Wangen im Allgäu (, ; Low Alemannic: ''Wãnge'') is a historic city in southeast

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 ...

, Germany. It lies north-east of

Lake Constance Lake Constance (, ) refers to three 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, called the Seerhein (). These ...

in the Westallgäu. It is the second-largest city (population: 26,927 in 2020) in the

Ravensburg Ravensburg ( or ; 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 ...

district and is a

nexus NEXUS is a joint Canada Border Services Agency and U.S. Customs and Border Protection-operated Trusted Traveler and expedited border control program designed for pre-approved, low-risk travelers. Members of the program can avoid waits at border ...

for the surrounding communities. From 1938 to 1972, Wangen was the county seat of the Wangen rural district.

Geography

Wangen in Allgäu lies on the north bank of the Obere Argen. The Untere Argen flows past northwest Wangen and unites southwest of the city with the Obere Argen. The city today is shaped by its historical town center as well as by numerous nearby districts.

Neighboring municipalities

Several settlements border Wangen. Their names are as follows: Amtzell,

Vogt An , sometimes simply advocate, (German, ), or (French, ), was a type of medieval office holder, particularly important in the Holy Roman Empire, who was delegated some of the powers and functions of a major feudal lord, or for an institutio ...

, Kißlegg, Argenbühl, and Achberg (Ravensburg district),

Hergatz Hergatz is a municipality in the district of Lindau in Bavaria, Germany. The contemporary town was formed from the former municipalities of Wohmbrechts and Maria-Thann in the course of the municipal reform at the end of the 1970s. Geography Herga ...

and

Hergensweiler Hergensweiler is a municipality in the district of Lindau in Bavaria in Germany. It is member of the municipal association of Sigmarszell. Geography Hergensweiler is located in the Allgäu region. History Hergensweiler was most likely founded ...

(

Lindau Lindau (, ''Lindau am Bodensee''; ; Low Alemannic German, Low Alemannic: ''Lindou'') is a major Town#Germany, town and Lindau (island), island on the eastern side of Lake Constance (''Bodensee'' in German) in Bavaria, Germany. It is the capital ...

district), and Neukirch (

Bodensee Lake Constance (, ) 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, called the Seerhei ...

district).

History

The city was first mentioned in 815 under the name "Wangun" in a monastery document. In 1217, Emperor Fredrick II declared in a document that Wangen should remain in royal hands. In 1286, King Rudolph I granted Wangen the status of free imperial city. During the late

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

, the city's growth was amplified by its central location at the crossroads between

, Leutkirch, and Isny and the growing trade through the Alps. Wangen's production and export of manufactured goods, particularly scythes and canvas, gave the city a tremendous positive

trade balance Balance of trade is the difference between the monetary value of a nation's exports and imports of goods over a certain time period. Sometimes, trade in services is also included in the balance of trade but the official IMF definition only consi ...

. This surplus money was used to acquire lands outside of the city walls, thus giving Wangen a safeguard against economic fluctuations. During the

German Mediatisation German mediatisation (; ) was the major redistribution and reshaping of territorial holdings that took place between 1802 and 1814 in Germany by means of the subsumption and Secularization (church property), secularisation of a large number of ...

, in 1802, Wangen lost its status as a Free City and was incorporated into the Kingdom of

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

; it later changed hands in 1810 to the Kingdom of

Württemberg Württemberg ( ; ) is a historical German territory roughly corresponding to the cultural and linguistic region of Swabia. The main town of the region is Stuttgart. Together with Baden and Province of Hohenzollern, Hohenzollern, two other histo ...

. In 1936, the city was officially named "Wangen in Allgäu". From 1938 up unto its dissolution and integration into the

district in 1972, Wangen was the capital of the Wangen rural district. In 1973, Wangen was officially designated by the Baden-Württemberg state government to Großen Kreisstadt (large district town) due to its population having reached 20,000. In 1999, the largest flood in the most recent 50 years of Wangen's history completely flooded the lower city. The city was again flooded in 2006 by the Obere Argen. During the

2006 FIFA World Cup The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international Association football, football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which had won the right to FIFA World Cup hosts ...

