and Paul Meyle. Milestones were the rededication of historic city hall in 1953 and the reopening of the community centre Harmonie. Heilbronn was part of W�rttemberg-Baden until 1952, after which it became part of Baden-W�rttemberg.
From 1951 forward, US troops were permanently stationed in Heilbronn. They used barracks built prior to World War II and also added some structures of their own.
The opening of the Autobahn A 6 from Heilbronn to Mannheim in 1968 was an important economic event for Heilbronn. When the A 81 to W�rzburg and the A 6 to Nuremberg was completed in 1974 and 1979 respectively, Heilbronn became an important logistical centre in southern Germany. As a result, many of the larger companies opened locations in Heilbronn.
When Klingenberg became part of Heilbronn on January 1, 1970, the city's population passed the 100,000 mark and thus attained "major city" (Gro�stadt) status. During the last district reform in the 1970s, Kirchhausen, Biberach, Frankenbach and Horkheim were incorporated into Heilbronn and the city was reconfirmed as independent city and seat of Heilbronn County. It was also declared seat of the newly formed region Franken, now Heilbronn-Franken.
Also during the 1970s, the centre of the city was transformed into a pedestrian zone and the rededication of the city theatre in 1982 closed one of the largest holes left in the inner city from World War II.
Pursuant to the NATO Double-Track Decision of 1979, Pershing II intermediate-range nuclear missiles were stationed just uphill of the city in the Waldheide. This made Heilbronn the only major city in Germany with atomic missiles stationed inside its city limits � a fact which became front-page news during the missile accident on January 11, 1985. After the INF Treaty was signed in 1987, the missiles were removed.
In the 1980s, Heilbronn hosted two major events (Heimatttage and Landesgartenschau) staged by the State of Baden-W�rttemberg. In 1998
