Binzen

Binzen is situated in the Three-Country Corner of Germany, Switzerland, and France, on the southwestern foothills of the Black Forest at the exit of the Kandertal valley in the greater Basel-Weil-Lörrach area. To the south of Binzen lies the approximately 460-meter-high Tüllinger Berg.

The municipality borders to the north on an exclave of Efringen-Kirchen, as well as on Fischingen and Schallbach; to the east on Rümmingen; to the southeast on the district town of Lörrach; to the south on the city of Weil am Rhein; and to the west on Eimeldingen.

The municipality of Binzen includes the village of Binzen, the houses Autohof and Buchmühle, as well as the farm Obere Mühle. The deserted settlement of Eppalinchova is also located within the municipal area.^[3]

Binzen also includes a part of the Kander river.

The first documented mention of the settlement as Binuzhaine dates back to the year 767. It is mentioned again in 807 as Pinuzheim in a document from the St. Gallen Abbey.^[4][5] The village was confiscated as an Alamannic lordship by the Franks and came into the possession of the Frankish royal monastery of St. Denis around 1200 years ago. Later, various ecclesiastical and secular authorities had rights in Binzen, with the Bishop of Basel being of particular importance. The seat of power was Binzen Castle. At the beginning of the 16th century, the majority of Binzen came into the possession of the Margraviate of Baden-Durlach, but it was not until 1769 that the entire village became part of Baden. The oldest known description of Binzen dates back to 1583 and was written by the then pastor Paul Cherler.^[6] In 1939 at the beginning of World War II, a part of the population of some Markgräfler villages near the border was evacuated. The return journey was organized before Christmas 1939. The return train from Oberstdorf to Müllheim crashed near Markdorf (railway accident near Markdorf), resulting in the death of 101 people – including 42 from Binzen.

Binzen belonged ecclesiastically to the Diocese of Constance, although the Bishop of Basel was a significant landowner and feudal lord. Since the introduction of the Reformation in the Margraviate of Baden-Durlach in 1556,^[7] however, Binzen has been predominantly influenced by Protestantism. For Roman Catholics, there is the church in Haltingen, which belongs to the Archdiocese of Freiburg. According to the 2011 census, 48.1% of Binzen's residents were Protestant, 20.4% were Catholic, and 31.5% belonged to another or no religious community.

Binzen is the seat of the municipal administrative association "Vorderes Kandertal," in which the municipalities of Binzen, Eimeldingen, Fischingen, Rümmingen, Schallbach, and Wittlingen have combined their administrations since 1971.

Following the municipal election on 26 May 2019, the municipal council consists of the mayor as chairman and 12 members. The voter turnout was 66.5% (2014: 57.0%). The election resulted in the following outcome.^[8]

Upon reaching the retirement age of 68, Ulrich May resigned from the mayor's office on 30 September 2012, after 23 years in office.^[9] On 8 July 2012, Andreas Schneucker was elected as the new mayor with 78.9% of the votes.^[10] On 12 July 2020, Andreas Schneucker was re-elected with 82.7% of the votes.^[11]