View source for Pforzheim

{{short description|City in Baden-Württemberg, Germany}}
{{More citations needed|date=October 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2017}}
{{Infobox German place
 | type               = City
 | image_flag         = Flag of Pforzheim.svg
 | image_coa          = Wappen Pforzheim.svg
 | image_photo        = Panorama Nagold, Stadtkirche und Enz (1).jpg
 | coordinates        = {{coord|48|53|42|N|08|42|18|E|display=inline,title}}
 | image_plan         = 
 | state              = Baden-Württemberg
 | region             = Karlsruhe
 | district           = Stadtkreis
 | elevation          = 273
 | area               = 98.07
 | postal_code        = 75172–75181
 | area_code          = 07231, 07234, 07041
 | licence            = PF
 | Gemeindeschlüssel  = 08 2 31 000
 | divisions          = 16 [[Stadtteil]]e
 | website            = [https://www.pforzheim.de/ www.pforzheim.de]
 | mayor              = [[Peter Boch]]<ref>[https://www.staatsanzeiger.de/wahl/oberbuergermeisterwahl-pforzheim-2017/ Oberbürgermeisterwahl Pforzheim 2017], Staatsanzeiger.</ref>
 | leader_term        = 2017&ndash;25
 | Bürgermeistertitel = Oberbürgermeister
 | party              = CDU
}}

'''Pforzheim''' ({{IPA|de|ˈpfɔʁtshaɪm|-|De-Pforzheim.ogg}}) is a [[List of cities and towns in Germany|city]] of over 135,000 inhabitants in the federal state of [[Baden-Württemberg]], in the southwest of [[Germany]].

It is known for its jewelry and watch-making industry, and as such has gained the nickname Goldstadt ("Gold City").<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pforzheim |url=https://www.visit-bw.com/en/article/pforzheim/235733d8-ad5e-4368-a45d-c72d6f1ba475 |access-date=2025-08-11 |website=www.visit-bw.com |language=en}}</ref> With an area of {{convert|97.8|km2}}, it is situated about halfway between the cities of [[Stuttgart]] and [[Karlsruhe]] at the confluence of three rivers ([[Enz]], [[Nagold (river)|Nagold]] and [[Würm (Nagold)|Würm]]). It lies on the border of [[Baden]] and [[Württemberg]], on the Baden side. From 1535 to 1565, it was the home to the [[Margraviate of Baden-Durlach|Margraves of Baden-Durlach]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kleine Stadtchronik: Stadt Pforzheim |url=https://www.pforzheim.de/stadt/stadtgeschichte/kleine-stadtchronik.html |access-date=2023-08-20 |website=www.pforzheim.de |publisher=City of Pforzheim |language=de}}</ref>

The City of Pforzheim is a ''[[Districts of Germany|Stadtkreis]]'', meaning it is both a [[Municipalities of Germany|municipality]] and a [[Districts of Germany|district]] at the same time. Also, it hosts the administrative offices of the [[Enz (district)|Enz]] district that surrounds the city.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Städte & Gemeinden |url=https://www.enzkreis.de/Landkreis-Politik/Städte-Gemeinden/?La=1&NavID=3397.20 |access-date=2023-08-20 |website=Landratsamt Enzkreis |publisher=Enz district |language=de}}</ref>

During [[World War II]], Pforzheim was bombed by the [[Allies of World War II|Allies]] a number of times. The largest raid, and one of the most devastating [[area bombardment]]s of World War II, was carried out by the [[Royal Air Force]] (RAF) on the evening of 23 February 1945. Nearly one third of the town's population, 17,600 people, were killed in the air raid, and about 83% of the town's buildings were destroyed. The Allies believed that precision instruments were being produced here for use in the German war effort and that the town was a transport centre for the movement of German troops.

From 1945 to 1948, Pforzheim (after the initial French occupation) was [[American-occupied zone of Germany|administered by the United States military]] and was part of the short-lived state of [[Württemberg-Baden]]. In the 20 years following the end of the war, Pforzheim was gradually rebuilt. The town reflects the architecture of the [[Post-war|postwar period]] and has some landmark buildings of the 1950s.

==Geography==
{{Unreferenced section|date=October 2021}}
Pforzheim is located at the northern rim of the eastern part of the [[Black Forest]] (Schwarzwald) and the rim of the hilly country of the [[Kraichgau]], in an open valley at the confluences of the rivers [[Würm (Nagold)|Würm]] and [[Nagold]], as well as the rivers Nagold and [[Enz]]. Due to its location, this city is also called the "three-valleys town" (''Drei-Täler Stadt'') or the "Gateway to the Black Forest" (''Pforte zum Schwarzwald / Porta Hercynia'').<ref>{{Cite web |title=Stadtgeschichte: Stadt Pforzheim |url=https://www.pforzheim.de/kultur/stadtgeschichte.html |access-date=2025-08-11 |website=www.pforzheim.de}}</ref>

Pforzheim and its surrounding area belongs to the "Densely Populated Area Karlsruhe/Pforzheim". Pforzheim has the functions of a regional center (Mittelzentrum) for the towns and municipalities [[Birkenfeld (Enz)]], [[Eisingen]], [[Engelsbrand]], [[Friolzheim]], [[Heimsheim]], [[Ispringen]], [[Kämpfelbach]], [[Keltern]], [[Kieselbronn]], [[Königsbach-Stein]], [[Mönsheim]], [[Neuenbürg]], [[Neuhausen (Enz)|Neuhausen]], [[Neulingen]], [[Niefern-Öschelbronn]], [[Ölbronn-Dürrn]], [[Remchingen]], [[Straubenhardt]], [[Tiefenbronn]], [[Wiernsheim]], [[Wimsheim]] and [[Wurmberg]].

===Neighbouring communities===
The following towns and communities share borderlines with the City of Pforzheim. Below they are mentioned in clockwise order, beginning to the north of the city. Except for Unterreichenbach, which belongs to the district of [[Calw (district)|Calw]], all of them are part of the [[Enz (district)|Enz]] district.

[[Ispringen]], [[Neulingen]], [[Kieselbronn]], [[Niefern-Öschelbronn]], [[Wurmberg]], [[Wimsheim]], [[Friolzheim]], [[Tiefenbronn]], [[Neuhausen (Enz)]], [[Unterreichenbach]], [[Engelsbrand]], [[Birkenfeld (Enz)]], [[Keltern]] and [[Kämpfelbach]].

===City wards===
The city of Pforzheim consists of 16 city wards. The communities Büchenbronn, [[Eutingen an der Enz]], Hohenwart, Huchenfeld and Würm, which by way of the latest regional administrative reform during the 1970s were incorporated into Pforzheim's [[Local government|administration]], are represented by independent [[Local government|community councils]] and community administrations. In important matters concerning any of these communities the opinions of the respective community councils must be taken into consideration. However, final decisions on the matter will be made by the Pforzheim [[Municipal council|city council]].
* City center (''Innenstadt'')
* Northern ward (''Nordstadt'')
* Eastern ward (''Oststadt'')
* Southeastern ward (''Südoststadt'')
* Southwestern ward (''Südweststadt'')
* Western ward (''Weststadt'')
* Arlinger
* Brötzingen
* Buckenberg and Hagenschieß; including Altgefäll, Haidach and Wald-Siedlung
* Büchenbronn including Sonnenberg
* Sonnenhof
* Dillweißenstein
* Eutingen an der Enz including Mäuerach
* Hohenwart
* Huchenfeld
* Würm

===Climate===
{{Excerpt|Karlsruhe|Climate|paragraphs=0|files=0|this=This climate table}}

{{Weather box
|width = 100%
|collapsed = Y
|metric first = Y
|single line = Y
|location = Pforzheim
|precipitation colour = 
| Jan high C  =2.9
| Feb high C  =5
| Mar high C  =9.4
| Apr high C  =13.9
| May high C  =18.4
| Jun high C  =21.5
| Jul high C  =23.8
| Aug high C  =23.4
| Sep high C  =20
| Oct high C  =14.3
| Nov high C  =7.8
| Dec high C  =4
| year high C =
| Jan low C  =-2.5
| Feb low C  =-1.6
| Mar low C  =0.8
| Apr low C  =4
| May low C  =8
| Jun low C  =11.3
| Jul low C  =13
| Aug low C  =12.7
| Sep low C  =9.6
| Oct low C  =5.8
| Nov low C  =1.5
| Dec low C  =-1.4
| year low C =
| rain colour=green
| Jan rain mm  =53
| Feb rain mm  =49
| Mar rain mm  =50
| Apr rain mm  =60
| May rain mm  =81
| Jun rain mm  =94
| Jul rain mm  =74
| Aug rain mm  =78
| Sep rain mm  =57
| Oct rain mm  =54
| Nov rain mm  =60
| Dec rain mm  =60
| year rain mm =
| Jan snow cm  = 7.4
| Feb snow cm  = 4.5
| Mar snow cm  = 2.2
| Apr snow cm  = 0.7
| May snow cm  = 0.0
| Jun snow cm  = 0.0
| Jul snow cm  = 0.0
| Aug snow cm  = 0.0
| Sep snow cm  = 0.0
| Oct snow cm  = 0.4
| Nov snow cm  = 1.5
| Dec snow cm  = 5.7
| year snow cm = 

| Jan rain days  =11.9
| Feb rain days  =9.7
| Mar rain days  =13.2
| Apr rain days  =12.8
| May rain days  =18.3
| Jun rain days  =16.6
| Jul rain days  =15.7
| Aug rain days  =14.8
| Sep rain days  =10.5
| Oct rain days  =11.7
| Nov rain days  =10.9
| Dec rain days  =14.3
| year rain days =
| Jan snow days  =8.8
| Feb snow days  =7.3
| Mar snow days  =3.4
| Apr snow days  =0.6
| May snow days  =0
| Jun snow days  =0
| Jul snow days  =0
| Aug snow days  =0
| Sep snow days  =0
| Oct snow days  =0.2
| Nov snow days  =2.3
| Dec snow days  =5.9
| year snow days =

| Jan sun  =58.9
| Feb sun  =87.6
| Mar sun  =133.3
| Apr sun  =171
| May sun  =217
| Jun sun  =228
| Jul sun  =254.2
| Aug sun  =232.5
| Sep sun  =183
| Oct sun  =127.1
| Nov sun  =72
| Dec sun  =55.8
| year sun =
| Jand sun  =1.9
| Febd sun  =3.1
| Mard sun  =4.3
| Aprd sun  =5.7
| Mayd sun  =7
| Jund sun  =7.6
| Juld sun  =8.2
| Augd sun  =7.5
| Sepd sun  =6.1
| Octd sun  =4.1
| Novd sun  =2.4
| Decd sun  =1.8
| yeard sun =
| Jan light = 8.8
| Feb light = 10.2
| Mar light = 11.9
| Apr light = 13.7
| May light = 15.3
| Jun light = 16.1
| Jul light = 15.7
| Aug light = 14.3
| Sep light = 12.6
| Oct light = 10.8
| Nov light = 9.2
| Dec light = 8.3
| year light= 

|source = Weather2visit,<ref>{{cite web |title=Pforzheim monthly weather averages |url=https://www.weather2visit.com/europe/germany/pforzheim.htm |website=weather 2 visit |access-date=25 February 2024}}</ref> Weather Atlas<ref>{{cite web |title=Climate and monthly weather forecast for Pforzheim, Germany |url=https://www.weather-atlas.com/en/germany/pforzheim-climate |website=Weather atlas |access-date=25 February 2024}}</ref>
}}

==History==
{{see also|History of Baden-Württemberg}}
{{Prose|section|date=February 2020}}
It was settled by the [[Ancient Rome|Romans]] earlier than the current centers of [[Stuttgart]] and [[Karlsruhe]] were. These colonists constructed a [[Ford (river)|ford]] through the river, shortly past the confluence of the three rivers, for their military highway. Due to this strategic location, Pforzheim later became a center for the [[timber rafting|timber-rafting]] trade, which transported timber from the Black Forest via the rivers Wuerm, Nagold, Enz and down the [[Neckar]] and [[Rhine]] to, among other markets, the Netherlands for use in shipbuilding. Their timbers were also used to construct the foundations for [[Amsterdam]], which was built in a swamp.

