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Ravensburg ( Swabian: ''Raveschburg'') is a city in Upper Swabia in Southern Germany, capital of the district of Ravensburg, Baden-Württemberg. Ravensburg was first mentioned in 1088. In the Middle Ages, it was an Imperial Free City and an important trading centre. The "Great Ravensburg Trading Society" (''Große Ravensburger Handelsgesellschaft'') owned shops and trading companies all over Europe. The historic city centre is still very much intact, including three city gates and over 10 towers of the medieval fortification. "The all-white Mehlsack ( Flour sack) is a tower marking the Altstadt’s southern edge. A steep staircase leads up to the Veitsburg, a quaint baroque castle."


History

Ravensburg was first mentioned in writing in 1088. It was founded by the
Welf Welf is a Germanic first name that may refer to: *Welf (father of Judith), 9th century Frankish count, father-in-law of Louis the Pious *Welf I, d. bef. 876, count of Alpgau and Linzgau *Welf II, Count of Swabia, died 1030, supposed descendant of W ...
s, a Frankish dynasty in
Swabia Swabia ; german: Schwaben , colloquially ''Schwabenland'' or ''Ländle''; archaic English also Suabia or Svebia is a cultural, historic and linguistic region in southwestern Germany. The name is ultimately derived from the medieval Duchy of ...
who became later Dukes of Bavaria and Saxony and who made the castle of Ravensburg their ancestral seat. By a contract of inheritance, in 1191 the Hohenstaufen
Frederick Barbarossa Frederick Barbarossa (December 1122 – 10 June 1190), also known as Frederick I (german: link=no, Friedrich I, it, Federico I), was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1155 until his death 35 years later. He was elected King of Germany in Frankfurt on ...
acquired the ownership of Ravensburg from Welf VI,
Duke of Spoleto The Duke of Spoleto was the ruler of Spoleto and most of central Italy outside the Papal States during the Early and High Middle Ages (c. 500 – 1300). The first dukes were appointed by the Lombard king, but they were independent in practice. Th ...
and uncle of both
Frederick Barbarossa Frederick Barbarossa (December 1122 – 10 June 1190), also known as Frederick I (german: link=no, Friedrich I, it, Federico I), was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1155 until his death 35 years later. He was elected King of Germany in Frankfurt on ...
and Henry the Lion. With the death of Conradin 1268 in Naples the Hohenstaufen line became extinct. Their former estates became imperial property of the Holy Roman Empire. Like many other cities in
Swabia Swabia ; german: Schwaben , colloquially ''Schwabenland'' or ''Ländle''; archaic English also Suabia or Svebia is a cultural, historic and linguistic region in southwestern Germany. The name is ultimately derived from the medieval Duchy of ...
, at the end of the 13th century Ravensburg became an Imperial Free City in 1276. The "Great Ravensburg Trading Society" (''Große Ravensburger Handelsgesellschaft'') was founded at Ravensburg and Konstanz around 1380 by the merchant families of Humpis (from Ravensburg), Mötteli (from Buchhorn, modern-day Friedrichshafen) and Muntprat (from Constance). At first, the society mostly dealt in the production of
linen Linen () is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant. Linen is very strong, absorbent, and dries faster than cotton. Because of these properties, linen is comfortable to wear in hot weather and is valued for use in garments. It also ...
and fustian. With the opening of one of the first
paper mill A paper mill is a factory devoted to making paper from vegetable fibres such as wood pulp, old rags, and other ingredients. Prior to the invention and adoption of the Fourdrinier machine and other types of paper machine that use an endless belt, ...
s north of the Alps in 1402 in Ravensburg, paper became another commodity. The Ravensburg stores also sold oriental spices, Mediterranean wines and Bohemian ores. After the liquidation of the Great Ravensburg Trading Society in 1530, Ravensburg stagnated economically. The Thirty Years' War caused a grave decline of the population.
Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
troops destroyed the old castle, now named "Veitsburg" after the St. Veit chapel at the castle grounds. Following the Reformation a "paritetic" government emerged, meaning an equal distribution of public offices between the Catholic and Protestant confession. The city council was one half each Protestant and Catholic. For some time there was even a Catholic and a Protestant mayor at the same time, and both confessions celebrated the village fair, the "Rutenfest", apart from each other. This system was approved at the end of the Thirty Years' War in the
Peace of Westphalia The Peace of Westphalia (german: Westfälischer Friede, ) is the collective name for two peace treaties signed in October 1648 in the Westphalian cities of Osnabrück and Münster. They ended the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) and brought pea ...
(1648) which named four "Paritetic Imperial Cities" (german: Paritätische Reichsstädte): Augsburg, Biberach, Dinkelsbühl and Ravensburg. In 1803 the '' Immerwährende Reichstag'' passed the ''
Reichsdeputationshauptschluss The ' (formally the ', or "Principal Conclusion of the Extraordinary Imperial Delegation"), sometimes referred to in English as the Final Recess or the Imperial Recess of 1803, was a resolution passed by the ' (Imperial Diet) of the Holy Roman Em ...
'', a bill which included the secularisation and mediatisation of many German states — the first meaning the confiscation of the estates belonging to the church, the second the incorporation of the imperial estates and Imperial Free Cities into larger regional states. As a result, Ravensburg first became a Bavarian
exclave An enclave is a territory (or a small territory apart of a larger one) that is entirely surrounded by the territory of one other state or entity. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is sometimes used improperly to deno ...
within Württemberg. After a swap of estates between Bavaria and Württemberg it was incorporated in the Kingdom of Württemberg in 1810. Since Ravensburg was impoverished and depopulated after the Thirty Years' War, only a few new buildings were raised during the 18th and the early 19th century. The benefit of this economic stagnation was the conservation of a widely intact medieval city with nearly all towers and gates of the historic fortification.


