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Memmingen (;
Swabian Swabian or Schwabian, or ''variation'', may refer to: * the German region of Swabia (German: "''Schwaben''") * Swabian German, a dialect spoken in Baden-Württemberg in south-west Germany and adjoining areas (German:"''Schwäbisch''") * Danube S ...
: ''Memmenge'') is a
town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an o ...
in Swabia,
Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total l ...
,
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 betwee ...
. It is the economic, educational and administrative centre of the Danube-Iller region. To the west the town is flanked by the Iller, the river that marks the Baden-Württemberg border. To the north, east and south the town is surrounded by the district of Unterallgäu (Lower Allgäu). With about 42,000 inhabitants, Memmingen is the 5th biggest town in the administrative region of Swabia. The origins of the town go back to the
Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Roman Republic, Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings aro ...
. The old town, with its many courtyards, castles and patricians' houses, palaces and fortifications is one of the best preserved in southern Germany. With good transport links by road, rail and air, it is the transport hub for Upper Swabia and Central Swabia, and the
Allgäu The Allgäu (Standard German: , also Allgovia) is a region in Swabia in southern Germany. It covers the south of Bavarian Swabia, southeastern Baden-Württemberg, and parts of Austria. The region stretches from the pre-alpine lands up to the ...
. Due to its proximity to the
Allgäu The Allgäu (Standard German: , also Allgovia) is a region in Swabia in southern Germany. It covers the south of Bavarian Swabia, southeastern Baden-Württemberg, and parts of Austria. The region stretches from the pre-alpine lands up to the ...
region, Memmingen is often called the Gateway to the Allgäu (''Tor zum Allgäu''). The town motto is ''Memmingen – Stadt mit Perspektiven'' ("Memmingen – a town with perspectives"). In recent times it has been frequently referred to as ''Memmingen – Stadt der Menschenrechte'' (Memmingen – the town of human rights). This alludes to the Twelve Articles, considered to be the first written set of human rights in Europe, which were penned in Memmingen in 1525. Every four years there is the ''Wallensteinfestspiel'', with about 4,500 participants, the biggest historical reenactment in Europe. It commemorates the invasion of Wallenstein and his troops in 1630.


History

It is believed that on the site of present-day Memmingen in
Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lett ...
times there was a small military town, probably called ''Cassiliacum''. In the 5th century an Alemannic settlement was established and in the 7th century there was a palace belonging to the king of the
Franks The Franks ( la, Franci or ) were a group of Germanic peoples whose name was first mentioned in 3rd-century Roman sources, and associated with tribes between the Lower Rhine and the Ems River, on the edge of the Roman Empire.H. Schutz: Tools ...
. Memmingen was linked to Bohemia, Austria and
Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and ...
by the ''salt road'' to Lindau. Another important route through Memmingen was the ''Italian road'' from Northern Germany to Switzerland and Italy. Both roads helped Memmingen gain importance as a trading centre. In the
Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
, the place was known as ''Mammingin''; in 1158 the Welfian Duke Welf VI founded the town of Memmingen. In 1286 it became an
Imperial City In the Holy Roman Empire, the collective term free and imperial cities (german: Freie und Reichsstädte), briefly worded free imperial city (', la, urbs imperialis libera), was used from the fifteenth century to denote a self-ruling city that ...
, responsible only to the '' Kaiser''. Christoph Schappeler, the preacher at St. Martin's in Memmingen during the early 16th century, was an important figure during the
Protestant Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and i ...
and the German Peasants' War. His support for peasant rights helped to draw peasants to Memmingen. The city first followed the Tetrapolitan Confession, and then the Augsburg Confession. ''The Twelve Articles: The Just and Fundamental Articles of All the Peasantry and Tenants of Spiritual and Temporal Powers by Whom They Think Themselves Oppressed'' was written (probably by Schappeler and Sebastian Lotzer) in early 1525. This was a religious petition borrowing from Luther's ideas to appeal for peasant rights. Within two months of its publication in Memmingen, 25,000 copies of the tract were in circulation around Europe. These are the first known set of human rights documents in the world (if one ignores Magna Carta in England in 1215). In the 1630s Memmingen was at centre stage during the
Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of batt ...
, and the Imperial generalissimo Wallenstein was quartered in the town when he was dramatically dismissed from service. From 1632 Memmingen was briefly garrisoned by the Swedish army, and became a base of operations for Swedish troops in Swabia. In September 1647 the Imperialists under Adrian von Enkevort besieged the Swedish garrison, under Colonel Sigismund Przyemski. Two months later the town surrendered. Following the reorganization of Germany in 1802, Memmingen became part of Bavaria. The 19th century saw the slow economic deterioration of the town, which was halted only with the building of a railway following the course of the River Iller. Since
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
Memmingen has been a developing town, with a rate of economic growth above the average for Bavaria.


