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Lindau
Lindau is a Bavarian town and an island on the eastern side of Lake Constance, the Bodensee. It is the capital of the Landkreis or rural district of Lindau. The historic city of Lindau is located on an 0.68-square-kilometre (0.26 sq mi) island which is connected with the mainland by a road bridge and the causeway of the railway to Lindau station.
History
Lindau in winter
The name Lindau was first mentioned by a monk from St. Gallen in a document of 882, stating that Adalbert, count of Raetia, had founded a nunnery on the island. However remains of an early Roman settlement dating back to the 1st century have been found in the district of Aeschach.
In 1180 the St. Stephan's church was founded. In 1224 the Franciscans founded a monastery on the island. In 1274/75 Lindau became an Imperial Free City under King Rudolph I. In 1430, about 15 of the town's Jews were burned at the stake after being accused of murdering a Christian child.[2][3] In 1528, Lindau accepted the Protestant Reformation. The city first followed the Tetrapolitan Confession, and then the Augsburg Confession. After the Thirty Years' War, in 1655 the first Lindauer Kinderfest (children's festival) was held in memory of the war time.
After the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, Lindau lost its status as an Imperial Free City in 1802. The city went to Karl August von Bretzenheim who gave the city and monastery to the Kingdom of Austria in 1804. In 1805 Austria returned the city to Bavaria.
In 1853 a causeway was built to connect the railway from Munich to the island. In 1856 the city built a new harbour with its characteristic landmark, the lion sculpture, together with Bavaria's only lighthouse.
In 1922 the independent districts of Aeschach, Hoyren and Reutin merged with the town of city. After World War II Lindau fell under French administration. In 1955 Lindau again returned to Bavaria.
Lindau is located near the meeting point of the Austrian, German and Swiss borders. It nestles on the lake under Pfänder mountain. Lindau is popular with sightseers and holidaymakers for its medieval city centre and pleasant location on Lake Constance. Since 1951, the Nobel Laureate Meetings at Lindau[4] attract many Nobel prize winners to Lindau every year. A congress of medical physics is also held yearly. The casino owned by the state of Bavaria is a further attraction.
Tourist attractions
The famous harbour entrance of Lindau
The reverse side of the old town hall of Lindau
tower: Mangenturm
Port entrance with lighthouse and Bavarian Lion sculpture
Church of St. Stephan
Peterskirche (Church of St. Peter)
Cathedral "Unserer Lieben Frau" former church of the monastery ’’Maria Himmelfahrt’’
Maximilianstraße (main shopping street)
Historic Town Hall
Promenade on the Aeschach lake side
Economy
In former times an important trading route from Nuremberg to Italy passed through Lindau; the lake fishery has also played a big role in the economy of the city. In the 19th century Lindau was an important location for textile industries. Today there are a lot of small companies amongst some industrial companies:
Lindauer DORNIER GmbH (Textile machines)
Liebherr (Electronics)
Metzeler Automotive Profile Systems
Axima Refrigeration (former Sulzer-Escher-Wyss, refrigeration and air conditioning plants)
Lindauer Fruchtgarten (former Lindavia, fruit drinks)
ADC Automotive Distance Control (Automotive distance controls)
Tanner AG (Technical documentations)
infolox GmbH (Product catalogues)
IPS Intelligent Process Solutions GmbH (Software for Power Utilities)
Continental Automotive
Cooperations
Since 1964 Lindau has a cooperation with the French City of Chelles which was initiated by the returned French soldiers after World War II.
Schools
Lindau has two main high schools: Bodensee-Gymnasium and Valentin-Heider-Gymnasium.
Genealogy
Lindau is believed to be the origin of the Lindauer surname of Germany, Switzerland, Alsace-Lorraine, Austria and the Czech Republic. A Jewish family bearing this name is said to have descended from Suskind of Lindau, who was among those killed during the pogrom of 1430.[5]
International relations
Main article: List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany
Lindau is twinned with:
Russia Serpukhov (Russia)
France Chelles (France)
Switzerland Reitnau (Switzerland)
References
^ "Fortschreibung des Bevölkerungsstandes" (in German). Bayerisches Landesamt für Statistik und Datenverarbeitung. 31 December 2010.
^ S Rieger, G Jochem [transl. HP Sinclair], "Chronology of the History of the Jews of Bavaria", 2006. http://www.rijo.homepage.t-online.de/pdf/EN_BY_JU_bye.pdf&usg=AFQjCNEAO45HwiMMJ-xTp2kRLebyl68n5Q, accessed 16 October 2008.
^ L Zunz, A Löwy, GA Kohut, The Sufferings of the Jews During the Middle Ages, pp. 75-76, New York: Bloch, 1907. http://books.google.com/books?id=f18LAAAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover#PPA75,M1 , accessed 16 October 2008.
^ Meeting of Nobel Laureates in Lindau )
^ MJ Lindauer [transl. D Raindorf], "The Story of the Lindauer and Weil Families", Part Two, 1900. http://jebenhausen.worldzonepro.com/narrative2.html , accessed 16 October 2008.
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