'''Since 90:''' A settlement was established by Roman citizens at the Enz River near the modern ''Altstädter Brücke'' (old town bridge). Archeological surveys have unearthed several artifacts of that period which are kept and displayed in the Kappelhof Museum. The settlement was located where the Roman military road connecting the military camp [[Argentoratum]] (nowadays [[Strasbourg]] in France) and the military camp at [[Cannstatt]] (now a suburb of [[Stuttgart]]) at the [[Upper Germanic Limes]] border line of the [[Roman Empire]] crossed the [[Enz]] river.

This place was known as ''Portus'' (meaning "river crossing, harbor"), which is believed to be the origin of the first part of the city's name "Pforzheim". A Roman milestone (the so-called 'Leugenstein') from the year 245 was excavated in modern times at present-day [[Friolzheim]]; it is marked with the exact distance to 'Portus' and is the first documented evidence of the settlement.<ref name="history"/><ref>{{cite book|title=Portus - Pforzheim: Untersuchungen zur Archäologie und Geschichte in römischer Zeit|first=Klaus|last=Kortüm|publisher=Verlag Regionalkultur|location=[[Sigmaringen]]|year=1995|isbn=9783897353893|oclc=722345996|language=de}}</ref>

'''259/260:''' The Roman settlement 'Portus' was destroyed completely, as the [[Franks|Frank]] and [[Alemanni]] tribes overran the [[Upper Germanic Limes]] border line of the [[Roman Empire]] and conquered the Roman administered area west of the [[Rhine]] River. From then on, over an extended period of time, historical records about the settlement were not available.<ref name="history"/>

'''6th/7th century:''' Graves from this period indicate that the settlement had been continued.{{r|Becht83|p=41}}

'''1067:''' The settlement was mentioned as "Phorzheim" for the first time, in a document by [[Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor]]. Visits to Pforzheim by Heinrich IV in 1067 and 1074 are documented.{{r|Becht83|p=41}}

'''Before 1080:''' The "old town" of Pforzheim was awarded [[market rights]] (''Marktrecht''). At that time Pforzheim belonged to the estate of [[Hirsau]] [[Monastery]], according to monastery documents.<ref name="history"/>

'''From 1150:''' Establishment of the "new town" west of the "old town" at the foot of the Schlossberg (palais hill) under Margrave [[Hermann V, Margrave of Baden-Baden|Hermann V]].<ref name="history"/>

'''1200:''' The town charter of the "new town" was mentioned for the first time in a document. The "old town" continued to exist as a legally independent entity.<ref name="history"/>

'''1220:''' The [[Rulers of Baden|Margraves of Baden]] selected Pforzheim as their residence. This resulted in the "new town" becoming prominent.

'''1240:''' A mayor of Pforzheim was mentioned in a document for the first time.<ref name="history"/>

'''13th/14th century:''' Pforzheim enjoyed its first period of flourishing. A group of influential [[Patrician (post-Roman Europe)|patricians]] emerged. They developed the financial markets of those days. The town drew its income from the wood trade, [[timber rafting]], the [[Tanning (leather)|tannery]] trade, [[textile]] manufacturing, and other crafts. Documents mention ''mayor, judge, council and citizens''.

The town walls surrounding the new town were completed about 1290. During this era, three [[Roman Catholic]] [[Holy Orders|orders]] established their [[convents]] in town (the [[Franciscan]] order established their domicile within the town wall at present-day ''Barfuesserkirche'' (the choir of which remains), the [[Dominican order|Dominican]] [[nun|sisters]] order established their domicile outside the walls of the old town near Auer Bridge, and the Prediger cloister was located east of the Schlossberg, probably inside the town walls). Outside the town wall and across the Enz river, the suburb ''Flösser Quarters'' (the home of the timber-floating trade) was established. Next to the western town wall, the suburb of ''Brötzingen'' gradually developed.

The Margraves of Baden considered Pforzheim as their most important power base up to the first half of the 14th century. Under Margrave [[Bernard I, Margrave of Baden-Baden|Bernard I]] (Bernhard I), Pforzheim became one of the administrative centers of the margraviate.{{r|Becht83|pp=39-76}}<ref name="Frei">[https://web.archive.org/web/20040711213347/http://www.loebliche-singer-pforzheim.de/Pforzheim1500.html Thomas Frei: Pforzheim im 16. Jahrhundert.] Web page by LOEBLICHE SINGERGESELLSCHAFT VON 1501 PFORZHEIM, 2005; in German.</ref>

'''1322:''' Holy Ghost Hospital was founded at Tränk Street (present-day Deimling Street).<ref name="Die Pest">[https://web.archive.org/web/20061113221346/http://www.loebliche-singer-pforzheim.de/DiePestUm1500.html Die Pest: Das grosse Sterben um 1500, Web page by LOEBLICHE SINGERGESELLSCHAFT VON 1501 PFORZHEIM, 2005]; in German.</ref>

===15th century===
Various [[Guild|fraternities]], also known as guilds, among people working in the same trade were established: The fraternity of [[tailor]]s in 1410, the fraternity of [[baker]]s on 14 May 1422, the fraternity of the [[Weaver (occupation)|weavers]] in 1469, the fraternity of the [[wine-grower]]s in 1491, the fraternity of the [[skipper (boating)|skippers]] and [[timber raftsmen]] in 1501, and the fraternity of the [[carting business|carters]] in 1512. Members of the same fraternity assisted each other in various ways, for example with [[funerals]] and in cases of sickness. In a sense, the fraternities were early forms of health and [[life insurance]].<ref name="Die Pest"/>

'''8–9 August 1418:''' [[Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor]] visits [[Margrave]] [[Bernard I, Margrave of Baden-Baden|Bernard I]] (Bernhard I) in Pforzheim. On this occasion the [[Mint (coin)|mint]] of the Margraves of Baden in Pforzheim was mentioned. Mint master was Jakob Broeglin between 1414 and 1431. The emperor appointed the master of the Pforzheim mint, Jakob Bröglin, and Bois von der Winterbach for five years as Royal Mint Masters of the mints of [[Frankfurt]] and [[Nördlingen]]. The Margrave was appointed as their patron.{{r|Becht83|p=172|Frei}}

'''1447:''' The wedding of [[Margrave]] [[Charles I, Margrave of Baden-Baden|Charles I]] (Karl I) of Baden with [[Catherine of Austria (1420–1493)|Catherine of Austria]], the sister of [[Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor]] (Friedrich III), was celebrated in Pforzheim with great pomp (including [[tournaments]] and [[dances]]).{{r|Becht83|p=223|Groh|Frei}}

[[File:Reuchlin-Gymnasium Pforzheim.jpg|thumb|''Reuchlin-Gymnasium'' (Reuchlin-Highschool) today near the water tower]]
'''1455:''' [[Johannes Reuchlin]], the great German [[Humanism|humanist]], was born in Pforzheim on 29 January (he died in Stuttgart on 30 June 1522). He attended the [[Latin school|Latin School]] section of the monastery school run by the Dominican order of Pforzheim in the late 1460s. Later, partly due to Reuchlin's efforts, the [[Latin school|Latin School]] of Pforzheim developed into one of the most prominent schools in southwestern Germany, named ''[[Reuchlin-Gymnasium]]''. The school's teachers and pupils played an outstanding role in the dissemination of the ideas of [[humanism]] and the [[protestant reformation]] movement. The most famous pupils included Reuchlin himself, Reuchlin's nephew [[Philipp Melanchthon]], and [[Simon Grynaeus]].{{r|Becht89|pp=9-50|Groh}}

'''1460:''' Margrave Charles I established a kind of monastery (Kollegialstift) at the site of Schlosskirche St. Michael, turning the church into a [[collegiate church]]. There were also plans to establish a university in Pforzheim, but this plan had to be abandoned because Margrave Charles I lost the [[Battle of Seckenheim]].{{r|Becht83|pp=107-150|Groh}}

'''1463:''' Margrave Charles I was forced to transfer the palace and the town of Pforzheim as a [[fiefdom]] to the [[Elector Palatine]] after losing the Battle of Seckenheim. He then began to build a new palace in modern [[Baden-Baden]]. [[Christoph I, Margrave of Baden-Baden]] finally moved the residence of the margraves to Baden-Baden. This gradually ended the first period of Pforzheim's flourishment. The rich merchants gradually left the town, which declined to the status of a country town of mostly small traders.{{r|Becht83|p=((39-76)), 117|Groh}}

'''1486:''' The ''Weavers Ordinance'' (''Wollweberordnung'') for the towns Pforzheim und [[Ettlingen]] was approved by [[Christoph I, Margrave of Baden-Baden]]. This was a contract concerning the town privileges of Pforzheim. This regulation of the weaving trade did not allow the formation of a regular [[guild]] (Zunft).{{r|Becht89|pp=117-118|Becht83|pp2=39-76}}

'''1491:''' A contract between [[Christoph I, Margrave of Baden-Baden]] and the citizens of Pforzheim was concluded, granting the town of Pforzheim several privileges concerning taxes and business.{{r|Becht89|pp=117-118|Groh}}

'''1496:''' Foundation of the first printer's shop by [[Thomas Anshelm]]. During the first half of the 16th century Pforzheim's printers contributed significantly to the establishment of this (in those days) new medium.<ref name="history"/>

===16th century===
'''1501:''' [[Christoph I, Margrave of Baden-Baden]] enacted the "[[local ordinance|Ordinance]] on the timber rafting profession in Pforzheim". The single timber logs that were floated from the deeper Black Forest areas down the Enz, Nagold and Wuerm rivers were bound together in the Au area to form larger timber rafts. Those rafts were then floated down the lower Enz, Neckar and Rhine rivers. The timber rafting stations of Weissenstein, Dillstein and Pforzheim were well known in the profession.{{r|Groh}}

1501 was also the year for which an outbreak of the plague (probably the [[bubonic plague]]) is recorded in the [[Swabia]]n [[chronicle]] ''Annalium Suevicorum'' by [[Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen]] professor Martin Grusius, published 1596. It is not known how many of Pforzheim's citizens died in that year, but there are reports of 500 deceased in the close by city of [[Calw]] and about 4000 in [[Stuttgart]], which accounted for approximately one quarter to one half of the populations of those towns. Outbreaks of the disease were reported for many places in southwestern Germany, [[Bohemia]], the [[Alsace]] region in nowadays France, Switzerland, and Italy. [[Mass grave|Common graves]] with massive numbers of human bones at the cemetery of St. Michael Church and the cemetery on the estate of the Dominican order near nowadays Waisenhausplatz found during the last century may indicate that hundreds of citizens became the victims of the plague. There are indications that a [[Fraternal and service organizations|fraternity]] for taking care of the sick and removing the bodies of the deceased from houses was formed in 1501, whose members later on stayed together and became known as the [[choral society]] ''Singergesellschaft'', which is still active today as the ''Loebliche Singergesellschaft of 1501''. (They are probably one of the oldest clubs in Europe).<ref name="Die Pest"/>

'''1520s:''' The ideas of the [[protestant]] [[religious]] movement advanced by [[Martin Luther]] spread rapidly in Pforzheim. Its most prominent promoters were Johannes Schwebel, a preacher at Holy Ghost church (Heiliggeistkirche), and Johannes Unger, the principal of the [[Dominican order|Dominican]] [[Latin school]].<ref name="history"/>

'''1535–1565:''' Due to the [[inheritance|heritage]] division of the clan of the Margraves of Baden, [[Margrave]] [[Ernest, Margrave of Baden-Durlach|Ernst of Baden]] made Pforzheim the residential town of his family line. He decided to use the Schlosskirche St. Michael as the entombment site for his family line.<ref name="history"/>

'''1549:''' A large fire caused severe damage to the town.

