The Allgäu (Standard German: , also Allgovia) is a region in Swabia in southern

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. It covers the south of Bavarian Swabia, southeastern

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg (; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million inhabitants across a ...

, and parts of

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

. The region stretches from the pre-alpine lands up to the

Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...

. The main rivers flowing through the Allgäu are the

Lech Lech may refer to: People * Lech (name), a name of Polish origin * Lech, the legendary founder of Poland * Lech (Bohemian prince) Products and organizations * Lech (beer), Polish beer produced by Kompania Piwowarska, in Poznań * Lech Poznań, ...

and

Iller The Iller (; ancient name Ilargus) is a river of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg in Germany. It is a right tributary of the Danube, long. It is formed at the confluence of the rivers Breitach, Stillach and Trettach near Oberstdorf in the Allg ...

. Allgäu is not an administrative unit. The alpine regions of the Allgäu rise over 2,000 metres in elevation and are popular for winter skiing. The Allgovian area is notable for its beautiful landscapes and is popular for vacations and therapeutic stays.Its scenic countryside can be seen in Asmus, C. and Bufe, S. "Dampflokomotiven im Allgau" (1977, Hermann Merker). It is well known in Germany for its farm produce, especially dairy products including ''

Hirtenkäse Hirtenkäse, or "herder's cheese", is a distinctive cow's milk cheese made in the Allgäu area of Southern Germany.Bergkäse ( for, , German, mountain cheese) refers to a number of varieties of cheese produced in the Alps. This includes products of mountain farming, the cultivation of alpine pastures as well as the milk processing of local producers in dairies. The te ...

("mountain cheese"). Besides tourism and dairy products, another important economic sector is the building of industrial equipment and machines.

Fendt Fendt is a German agricultural machinery manufacturer founded in 1930 by Xaver Fendt in Marktoberdorf, Allgäu region, Germany. Fendt manufactures tractors, combine harvesters, balers, telescopic handlers and row crop planters. It was purchased ...

tractors, developed and produced in Marktoberdorf are one of the most famous products of the region. The castle of

Neuschwanstein Neuschwanstein Castle (german: Schloss Neuschwanstein, , Southern Bavarian: ''Schloss Neischwanstoa'') is a 19th-century historicist palace on a rugged hill above the village of Hohenschwangau near Füssen in southwest Bavaria, Germany. The p ...

Hohenschwangau Hohenschwangau is a former village and now an urban district of the municipality of Schwangau, Ostallgäu district, Bavaria, Germany. It is located between Schloss Neuschwanstein and Schloss Hohenschwangau and is visited by about 2 million pe ...

is in the eastern part of the Allgäu. The Allgäu is dominated in the south by the Allgäu Alps, which are not part of the Allgäu themselves. The Allgäu is formed mainly by glaciers and glacial debris. Many hills and lakes are remnants of former glaciers.

Gallery

Castle_Neuschwanstein.jpg,

Neuschwanstein Castle Neuschwanstein Castle (german: Schloss Neuschwanstein, , Southern Bavarian: ''Schloss Neischwanstoa'') is a 19th-century historicist palace on a rugged hill above the village of Hohenschwangau near Füssen in southwest Bavaria, Germany. T ...

Allgaeu-1.jpg, Allgäu as seen from a hot air balloon

Notable people

Michael Bredl Michael Bredl (24 December 1915 – 22 June 1999) was a German Volksmusik musician and collector, publisher, teacher and the first Volksmusik conservator in Bavarian Swabia in the region of Allgäu. Life Michael Bredl Michl grew up in the Bavaria ...

(1916–1999), a singer and collector of traditional German

Volksmusik Alpine folk music (german: Alpenländische Volksmusik; German's ''Volksmusik'' means "people's music" or as a Germanic connotative translation, "folk's music") is the common umbrella designation of a number of related styles of traditional folk ...

* Rainer W. Bussmann (born 1967), ethnobotanist and vegetation ecologist

References

External links

Official tourist information

Non-commercial Allgäu Information

Alpine Club Oy/Allgäu

Recipes from Allgäu
{{DEFAULTSORT:Allgau Regions of Baden-Württemberg Geography of Bavaria