20th century

During World War II Ravensburg was strategically of no relevance. Ravensburg did not harbor any noteworthy arms industry (unlike nearby Friedrichshafen with its large aircraft industry), but was home to a major aid supplies center belonging to the
Swiss Red Cross The Swiss Red Cross (German: ', French: ', Italian: ', Romansh: '), or SRC, is the national Red Cross society for Switzerland. The SRC was founded in 1866 in Bern, Switzerland. In accordance with the Geneva Red Cross Agreement and its r ...
. The historic city centre was not damaged by air raids. By 1945, the city came into the French occupation zone and thus came in 1947 to the newly founded state of Württemberg-Hohenzollern, which in 1952 merged to the state of Baden-Württemberg. In the 1970s, Ravensburg increased in population and territory by the incorporation of smaller communities like Eschach, Schmalegg and Taldorf.
Ravensburg University of Cooperative Education Ravensburg University of Cooperative Education is a public university with campuses in Ravensburg, Stuttgart and Friedrichshafen, Germany. It offers vocational studies in the fields of business sciences, engineering and media design. The schoo ...
was established in the city in 1978. In the 1980s, the Old Town was renovated and all transit traffic was banned from the city centre.


Economy and infrastructure

Ravensburg is a thriving shopping city in the wealthy region of Upper Swabia. Unemployment is relatively low. The nearest large cities are Munich,
Stuttgart Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...
and Zurich, approximately a two-hour drive away each. Ulm, Konstanz and Bregenz are each less than a one-hour drive away. Ravensburg is part of an urban agglomeration that also comprises Weingarten (Württemberg) and several suburbs. Ravensburg, Weingarten, and Friedrichshafen (on the shores of
Lake Constance Lake Constance (german: Bodensee, ) refers to three Body of water, bodies of water on the Rhine at the northern foot of the Alps: Upper Lake Constance (''Obersee''), Lower Lake Constance (''Untersee''), and a connecting stretch of the Rhine, ca ...
) share the functionality of a ''Oberzentrum'' (that is, the highest-ranked centre in the system of spatial planning and development in Baden-Württemberg).


Transport

Ravensburg is located at a crossing of the federal roads (national highways) B30, B31 and B32. A by-pass highway around Ravensburg and Weingarten was completed recently. The regional airport is situated at Friedrichshafen, about 15 km south of Ravensburg. The nearest national motor-ways are the A7 and A8 (approach at Ulm) and the A96 (approach at Lindau or
Wangen im Allgäu Wangen im Allgäu ( Low Alemannic: ''Wãnge'') is a historic city in southeast Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It lies north-east of Lake Constance in the Westallgäu. It is the second-largest city (Population: 26,927 in 2020) in the Ravensburg dist ...
). In 1847, the railway station of Ravensbug was put in operation, part of the so-called "Swabian Railroad" from
Stuttgart Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...
to Friedrichshafen, the oldest railroad of Württemberg and well known in all of Germany by the folk-style song '.


