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Konstanz
Coat of armsLocation
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Konstanz (Germany)

Administration
CountryGermany
StateEnter Bundesland
DistrictEnter Kreis
Time zoneCET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Coordinates:
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Konstanz in 1925 seen from the lake
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Schnetztor, a section of the former city wall
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Another gate from city wall
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Shops in Konstanz
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The Konzilgebäude in Konstanz


Konstanz (in English formerly known as Constance) is a university town of around 80,000 inhabitants at the western end of Lake Constance in the south-west corner of Germany, bordering Switzerland.

Location

Konstanz is situated on Lake Constance, called "der Bodensee" in German. The river Rhine which starts in the Swiss Alps, passes through Lake Constance and leaves it again, considerably larger, by flowing under a bridge connecting the two parts of the city. North of the river lies the larger part of the city with residential areas and industrial estates; while south of the river is the old town which houses the administrative centre and shopping facilities. Car Ferries provide access across Lake Constance to Meersburg, and the Katamaran provides a shuttle service for pedestrians to Friedrichshafen. To the south, the old town borders onto the Swiss town of Kreuzlingen.

History

The first traces of civilisation in Konstanz date back to the late Stone Age.

Around 100 AD, the first Romans settled on the site. Its name, originally Constantia, comes from the emperor Constantius Chlorus who fought the Alemanni in the region and fortified the town.

Probably in 585 the first bishop took residence in Konstanz and marked the beginning of the city's importance as a spiritual center. By the late Middle Ages, about one fourth of Konstanz's 5,000 inhabitants were extempt from taxation on account of clerical rights.

Trade thrived during the Middle Ages; Konstanz owned the only bridge in the region which crossed the Rhine, making it a strategic place. Their linen production had made an international name and the city was prosperous. In 1192, Konstanz got the status of Imperial City so it was henceforth subject only to the emperor.

In 1414-1418 the Council of Constance took place. During which, on July 6, 1415, Jan Hus, who was seen as a threat to Christianity by the Church, was burned at the stake. It was here that the Papal Schism was ended and Pope Martin V was elected during the only conclave ever held north of the alps. Ulrich von Richental's illustrated chronicle of the Council of Constance testifies to all the major happenings during the Council, as well as showing the everyday life of medieval Konstanz. The Konzilgebäude where the conclave was held can still be seen standing by the harbour. Close by stands the Imperia, a statue that was erected in 1993 to remind of the Council.

In 1460 the Swiss Confederacy conquered Thurgau, Konstanz's natural hinterland. Konstanz then made an attempt to get admitted to the Swiss Confederacy, but the forest cantons voted against its entry, fearing over-bearing city states; Konstanz then entered the Swabian League instead. In the Swabian War of 1499, Konstanz lost its last privileges over Thurgau to the Confederation.

The Protestant Reformation took hold in Konstanz in the 1520s, headed by Ambrosius Blarer. Soon the city declared itself officially Protestant, pictures were removed from the churches, and the bishop temporarily moved to Meersburg, a small town across the lake. The city first followed the Tetrapolitan Confession, and then the Augsburg Confession. However, in 1548 Emperor Charles V imposed the Imperial Ban on Konstanz and it had to surrender to Habsburg Austria which had immediately attacked. Thus, Konstanz lost its status as imperial city.

The new Habsburg rulers were eager to re-Catholicise the town and in 1604 a Jesuit College was opened. Its accompanying theater, built in 1610, is the oldest theater in Germany still performing regularly.

In 1821, the Bishopric of Constance was dissolved and became part of the Archdiocese of Freiburg.

Konstanz today

Because it practically lies within Switzerland, directly adjacent to the Swiss border, Konstanz was not bombed by the Allied Forces during World War II. The city left all their lights on at night, and thus fooled the bombers into thinking it was actually Switzerland. The Altstadt (Old Town), which is large considering the small size of modern Konstanz, has many old buildings and twisted alleys. The city scene is marked by the majestic "Münster" Cathedral ("Münster Unserer Lieben Frau"), several other churches and three towers left over from the city wall, one of which marks the place of the former medieval bridge over the Rhine.

The University of Konstanz was established close to the town in 1966. It houses an excellent library with approximately 2 million books, all freely accessible 24 hours a day.

Konstanz was the birthplace of Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin, constructor of the famous Zeppelin airships.

