Backnang

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Backnang
	Image:Karte backnang in deutschland.png

Country	Germany
State	Baden-Württemberg
Administrative region	Stuttgart
District	Rems-Murr
Population	35,740 (2005)
Area	39.37 km²
Population density	908 /km²
Elevation	295 m
Coordinates	48°57′ N 9°26′ E
Postal code	71501-71522
Area code	07191
Licence plate code	WN
Mayor	Frank Nopper (CDU)
Website	backnang.de

Backnang is a town in Germany, in the Bundesland of Baden-Württemberg (formerly the kingdom of Württemberg), roughly 30 kilometers northeast of Stuttgart. Its population has increased greatly over the past century or so, from 7,650 (1900) to 35,761 (2005).

It has an interesting church named Stiftskirche, formerly the church of Backnang Abbey, dating from the 12th century. Backnang was known as Gerberstadt due to several tanneries and leather factories, and woollen and cloth mills. These have vanished nowadys, and telecommunication companies like Ericsson (formerly AEG, Telefunken, ANT, Bosch and Marconi) and Tesat-Spacecom followed.

In 1325, Backnang was ceded to Württemberg by the Baden (Zähringer family).

In the vicinity is the Wilhelmsheim sanatorium for consumptives.

The cultural highlight is the annual "Strassenfest" during the last weekend in June. Founded as a street festival, in which the local sports and cultural clubs offered drinks and foods it became more and more comercialised over the last decade. The traditional opening starts with canonshoots from the pictoresc city tower at 6.00 p.m. on friday and ends with the "Zapfenstreich" monday at 11 p.m.. Usually the Strassenfest attracts more than 100 000 spectators over its four days duration.

Another cultural highlight is the annual Murr-Regatta organized by the Jugendzentrum. Usually held two weeks after the street festival. The Regatta is a race down the river with self constructed boats. Besides the price for the fastest boat, an environmental price for the most rubbish collecting crew, an originality price for the most creative crew, and the drunkeness price for the most drunken crew.

Remarkable is the local Jugendzentrum (youth centre). Self administrated for more than 30 years it hosts numerous concerts and contributed with events to the cultural life of the city.