Biberach an der Riß

Biberach an der Riß, usually called simply Biberach, is a town of about 32,000 people in Upper Swabia in southern Germany, between the Danube and Lake Constance. It is the capital of the Biberach district in the state of Baden-Württemberg, and the full name distinguishes it from other towns of similar names by pointing to the small river Riß that flows through it. For many centuries Biberach was an Imperial Free City of the Holy Roman Empire, and after the Reformation it became one of the few mixed imperial cities where the Peace of Westphalia set up a joint Catholic and Protestant government with equal numbers of officials from each confession. That status ended in 1803. Today the town is known as a pharmaceutical and crane-making centre, hosting research and production by Boehringer Ingelheim and the Liebherr crane works, as well as the Wieland Museum and an annual festival of German films.