Landkreis Lindau (Bodensee)
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Lindau is a ''Landkreis'' (district) 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 ...
,
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 ...
,
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 ...
; its capital is the city of
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 ...
. It is bounded by (from the east and clockwise) the district of
Oberallgäu Oberallgäu is a Districts of Germany, ''Landkreis'' (district) in Swabia (Bavaria), Swabia, Bavaria, Germany. It is bounded by (from the north and clockwise) the districts of Unterallgäu and Ostallgäu, the Austrian states State of Tyrol, Tyrol a ...
,
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 ...
(federal state of
Vorarlberg Vorarlberg ( ; ; , , or ) is the westernmost States of Austria, state () of Austria. It has the second-smallest geographical area after Vienna and, although it also has the second-smallest population, it is the state with the second-highest popu ...
),
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 ...
and the state of
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 ...
(districts of
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 ...
and
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 ...
).


History

The city of Lindau became a Free Imperial City in the 13th century; it was directly subordinate to the
emperor The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...
. The rural areas around Lindau were the property of monasteries or tiny counties, that rose and fell in the region. When
Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
gained influence in the area, all these entities were dissolved in 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 ...
and Lindau fell to Bavaria. The district of Lindau was established in 1938. After the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
it became — like the Rhenish Palatinate — part of the French zone of occupation to create a land bridge between the French zones in Germany and Austria, while the rest of Bavaria was under American occupation. The district was administered jointly with
Württemberg-Hohenzollern Württemberg-Hohenzollern was a West Germany, West German state created in 1945 as part of the French Allied Occupation Zones in Germany, post-World War II occupation zone. Its capital was Tübingen. In 1952, it was merged into the newly founded ...
, but belonged neither to Bavaria or Württemberg and had a special territorial position. Throughout its special status, the district was administered by Bregenz native Anton Zwisler (1888-1977). The district was represented by three delegates in the Advisory State Assembly (Beratende Landesversammlung) and later Landtag of Württemberg-Hohenzollern. On September 25, 1948, the city of Lindau was spun off from the district and became a district-free city. Lindau earned a lot of pet names during the period, namely "Second Principality of Liechtenstein" (Zweites Fürstentum Liechtenstein), "Paradise" (Paradies), "Germany's Grease Spot" (Deutschlands Fettfleck) and "Monte Carlo on Lake Constance" (Monte Carlo am Bodensee). The latter name came from the casino, which opened in Lindau in 1950, the others were used to refer to Lindau's self-sufficiency, as the district was allowed to keep all taxes and custom duties for itself. Also, while in some other parts of Germany, people suffered from hunger, Lindau had a surplus of fruit, milk and meat for export and a brisk construction activity. With the signing of the Austrian State Treaty restoring Austrian independence and the withdrawal of Allied forces, Lindau's bridging function for France, and thus the need for special position, became obsolete, so on September 1, 1955 the district was reincorporated into Bavaria, with a negotiated transition period until March 27, 1956, when a ceremony was held at Lindau's Old Town Hall attended by Zwisler and then-Bavarian Minister-President Wilhelm Hoegner. The city of Lindau, which had been an
urban district An urban district is a division generally managed by a local government. It may also refer to a city district, district, urban area or quarter Specific urban districts in some countries include: * Urban districts of Denmark * Districts of Germa ...
, became a part of the rural district in 1972.


Geography

In the southwest the district borders
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 ...
, more precisely its eastern part known as ''Obersee''. To the north the countryside rises to the hills of the western
Allgäu The Allgäu (Standard ) 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 Alps. The main rivers flo ...
mountains.


Coat of arms

The coat of arms displays: * the blue and white checked pattern of Bavaria * a
lime tree ''Tilia'' is a genus of about 30 species of trees or bushes, native throughout most of the temperate Northern Hemisphere. The tree is known as linden for the European species, and basswood for North American species. In Great Britain and Irelan ...
symbolising the city of Lindau ("lime tree" is ''Linde'' in German) * the arms of the counts of Montfort * a blue wavy line symbolising Lake Constance


Towns and municipalities


References


External links


Landkreis Lindau
(German) {{DEFAULTSORT:Lindau (District) Districts of Bavaria Swabia (Bavaria)