'''1556:''' After the conclusion of the [[Peace of Augsburg]] in 1555, [[Margrave]] [[Karl II, Margrave of Baden-Durlach|Karl II]] introduced ''Lutheranism'' ([[Protestantism]]) as the state religion in the district [[Baden-Durlach]], which included Pforzheim. The (Catholic) monasteries were gradually shut down.<ref name="history"/>

'''1565:''' Margrave Karl II chose Durlach as the new residential town. Pforzheim stayed one of the administrative centers of Baden.<ref name="history"/>

===17th century===
'''1618:''' At the beginning of the [[Thirty Years' War]], the number of inhabitants of Pforzheim is estimated to have been between 2500 and 3000. This was the largest town among all towns in Baden, even though at that time it had already declined somewhat.
[[File:pf meria.jpg|thumb|right|A view of Pforzheim in the early 17th century. It shows all significant landmarks including the city wall, the rivers Enz and Nagold, the three monastery churches and the Margrave's residence on Schlossberg hill.]]

'''1645:''' Toward the end of the Thirty Years' War the "old town" was burned down by [[Bavaria]]n (i.e. Catholic) troops. It was rebuilt, but without the former [[fortifications]], which gave it the status of a village-like settlement. It soon vanished from historical records. The "new town" had survived.<ref name="history"/>

'''1688–1697:''' The "[[War of the Palatinian Succession]]" (also called the [[Nine Years War]]) caused tremendous destruction in Southwestern Germany. The French "sun king" [[Louis XIV of France|Louis XIV]]'s efforts to expand the territory of France up to the Upper Rhine river and to put the [[Elector Palatine]] under pressure to severe its ties with the [[League of Augsburg]] included the ''[[Brûlez le Palatinat!]]'' tactics of destroying major towns on both sides of the Rhine river. These tactics seem to have been mainly the idea of the French war minister, François Michel le Tellier, [[Marquis de Louvois]].

Pforzheim was occupied by French troops on 10 October 1688. Commanding officer is said to have been [[Joseph de Montclar]]. The town was forced to accommodate a large number of soldiers and had to pay a large amount of "contributions" to the French. When the army unit was about to depart early in the morning of 21 January 1689 (obviously because an army of the [[Holy Roman Empire]] had been approaching), they set many major buildings on fire, including the palais, the city hall, and vicarages. About 70 houses (i.e. one quarter of all houses) and part of the town's fortifications were reportedly destroyed.

Between 2 and 4 August, the French army under the general command of [[Marshal of France|Marshal]] [[Jacques Henri de Durfort de Duras]] again crossed the Rhine river and began the destruction of major towns in Baden. On 10 August 1689, a French army unit under the command of General [[Ezéchiel du Mas, Comte de Mélac]] appeared in front of Pforzheims town gates, but this time the town refused to surrender. In response, the French army began shelling the town with cannons from the Rod hill located southwest of the town, and the several hundred soldiers of the German imperial command, who were defending the town, were forced to surrender. After a short period of looting, the French troops set the inner town area on fire on 15 August, which made that area uninhabitable for several weeks. Then the French moved on.

During the following two years, French troops stayed away from Pforzheim, but the economic situation of the town was miserable. In addition to this, the reconstruction of the town and the repairs of the fortifications under the supervision of Johann Matthaeus Faulhaber, the chief construction officer of the Margraviate Baden, required a lot of efforts. The accommodation of an imperial garrison under the command of (then) colonel Count [[Palffy]] also was a heavy burden.

In 1691, [[François-Michel le Tellier, Marquis de Louvois|Louvois]] instructed his marshals to destroy those towns which were to serve as winter quarters for imperial troops, explicitly including Pforzheim, and then continue to Wuerttemberg for further destructions. After the French troops had crossed the Rhine river under the command of Marshal [[Guy Aldonce de Durfort de Lorges]] at [[Philippsburg]] on 3 August 1691, they assaulted the Margraves' residential town of [[Durlach]] and 1,200 [[cavalry]] men, 300 [[dragoons]] and 1,200 [[infantry]] men advanced toward Pforzheim where they arrived in the morning on 9 August and surrounded the town. When the approximately 200 imperial soldiers under the command of Captain Zickwolf and other men in the town refused to surrender, the siege began. After shelling the town during the day and the following night, the resistance of the town broke down and on 10 August in the morning the French forced the town gates open, occupied and looted it (although with little success, as there was not much left to be taken away). On 12 August, the French moved on, this time refraining from setting houses on fire. The fortification had again been damaged, though (the White Tower, the Auer Bridge Gate, the Upper Mill and the Nonnen Mill were burnt down). The French also stole all church bells, except for one minor one.

On 20 September 1692, again crossed the Rhine river under the general command of [[Marshal of France|Marshal]] [[Guy Aldonce de Durfort de Lorges]], and advanced toward [[Durlach]] and Pforzheim. On 24 September, 2,000 cavalry soldiers and 1,200 infantry and artillery troops under the command of [[Marshal of France|Marshal]] [[Noël Bouton de Chamilly]], moved to Pforzheim, where the town and 600 soldiers of the imperial German army in town surrendered without any military engagements. The rest of the French army arrived on 27 September under the command of Marshal de Lorges. On the same day, the French army moved on to Oetisheim near [[Mühlacker]] and attacked an imperial army unit of 4,000 cavalry men under the command of Duke [[Frederick Charles of Württemberg-Winnental]] in their camp. As they were taken by surprise, they withdrew hastily and lost several hundred men, either killed or captured by the French. (The Duke himself was among the French prisoners.) On 28 September, the French army returned to Pforzheim and established a camp. It was reported that the entire [[Enz]] valley between the village of Eutingen east of Pforzheim and the village of Birkenfeld west of Pforzheim was occupied by the 30,000 French soldiers' camps. From their base in Pforzheim, French army units obviously under the leadership of Marshal de Chamilly advanced along the river valleys of [[Nagold]] and [[Würm (Nagold)|Würm]] and looted and destroyed the villages and towns of Huchenfeld, [[Calw]], [[Hirsau]], [[Liebenzell]] and [[Zavelstein]]. They also destroyed [[Liebeneck castle]] about 10&nbsp;kilometres from Pforzheim towering above the Würm valley, where part of the Pforzheim town archives were hidden. The archive was burned. Another part of the town archive as well as documents of Baden administrative office had been brought to Calw, where they went up in flames, too.

When the French troops left after about one week of occupation, they again looted Pforzheim and put it on fire. This time, all houses which had survived the two previous fires, were destroyed. In the Au suburb, only three houses survived. The Au bridge was heavily damaged. Only four houses survived in the Broetzingen suburb. The town church of St. Stephen and a large part of the Dominican monastery complex were also destroyed. The Castle Church (Schlosskirche) of St. Michael was heavily damaged, and the family tombs of the Margraves of Baden in the church were desecrated by the soldiers. The last remaining church bell and the churches' clockworks were stolen as well. The town wall was damaged again, including the town gates. After the week-long presence of 30,000 soldiers in a town of only a few thousand citizens, all food was gone, including the seeds saved for next spring's sowing season. Every tree and [[grape]]vine on the valley slopes had been used up as firewood. The French army reached their camp in [[Philippsburg]] on 5 October 1692.{{r|Becht89|pp=81-116}}

===18th century===
'''1718:''' Inauguration of the "institution for orphans, the mad, the sick, for discipline and work" in a building of the former [[Dominican order]] [[Convent]] by the Enz river. Fifty years later this institution was to become the incubator of Pforzheim's jewellery and watchmaking industries.<ref name="history"/>

'''1715–1730:''' During this period, there was a prolonged dispute between Pforzheim's citizens and the Margrave of Baden concerning the privileges granted to the town in 1491, which the Margrave considered obsolete and therefore demanded significantly higher tax payments from Pforzheim citizens. The issue was taken all the way to the [[Imperial Court of Justice]], where the town's motion was defeated.{{r|Becht89|pp=81-116}}

'''1767:''' Establishment of a watch and jewellery factory in the orphanage. This led to Pforzheim's jewellery industries. Watchmaking was given up later on.<ref name="history"/>

===19th century===
'''1805–06:''' A [[typhus]] [[epidemic]] in Pforzheim caused many deaths, disrupting the town's economy.<ref name="history"/>

'''1809:''' The Administrative District Pforzheim of Baden was split into a ''Municipal District Administration Pforzheim'' and two Rural Districts.

'''1813:''' The two Rural Districts were combined to form the ''Rural District Administration Pforzheim''.

'''1819:''' ''Municipal District Pforzheim'' and ''Rural District Pforzheim'' are merged to form the ''Higher District Administration Pforzheim''.

'''1836:''' [[Ferdinand Öchsle]] in Pforzheim invented a device for measuring the sugar content in freshly [[pressed (wine)|pressed]] grape juice for assessing the future quality of [[wine]] (''Mostwaage''). It is still in use in the winery business.

'''1861–62:''' Pforzheim was connected to the [[German railway]] network with the completion of a section of the [[Karlsruhe–Mühlacker railway|Karlsruhe–Mühlacker line]] between [[Wilferdingen]] and Pforzheim.<ref name="history"/>

'''1863:''' The railway section between Pforzheim and [[Mühlacker]] was completed, thus establishing railway traffic between the capital of [[Baden]], [[Karlsruhe]], and the capital of [[Württemberg]], [[Stuttgart]].<ref name="history"/>

'''1864:''' The ''Higher District Administration Pforzheim'' was made the ''Regional Administration Pforzheim''.

'''1868:''' The [[Enz Valley Railway]] between Pforzheim and [[Wildbad]] was completed.<ref name="history"/>

'''1869:''' Establishment of the first workers' union in Pforzheim, the "Pforzheim Gold(-metal) Craftsmen's Union".<ref name="history"/>

'''1874:''' The section of the [[Nagold Valley Railway]] between Pforzheim and [[Calw]] was completed.<ref name="history"/>

'''1877:''' Inauguration of the Arts and Crafts School ([[Kunstgewerbeschule]]; now incorporated into Hochschule (University) Pforzheim).<ref name="history"/>

'''1888:''' On 5 August 1888, [[Bertha Benz]] and her two sons arrived in her hometown of Pforzheim on the first long-distance automobile journey in a car manufactured by her husband [[Carl Benz]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Erste Autofahrt der Welt |url=https://www.dpma.de/dpma/veroeffentlichungen/patentefrauen/berthabenz/index.html |website=Deutsches Patent- und Markenamt |access-date=23 August 2025}}</ref> She had started her drive in [[Mannheim]], which is located about {{convert|106|km|0|abbr=off}} from Pforzheim. Two years earlier, Carl Benz test drove his [[Benz Patent-Motorwagen]], considered the first practical gasoline-powered [[automobile]], after he was granted a patent for this technology on 29 January 1886.<ref>{{cite web |title=Karl Benz |url=https://www.asme.org/topics-resources/content/karl-benz |website=The American Society of Mechanical Engineers |access-date=23 August 2025}}</ref> For her trip back home from Pforzheim, Bertha Benz bought fuel in a [[pharmacy]] in Wiesloch. During the trip, she had to make repairs with a [[hairpin (fashion)|hairpin]] to open a blocked fuel line, and after returning home, suggested to her husband that another [[gear]] be provided in his automobile for climbing hills.<ref name="history"/> To commemorate her journey, the [[Bertha Benz Memorial Route]], from [[Mannheim]] via [[Heidelberg]] to Pforzheim and back, was officially approved as a [[European Route of Industrial Heritage]] in 2008. 

'''1893:''' Inauguration of the Pforzheim Synagogue.<ref name="history"/>

The company [[Wellendorff]], a family-owned jewellery producing until now, is founded by Ernst Alexander Wellendorff. The enterprise sells many kinds of jewelry at the highest level worldwide.<ref>[https://www.faz.net/aktuell/wirtschaft/wellendorff-ein-zehnmal-gespaltenes-haar-in-gold-11150301.html Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung: „Ein zehnmal gespaltenes Haar in Gold“] (german, ''A ten times split hair in gold'') (accessed last 19 February 2012)</ref>

===20th century===
'''From 1900:''' Revival of the Pforzheim watchmaking industry.<ref name="history"/>

'''1905:''' The western borough Brötzingen was incorporated into the administration Pforzheim.

