Blaustein () is a town in the district of Alb-Donau Baden-Württemberg in Germany. It is situated on the Blau River, 6 km west of Ulm and has about 15,000 inhabitants. Before 1968, Blaustein was known as Herrlingen. It was created in 1968 after the union of Ehrenstein and Klingenstein. During the 1970s, the municipalities of Arnegg, Bermaringen, Dietingen, Herrlingen, Lautern, Markbronn, Weidach and Wippingen became part of the new municipality of Blaustein. Herrlingen was the home of Anna Essinger's boarding school, Landschulheim Herrlingen, founded in 1926. In 1933, with the rise of Nazism, Essinger moved the school and, with their parents' permission, the school's 66 Jewish pupils to safety in England. Geography Geographical location Blaustein is west from Ulm, nestled between Hochsträß, Blautal, Lautertal and the plateau of the Swabian Jura. The town lies at an altitude of 490-690 meters. The rivers Blau and Lauter – which arises in Blaustein (Lautern) – flow through the city. Neighboring communities Blaustein is bordered on the northeast by Dornstadt, on the southeast by the town of Ulm, on the west by the town of Blaubeuren and on the northwest by Berghülen. Municipality arrangement The city Blaustein consists of the 10 districts Arnegg, Bermaringen, Dietingen, Ehrenstein, Herrlingen, Klingenstein, Lautern, Markbronn, Weidach and Wippingen. History Blaustein has been inhabited since the Neolithic period. There was a Neolithic temporal village near Ehrenstein. This was included in 2011 to the UNESCO World Heritage Site. However, the municipality and later town Blaustein arose only on 1 September 1968 with the merge of the municipalities Ehrenstein and Klingenstein. Before 1968, the city was known as Herrlingen. In the course of the municipal reform in this period, Markbronn-Dietingen was incorporated to Arnegg initially on 1 July, 1971. On 1 October 1974, the incorporation of Bermaringen and Wippingen to Blaustein took place. The community Blaustein received on 1 January 1975, the current form by the association of the municipalities Arnegg, Blaustein and Herrlingen. On 1 October 2014, Blaustein became a town. Districts Arnegg The place was first mentioned in 1292. After changing several local lordships, the further development was determined since 1700 by the Teutonic Order Altshausen. Today the 17th century tithe barn can be seen, the 1737-built Marienkirche and the 1783-built official house that still is used as the town hall. Bermaringen Around 1750, the Alemanni settled in the area. The village was first mentioned in documents in 1225. Ehrenstein