BIBERACH

biberach, a town of germany, in the kingdom of wurttemberg, on the riss, a small affluent of the danube, 22 m. s.s.w. from ulm. pop. (1900) 8390. it is still surrounded by medieval walls and towers, and is strikingly picturesque. its principal church dates from the 12th century, and it possesses a hospital with rich endowments. its main industries are cloth, bell-casting, toys and zinc wares, and its fruit markets are famous. biberach appears as a village in the 8th century, and in 1312 it became a free imperial city. during the thirty years' war it underwent various vicissitudes, and was for a while held by the swedes. in 1707 it was captured and put to ransom by the french, who afterwards, in 1796 and 1800, defeated the austrians in the neighbourhood. in 1803 the city was deprived of its imperial freedom and assigned to baden, and in 1806 was transferred to wurttemberg. biberach is the birthplace of the sculptor johann lorenz natter (1705-1763) and the painter bernhard neher (1806-1886); christoph martin wieland, born in 1733 at the neighbouring village of oberholzheim, spent several years in the town.