Geography

Memmingen is located at the western border of Bavaria at the river Iller, 50 km south of Ulm, and 100 km west of Munich. The landscape or region beginning with Memmingen is called '' Unterallgäu'' and forms a part of the region Mittelschwaben who is next to Oberschwaben and
Allgäu The Allgäu (Standard German: , also Allgovia) is a region in Swabia in southern Germany. It covers the south of Bavarian Swabia, southeastern Baden-Württemberg, and parts of Austria. The region stretches from the pre-alpine lands up to the ...
. Memmingen is also sometimes called the ''Gate to the Allgäu''.


Transport

Memmingen is reached by the A7 and the A96 motorways and Memmingen station is on railways connecting Munich and Lindau and the Ulm–Oberstdorf railway. It has the public and international
Memmingen Airport Memmingen Airport , also known as ''Allgäu Airport Memmingen'', is an international airport in the town of Memmingerberg near Memmingen, the third-largest city in the Swabia region of Bavaria. It is the smallest of the three commercial airpor ...
nearby.


Economy

Most companies are SMEs, such as the following: * Alpine Hydraulik GmbH * * Dachser Logistics * Gebrüder Weiss * Gefro Reformversand Frommlet * * * * * Metzeler Schaum GmbH * * Rohde & Schwarz


Politics

Although the Lord Mayor has been from the Social Democratic Party of Germany since 1966, the biggest party in the town council is traditionally the Christian Social Union. The town politics is mostly dominated by a coalition of bigger parties ("coalition of the reasoned") from CSU, SPD, Christlicher Rathausblock Memmingen (Christian Town Hall Party Memmingen) and the Free Voters. The smaller parties of Ecological Democratic Party, Alliance '90/The Greens and the Free Democratic Party make up the opposition. There was a hefty dispute between the parties in 2005, concerning financial participation in the
Memmingen Airport Memmingen Airport , also known as ''Allgäu Airport Memmingen'', is an international airport in the town of Memmingerberg near Memmingen, the third-largest city in the Swabia region of Bavaria. It is the smallest of the three commercial airpor ...
. The Ecological Democratic Party and the Greens initiated a referendum to inhibit financial support for the airport, but this vote met with no success. At the top of the town government is the Lord Mayor, who is elected directly by the people. He is the representative of the town and the leader of municipality. As second representatives, the majors are elected from the members of the town council. Historically the CSU, as biggest party, appoints the second major. The third major is appointed by the third biggest party. The second biggest party, the SPD, traditionally declines to appoint the third major, because they already appoint the Lord Mayor. Memmingen is building, alongside the double centre Ulm/ Neu-Ulm, the second economical centre in Upper Swabia. It thus leads the central supply function for the adjoining cities and districts.


Town council

The last local elections were on March 2, 2008, with following results: ¹ Christlicher Rathausblock Memmingen ("Christian Townhall-Party")


Lord Mayors

* 1884–1909: Karl Scherer * 1910–1931: Fritz Braun * 1932–1945: Heinrich Berndl, NSDAP * 1945–1948: Georg Fey, CSU * 1948–1952: Lorenz Riedmiller, SPD * 1952–1966: Heinrich Berndl, without party * 1966–1968: Rudolf Machnig, SPD * 1968–1980: Johannes Bauer, SPD * 1980–2016: Ivo Holzinger, SPD * 2016: Markus Kennerknecht, SPD * 2017–today: Manfred Schilder, CSU


Town finances

With €512 per capita, Memmingen is one of the cities in Germany with the lowest level of debt (The German average is more than €1,300). The town had 2007 a management budget (''Verwaltungshaushalt'') of €94,925,160 and an asset budget (''Vermögenshaushalt'') of €19,490,860. The income from trade taxes amounted to about €40 million, the income tax assignment to about €20 million. The local rates were last changed in 2003. The town has many charitable foundations, with roots partly going back to the Middle Ages (such as the ''Unterhospitalstiftung'').


Coat of arms and flag

Blazon: ''Split from gold and silver, in front a half, reinforced in red, black eagle. Backward a red pawcross'' The town's colours, handed down since 1488, are Black, Red, White. The flag is a banner flag with cross bar. Amendingen and Eisenburg have their own historical coats of arms.


Culture and main attractions


Historic festivals

Every year Memmingen celebrates the '' Fischertag'' (Fisherman's day), recreating medieval traditions. The town brook is fished out to be completely drained and cleaned, and at the same time a "Fisherman's King" (the one that caught the heaviest trout) is appointed among almost 1,200 fishermen. Every year up to 40,000 people come to this festival as participants or spectators. Every four years Memmingen re-enacts the events around the visit of Wallenstein in the year 1630 with Europe's biggest historic festival: the '.


