The Allgäu (Standard ) is a region in

Swabia Swabia ; , 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 Swabia, one of ...

in southern

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. It covers the south of

Bavarian Swabia Swabia (, Swabian: ''Schwaabe'', ) is one of the seven administrative regions of Bavaria, Germany. It consists of ten districts and 340 municipalities (including four cities) with Augsburg being the administrative capital. Governance The coun ...

, southeastern

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg ( ; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a states of Germany, 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 i ...

, and parts of

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

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

Alps The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. ...

. The main rivers flowing through the Allgäu are the

Lech Lech is an English word referring to lecherous behavior or person. Lech may also refer to: People * Lech (name), a name of Polish origin * Lech, founder of Poland, the figure from the legendary Lech, Czech, and Rus * Lech (Bohemian prince) (d. 8 ...

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 Al ...

. 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 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'' ("herdsman's cheese") and

Bergkäse for, de, Bergkäse, 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 ...

("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 Planter (farm implement), ...

tractors, developed and produced in

Marktoberdorf Marktoberdorf () is the capital of the Bavarian district of Ostallgäu in the ''Regierungsbezirk'' of Swabia. Marktoberdorf is near the town of Kempten, Füssen, known for the castle Neuschwanstein, Bad Wörishofen, and Schongau. The nearest larg ...

are one of the most famous products of the region. The castle of

Neuschwanstein Neuschwanstein Castle (, ; ) is a 19th-century historicist palace on a rugged hill of the foothills of the Alps in the very south of Germany, near the border with Austria. It is located in the Swabia region of Bavaria, in the municipality of ...

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 peop ...

is in the eastern part of the Allgäu. The Allgäu is dominated in the south by the

Allgäu Alps The Allgäu Alps () are a mountain range in the Northern Limestone Alps, located on the Austria–Germany border, which covers parts of the Germany, German states of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg and the Austrian states of Tyrol (state), Tyrol an ...

, 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 (, ; ) is a 19th-century Historicism (art), historicist palace on a rugged hill of the foothills of the Alps in the very south of Germany, near the border with Austria. It is located in the Swabia (Bavaria), Swabia regio ...

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'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 music in the Alpine regions of S ...

Stephan Huber Stephan Huber (born 1952 in Lindenberg im Allgäu) is a German sculptor and object artist. Life After his studies at the Academy of Fine Arts, Munich (1971–1978), Huber received a grant for the P.S.1 studio programme in New York (now ...

(born 1952), a sculptor and object artist * 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