, the national team of

Togo Togo, officially the Togolese Republic, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to Ghana–Togo border, the west, Benin to Benin–Togo border, the east and Burkina Faso to Burkina Faso–Togo border, the north. It is one of the le ...

stayed in Wangen.

Main sights

Despite major fires in 1539, 1793, and 1858, the old part of the town remains a juxtaposition of architectural elements ranging from those of the

Early Middle Ages The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages (historiography), Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th to the 10th century. They marked the start o ...

to those of the late

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

era. The ''Oberstadtkirche St. Martin'' ("St Martin's Upper City Church") is one of Wangen's oldest buildings. The church was already present in the 9th century; it was renovated numerous times in the following years. It contains both Romanesque and

Gothic architecture Gothic architecture is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High Middle Ages, High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It evolved f ...

. The

Gate is the city's prime landmark. It was first mentioned in 1472, but was probably changed to its current appearance in 1608. The building is decorated with Renaissance-era artwork. Similarly aged relics of the old city include the

Gate and the Pfaffenturm tower. The local history museum, ''Heimatmuseum in der Eselmühle'', was opened in 1974 in a former mill acquired by the city in 1969. The museum displays the original mechanisms of the mill in addition to a collections from various spans of the city's history.

Population growth

¹ Census

Politics

Local council

The elections in May 2014 showed the following results: * SPD = 5 seats * CDU = 15 seats * FW (Free voters) = 8 seats * GOL (Green open list) = 8 seats * Total: 36 seats

Mayors since 1804

* 1804–1810: Franz Josef von Bentele * 1811–1819: Mathias Tschugg * 1819–1826: Rudolf Salis * 1826–1829: Martin Schnitzer * 1829–1847: Christian Nepomuk Weber * 1847–1859: Leopold Wocher * 1860–1894: Jacob Trenkle * 1894–1922: Rudolf Trenkle * 1922–1933: Fritz Geray * 1933: Gottlob Pfeiffer (provisional) * 1933–1939: Dr Friedrich Wilhelm Erbacher * 1939: Heinrich Fischer (provisional) * 1939–1942: Carl Speidel (on behalf of Heinrich Fischer) * 1942–1945: Max Steinegger (provisional) * 1945: Karl Geiger (provisional) * 1945: Franz Büchele (provisional) * 1945–1946: Josef Max Kraus (provisional) * 1945–1968: Wilhelm Uhl * 1968–2001: Dr Jörg Leist (born 1935) * since 2001: Michael Lang (born 1965)

Twin towns – sister cities

Wangen im Allgäu is twinned with: *

La Garenne-Colombes La Garenne-Colombes () is a Communes of France, commune in the northwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from Notre Dame de Paris, France's kilometre zero. Name The commune used to be part of the neighbouring city of Colombes. At t ...

, France *

Prato Prato ( ; ) is a city and municipality (''comune'') in Tuscany, Italy, and is the capital of the province of Prato. The city lies in the northeast of Tuscany, at an elevation of , at the foot of Monte Retaia (the last peak in the Calvana ch ...

, Italy

Economics and infrastructure

Wangen was once a center of the German

textile industry The textile industry is primarily concerned with the design, production and distribution of textiles: yarn, cloth and clothing. Industry process Cotton manufacturing Cotton is the world's most important natural fibre. In the year 2007, th ...

before the decline of German textile manufacturing.

Inter-city transport

Wangen lies on the A96

Autobahn The (; German , ) is the federal controlled-access highway system in Germany. The official term is (abbreviated ''BAB''), which translates as 'federal motorway'. The literal meaning of the word is 'Federal Auto(mobile) Track'. Much of t ...

between

and

Memmingen Memmingen (; Swabian German, Swabian: ''Memmenge'') is a town in Swabia (Bavaria), Swabia, Bavaria, Germany. It is the economic, educational and administrative centre of the Danube-Iller region. To the west the town is flanked by the Iller, the ...

, in addition to federal highways 18 and 32. The town is part of the Aulendorf – Kißlegg – Wangen -

–

and Ulm –

– Kißlegg – Wangen –

–

train lines. It lies on the bus route between

and Isny. The city also belongs to the Bodensee–Oberschwaben public transportation association.