'''1906:''' The 1. FC Pforzheim football club was defeated by VfB Leipzig with a score of 1–2 in the final game of the German football championship.<ref name="history"/>

'''1907:''' Julius Epple founded Aristo, the watch brand, benefitting from the bull market for wristwatches in the 1920s.<ref name="montres">"The Golden Age and Rebirth of Pforzheim Watchmaking." Montres Publiques, https://montrespubliques.com/new-1minute-reads/the-golden-age-and-rebirth-of-pforzheim-watchmaking</ref>

'''1914–1918:''' Pforzheim was not a battlefield in World War I, but 1600 men from Pforzheim lost their lives as soldiers on the battlefields.<ref>{{cite news|last=Frei|first=Thomas|title=Ein lokales Geschichtswerk|trans-title=A local history|work=[[Pforzheimer Zeitung]]|date=2004-06-26|issue=145|page=26|language=de|format=PDF|url=http://www.pz-news.de/specials/web/pdf/pforzheim/2004/download.dhtml?command=24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041225025149/http://www.pz-news.de/specials/web/pdf/pforzheim/2004/download.dhtml?command=24|archive-date=2004-12-25}}</ref>

'''1920s:''' The Pforzheim watchmaking industry thrived due to the new popularity of wrist-watches.<ref name="history"/>

'''1927:''' [[Stowa]], another well-known German watch brand from Pforzheim, was founded by Walter Storz in Hornberg, moving the business to Pforzheim in 1935. Walter's son, Werner, eventually takes over the business.<ref name="montres"/>

From '''1933:''' On 5 March 1933, Germany held a [[March 1933 German federal election|federal election]]. In Pforzheim, the NSDAP won an absolute majority with over 57% of votes.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Linde |first1=Oliver |title=Die Pforzheimer Gewerkschaften feiern 1933 keinen 1. Mai |url=https://bnn.de/pforzheim/pforzheim-stadt/die-pforzheimer-gewerkschaften-feiern-1933-keinen-1-mai |website=BNN |date=May 2023 |access-date=23 August 2025}}</ref> On 21 March 1933, the [[Potsdam Day]] celebration, which marked the reopening of the Reichstag with speeches from Paul von Hindenburg and Adolf Hitler, lead to a large rally and torchlit parade in Pforzheim, with around 30,000 people participating.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Linde |first1=Oliver |title=Die Pforzheimer Gewerkschaften feiern 1933 keinen 1. Mai |url=https://bnn.de/pforzheim/pforzheim-stadt/die-pforzheimer-gewerkschaften-feiern-1933-keinen-1-mai |website=BNN |date=May 2023 |access-date=23 August 2025}}</ref> On 1 April 1933, the Nazis initiated a [[Nazi boycott of Jewish businesses|national boycott]] of Jewish businesses, which was also carried out in Pforzheim. The liquidation sales of Jewish businesses were also boycotted.<ref>{{cite web |title=Jüdisches Leben im Südwesten: Pforzheim |url=https://www.leo-bw.de/en-GB/themenmodul/juedisches-leben-im-suedwesten/orte/baden/pforzheim |website=LEO-BW |access-date=23 August 2025}}</ref> On 10 April 1933, the city council awarded Adolf Hitler and Paul von Hindenburg honorary citizenship of the city. It also renamed Panorama Avenue and Hachel Park (today's Hachelallee and Hachelanlage) as Adolf Hitler Avenue and Adolf Hitler Park (Adolf-Hitler-Allee and Adolf-Hitler-Anlagen).<ref>{{cite web |last1=Linde |first1=Oliver |title=Die Pforzheimer Gewerkschaften feiern 1933 keinen 1. Mai |url=https://bnn.de/pforzheim/pforzheim-stadt/die-pforzheimer-gewerkschaften-feiern-1933-keinen-1-mai |website=BNN |date=May 2023 |access-date=23 August 2025}}</ref> On 17 June 1933, Pforzheim also held a [[Nazi book burnings|book burning]] on the market square attended by several thousand people, organized by the local chapter of the [[Hitler Youth]] and [[League of German Girls]].<ref>{{cite web |title=PFORZHEIM am 17. JUNI 1933: VERBOTEN – VERBRANNT – VERGESSEN ? |url=https://verbrannte-orte.de/de/pforzheim/document/4bb43443-0c90-4711-867f-1f6c92892f56 |website=Scorched Places: Places of the national-socialist book burnings 1933 |access-date=23 August 2025}}</ref> By the end of 1933, 13% of Jewish residents had left the city.<ref>{{cite web |title=Jüdisches Leben im Südwesten: Pforzheim |url=https://www.leo-bw.de/en-GB/themenmodul/juedisches-leben-im-suedwesten/orte/baden/pforzheim |website=LEO-BW |access-date=23 August 2025}}</ref> 

Along with the installation of the [[Nazi]] government in Germany the local subsidiaries of all political parties, groups and organizations other than the [[NSDAP]] were gradually disbanded in town. Public life as well as individual affairs were increasingly affected by Nazi influences. Persecution of Jewish fellow citizens occurred in Pforzheim, too, with boycotts of Jewish shops and companies.<ref name="history"/>

'''1938:''' Establishment of the municipal Jewellery Museum.

'''1938:''' On 9 November, the so-called [[Kristallnacht]], the Pforzheim [[Synagogue]] ([http://www.edwardvictor.com/pforzheim_main.htm see WWW-site]) of the Jewish community was so badly damaged by [[Nazism|Nazi]] activists that it had to be demolished later on.

'''1939:''' ''Regional Administration Pforzheim'' (Bezirksamt) was converted to the ''Rural District Pforzheim'' (Landkreis) with Pforzheim city as its administrative site. However, the town itself became a district-less administrative body.

'''1940:''' On 22 October 1940, the [[Gestapo]] deported most of the German Jewish population of Baden, the Palatinate, and Saarland  to the [[Gurs internment camp]] in [[Vichy France]] as part of the Wagner-Bürckel Operation (Wagner-Bürckel-Aktion).<ref>{{cite web |title="Es war ein Ort, an dem alles grau war …": Die Deportation der badischen Jüdinnen und Juden nach Gurs im Oktober 1940 |url=https://www.lpb-bw.de/fileadmin/lpb_hauptportal/pdf/bausteine_materialien/ma_gurs_2020_bf.pdf |website=Landeszentrale für politische Bildung Baden-Württemberg |access-date=23 August 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Die Deportation nach Gurs - the deportation to Gurs in Baden and the Palatinate |url=http://www.bruchsal-gurs.de/English-version/The-deportation-to-Gurs-in-Baden-and-the-Palatinate/ |website=Die Deportation badischer Juden von Bruchsal nach Gurs |access-date=23 August 2025}}</ref> As part of this operation, 186 Pforzheim residents were deported under the authority of [[Robert Heinrich Wagner]], the Gauleiter of [[Gau Baden]]. Some of these were later transported to concentration camps in the east.<ref>{{cite web |title=Gedenktag Deportation jüdischer Mitbürgerinnen und Mitbürger nach Gurs |url=https://www.pforzheim.de/stadt/stadtgeschichte/gedenken-friedenskultur/gedenktage/gedenktag-deportation-juedischer-mitbuergerinnen-nach-gurs.html?cont=0&cHash=9724f03b6e350858886eb42082c34745 |website=Stadt Pforzheim |access-date=23 August 2025}}</ref> Of the Pforzheim Jews deported to Gurs, only 55 were confirmed to have survived the [[Holocaust]].<ref name="history"/>

====World War II====
{{Main|Bombing of Pforzheim in World War II}}
In 1944, many factories were converted to produce weaponry such as anti-aircraft [[shell (projectile)|shells]], [[Fuse (explosives)|fuses]] for bombs, and allegedly even parts for the [[V-1 flying bomb|V-1]] and [[V-2 rocket]]s.

On the evening of 23 February 1945, Pforzheim was bombed in one of the most devastating [[area bombardment]]s of World War II. Carried out by the [[Royal Air Force]],<ref name="history"/> the air raid killed about one quarter of the town's population, over 17,000 people,{{r|Groh}} and destroyed about 83% of the town's buildings.<ref>From RAF website: [http://www.raf.mod.uk/bombercommand/feb45.html Campaign Diary February 1945]</ref> The mission order to bomb Pforzheim issued by [[RAF Bomber Command]] states as the intention of the raid on Pforzheim "to destroy built up area and associated industries and rail facilities".{{r|Groh}} The bombardment was carried out as part of the British [[carpet bombing]] campaign. The town was put on the target list for bombardments in November 1944 because it was thought by the [[Allies of World War II|Allies]] to be producing precision instruments for use in the German war effort and as transport centre for the movement of German troops.{{efn|Pforzheim is situated in a valley and also spread out across the adjacent hill slopes. On the northern slope there is a level, narrow plateau that is about 100&nbsp;meters wide and about 2&nbsp;kilometers in length. The railway facilities, including the main station and what used to be the freight loading facilities, are located on this plateau. This is the only level space that can possibly be used for railway facilities there. If the [[Royal Air Force|RAF]] would have been only aiming at destroying the railway facilities, a few aircraft would have sufficed to finish this job in a short time. There was no need to bomb an area that was wider than one kilometer ({{convert|1|km|1|abbr=off|disp=output only}}) and had a length of more than three kilometers ({{convert|3|km|1|abbr=off|disp=output only}}) using more than 360 [[Avro Lancaster|Lancasters]], as was the case in the big raid on 23 February. The existence and size of the plateau on the northern slope can be verified by examining any topographic map featuring the Pforzheim city area, and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20070705101909/http://www.pforzheim.de/pls/portal/docs/PAGE/BILDER/CHRONIK/ZERSTOERUNGSKARTE.PDF map showing the destroyed city area]. And besides that, the area bombardment obviously was not even effective in destroying the railway facilities, because less than one month after the big raid in mid-March the railway facilities were bombed again several times by the [[USAF]], this time focussing mainly on the suspected military target, not civilian estates.<ref name="Zeitung52"/>}}

There were also several minor raids in 1944 and 1945.<ref name="Zeitung52">{{cite news|last=Frei|first=Thomas|title=Beim Milchholen aus Flugzeugen beschossen|trans-title=Shot at while fetching milk from planes|department=23.Februar 1945|work=[[Pforzheimer Zeitung]]|date=2005-03-04|issue=52|page=20|language=de|format=PDF|url=http://www.pz-news.de/specials/web/pdf/pforzheim/2005/download.dhtml?command=32|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050310193913/http://www.pz-news.de/specials/web/pdf/pforzheim/2005/download.dhtml?command=32|archive-date=2005-03-10}}</ref>

After the main attack, about 30,000 people had to be fed by makeshift public kitchens because their housing had been destroyed.<ref>{{cite news|author=ef-te|title=Feuerwehrleute tot – kaum Löschwasser|trans-title=Firefighters dead &ndash; hardly any fire water|department=23.Februar 1945|work=[[Pforzheimer Zeitung]]|date=2005-02-25|issue=46|page=24|language=de|format=PDF|url=http://www.pz-news.de/specials/web/pdf/pforzheim/2005/download.dhtml?command=29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050310193825/http://www.pz-news.de/specials/web/pdf/pforzheim/2005/download.dhtml?command=29|archive-date=2005-03-10}}</ref> Almost 90% of the buildings in the core city area had been destroyed. Many Pforzheim citizens were buried in mass graves at Pforzheim's main cemetery because they could not be identified. There are also many graves of complete families. Among the dead were several hundred foreigners who had been in Pforzheim as [[forced labor]] workers.<ref>{{cite news|author=VE|title=In der Fremde gestorben|trans-title=Died abroad|department=23.Februar 1945|work=[[Pforzheimer Zeitung]]|date=2005-02-10|issue=33|page=18|language=de|format=PDF|url=http://www.pz-news.de/specials/web/pdf/pforzheim/2005/download.dhtml?command=13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050310193347/http://www.pz-news.de/specials/web/pdf/pforzheim/2005/download.dhtml?command=13|archive-date=2005-03-10}}</ref>

The inner-city districts were severely depopulated. According to the State Statistics Bureau (''Statistisches Landesamt''), in the Market Square area (''Marktplatzviertel'') in 1939 there were 4,112 registered inhabitants, in 1945 none (0). In the Old Town area (''Altstadtviertel'') in 1939 there were 5,109 inhabitants, in 1945 only three persons were still living there. In the Leopold Square area, in 1939 there were 4,416 inhabitants, in 1945 only 13.{{efn|These figures are similar to {{harvp|Groh|2005}}, but must be from another source which is not recorded.}}