Theatre

The theatre has a long tradition in Memmingen. By the Middle Ages some chroniclers were already recording different theatre performances. In 1937 the ''Landestheater Schwaben'' (State Theatre of Swabia) or LTS was founded in the town. In 1945, after
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, the LTS was one of the first theatres in West Germany to begin putting on performances again. The performances take place in the Rooms of the Town Theatre, the theatre at the ''Schweizerberg'' (cabaret stage), in the ''Kaminwerk'' cultural centre or in rooms at the boroughs of Memmingen. The Schweizerberg Theatre will be closed at the end of 2010. It will move to new premises in the ''Elsbethen'' area, behind the Town Theatre, where a new cabaret stage, rehearsing rooms, workshops, depots, management rooms, the foyer and some guest rooms will be built. Another theatre was founded by Helmut Wolfseher and members of the ''Alternative Kleinkunst e.V.'' (Alternative Cabaret Society), ''Parterretheater im Künerhaus (PIK)''. This theatre is specifically for amateur actors and young talented musicians. The ''Kaminwerk'' also puts on major plays by amateur actors. The municipal hall is for ''Volksschauspieler'' or other artists. The following works featuring Memmingen have been produced: * Stage play ''Memmingen'' from Bettina Fless (1989) * Book ''Mohr of Memmingen'' from Utz Benkel * Song ''Memmingen'' by Blackmore’s Night, see also Shadow of the Moon Stage plays and operas that have had world premières in Memmingen are: * 1995: The Jewbank * Metal-Operas by David DeFeis: ** 1999: Klytaimnestra ** 2001: Hel ** 2005: Lilith * 2005: Mohr of Memmingen * 2007: Green Organes * 2008: Katharina and Till (10 January 2009)


Museums

The biggest museum in Memmingen is the Town Museum at the ''Hermannsbau''. The town's history is described in its historical rooms. There is also a section covering the history of the Jewish community in Memmingen, whose members were killed or forced into exile in 1939. Part of the Torah from the destroyed synagogue is on display there. The ''
Freudenthal Freudenthal is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Axel Olof Freudenthal (1836–1911), Finland-Swedish philologist and politician * Dave Freudenthal (born 1950), American politician * Franz Freudenthal, Bolivian physician k ...
/ Altvater Homeland Museum'' for refugees who have settled in Memmingen is also part of the town museum. It is one of 43 homeland museums recognised by the Ministry of the Interior. A foundation, founded and administered by the town, takes responsibility for the museum. The ''Strigel-'' and ''Antoniter-Museum'' at the ''Antonierkloster'' present wood carvings and paintings by the ''Strigel'' family of artists as well as a permanent exhibition on the work of the Hospital Brothers of St. Anthony. The museum was established in 1996. With donations from the ''Memminger Wohnungsbaugenossenschaft (MeWo)'' the ''MEWO-Kunsthalle'' was opened in 2005 in the old post office next to the station. The museum holds the estates of the Memmingen artists Max Unold and Josef Madlener and presents a wide selection of contemporary art exhibitions. The size and scope of this art gallery is unique in region. The former ''Kreuzherren'' monastery is used for changing exhibitions.


Music

The organ concerts in the churches of St. Martins and St. Josef are famous in the region. Chamber music would be performed in the former Kreuzherren monastery and also in some other buildings in Memmingen. There are several pubs, restaurants, wine taverns and cafés and also some discothèques in and around the town. The cultural centre ''Kaminwerk'' (Chimney factory) is for concerts, theatre, program cinema, readings and special parties.


Buildings

Memmingen has considerable tourist interest, mainly because large areas of the medieval old town survived World War II. There are ten town gates and towers and about two kilometres of the town wall. The old town contains many interesting houses of patricians, some in the baroque style. They are picturesque Streets with the ''Stadtbach'' (town river) beside. The medieval market place, surrounded by the town hall, which is built in
renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ide ...
style, the ''Großzunft'' (Guildhouse) and the painted ''Steuerhaus'' (tax house). Also famous is St. Martin's church, built in
gothic style Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
with its more-than-500-year-old Choir and the 1996 restored Hospital Brothers of St. Anthony monastery (''Antonierkloster''), the oldest, best conserved and biggest of these kind. The probably oldest church in town ''Unser Frauen'' (Church of Our Lady) or also called ''Frauenkirche'' with significant frescos of the 15th and 16th centuries. Also the ''Seven Roof House'', the baroque ''Kreuzherren'' monastery, the renovated whorehouse of the town, the ''Salzstadel'' (salt barn), the ''Kramerzunft'' (shopkeepers guild, also called the Twelve-Article-House are sights in Memmingen). Not so well known is the
Bismarck tower A Bismarck tower (german: Bismarckturm) is a specific type of monument built according to a more or less standard model across Germany to honour its first chancellor, Otto von Bismarck (d. 1898). A total of 234 of these towers were inventoried b ...
in the west of Memmingen. Beside the tower is the 2007 build new soccer stadium.