Local businesses

Mechanical engineering has traditionally been the main type of industry in the region. Based on the demand of the paper and textile industries (now widely reduced) and a long tradition of flour, paper and other mills, many engineering factories arose at the end of the 19th century. Today the primary engineering firms in Ravensburg are the left-overs of the former
Escher-Wyss AG Escher Wyss & Cie., also known as Escher Wyss AG, was a Swiss industrial company with a focus on engineering and turbine construction. Its headquarters were in the Zürich quarter of Escher Wyss, which takes its name from the company. Histo ...
(a subsidiary of the Swiss ''Sulzer AG'') which are now subsidiaries of the Austrian "Andritz Hydro". '' Ravensburger AG'', whose headquarters are located in the city, is a company internationally known for board games, jigsaw puzzles and children's books. The pastry factory '' :de:Tekrum'' (Theodor Krumm GmbH & Co. KG) is another company with an internationally known brand name. Since January 2005 it has been a wholly owned subsidiary of Griesson–de Beukelaer. Other large industrial companies include: *''Vetter Pharma'', a manufacturer of pre-filled injection systems *''Omira'', one of the largest dairies in southern Germany *the tool factory ''Hawera Probst'' (a subsidiary of Robert Bosch), the worldwide market leader in hammer drill bits *the component supplier ''EBZ Engineering Bausch & Ziege'' (formerly ''Nothelfer'', a subsidiary of ThyssenKrupp Automotive) *the packaging manufacturer "Coveris Rigid" (formerly Autobar Packaging) *two suppliers of solar power systems, ''Pro Solar Solarstrom'' and ''pro solar Energietechnik''


Media

The local newspaper is the '' Schwäbische Zeitung''. The radio companies ''Radio 7'' and ''Südwestrundfunk'' run broadcasting studios at Ravensburg. In Horgenzell near Ravensburg, the ''
Ravensburg-Horgenzell transmitter Ravensburg-Horgenzell transmitter was a mediumwave broadcasting facility of Deutsche Telekom used for transmitting the program of Deutschlandfunk on the area of community Horgenzell northwest of Ravensburg in Baden-Württemberg. It was inaugurate ...
'' transmitted
Deutschlandfunk Deutschlandfunk (DLF, ''Broadcast Germany'') is a public-broadcasting radio station in Germany, concentrating on news and current affairs. It is one of the four national radio channels produced by Deutschlandradio. History Broadcasting in the ...
on the
medium wave Medium wave (MW) is the part of the medium frequency (MF) radio band used mainly for AM radio broadcasting. The spectrum provides about 120 channels with more limited sound quality than FM stations on the FM broadcast band. During the daytime ...
frequency 756 kHz.


Culture

The city's most popular festival is the annual " Rutenfest", which takes place mid year.


Sport

The city's association football club
FV Ravensburg The FV Ravensburg is a German association football club from the town of Ravensburg, Baden-Württemberg. The club's greatest success has been to play in the Oberliga Baden-Württemberg, the highest football league in the state, of which it beca ...
, formed in 1893, has played in the Oberliga Baden-Württemberg on three occasions from 1978 to 1983, from 1998 to 2000 and again since 2003. From 2006 to 2010, Ravensburg hosted the Air Canada Cup or MLP Nations Cup, an international women's ice hockey tournament.


Twin towns – sister cities

Ravensburg is twinned with: * Brest, Belarus * Coswig, Germany * Mollet del Vallès, Spain * Montélimar, France * Rivoli, Italy * Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, United Kingdom * Varaždin, Croatia


