Most of the village's built-up area is situated on the slopes of the river Schmiehe which runs through Bihlafingen.
History
Bihlafingen is an Alamannic foundation, named after Pilolf, a leader or founder of an extended family.
Bihlafingen was first mentioned in a document in 1129 as villa Pilolvingen and was mostly property of Wiblingen Abbey between 1318 and 1704. Up until then some property in Bihlafingen was owned by the Biberach Spital (a hospital foundation) which sold their remaining assets in 1704 to Wiblingen Abbey.
In 1635, during the Thirty Years' War, the population of Bihlafingen fell victim to the plague. Except for one man, who then moved to neighbouring Hüttisheim, the whole population perished and the village was abandoned until 1649 when the abbot of Wiblingen Abbey sent new settlers to repopulate the village.[2]
^Königlich Statistisch-Topographisches Bureau (Württemberg), ed. (1856). Beschreibung des Oberamts Laupheim (in German). Stuttgart: Hallberger. pp. 134ff.
^Königlich Statistisch-Topographisches Bureau (Württemberg), ed. (1856). Beschreibung des Oberamts Laupheim (in German). Stuttgart: Hallberger. p. 137.
Further reading
Beck, Otto (1983). Kunst und Geschichte im Landkreis Biberach. Ein Reiseführer zu Kulturstätten und Sehenswürdigkeiten in der Mitte Oberschwabens (in German). Sigmaringen: Thorbecke. pp. 74–76. ISBN3-7995-3707-4.
Diemer, Kurt (1979), Laupheim. Stadtgeschichte, Weißenhorn: Konrad, ISBN3-87437-151-4