Twin towns

Transport

Konstanz is served by major railway lines running west to Singen with connections to all parts of Germany, and south into Switzerland, connecting to major routes at Weinfelden. Services are provided by the Deutsche Bahn AG and also the Swiss Thurbo company and its German subsidiary. The nearest airport is at Friedrichshafen, which can be reached by a fast ferry service on the lake, which also connects Konstanz to other lakeside towns. The airport mainly hosts domestic flights, but a service to London Stansted Airport is available. The nearest international airports are in Stuttgart, in Basel, and Zurich, which has a direct train from Konstanz. Bus services within the city are provided by SüdbadenBus GmbH.

Additionally Konstanz and Friedrichshafen have been connected by the two (and soon three) catamarans Constance and Fridolin since 2005.

See also

External links

 •  • [ e]
Cities and towns in Konstanz (district)
Aach 
country, state, and nation can have various meanings. Therefore, diverse lists of these entities are possible. Wikipedia offers the following lists:

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Anthem
"Das Lied der Deutschen" (third stanza)
also called "Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit"
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Länder (singular Land). Since Land is the literal German word for "country", the term Bundesländer (federal states; singular Bundesland
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Germany

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Politics of Germany

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Central European Time (CET) is one of the names of the time zone that is 1 hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. It is used in most European and some North African countries.

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Central European Summer Time (CEST) is one of the names of UTC+2 time zone, 2 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. It is used as a summer daylight saving time in most European and some North African countries. During the winter, Central European Time (UTC+1) is used.
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geographic coordinate system enables every location on the earth to be specified by the three coordinates of a spherical coordinate system aligned with the spin axis of the Earth.
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English}}} 
Writing system: Latin (English variant) 
Official status
Official language of: 53 countries
Regulated by: no official regulation
Language codes
ISO 639-1: en
ISO 639-2: eng
ISO 639-3: eng  
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University of Konstanz (German: Universität Konstanz) is a university in the city of Konstanz in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It was founded in 1966, and the main campus on the Gießberg was opened in 1972.
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Location Germany, Switzerland, Austria
Coordinates Coordinates:

Primary sources
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Anthem
"Das Lied der Deutschen" (third stanza)
also called "Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit"
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Motto
Unus pro omnibus, omnes pro uno (Latin) (traditional)[1]
"One for all, all for one"
Anthem
"Swiss Psalm"
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Origin Grisons, Switzerland

Basin countries Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany, France, Netherlands
Length 1,320 km (820 mi)
Source elevation Vorderrhein: approx. 2,600 m (8,500 ft)
Hinterrhein: approx. 2,500 m (8,200 ft)

Avg.
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ALPS can refer to:
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Countries Austria, France,
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Meersburg
Panorama of Meersburg
Coat of arms Location

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Friedrichshafen
Friedrichshafen and the Bodensee.
Coat of arms Location

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Kreuzlingen is a municipality in the district of Kreuzlingen in the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland. It is the seat of the district.

It is the second largest city of the canton, after Frauenfeld with a population of over 17,000.
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The Stone Age is part of the history of the world that encompasses the first widespread use of technology in human evolution and the spread of humanity from the savannas of East Africa to the rest of the world.
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Constantius Chlorus
Caesar then Augustus of the west

Reign 293 - 305 (as Caesar with Maximian);
305 - 306 (as Augustus in the west, with Galerius as Augustus in the east)
Full name Marcus Flavius Valerius Constantius
Born
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Alamanni, Allemanni, or Alemanni were originally an alliance of west Germanic tribes located around the upper Main, a river that is one of the largest tributaries of the Rhine, on land that is today part of Germany.
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Middle Ages form the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three "ages": the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages and Modern Times.
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Linen is a material made from the fibers of the flax plant.'''

Flax fiber

The term "linen" refers to yarn and fabric made from flax fibers; however, today it is often used as a generic term to describe a class of woven bed, bath, table and kitchen textiles because
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11st century - 12nd century - 13rd century
1160s  1170s  1180s  - 1190s -  1200s  1210s  1220s
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The term Imperial City can refer to several cities:
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Holy Roman Emperor (German: Römischer Kaiser, Latin: Romanorum Imperator) was the elected monarch ruling over the Holy Roman Empire, a Central European state in existence during the Middle
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14th century - 15th century - 16th century
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