to be destroyed. To protect them from further destruction, many industries, including DEHOMAG, a predecessor of IBM, were relocated to Hechingen from damaged areas of Germany, such as Berlin. Parts of the Kaiser Wilhelm Society, notably its Institute for Physics, were also relocated there. In April 1945, American troops of the Manhattan Project's Alsos Mission's Operation Big entered Hechingen in pursuit of men, materiel, and facilities related to the German nuclear energy project. There they seized a large atomic research laboratory and experimental nuclear reactor. Many of the physicists captured there were later interned in England in Operation Epsilon and tried in German war crimes tribunals over the following years. The city became part of the French occupation zone, and the military governor of the city was Colonel Courtois. The Landkreis became part of Württemberg-Hohenzollern in 1947 until the creation of the state of Baden-Württemberg in 1952. In 1973, it was incorporated into the Zollernalbkreis, with Balingen as the capital. Economy The city of Hechingen has been an important economic center for the region for over a century. People from Mössingen, Sonnenbühl, Albstadt, and the Swabian Alps came to work. After the Second World War, IBM, BMW, and HP applied for building permits, which the city government denied. IBM and HP later built facilities in Sindelfingen-Böblingen. Notable enterprises which have plants in Hechingen are Gambro, ELCO, the Hohenzollerische Landesbahn, and Sternenbäck. The city has a big industrial park in the north, which is divided into three areas: Lotzenäcker, Etzental, and Nasswasen. Three other industrial areas can be found in Hechingen: Reinetal, In den Seelenäckern and Auf der Bins. Politics The incumbent mayor of Hechingen is Philipp Hahn (CDU). Former mayors of Hechingen include: Twin towns – sister cities Hechingen is twinned with: Joué-lès-Tours, France (1973) Hódmezővásárhely, Hungary (1994) Since 1990, Hechingen also has friendly relations with Limbach-Oberfrohna, Germany. Notable people Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben (1730–1797), American general Karoline Kaulla (1739–1809), Court Jew Samuel Ullman (1840–1924), poet Elsa Einstein (1876–1936), cousin and wife of Albert Einstein Wilhelm von Preussen (1882–1951), last German Crown Prince Paul Levi (1883–1930), communist leader Otto Nerz (1892–1949), football player and manager and sports administrator Friedrich Kessler (1901–1998), law professor Wolfgang Abendroth (1906–1985), socialist jurist and political scientist Otto Baum (1911–1988), Knights Cross holder Georg Braun (1918–1995), Grand Prix motorcycle road racer Markus Wolf (1923–2006), spymaster Klaus Kinkel (1936–2019), vice chancellor of Germany Guenter Neumann (born 1958),