The German Army Report of 24 February 1945 devoted only two lines to reporting the bombardment: "In the early evening hours of February 23, a forceful British attack was directed at Pforzheim." [[RAF Bomber Command]] later assessed the bombing raid as the one with "probably the greatest proportion (of destroyed built-up area) (of any target) in one raid during the war".<ref>{{cite news|author=PM|title=Sofortmeldung nach dem Angriff|trans-title=Immediate report after the attack|department=23.Februar 1945|work=[[Pforzheimer Zeitung]]|date=2005-02-23|issue=44|pages=22–23|language=de|format=PDF|url=http://www.pz-news.de/specials/web/pdf/pforzheim/2005/download.dhtml?command=26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050310193755/http://www.pz-news.de/specials/web/pdf/pforzheim/2005/download.dhtml?command=26|archive-date=2005-03-10}}</ref>

In early April, as the [[Allies of World War II|Allied forces]] and the [[French Army]] advanced toward Pforzheim, the local German military commander gave orders to destroy the electric power generating plant and those gas and water supply lines that were still working, but local residents succeeded in persuading the [[staff sergeant]] in charge of the operation to refrain from this action in the face of the imminent and seemingly inevitable surrender of the German military. Likewise, orders were issued for the destruction of those bridges that had remained unscathed (some of the bridges had been destroyed by the air strikes of 23 February, others damaged or destroyed earlier in the war). Only the Iron (Railway) Bridge in Weißenstein ward was saved by citizens who pulled off the [[Fuse (explosives)|fuse]] wiring from the explosive devices which had already been installed, and dropped it into Nagold river. On 8 April, French troops, including an [[armored vehicle]] unit, moved into Pforzheim from the northwest, and were able to occupy the area north of Enz river, but the area south of the Enz river was defended by a German [[infantry]] unit using [[artillery]]. Fighting was especially fierce in Broetzingen. The French army units (including an [[Algeria]]n and [[Morocco|Moroccan]] unit) suffered heavy losses; among the dead was the commander of the army unit, Capitaine Dorance. The advance of the French army came to a halt temporarily, but with the support of fighter-bomber aircraft and due to the bad condition of the defenders - which included many old men and young boys who had been drafted into the [[Volkssturm]] - the French troops took possession of the vast rubble field which once was the a residential town of the Baden Margraves on 18 April.<ref>{{cite news|last=Frei|first=Thomas|title=Beherzte Bürger retten Weißensteiner Brücke|trans-title=Courageous citizens save Weißenstein bridge|department=23.Februar 1945|work=[[Pforzheimer Zeitung]]|date=2005-03-31|issue=73|page=20|language=de|format=PDF|url=http://www.pz-news.de/specials/web/pdf/pforzheim/2005/download.dhtml?command=38|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051112004501/http://www.pz-news.de/specials/web/pdf/pforzheim/2005/download.dhtml?command=38|archive-date=2005-11-12}}</ref><ref name="Zeitung24">{{cite news|last=Frei|first=Thomas|title=Zehn Tage um "tote Stadt" gekämpft|trans-title=Ten days fighting over "dead city"|department=23.Februar 1945|work=[[Pforzheimer Zeitung]]|date=2005-04-08|issue=80|page=24|language=de|format=PDF|url=http://www.pz-news.de/specials/web/pdf/pforzheim/2005/download.dhtml?command=39|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051109215004/http://www.pz-news.de/specials/web/pdf/pforzheim/2005/download.dhtml?command=39|archive-date=2005-11-09}}</ref>

The three months of French [[Military occupation|occupation]] were reportedly marked by hostile attitudes on both the French army side and the Pforzheim population's side; incidents of rape and looting, mainly by Moroccan soldiers, were also reported.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Die Zeit nach dem Krieg: Städte im Wiederaufbau |date=2008 |publisher=Kohlhammer |isbn=978-3-17-019724-4 |editor-last=Moersch |editor-first=Karl |series=Schriften zur politischen Landeskunde Baden-Württembergs |location=Stuttgart |editor-last2=Landeszentrale für Politische Bildung Baden-Württemberg}}</ref> Au Bridge (''Auerbruecke'') and Wuerm Bridge received makeshift repairs by the French military. The [[United States Army|US Army]], which replaced the French troops on 8 July 1945, helped repair Goethe Bridge, Benckiser Bridge, Old Town Bridge (''Altstädterbrücke'') and Horse Bridge (''Roßbrücke'') in 1945 and the following year. The relationship between the population and the US military was reportedly more relaxed than had been the case with the French army.<ref name="Zeitung24"/>

====Post-World War II====
'''1945–1965:''' Pforzheim was gradually rebuilt, giving Pforzheim a quite modern look. In September 1951 the Northern Town Bridge (Nordstadtbrücke) was inaugurated (the ceremony was attended by then Federal President Prof. Dr. [[Theodor Heuss]]). Jahn Bridge followed in December 1951, Werder Bridge in May 1952, the rebuilt Goethe Bridge in October 1952, and the rebuilt Old Town Bridge was inaugurated in 1954.

'''1955:''' On the occasion of the 500th birthday anniversary of [[Johannes Reuchlin]], the city of Pforzheim established the [[Reuchlin Prize]] and awarded it for the first time in the presence of then President of the Federal Republic of Germany (West-Germany), Prof. Dr. [[Theodor Heuss]].<ref name="history"/>

'''1961:''' Inauguration of the culture center "Reuchlinhaus", which from then on housed the Jewellery Museum, the Arts and Crafts Association, the City Library, the Homeland Museum (Heimatmuseum), and the City Archives.<ref name="history"/>

'''1968:''' On 10 July 1968, Pforzheim and its surrounding areas were hit by the [[1968 Black Forest tornado|Black Forest tornado]], a rare [[Fujita scale|F4]] storm considered one of the worst in Germany in the 20th century.<ref>{{cite web |title=Tornado über Pforzheim |url=https://bnn.de/format/tornado-ueber-pforzheim |website=BNN |access-date=23 August 2025}}</ref> With wind speeds between 333 and 418 kilometers per hour and a path of around 30km, it destroyed more than 2,000 buildings in the city and caused damages of around 130 million DM.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Sävert |first1=Thomas |title=Pforzheim 1968 |url=https://tornadoliste.de/pforzheim1968.htm |website=Tornadoliste |access-date=23 August 2025}}</ref> Two people died in Ottenhausen<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://tornadoliste.de/2pforzheim1968.htm|title=Verheerender Tornado in Pforzheim am 10.07.1968|website=tornadoliste.de|access-date=2019-12-21}}</ref> and more than 200 people were injured. Across the town between Büchenbronn and Wurmberg, the storm caused severe damage to forest areas. During the first night and the following days  French 3rd Hussar Regiment and the US Army soldiers, stationed at the Buckenberg Barracks, helped clear the streets of fallen trees (especially in the Buckenberg/Haidach area). It took about four weeks to carry out the most necessary repairs to buildings. The overhead electric contact wires for the electric [[tram|trolley]] buses then still operating in town and the [[streetcar]] to the village of Ittersbach were never repaired, and those transport systems were retired.<ref name="history"/>

'''1971–1975:''' The townships of Würm, Hohenwart, Buechenbronn, Huchenfeld and Eutingen were incorporated into the city administration.<ref name="history"/>

'''1973:''' On 7 July 1973, Pforzheim inaugurated its New City Hall (Neues Rathaus) to replace the building destroyed in the 1945 air raid.<ref>{{cite web |title=50 Jahre Neues Rathaus |url=https://www.pforzheim-integriert.de/news-ansicht/article/detail/News/50-jahre-neues-rathaus-1.html?cont=1&cHash=21cbeb227ec5cbec6d369176cd7167e3 |website=Stadt Pforzheim | date=6 September 2023 |access-date=23 August 2025}}</ref> Constructed between 1968 and 1973 in the [[Brutalist architecture|Brutalist style]], it was designed by architect Rudolf Prenzel.<ref name="history"/><ref>{{cite web |title=Rudolf Prenzel: City Hall, 1959–1973 |url=https://www.sosbrutalism.org/cms/16678515 |website=SOS Brutalism |access-date=23 August 2025}}</ref>

'''1973''' As part of the reform of administrative districts, the rural district of Pforzheim was incorporated into the newly established [[Enz (district)|Enz]] rural district, which has its administration in Pforzheim. But the city of Pforzheim itself remains a district-less city. In addition, Pforzheim became the administrative center of the newly formed [[Northern Black Forest Region]].

'''1975''' On 1 January, the population exceeded 100.000 and Pforzheim gained the status of a "large city" (Grossstadt).

'''1979:''' Inauguration of the Pforzheim City Museum.<ref name="history"/>

'''1983:''' Inauguration of the "Technical Museum of the Jewellery and Watchmaking Industry" and the "Citizens Museum".<ref name="history"/>

'''1987:''' Inauguration of the City Convention Center.<ref name="history"/>

'''1987/1990:''' Inauguration of the City Theater at the Waisenhausplatz.<ref name="history"/>

'''1989:''' Sister City agreement with the City of [[Gernika]], Spain.<ref name="history"/>

'''1990:''' Sister City agreement with the City of [[Saint-Maur-des-Fossés]], France.<ref name="history"/>

'''1991:''' Sister City agreement with the City of [[Vicenza]], Italy.<ref name="history"/>

'''1992:''' State Gardening Expo in Pforzheim. Enzauenpark was created and part of the Enz river was re-naturalized.<ref name="history"/>

'''1994:''' Inauguration of the cultural institution "Kulturhaus Osterfeld".<ref name="history"/>

'''1994:''' Merger of the Pforzheim Business School and the Pforzheim School of Design to form the Pforzheim University of Applied Sciences in Design, Technology and Business.<ref name="history"/>

'''1995:''' Inauguration of the Archeological Site Kappelhof.

===21st century===
'''2000:''' Inauguration of the Pforzheim Gallery.<ref name="history"/>

'''2002:''' In November, during excavation works for a new shopping center in the center of the city, a power shovel hit a {{convert|250|kg|0|abbr=on}} bomb that had not detonated during the bombardment of 1945. On a Sunday, about 5000 citizens temporarily left their homes as a precaution while specialists defused and disposed of the latest of a large number of unexploded bombs found in Pforzheim's grounds since 1945.

'''2006:''' The [[Timex Group]] introduced [[TX Watch Company|a line of high-end watches]] engineered in Pforzheim over a five-year period, to [[Six Sigma|six sigma]] standards.<ref name="txlaunch">{{cite web
 |title       = Timex TX Watches
 |publisher   = The Watch Report
 |author      = Paul Hubbard
 |date        = 7 April 2007
 |url         = http://www.watchreport.com/2007/04/timex_tx_watche.html
 |url-status     = bot: unknown
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20070517193528/http://www.watchreport.com/2007/04/timex_tx_watche.html
 |archive-date = 17 May 2007
 |df          = dmy-all
}}</ref> The technology used miniaturization with digital sensors and microprocessors driving independent motors and dial hands &mdash; to enable a range of specialized [[Complication (horology)|complications]] atypical to non-digital, analog watches<ref name="txstart">{{cite web
  | title = Timex: Start in ein neues Zeitalter
  | publisher = Goettgen.de
  | url = http://www.goettgen.de/fz/start-ein-neues-zeitalter-1316836800}}</ref> &mdash; an array of functions that would either be impossible or highly impractical in a [[Mechanical watch|mechanical]] movement.<ref name="tximpossible">{{cite web
  | title = TX 400 Series Perpetual Weekly Calendar Ref. T3C301 Watch Review
  | publisher = ABTW
  | author = Arial Adams
  | date = 9 August 2009
  | url = http://www.ablogtowatch.com/tx-400-series-perpetual-weekly-calendar-ref-t3c301-watch-review//timex_tx_watche.html
  }}{{Dead link|date=May 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

==Demographics==
===Administrative unions===
Formerly independent communities and districts which were incorporated into the City of Pforzheim.

