Isny im Allgäu ( Low Alemannic: ''Isny im Allgai'') is a town in south-eastern

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg (; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a 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 inhabitants across a ...

, Germany. It is part of the district of Ravensburg, in the western, Württembergish part of 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. Isny was a

Free 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 ...

(''Freie Reichsstadt'') until the mediatisation of 1803.

History

During the three centuries following its origin in 1042, it was a commercial center controlled and exploited by various competing feudal lords. In the 13th century, Isny's merchants built a fortification system to protect the town from marauders and rival feudal rulers. The town is still partially surrounded by the city walls and moat that were built during these early turbulent times. After three centuries of domination by feudal lords and territorial rulers, Isny's middle class was able to purchase the town's independence in 1365. Isny's status as 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 ...

made it a self-governing republic in which the city government was elected by propertied residents and in which the

guild A guild ( ) is an association of artisans and merchants who oversee the practice of their craft/trade in a particular area. The earliest types of guild formed as organizations of tradesmen belonging to a professional association. They sometim ...

system thrived. In 1529, Isny's Protestant minority took the city council and voted to make the town Protestant and the Nikolaikirche became the town's main Protestant church. In 1803, the city was mediatized and became a possession of the Counts of Quadt. In 1806, the city passed to the

Kingdom of Württemberg The Kingdom of Württemberg (german: Königreich Württemberg ) was a German state that existed from 1805 to 1918, located within the area that is now Baden-Württemberg. The kingdom was a continuation of the Duchy of Württemberg, which existe ...

, which allowed the Catholic majority to once again move to the city. In 1889, the majority of urban residents was Catholic (1139 ev / 1444 Cath.). Isny enjoyed a vibrant economy, based primarily on

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 ...

production, until competition from abroad, the devastation of 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 a series of fires and plagues brought production to a halt in the 17th century. The town experienced a revival after the end of

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 ...

, when a rehabilitation center for war veterans was established there. Isny emerged from the war largely undamaged, and has since become a popular destination for vacationers and resort-goers. In the late 1970s, the town commissioned the renowned graphic designer

Otl Aicher Otto "Otl" Aicher (; 13 May 1922 – 1 September 1991) was a German graphic designer and typographer. Aicher co-founded and taught at the influential Ulm School of Design. He is known for having led the design team of the 1972 Summer Olympic ...

to create a graphic identity for its tourist board. Aicher responded with a set of 128 black and white pictograms which, while initially controversial, are now regarded as forward thinking and are still used to promote the town.

International relations

Isny im Allgäu is twinned with: *

Andrychów Andrychów ( la, Andrichovia, list=no, german: Andrichau, list=no, hist. also ''Andrychau'') is the largest town in Wadowice County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland. The town is located in the Little Beskids, in the historical region of Less ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

Notre-Dame-de-Gravenchon Notre-Dame-de-Gravenchon () is a former commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region in northern France. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new commune of Port-Jérôme-sur-Seine. Geography A small town with a huge ind ...

Seine-Maritime Seine-Maritime () is a department of France in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the northern coast of France, at the mouth of the Seine, and includes the cities of Rouen and Le Havre. Until 1955 it was named Seine-Inféri ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

* Street, Somerset,

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

Flawil Flawil is a municipality in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland with slightly over 10,000 inhabitants. It is the regional centre of Untertoggenburg, but belongs to the ''Wahlkreis'' (constituency) of Wil. History Flawil is first mentioned in ...

St Gallen St. Gallen or traditionally St Gall, in German language, German; it, San Gallo; rm, Son Gagl) is a Switzerland, Swiss List of cities in Switzerland, city and the capital of the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Canton of St. Gallen, St ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

Sotkamo Sotkamo is a municipality of Finland, located in the Kainuu region about east of Kajaani, the capital of Kainuu. Vuokatti, in west of Sotkamo, is the most populous village in the municipality and also a popular skiing resort. Both Hiidenportti Nat ...

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Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bot ...

Sons and daughters of the town

* 1835, November 26 Wilhelm von Waldburg-Zeil, who was born in Neutrauchburg, † July 20, 1906 Schloss Zeil, politician, member of parliament * 1839, April 1, Constantin von Waldburg-Zeil, who was born in Neutrauchburg, † March 25, 1905 in Merano, politician, member of parliament * 1841, December 18,Karl Graf von Waldburg-Zeil, † January 30, 1890 on Castle Syrgenstein Explorer * 1845, October 17,

Franz Ehrle Franz Ehrle, S.J., (17 October 1845 – 31 March 1934) was a German Jesuit priest and a cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the Archivist of the Secret Archives of the Vatican, in the course of which he became a leading agen ...

, † March 31, 1934 in Rome, Jesuit and Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church * 1865, October 5, Hubert Netzer, † 15 October 1939 sculptor and academy professor * 1866, November 19, Jacob Binder, † March 6, 1932, politician ( SPD) MdR * 1869, September 4, Eugen Felle, † 1934 postcard painter * 1887, January 6, Eugene of Quadt to Wykradt and Isny, † October 19, 1940 in Isny, politicians ( BVP) MdR, Bavarian economy Minister * 1931, May 24, Ernst Mutschler, pharmacologist * 1932, April 6, Günter Herburger, writer * 1946, May 17, Hartmut Krebs, September 29th 2007, politician ( SPD), secretary of state and entrepreneur * 1948, February 28, Friedrich Hechelmann, painter * 1948, Karl Immler, entrepreneur and philanthropist * 1950, Jakob Immler, entrepreneur and philanthropist * 1962, April 30, Roberto Capitoni, German-Italian comedian * 1962, June 26, Peter Rohwein, German champion ski jumper, former German ski coach * 1968 January 4, Roland Pfaus, Actor * 1969, June 17, Peter Rist, crooner * 1976, Daniel Mark Eberhard, a music teacher and jazz musician. * 1976, Manuel Ochsenreiter, journalist * 1979, June 5, Eva Stotz, documentary film maker and director * 1991, January 12, Robin Lässer, motorcycle racer and German Champion

References

External links

Isny Tourist website

Photographs of Isny
{{DEFAULTSORT:Isny Im Allgau Towns in Baden-Württemberg Ravensburg (district) Württemberg Free imperial cities Swabian Circle Swabian League

History

International relations

Sons and daughters of the town

See also

References

External links