Parks

Green areas were created all along the town wall. The old ditches where filled up and replaced with green areas or parks with partially over 150-year-old trees. The name of the parks are (starting clockwise at the ''Ulmer Gate''): Hubergarten, Zollergarten, Ratzengraben/Zollergraben, Kohlschanze, Reichshain, Kaisergraben, Hohe Wacht, Westertorplatz, Grimmelschanze. Nearby every residential area has its own smaller parks. There is also the town park in the ''New World'', the old
Landesgartenschau A ''Regional Garden Show'' (''Landesgartenschau'') is an exhibition on horticulture that takes place on a regular basis in several German and Austrian states. In Germany, a state horticultural show at the state level is the smaller counterpart to ...
place. Also the old and the forest cemetery, which are both used as parks.


Cemeteries

There were four cemeteries in Memmingen in the Middle Ages. They were around the St. Martin's Church and the Church of Our Lady, also at the Kreuzherren monastery and the Scottish monastery.Author: ''Joachim Jahn and others'', Title:''Die Geschichte der Stadt Memmingen – Von den Anfängen bis zum Ende der Reichsstadtzeit (Band 1)'', Publisher:''Theiss Verlag'', Location:''Memmingen'', Year:''1997'', , Page:''98'' They were abandoned in 1530. The replacement was the ''Old cemetery'' at the former Scottish monastery. This cemetery was abandoned in 1930. The closing of the Old Cemetery has involved a new Cemetery. It was founded in the east of Memmingen as a Forest Cemetery. More cemeteries are in the districts Amendingen, Steinheim, Buxach, Volkratshofen, Ferthofen and Dickenreishausen. In the east of the town is also a Jewish cemetery.


Twin towns – sister cities

Memmingen is twinned with: *
Glendale Glendale is the anglicised version of the Gaelic Gleann Dail, which means ''valley of fertile, low-lying arable land''. It may refer to: Places Australia *Glendale, New South Wales ** Stockland Glendale, a shopping centre * Glendale, Queensland, ...
, United States (1976) *
Province of Teramo The Province of Teramo ( it, provincia di Teramo; Abruzzese: ') is a province in the Abruzzo region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Teramo. The province has an area of , a population of 313,029 (2012), and is subdivided into 47 comunes ( ...
, Italy (1981) *
Teramo Teramo (; nap, label= Abruzzese, Tèreme ) is a city and '' comune'' in the Italian region of Abruzzo, the capital of the province of Teramo. The city, from Rome, is situated between the highest mountains of the Apennines ( Gran Sasso d'Ital ...
, Italy (1986) * Auch, France (1990) *
Eisleben Eisleben is a town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is famous as both the hometown of the influential theologian Martin Luther and the place where he died; hence, its official name is Lutherstadt Eisleben. First mentioned in the late 10th century, ...
, Germany (1990) * Kiryat Shmona, Israel (2009) * Karataş, Turkey (2009) * Litzelsdorf, Austria (2009) * Chernihiv, Ukraine (2009)


Friendly cities

Memmingen also has friendly relations with: * Colmar, France (1965)


Notable people

*
Bernhard Walther Bernhard Walther (1430June 19, 1504) was a German merchant, humanist and astronomer based in Nuremberg, Germany. Walther was born in Memmingen, and was a man of large means, which he devoted to scientific pursuits. When Regiomontanus settled in N ...
(1430–1504), merchant, humanist and astronomer * Bernhard Strigel (1461–1528), portrait and historical painter * Johann Heiss (1640–1704), painter * Gertrud Otto (1895–1970), art historian *
Franz Roth Franz "Bulle" Roth (born 27 April 1946 in Memmingen) is a former German footballer. He earned four caps for the Germany national football team and was nicknamed "the Bull" due to his physical playing style. Career Roth was a big game player a ...
(born 1946), footballer * Heinrich Bedford-Strohm (born 1960), Lutheran bishop * Holger Badstuber (born 1989), footballer * Timo Gebhart (born 1989), footballer * Sergejs Boldaveško (born 1970), hockey player * Mario Götze (born 1992), footballer


References


External links

* *
Memmingen Online
{{Authority control Free imperial cities Holocaust locations in Germany