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Administrative unions of Pforzheim
|- 
! Date incorporated !! Community !! Increase in km<sup>2</sup> !! Increase in sq&nbsp;mi
|-
| 1 January 1905 || Brötzingen || {{convert|13.01|km2|disp=table}}
|-
| 1 January 1913 || Dillweißenstein || {{convert|4.612|km2|disp=table}}
|-
| 1 April 1924 || Parts of Haidach district || {{convert|0.76|km2|disp=table}}
|-
| 1 October 1929 || Parts of Hagenschieß district || {{convert|16.23|km2|disp=table}}
|-
| 1 September 1971 || Würm || {{convert|8.22|km2|disp=table}}
|-
| 1 April 1972 || Hohenwart || {{convert|4.92|km2|disp=table}}
|-
| 1 January 1974 || Büchenbronn || {{convert|11.14|km2|disp=table}}
|-
| 1 January 1975 || Huchenfeld || {{convert|9.47|km2|disp=table}}
|-
| 20 September 1975 || Eutingen an der Enz || {{convert|8.45|km2|disp=table}}
|}

===Population===
The table below shows the number of inhabitants for the past 500&nbsp;years. Until 1789 the numbers represent estimates, after that they represent census results or official recordings by the Statistics Offices or the city administration.

{{Historical populations
|align        = none
|percentages  = pagr
|graph-pos    = right
|cols         = 2
|1500|   800
|1689|  1000
|1789|  4311
|1810|  5572
|1830|  6284
|1849| 10711
|1855| 12377
|1871| 19803
|1890| 29988
|1900| 43373
|1910| 69082
|1925| 78859
|1933| 79816
|1939| 79011
|1946| 46752
|1950| 54143
|1961| 82524
|1970| 90338
|1975|108635
|1980|106500
|1985|104100
|1987|106530
|1990|112944
|1997|118300
|2000|117156
|2003|115777
|2020|126016
}}

The population growth diagram show that the largest growth rates were recorded between about 1830 and 1925, which was the period following the political reorganisation of Europe agreed upon at the [[Vienna Congress]] of 1815 after the violent period that was so much dominated by [[Napoleon Bonaparte]] of France. This high population growth period coincided with the period of intensive [[industrialisation]] of Germany. Population growth weakened due to the effects of [[World War I]] and [[World War II]]. The population declined sharply due to the destruction on 23 February 1945, and increased sharply in the post-World War II era due to high economic growth levels in West-Germany and the rapid rebuilding efforts in Pforzheim. Earlier setbacks were recorded during the [[Thirty Years' War]] period in the 17th century.

===Immigration===
Pforzheim has the largest percent of foreign nationals in Baden-Württemberg (31.2% as of November 2023).<ref>{{Cite web |title=2,1 Millionen Ausländerinnen und Ausländer leben in Baden-Württemberg - Statistisches Landesamt Baden-Württemberg |url=https://www.statistik-bw.de/Presse/Pressemitteilungen/2024104 |access-date=2025-08-11 |website=www.statistik-bw.de}}</ref> 60.4% of the population has a migration background (as of 2024), which is the second highest percentage in Germany.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Statistische Daten auf einen Blick: Stadt Pforzheim |url=https://www.pforzheim.de/buerger/buergerservice/kommunale-statistikstelle/statistische-daten-auf-einen-blick.html |access-date=2025-08-11 |website=www.pforzheim.de}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-03-18 |title=Pforzheim liegt beim Migrationshintergrund auf Platz zwei in Deutschland |url=https://bnn.de/pforzheim/pforzheim-stadt/pforzheim-liegt-beim-migrationshintergrund-auf-platz-zwei-in-deutschland |access-date=2025-08-11 |website=Badische Neueste Nachrichten |language=de}}</ref> The largest groups of foreigners, in that order, are from Romania, Turkey, Italy, Iraq, Croatia, Ukraine, Hungary, Syria, Poland, and Bulgaria (as of 2023).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Stadt Pforzheim |title=Pforzheimer Bevölkerung 2023 |url=https://www.pforzheim.de/fileadmin/user_upload/statistik/2024/Pforzheimer_Bev%C3%B6lkerung_2023_-_Teil_1.pdf |access-date=August 11, 2025}}</ref> 

The table below lists the largest immigrant groups of Pforzheim {{as of|2018|12|31|lc=y}}.
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Largest immigrant groups by nationality
|-
| {{flag|Turkey}}          || {{right}} 4,952
|-
| {{flag|Romania}}         || {{right}} 4,129
|-
| {{flag|Italy}}           || {{right}} 3,939
|-
| {{flag|Iraq}}            || {{right}} 3,653
|-
| {{flag|Croatia}}         || {{right}} 2,173
|-
| {{flag|Hungary}}         || {{right}} 1,735
|-
| {{flag|Poland}}          || {{right}} 1,392
|-
| {{flag|Syria}}           || {{right}} 1,062
|-
| {{flag|Portugal}}        || {{right}}   993
|-
| {{flag|Bulgaria}}        || {{right}}   895
|-
| {{flag|Kosovo}}          || {{right}}   845
|-
| {{flag|Serbia}}          || {{right}}   754
|-
| {{flag|Russia}}          || {{right}}   710
|-
| {{flag|Greece}}          || {{right}}   691
|-
| {{flag|Slovakia}}        || {{right}}   397
|-
| {{flag|Spain}}           || {{right}}   332
|-
| {{flag|North Macedonia}} || {{right}}   322
|-
| {{flag|Ukraine}}         || {{right}}   278
|-
| {{flag|France}}          || {{right}}   242
|-
| {{flag|Vietnam}}         || {{right}}   212
|}

===Religions===
After margrave [[Karl II, Margrave of Baden-Durlach|Karl II of Baden]] in 1556 installed the [[Protestant Reformation]] in the [[Margraviate of Baden]], of which Pforzheim was the capital in those days, Pforzheim continued to be a [[Protestantism|Protestant]] town for several centuries. The congregations in Pforzheim were affiliated with the deanery (Dekanat) of Pforzheim of the Protestant [[National Church of Baden]], unless they were members of one of the independent churches ([[Freikirche]]).

Since the 19th century at the latest [[Catholic Church|Catholics]] settled in Pforzheim again. They are affiliated with the deanery of Pforzheim, which belongs to the [[Archdiocese of Freiburg]].

Other denominations and religious sects in Pforzheim are:
* [[Israelite Congregation]]
* [[Islamic Congregation]]
* [[Adventism|Adventist Congregation]]
* [[Jehovah's Witnesses]]
* [[Baptist Church]]
* [[Salvation Army]]
* [[Methodist Church]]
* [[Church of Christ, Scientist]]

==Politics==
===City council===
The [[Municipal council|city council]] of Pforzheim consists of the ''Oberbürgermeister'' (mayor) as its president and 40 elected (part-time) councillors. It is  elected by the citizens for a period of five years. The last election was on 9 June 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Zeitung |first=Stuttgarter |title=Ergebnisse der Gemeinderatswahl 2024 in Pforzheim |url=https://www.stuttgarter-zeitung.de/inhalt.gemeinderatswahl-2024-bw-pforzheim-wahlergebnis.d70b4fdd-dbdc-4f27-8d65-4fca93f0aa79.html |access-date=2025-08-11 |website=stuttgarter-zeitung.de |language=de}}</ref> The city council is the main representative body of the city and determines the goals and frameworks for all local political activities. It makes decisions about all important issues regarding the public life and administration of the city and directs and monitors the work of the city administration. It forms expert committees in order to deal with specialized issues.

===Lord mayors===
At an early stage, the town administration was led by the [[mayor]] (''[[Schultheiss]]'') who used to be appointed by the lord (owner) of the town. Later on, there was a council with a mayor leading it, who since 1849 holds the title "Oberbürgermeister". The terms of office of the mayors until 1750 are unknown. Only the names of the mayors are mentioned in historical documents.
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Lord mayors of Pforzheim
|-
! Start !! End !! Year(s) !! Mayor
|-
| 1750 || 1758 || {{age in years nts|1750|1758}} || [[Ernst Matthaeus Kummer]]
|-
| 1758 || 1770 || {{age in years nts|1758|1770}} || W.C. Steinhaeuser
|-
| 1770 || 1775 || {{age in years nts|1770|1775}} || Weiss
|-
| 1775 || 1783 || {{age in years nts|1775|1783}} || Kissling
|-
| 1783 || 1795 || {{age in years nts|1783|1795}} || Guenzel
|-
| 1795 || 1798 || {{age in years nts|1795|1798}} || Geiger
|-
| 1798 || 1815 || {{age in years nts|1798|1815}} || [[Jakob Friedrich Dreher]]
|-
| 1815 || 1830 || {{age in years nts|1815|1830}} || [[Christoph Friedrich Krenkel]]
|-
| 1830 || 1837 || {{age in years nts|1830|1837}} || [[Wilhelm Lenz]]
|-
| 1837 || 1848 || {{age in years nts|1837|1848}} || [[Rudolf Deimling]]
|-
| 1848 || 1849 || {{age in years nts|1848|1849}} || [[Christian Crecelius]]
|-
| 1849 || 1862 || {{age in years nts|1849|1862}} || [[Karl Zirenner]]
|-
| 1862 || 1875 || {{age in years nts|1862|1875}} || [[Kaspar Schmidt]]
|-
| 1875 || 1884 || {{age in years nts|1875|1884}} || [[Karl Gross (mayor)|Karl Gross]]
|-
| 1885 || 1889 || {{age in years nts|1885|1889}} || [[Emil Kraatz]]
|-
| 1889 || 1919 || {{age in years nts|1889|1919}} || [[Ferdinand Habermehl]]
|-
| 1920 || 1933 || {{age in years nts|1920|1933}} || [[Erwin Guendert]]
|-
| 1933 || 1933 || {{age in years nts|1933|1933}} || Dr. [[Emil Goelser]]
|-
| 1933 || 1933 || {{age in years nts|1933|1933}} || Dr. [[Hans Gottlob]]
|-
| 1933 || 1941 || {{age in years nts|1933|1941}} || [[Hermann Kuerz]]
|-
| 1941 || 1942 || {{age in years nts|1941|1942}} || [[Karl Mohrenstein]]
|-
| 1942 || 1945 || {{age in years nts|1942|1945}} || [[Ludwig Seibel]]
|-
| 1945 || 1945 || {{age in years nts|1945|1945}} || [[Albert Hermann]]
|-
| 1945 || 1945 || {{age in years nts|1945|1945}} || [[Wilhelm Becker]]
|-
| 1945 || 1947 || {{age in years nts|1945|1947}} || [[Friedrich Adolf Katz]]
|-
| 1947 || 1966 || {{age in years nts|1947|1966}} || Dr. [[Johann Peter Brandenburg]], [[FDP (Deutschland)|FDP]]/[[German People's Party|DVP]]
|-
| 1966 || 1985 || {{age in years nts|1966|1985}} || Dr. [[Willi Weigelt]], [[Social Democratic Party of Germany|SPD]]
|-
| 1985 || 2001 || {{age in years nts|1985|2001}} || Dr. [[Joachim Becker]], [[Social Democratic Party of Germany|SPD]]
|-
| 2001 || 2009 || {{age in years nts|2001|2009}} || [[Christel Augenstein]], [[FDP (Deutschland)|FDP]]/[[German People's Party|DVP]]
|-
| 2009 || 2017 || {{age in years nts|2009|2017}} || [[Gert Hager]], [[Social Democratic Party of Germany|SPD]]
|-
| 2017 || ''present'' || {{age in years nts|2017}} || [[:de:Peter Boch|Peter Boch]], [[Christian Democratic Union of Germany|CDU]]
|}

===The coat of arms===
[[File:Wappen Pforzheim.svg|150px|thumb|right|Coat of arms of Pforzheim]]
The [[coat of arms]] of Pforzheim city shows in the left-hand half of a shield an inclined bar in red color on a golden background, and the right-hand half is divided into four fields in the colors red, silver, blue and gold. The city flag is white-blue.

The inclined bar can be traced back to the 13th century as the symbol of the lords (owners) of Pforzheim, which later on also became the National Coat of Arms of Baden, but its meaning is unknown. Since 1489 the coat of arms in its entire form can be verified, but its meaning is not known, either. Current coloring has been used only since 1853; in earlier times the coloring was different.{{r|Becht83|pp=221-238}}

==Economy and infrastructure==
Pforzheim is one of the regional centers (Oberzentrum) in [[Baden-Württemberg]] and has one of the highest densities of industrial activity in the state.

