'Biberach on the Riß'; Swabian: Bibra), often referred to as simply Biberach (German pronunciation: [ˈbiːbəʁax] ⓘ), is a town in southern Germany.
It is the capital of Biberach district, in the Upper Swabia region of the German state (Land) of Baden-Württemberg.
The districts of Biberach comprise the inner city (with the quarters Bachlangen, Bergerhausen, Birkendorf, Burren, Fünf Linden, Gaisental, Hagenbuch, Jordanbad, Mumpfental, Reichenbach and Wolfentalmühle) and its suburban, integrated villages Rißegg, Rindenmoos, Ringschnait, Stafflangen and Mettenberg.
For many centuries, Biberach was an Imperial Free City (German: Freie Reichsstadt) in the Holy Roman Empire.
During the Protestant Reformation, Biberach was notable for being — eventually along only with Ravensburg, Augsburg and Dinkelsbühl — a "Mixed Imperial City" (German: Paritätische Reichsstadt) where the Peace of Westphalia caused the establishment of a joint Catholic–Protestant government and administrative system, with equality offices (German: Gleichberechtigung) and a precise and equal distribution between Catholic and Protestant civic officials.
With an unemployment rate of around 3.6 percent and place of business of companies like EnBW, Handtmann, Liebherr, KaVo Dental GmbH, Vollmer and Boehringer Ingelheim, Biberach is a significant industrial location in the southwest of Germany.
But nowadays, the crossbow competition and the appraisal of the best male and female champion shot (Schützenkönig and -königin) are only small events during the week of the Schützenfest.
Other attractions and events during the festival are: The annual Christmas market, called "Christkindlesmarkt", which lasts 16 days, is another highlight of the year.
Exotic foods from Britain, France, and Italy (presented by the twin cities), kitsch, and beautiful arts and crafts are there to see and buy.