built in 1954. In 1978, the Mössingen branch of the German Red Cross moved into the newly built extension. For many years, the fire department and the Mössingen Red Cross shared the fire and rescue station in Goethestrasse. After the DRK decided to build its own rescue station in the Belsen district in 1997, planning began for the integration of the former rescue service area into the fire station.The extensive construction work on the fire station of the Mössingen volunteer fire department, Mitte department, lasted over a year. On Friday, July 21, 2000, the renovated fire station was handed over to the fire department. The fire department partnership with Beaugency is highlighted on the façade of the building.Ev. Martin Luther Church

The church with its free-standing steeple was built between 1961 and 1964 according to a design by government architect Heinz Klatte. At the time, Mössingen was growing rapidly towards the west and the parish needed another place of worship to complement the Peter and Paul Church in the old town center.A stained glass window by Rudolf Yelin the Younger on the east side illuminates the church interior. In 1992 - 93, the church was structurally rotated 90 degrees to the east, combined with a radical redesign of the interior. The church was also extended to the east with a three-metre deep apse, into which the existing stained glass windows were re-grouped.The church tower is home to kestrels and has another special feature at the top: an 80 cm gold-plated Luther rose.

Around the church grow over 120 roses in around 70 varieties, some of which are thematically related.

Pausa Quarter

The PAUSA Quarter is an important industrial monument of Neues Bauen with the buildings constructed between 1951 and 1961 by architect Manfred Lehmbruck. The once world-famous textile printing company worked with renowned artists and designers.Formerly located in the old town of Mössingen below the old town hall (today the "Haus an der Steinlach" stands there), the company expanded in the 1950s at its new location, where a shed hall for the weaving mill had already stood since 1928. The print shop building was built in 1952, the boiler house with workshops in 1955, the building for equipment and administration in 1955-56, the factory canteen in 1960 and the expansion of equipment and administration with an additional 3rd floor in 1960-61. Lehmbruck's buildings provided the perfect setting for a successful collaboration with renowned artists and designers of the post-war period and a high-quality production of decorative and clothing fabrics.

After the PAUSA company finally ceased operations in 2004, the listed ensemble was soon acquired by the town of Mössingen. Since then, the Lehmbruck buildings have been gradually renovated and put to a new use.
The barrel hall, the former print shop building, is now home to the municipal library, the Neckar-Alb regional association, the Diakonie Sozialstation and a room for temporary exhibitions on the subject of PAUSA. In the former canteen building opposite, the PAUSA café invites you to take a break. There is also an i-point of the municipal tourist information office. In addition, an adventure center in the former workshop offers exciting insights into the Swabian orchard paradise.Mössinger Mitte

After eight years of construction, the redesigned Mössinger Mitte was inaugurated with a big celebration on July 23, 2022. As part of the redesign, the traffic area for vehicles of all kinds was reduced by over 50% in the area of Bahnhofstraße between Karl-Jaggy-Straße and Falltorstraße. The space gained benefits recreational areas and pedestrian traffic: the market square with its water feature and the town square in front of the health center are two large places to linger. In Bahnhofstrasse, a spacious pedestrian boulevard with an avenue of trees invites you to stroll.The Mössingen health center houses a variety of facilities under one roof: Doctors' surgeries, therapists, advice centers, stores, a café and the Steinlachklinik. The new building was opened in autumn 2016 after a 4-year preparation and construction phase and is an important anchor of the new Mössingen center.Steinlach

The little stream, which usually babbles along according to its name, can also be different, as can be seen in two places on the tour. In Bachgasse and below Dachtel, it has dug deep into the clayey ground over the years. The Steinlach, which is inaccessible at these points, is barely visible through the vegetation in summer.Note the gable inscription on the building at Bachgasse 12, which commemorates the freedom fighter Johann Georg König, who once lived there.

Mühlegärtle

If you wish, you can follow the latter a little at the Bachgasse / Sulzgasse junction to reach the "Mühlegärtle" park. However, this is currently being completely redesigned to make the small green oasis and the Steinlach river in the city a better experience. The new design of the Mühlegärtle was developed as an impulse project from the urban development process. In future, there will be viewing points, play and exercise facilities for all age groups as well as seating, and the Steinlach will be made accessible as a defining body of water. Completion is planned for summer 2024.You can reach Schönblickstraße via Paulinenstraße and Sonnhaldenweg (a footpath continues at the end of the cul-de-sac), from where you really do have a wonderful panoramic view.

The residential area is called "Dachtel". The name is derived from the roof-like, elongated shape of the terrain, which slopes down on both sides.

1954 - 1994, the first Catholic church in Mössingen after the Reformation stood on the Dachtel. There had previously been no Catholic parish in the previously predominantly Protestant town. After the Second World War, however, the number of Catholics rose sharply due to refugees and displaced persons who settled here. A plaque on the corner of Schönblickstrasse and Dachtelstrasse commemorates the church building, which was demolished in 1994 in favor of the new building near the town hall.Railway viaduct

When you cross the footbridge at the lower end of Schönblickstraße, you have a good view of the otherwise rather hidden railroad bridge over the Steinlach river.

Town hall

The new town hall was built together with a municipal utility building and the Kreissparkasse main branch as an ensemble around the town hall square. The town hall was built between 1978 and 1981 according to plans by the Riehle architectural office in Reutlingen. It was inaugurated on March 21, 1981, with the aim of creating a modern new town center near the train station, which would also be closer to the Bästenhardt and Belsen districts. However, the center remained a vision at this point and was largely limited to administrative functions. Development subsequently moved back in the direction of the town.A few years ago, the town hall and its forecourt were extensively renovated. The former library rooms are now home to the Erwin Kölle Hall and the citizens' office.

The cast bronze town hall fountain was created by artist Fritz Nuss and symbolizes the four seasons. A tour of the fountain reveals that each inscription panel is followed by three figure panels with male or female figures. These figures lead the viewer all the way around, from spring to summer, fall and winter, through the whole year.Train station

Opened in 1869, the station made a decisive contribution to Mössingen's economic development. The Zollern-Alb railroad made it possible for numerous workers to commute in and out and for goods to be transported by rail.

In the next few years, a new hub for the planned regional light rail will be built here.

It is only a few steps from the station to the starting point.