Pforzheim is historically an important jewelry and watch-making centre in Germany. Due to this reason, Pforzheim is nicknamed as Golden City. Jewelry and watch-making industry is first set up by Jean François Autran after receiving an edict from then overlord [[Margrave Karl Friedrich von Baden]].<ref name="invest1">{{cite web |author=Baden-Württemberg. Where ideas work. |url=http://www.bw-invest.de/eng/index_eng_1386.aspx |title=Baden-Württemberg. Where ideas work. - Pforzheim, Goldstadt Deutschlands |publisher=Bw-invest.de |date=17 June 2006 |access-date=6 May 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071014215727/http://www.bw-invest.de/eng/index_eng_1386.aspx |archive-date=14 October 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> This enterprise is later joined by other commercial enterprises and helped Pforzheim to become an important manufacturing city. Pforzheim accounts for just under 70 percent of the total sales of the German jewelry and silverware industry and around 80 percent of all the pieces of jewelry exported by Germany come from Pforzheim.

However, a smaller fraction of the economy nowadays is dedicated to producing the traditional products of [[watches]] and [[jewellery]]. Only 11,000 people are employed in the jewelry and watch-making industries.<ref name="invest1"/> Two thirds of all employment positions are made available in the areas of metal processing, dental industry electronics and [[electro-technology]]. The [[mail order]] companies (Bader, Klingel, Wenz) with their sales volumes in the order of millions of Euros occupies a leading position in Germany. [[Tourism]] is gaining importance. In this respect the city benefits from its favorable Three-Valleys location at the gateway to the Black Forest, and related to this, from the starting points of a large number of hiking, cycling and waterway routes. The [[European long-distance paths|European long-distance trail]] [[European walking route E1|E1]] passes through Pforzheim. It is also the starting point of the Black Forest hiking routes [[Westweg]], [[Mittelweg]] and [[Ostweg]].

===Transport===
Pforzheim is located on the [[Karlsruhe–Mühlacker railway|Karlsruhe–Mühlacker line]], part of the legacy railway between Karlsruhe and Stuttgart. [[Pforzheim Hauptbahnhof]], the central station, is a junction station, as two [[Black Forest]] branch lines start here: the [[Enz Valley Railway]] to [[Bad Wildbad]], and the [[Nagold Valley Railway]] to [[Calw]], [[Nagold]] and [[Horb am Neckar|Horb]]. Since the 1990s, the [[Karlsruhe Stadtbahn|Karlsruhe tram-train]] system has been extended to Pforzheim: since 2019, the local service to [[Karlsruhe]] is the S5 tram-train continuing into Karlsruhe city centre and [[Wörth am Rhein]]. In addition, tram-train S6 links Pforzheim via the Enz Valley Railway with the town centre of Bad Wildbad. In addition to tram-trains, regional trains operated by [[Arverio Baden-Württemberg]] and [[DB Regio Baden-Württemberg]] offer connections to Karlsruhe, [[Mühlacker]], [[Bietigheim-Bissingen]] and [[Stuttgart]] (routes IRE1 and MEX17a), as well as to [[Tübingen]] via Calw (RB73). Also, some [[Intercity (Deutsche Bahn)|Intercity]] trains operated by [[Deutsche Bahn]] serve Pforzheim on its Karlsruhe-Stuttgart-[[Nuremberg]] route.

Local bus service in Pforzheim is currently franchised to [[DB Regio Bus|DB Südwestbus]], operating 13 urban bus routes. In addition, there are regional bus services to surrounding places.

The nearest airports are [[Stuttgart Airport]], located {{convert|49|km|abbr=on}} south east and [[Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden Airport]], located {{convert|62|km|abbr=on}} north west of Pforzheim.

All regional trains, tram-trains and buses within Pforzheim and the surrounding Enzkreis are marketed under the brand of the ''[[Verkehrsverbund Pforzheim-Enzkreis]]'' (VPE), offering mutually integrated fares.

Between 1900 and 1968 a [[Pforzheim Light Railway|metre-gauge light railway]] existed between Pforzheim and [[Ittersbach]], connected there to the still existing [[Busenbach–Ittersbach railway]].

The [[Bundesautobahn 8|A8 Autobahn]] ([[Perl, Germany|Perl]]–[[Bad Reichenhall]]) runs by just to the north of the city. The city can be accessed via four A8 exits. In addition, the [[Bundesstraße 10|B10]] ([[Lebach]]–[[Augsburg]]) and [[Bundesstraße 294|B294]] ([[Gundelfingen]]–[[Bretten]]) and [[Bundesstraße 463|B463]] (Pforzheim–[[Nagold]]) run through the city.

===Major local enterprises===
* [[Wellendorff|Wellendorff Gold-Creationen GmbH & Co. KG]], worldwide selling, family-owned jewellery since 1893
* [[Victor Mayer]] GmbH & Co. KG, Workmaster of [[Fabergé (line)|Fabergé]]
* [[Amazon (company)|Amazon]], logistics centre
* [[Durowe]], watch movement manufacturer
* Schmid Machine Tools
* Klingel Mail Order Company
* Bader Mail Order Company
* Witzenmann GmbH (Specialized Metal Goods)
* Mapal WWS
* Allgemeine Gold- und Silberscheideanstalt (metal processing)
* Sparkasse Pforzheim Calw (Local financial services company)
* Bernhard Forster GmbH (Forestadent) (Orthodontic Products Manufacturer)

===Media===
The daily newspapers ''[[Pforzheimer Zeitung]]'' (independent) and the ''Pforzheimer Kurier'', which is a regional edition of ''[[Badische Neueste Nachrichten]]'' (BNN) with main editorial offices in [[Karlsruhe]], are published in Pforzheim.

===Courts of Justice===
Pforzheim is the site of a Local Court of Justice, which belongs to the District Court and Higher District Court Precinct of Karlsruhe. It is also the domicile of a local [[labor court]].

===Authorities===
Pforzheim is the domicile of the following public authorities and public incorporated bodies:
* Pforzheim [[Arbeitsagentur|Employment Exchange]] (a federal government agency; Arbeitsagentur Pforzheim).
* Pforzheim [[Internal Revenue Agency]] (a state agency; Finanzamt Pforzheim)
* [[Northern Black Forest Chamber of Commerce]] (a public incorporated body; IHK Nordschwarzwald). The precinct of the chamber is the Northern Black Forest Region.
* [[Northern Black Forest Regional Association]] (a public incorporated body; Regionalverband Nordschwarzwald).

===Educational institutions===
* [[Pforzheim University of Applied Sciences]] (Hochschule Pforzheim – Hochschule fuer Gestaltung, Technik und Wirtschaft) enrolls about 5400 students. It was formed in 1992 by way of merging the former Pforzheim School of Design (Fachhochschule für Gestaltung) and Pforzheim Business School (Fachhochschule für Wirtschaft) and additionally establishing the Faculty of Engineering. The Pforzheim School of Design had its roots in the Ducal Academy of Arts and Crafts and Technical School for the Metal Processing Industry, established 1877. The Pforzheim Business School was the successor institution of the National Business College, which was established in 1963. The campuses of the Faculty of Design and the Faculties of Economics and Engineering are located at separate sites in the city area. The Pforzheim University of Applied Sciences fosters international exchange. Among other relationships, it is affiliated with the NIEBES Association and has close academic ties to [[Osijek]] University of [[Croatia]] and academic exchange programs with many institutions abroad, among them [[Auburn University]], the [[University of Wyoming]], [[Brigham Young University]] and the [[Illinois Institute of Technology]], in Chicago, of the United States of America.
* The Goldsmith and Watchmaking Vocational School is one of the two schools of its kind in Europe. It is attended by many students from abroad.
* The general qualification for university admission (Abitur) can be obtained through an education at the [[Reuchlin-Gymnasium|Reuchlin-Highschool]], the Kepler-Highschool, the Hebel-Highschool, the Theodor-Heuss-Highschool, the Hilda-Highschool, the Schiller-Highschool, the [[Fritz Erler School (Pforzheim)|Fritz-Erler-Highschool]] (economics-oriented high school), the Heinrich-Wieland-Highschool (technology-oriented high school), the Johanna-Wittum-Highschool (home economics-oriented high school), as well as the Waldorfschule.
* Pforzheim also has many schools providing the mandatory general elementary and secondary education (''Grundschule'', ''Realschule'') as well an institution which is dedicated to further education of grown-ups (''Volkshochschule''). There are also several state-run vocational schools leading to professional diplomas in the crafts and trades.<ref name="history"/>

==Culture and places of interest==
{{Prose|section|date=February 2020}}

===Theatre===
* Municipal Theatre of Pforzheim (opera, operetta, dance, musical, drama)

===Orchestras===
* [[Pforzheim Chamber Orchestra]] – This orchestra was founded by Friedrich Tilegant in 1950
* Symphony Orchestra of the City of Pforzheim

===Museums===
* Archeological Site Kappelhof – Roman and medieval excavation objects
* Civic Museum Eutingen
* Museum on the German Democratic Republic (former east Germany)
* The Center of Fellow-Countrymen Associations (Landsmannschaften; especially those from eastern Europe)
* The Pforzheim Minerals Museum
* The Pforzheim Gallery (paintings)
* Reuchlinhaus
* The Pforzheim Jewellery Museum in the Reuchlinhaus
* The Pforzheim City Museum Pforzheim (on city history)
* The Technical Museum of the Jewellery and Watchmaking Industry of Pforzheim
* Weissenstein Station – On Railway History in the area of Pforzheim
* Roman Estate in the Kanzlerwald (the excavated remains of an estate built by Roman settlers)
* The Product Exhibition of Pforzheim (jewellery) Companies (Industriehaus)
* The Exhibition of Precious Stones by Widow Mrs. Schuett

===Cultural institutions===
* The House of Culture Osterfeld (a sociocultural center: theater, music, dance, cabaret, musical, arts, exhibitions etc.)
* Kupferdaechle (The Copper Roof Teenage Culture Center)
* The Puppet Theater of Raphael Muerle / The Marionette Stage Mottenkaefig
* The Communal Cinema of Pforzheim
* CongressCenter Pforzheim (CCP)
* City Library

===Notable examples of architecture===
====Pre-war====
* The Archive Building (Archivbau)
* The House of Industry (Industriehaus)
* The Arch Bridge at Dillweißenstein
* The ruins of [[Liebeneck Castle]]
* District office tower (Bezirksamtsturm)
* Leitgastturm
* Seehaus (formerly a hunting villa of the Margrave; now a popular destination for Sunday afternoon walks away from the city)
* The Old Grapes Press of Brötzingen
* Hachel Tower
* The Copper Hammer (Kupferhammer; a traditional water-powered sledge hammer which was used for metal forming)

====Post-war====
[[File:Auferstehungskirche Pforzheim.jpg|thumb|Resurrection Church (Auferstehungskirche)]] 
* The Main Railway Station
* The former main post office and Brötzingen post office
* Reuchlinhaus
* Goldener Adler Building at Leopoldplatz
* former Public Health Authority building (Gesundheitsamt) at Blumenhof
* District Court Building
* The Old and New City Hall
* Stadtbau Building (Architect: Luigi Snozzi)
* Sparkasse Tower
* Churches:
** The Palais and Monastery Church St. Michael (Schloss- und Stiftskirche); it is the city's landmark.
** The Old Town Church St. Martin (Altstadtkirche; Protestant)
** Resurrection Church (Auferstehungskirche; Protestant)
** The Bare Feet Church (Barfüsserkirche; Catholic)
** Christ Church of Brötzingen (Protestant)
** The Protestant City Church (Stadtkirche)
** Sacred Heart Church (Herz-Jesu-Kirche; Catholic)
** St. Matthew Church (Matthäuskirche; Protestant). This church was designed by architect Eiermann and is a precursory structure of the famous New Berlin Memorial Church (Gedächtniskirche)
** St. Francis Church (Catholic)
* Other Temples
** The Islamic Mosque
** The notable New Synagogue (1890) was lost on [[Kristallnacht]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.alemannia-judaica.de/synagoge_pforzheim.htm |title=Die Synagoge in Pforzheim (Stadtkreis Pforzheim) |publisher=Alemannia-judaica.de |access-date=6 May 2009}}</ref>