Education

Wangen has a Gymnasium (Rupert-Neß-Gymnasium), a

Realschule Real school (, ) is a type of secondary school in Germany, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It has also existed in Croatia (''realna gimnazija''), the Austrian Empire, the German Empire, Denmark and Norway (''realskole''), Sweden (''realskola''), F ...

(Johann-Andreas-Rauch-Realschule), a

Hauptschule A ''Hauptschule'' (, "general school") is a secondary school in Germany, starting after four years of elementary schooling (''Grundschule''), which offers Lower Secondary Education (Level 2) according to the International Standard Classification ...

(Hauptschule Karsee), a Werkrealschule (Anton-von-Gegenbaur-Schule) and a

special school Special education (also known as special-needs education, aided education, alternative provision, exceptional student education, special ed., SDC, and SPED) is the practice of educating students in a way that accommodates their individual d ...

(Martinstorschule), three combined secondary and elementary schools (GHS Niederwangen, Praßberg-Schule and Freie Waldorfschule Wangen), and six elementary schools (Berger-Höhe-Schule, Deuchelried, Grundschule im Ebnet, Leupolz, Neuravensburg, and Schomburg). The Wangen district has two vocational schools (Friedrich-Schiedel-Schule and Kaufmännischen Schule Wangen), in addition to the Heinrich-Brügger-Schule medical school.

Media

Wangen is serviced by the '' Schwäbische Zeitung'' newspaper as well as the local Regio TV television station.

Governmental

Wangen is the seat of a local tax office. It has a district court, which belongs to the

regional court district, which in turn belongs to the Stuttgart court district.

Other

* From 1943 to 1945, Wangen served as the backdrop for the

propaganda Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded l ...

movie ''Quax in Fahrt'' * From April 14 to May 13, 2004, the city and its surrounding areas served as a setting for the ''

Tatort ("Crime Scene") is a German-language police procedural television series that has been running continuously since 1970 with 30 feature-length episodes per year, making it the longest-running German TV drama. Developed by the German public-se ...

'' television series. * The Wangen ''Juze Tonne e. V'' is the oldest autonomously run youth center in Germany. * The ''Jugendmusikschule in Wangen'' is the largest school of music in

Notable people

* Joannes Susenbrotus (1484/1485 – 1542/1543), a German humanist, teacher of Latin and author of textbooks. * Franz Joseph Spiegler (1691–1757), a German Baroque painter of

fresco Fresco ( or frescoes) is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting become ...

es * Roland Bader (born 1938), conductor, the principal guest conductor of the Kraków Philharmonic Orchestra * Frank Natterer (born 1941), mathematician, deals with

computed tomography A computed tomography scan (CT scan), formerly called computed axial tomography scan (CAT scan), is a medical imaging technique used to obtain detailed internal images of the body. The personnel that perform CT scans are called radiographers or ...

* Matthias Ostermann (1951-2009), a Canadian potter, artist and author; emigrated 1953

Sport

* Ernst Jakob Henne (1904–2005), motor cycle racer and world land speed record holder * Patricia Watson-Miller (born 1965), motorcycle

rally raid Rally raid is a type of off-road motorsport event competed with different types of vehicles. Along with shorter Baja (cross-country rally), baja rallies, rally raid constitutes cross-country rallying. Both the Fédération Internationale de l'Aut ...

driver, won the ladies cup of the

Dakar rally The Dakar Rally () or simply "The Dakar" (), formerly known as the Paris–Dakar Rally (), is an annual rally raid organised by the Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO). It is an off-road endurance event traversing terrain much tougher than convent ...

three times. * Sigrid Wille (born 1969), cross-country skier * Ivana Rudelic (born 1992), footballer, played over 200 games and 34 for Croatia women * Janik Haberer (born 1994), footballer, has played over 300 games * Melanie Leupolz (born 1994), soccer player, has played over 200 games and 79 for Germany women

References

External links

*
http://www.wangen.de/
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wangen Im Allgau 1802 disestablishments States and territories established in 1286 Ravensburg (district) Swabian League Former states and territories of Baden-Württemberg Free imperial cities