Notable people

* Henry the Lion (1129/1131–1195), Duke of Saxony and Bavaria, allegedly born on the Ravensburg''Über Ort und Zeitpunkt der Geburt Heinrichs des Löwen haben wir nur wenige genaue Nachrichten. Er selbst hat gesagt, daß er in Schwaben geboren sei (‚se de Suevia oriundum’), ob aber auf der Ravensburg bleibt ungewiss.''(About the place and the date of his birth, we have only little information. He said that he was born in Swabia, whether it was on the Ravensburg, is uncertain), In: Joachim Ehlers: ''Heinrich der Löwe. Biographie.'' Siedler, Munich 2008, .
Rezension)
(Standardwerk), p. 47
* Ladislaus Sunthaym (c. 1440 – c. 1512), historian and geographer * Hans Buchner (1483–1538), organist and composer *
Joannes Susenbrotus Joannes Susenbrotus (also spelled ''Susembrotus'', also known as ''Johannes'' or ''Hans Susenbrot'', 1484/1485–1542/1543) was a German humanist, teacher of Latin, and author of textbooks. Susenbrotus was born in the Imperial Free City of ...
(c. 1484 – c. 1542), humanist, taught in Ravensburg *
Franz Joachim Beich Franz Joachim Beich (1666–1748) was a Bavarian painter. Life Franz Joachim Beich was born at Ravensburg (in today's Baden-Württemberg), on October 15, 1666.
(1666–1748), painter * August Natterer (1868–1933), art brut artist * Karl Erb (1877–1958), tenor * Klaus Schwab (born 1938), economist, founder of the World Economic Forum * Theo Seiler (born 1949), ophthalmologist and physicist *
Erich Buck Erich Buck (born 5 January 1949) is a German former ice dancer who competed for West Germany. With his sister Angelika Buck, he is the 1972 European champion, a four-time World medalist, and a six-time West German national champion. Career ...
, (born 1949), figure skater *
Angelika Buck Angelika Buck (born 9 June 1950) is a German former ice dancer who competed for West Germany. With her brother Erich Buck, she is the 1972 European champion, a four-time World medalist, and a six-time West German national champion. Career Ang ...
(born 1950), figure skater *
Andreas Gestrich Professor Andreas Gestrich (born 3 July 1952) is a German historian who has been director of the German Historical Institute London since September 2006. Early life and education Gestrich was born on 3 July 1952. He studied from 1973 to 1979 hist ...
(born 1952), historian and director of the German Historical Institute in London *
Gregor Amann Gregor Amann (born 15 August 1962 in Ravensburg, Baden-Württemberg) is a German politician and member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany, SPD. Amann was from 2005 to 2009 a List of members of the 16th Bundestag, member of the 16th Bundes ...
(born 1962), politician (SPD), Member of Bundestag 2005–2009 * Kai Diekmann (born 1964), journalist and chief editor of the Bild-Zeitung *
Stefanie Dimmeler Stefanie Dimmeler (born 18 July 1967) is a German biologist specializing in the pathophysiological processes underlying cardiovascular diseases. Her awards and honours include the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize of the German Research Foundati ...
(born 1967), biologist and biochemist, Leibniz Prize Winner *
Kofi Ansuhenne Bed & Breakfast was a German boy band from Hamburg. They were founded in 1995 and became one of Germany's first and, at the time, most successful boy bands. Personnel * Florian Walberg * Kofi Ansuhenne * Daniel Aminati (now Pro7 host) * David J ...
(born 1973), boy group singer ("Bed & Breakfast") *
Simon Henzler Simon Henzler (born 1 December 1976) is a German football coach and former player. He works as goalkeeping coach for Schalke 04. Career Henzler was born in Ravensburg. He spent two seasons in the Bundesliga with FC St. Pauli Fußball-Club ...
(born 1976), football player and coach * Linus Roth (born 1977), classical violinist and academic teacher * Daniel Unger (born 1978), triathlete, *
Christoph Meschenmoser Christoph Meschenmoser (born 29 July 1983 in Duisburg) is a German cyclist. Palmares ;2001 :1st Junior World Pursuit Champion :1st Junior National Time Trial Championships ;2002 :2nd European U23 Madison Championships ;2005 :2nd Neuseen Class ...
(born 1983), cyclist * Susanne Fellner (born 1985), ice hockey player * Rahman Soyudogru (born 1989), footballer *
Ömer Toprak Ömer Toprak (born 21 July 1989) is a professional footballer who plays as a centre back for Süper Lig club Antalyaspor. Born in Germany, he formerly played for the Turkey national team. Club career Toprak began his career with TSB Ravensbu ...
(born 1989), Turkish footballer * Emanuel Buchmann (born 1992), cyclist


References


External links

*
RutenfestBlaserturm.de
{{Authority control 1803 disestablishments States and territories established in 1276 Towns in Baden-Württemberg Upper Swabia Württemberg