===Other sites of interest===
* The [[Alpengarten Pforzheim]], closed since 2006
* The Main Cemetery (Hauptfriedhof)
* Wallberg. The debris from the destroyed town (23 February 1945) was dumped onto this hill. The Wallberg-Monument on the top is meant to remind people of the city's history; it was erected in 2005 on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the bombing raid.
* The Game Animals Zoo (Wildpark Pforzheim)
* Brötzingen Valley Stadium. This is the classical [[soccer stadium]] of the 1. FC Pforzheim soccer club of 1896, which was inaugurated in 1913. It accommodated a record number of "15.000 to 20.000" spectators on the occasion of the match between South Germany against Central Hungary in 1920. In the post-Second-World-War era it accommodated 12.000 spectators at the cup matches 1. FC Pforzheim – [[1. FC Nürnberg]] (score 2–1 after extra time; 1961) and 1. FCP – [[Werder Bremen]] (score 1–1 after extension; 1988). The soccer club (simply called the "club"), which during its history supplied the first [[national team]] captain and a total of eleven first league players, had to file for bankruptcy in February 2004 and for the first time in history is playing in the fifth league, i.e. the Soccer Association's Northern [[Baden]] League, during the 2004–05 season. In 1906, the club lost the final of the German Football Championship against [[VfB Leipzig]] 1–2 in [[Nuremberg]].
* The Weststadtpark in the borough Maihälden, an extensive park area

==Twin towns and sister cities==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany}}
Pforzheim is [[Sister city|twinned]] with:<ref>{{cite web |title=Partnerstädte|url=https://www.pforzheim.de/buerger/rathaus/europa-und-die-partnerstaedte/partnerstaedte.html|website=pforzheim.de|publisher=Pforzheim|language=de|access-date=2021-03-08}}</ref>
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
* {{flagicon|Spain}} [[Guernica|Gernika-Lumo]], Spain (1989)
* {{flagicon|France}} [[Saint-Maur-des-Fossés]], France (1989)
* {{flagicon|Italy}} [[Vicenza]], Italy (1991)
* {{flagicon|Russia}} [[Irkutsk]], Russia (2007)
* {{flagicon|Turkey}} [[Nevşehir]], Turkey (2007)
* {{flagicon|Poland}} [[Częstochowa]], Poland (2007)
* {{flagicon|Hungary}} [[Győr-Moson-Sopron]], Hungary (2007)
* {{flagicon|Croatia}} [[Osijek]], Croatia (2008)
{{div col end}}

==Notable people==
[[File:Johannes Reuchlin 400th Anniversary of his Death 1522 Medal 1922, obverse.jpg|thumb|140px|[[Johannes Reuchlin]] 400th Anniversary Medal, 1922]]
[[File:Heinrich Wieland.jpg|thumb|140px|[[Heinrich Otto Wieland]], 1927]]
[[File:Manfred Mohr Portrait 2019.jpg|thumb|140px|[[Manfred Mohr]], 2019]]
[[File:Hasenmayer 1.jpg|thumb|140px|[[Jochen Hasenmayer]], 2009]]
* [[Jakob Bänsch]] (born 2003), jazz musician
* [[Johannes Reuchlin]] (1455–1522), humanist and philosopher.<ref>{{Cite NIE |wstitle= Reuchlin, Johann |volume= XVII | page= |short=1}}</ref>
* [[Ernest, Margrave of Baden-Durlach]] (1482–1553), the ruling [[Margrave]] of Baden-Pforzheim from 1533
* [[Nikolaus Gerbel]] (1485–1560), humanist and jurist
* [[Charles II, Margrave of Baden-Durlach]] (1529-1577), governed [[Baden-Durlach]] from 1552 to 1577.
* [[Philipp Jakob Becker]] (1763–1829), painter
* [[Christopher Bechtler]] (1782–1843), goldsmith and [[watchmaker]]
* [[Karl Heinrich Baumgaertner]] (1798–1886), physician and [[pathologist]]
* [[Christian Friedrich Wilhelm Roller]] (1802–1878), psychiatrist 
* [[Bertha Benz]] (1849–1944), wife of automotive engineer [[Carl Benz]]
* [[Victor Mayer]] (1857–1946), jewellery manufacturer
* [[Guillermo Kahlo]] (1871–1941), photographer. father of painter [[Frida Kahlo]]
* [[Heinrich Otto Wieland]] (1877–1957), chemist, won the 1927 [[Nobel Prize in Chemistry]]
* [[Erich Rothacker]] (1888–1965), sociologist and exponent of [[philosophical anthropology]].
* [[Emil Georg Bührle]] (1890–1956), Swiss industrialist and armament manufacturer
* [[Fritz Todt]] (1891–1942), engineer and head of [[Organisation Todt]]
* [[Hans Ferdinand Mayer]] (1895–1980), physicist and electrical engineer
* [[Karl Abt (painter)|Karl Abt]] (1899–1985), painter of naturalistic landscapes and flowers
* [[Adolf Rosenberger]] (1900–1967), race car driver and co-founder of [[Porsche]]
* [[Fritz Dietrich]] (1905–1945), musicologist and composer
* [[Hans Henninger]] (1905–1937), stage and film actor
* [[Laura Perls]] (1905–1990), psychoanalyst
* [[Herbert Witzenmann]] (1905–1988), writer and researcher
* [[W. Carl Burger]] (1925–2023), American [[Abstract expressionism|abstract expressionist]] painter.
* [[Fritz Rau]] (1930–2013), music promoter and concert manager
* [[Werner Tochtermann]] (1934–2021), chemist and university lecturer
* [[Manfred Mohr]] (born 1938), artist, pioneer of the [[digital art]]
* [[Jochen Hasenmayer]] (born 1941), [[Speleology|speleologist]] and cave diver
* [[Wolfgang Heinz (criminologist)|Wolfgang Heinz]] (born 1942), criminologist and legal scientist
* [[Dieter Kosslick]] (born 1948), director of the [[Berlinale]] Film Festival
* [[Peter Bofinger]] (born 1954), economist and a former member of the [[German Council of Economic Experts]]
* [[Tomas Maier]] (born 1957), fashion designer
* [[Jürgen Elsässer]] (born 1957), journalist and political activist
* [[Marcus Prinz von Anhalt]] (born 1966), businessman, nightclub and brothel owner
* [[Stefan Mappus]] (born 1966), economist and politician (CDU)
* [[Florian Ross]] (born 1972), composer, jazz pianist and bandleader
* [[Jeff S. Klotz]] (born 1990), author, publisher, museum director and entrepreneur

=== Sport ===
[[File:Nicola Thost.JPG|thumb|140px|[[Nicola Thost]], 2015]]
* [[Robert Faas]] (1889–1914), footballer
* [[Marius Hiller]] (1892–1964), footballer
* [[Hellmut Maneval]] (1898–1967), footballer
* [[Theodor Burkhardt]] (1905–1958), footballer
* [[Leah Horowitz (runner)|Leah Horowitz]] (1933–1956), Israeli hurdler
* [[Bernd Klotz]] (born 1958), football coach and a former player who played over 230 games
* [[Marcello Craca]] (born 1974), German-Italian tennis player
* [[Nicola Thost]] (born 1977), snowboarder and gold medallist at the [[1998 Winter Olympics]]
* [[Marcel Rapp]] (born 1979), former footballer who played 381 games
* [[Stephan Loboué]] (born 1981), football goalkeeper who has played over 240 games
* [[Sascha Boller]] (born 1984), footballer who has played over 230 games 
* [[Denis Thomalla]] (born 1992), footballer who played over 320 games
* [[Matthias Zimmermann (footballer, born 1992)|Matthias Zimmermann]] (born 1992), footballer who has played over 380 games
* [[Vincenzo Grifo]] (born 1993), footballer, played over 340 games
* [[Julian Günther-Schmidt]] (born 1994), footballer who has played over 300 games
* [[Robert Bauer (footballer)|Robert Bauer]] (born 1995), footballer, played over 200 games
* [[Robin Hack]] (born 1998), footballer, played over 170 games

===Honorary citizens===
* 1939 * [[:de:Alfons Kern|Alfons Kern, (DE Wiki)]], (1859-1941), historian and city architect
* 1965 * [[:de:Johann Peter Brandenburg|Johann Peter Brandenburg, (DE Wiki)]], (1905-1977) politician ([[Free Democratic Party of Germany|FDP]]/[[German People's Party|DVP]]), Member of State Parliament, Lord Mayor of Pforzheim
* 1985 * Willi Weigelt (1920–2002), politician ([[Social Democratic Party of Germany|SPD]]), Lord Mayor of Pforzheim
* 1991 * [[:de:Richard Ziegler|Richard Ziegler, (DE Wiki)]] (1891-1992), painter
* 1998 * [[Rolf Schweizer]] (1936–2016), composer, choirmaster and church music director

==Miscellaneous topics==
* The [[Freemasons]] Lodge "Reuchlin" is located in Pforzheim.
* [[Fool's Garden]], an internationally successful [[rock band]], has its origins in Pforzheim.

==Gallery==
<gallery mode=packed>
Pforzheim church.jpg|Church of St. Michael
Pforzheim 1.jpg|The New City Hall and Waisenhaus square
Pforzheim 2.jpg|Enz river at Rossbrücke
Reuchlin1s.jpg|Statue of Johannes Reuchlin
Auer s.jpg|Monument commemorating the timber floating profession in medieval Pforzheim
Haidach Buckenberg.jpg|Haidach planned suburb, Buckenberg estate, Enz valley
</gallery>

==References==
===Citations===
{{reflist|40em|refs=
<ref name="history">{{cite web|title=Kurze Chronik der Stadt Pforzheim|trans-title=Brief chronicle of the city of Pforzheim|work=Stadtarchivs Pforzheim|date=5 March 2002 |url=http://www.pforzheim.de/portal/page?_pageid=123,50560&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060515092845/http://www.pforzheim.de/portal/page?_pageid=123,50560&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL|archive-date=2006-05-15|language=de}}</ref>
<ref name="Becht83">{{cite book|first=Hans-Peter|last=Becht|title=Pforzheim im Mittelalter|location=[[Sigmaringen]]|isbn=3-7995-6044-0|oclc=11234712|year=1983|language=de}}</ref>
<ref name="Becht89">{{cite book|first=Hans-Peter|last=Becht|title=Pforzheim in der frühen Neuzeit|location=[[Sigmaringen]]|isbn=3-7995-6045-9|oclc=1069172633|year=1989|language=de}}</ref>
<ref name="Groh">{{cite web|last=Groh|first=Christian|date=2005-04-10|title=Pforzheim und Baden zur Zeit Johannes Reuchlin|trans-title=Pforzheim and Baden at the time of Johannes Reuchlin|language=de|url=http://www.loebliche-singer-pforzheim.de/VortragGrohMatinee2005.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051027105512/http://www.loebliche-singer-pforzheim.de/VortragGrohMatinee2005.html|archive-date=2005-10-27}}</ref>
}}

===Notes===
{{notelist}}

==External links==
{{sister project auto}}
* {{Official website}}
* [https://reisemagazin-online.com/pforzheim-das-goldstueck-des-schwarzwaldes/ Pforzheim as a destination - Presented in travel magazine]
* {{Wikisource-inline|list=
** {{Cite Americana|wstitle=Pforzheim|short=x |noicon=x}}
** {{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Pforzheim|short=x |noicon=x}}
** {{Cite Nuttall|wstitle=Pforzheim|short=x |noicon=x}}
** {{Cite NIE|wstitle=Pforzheim|year=1905|short=x |noicon=x}}
** {{Cite AmCyc|wstitle=Pforzheim|short=x |noicon=x}}
}}

{{Cities in Germany}}
{{Germany districts Baden-Württemberg}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Pforzheim| ]]
[[Category:Cities in Baden-Württemberg]]
[[Category:Holocaust locations in Germany]]
[[Category:Karlsruhe (region)]]
[[Category:Urban districts of Baden-Württemberg]]