Clockwise from top:Rheintorturm, a section of the former city wall of Konstanz atLake Constance;Konstanz Minster;Schnetztor, a section of the formercity wall;Old town street;Imperia statue at Lake Constance harbour, the city's landmark
The city is located in the state ofBaden-Württemberg and situated at the banks ofLake Constance (Bodensee), on theConstance Hopper. The riverRhine, whichrises in theSwiss Alps, passes through Upper Lake Constance (Obersee) and leaves it, considerably larger, by flowing under theOld Rhine Bridge connecting the two parts of the city (this part of the river is also called theSeerhein). North of the river, on theBodanrück peninsula, lies the larger part of the city with residential areas, industrial estates, and theUniversity of Konstanz; while south of the river is theold town (Altstadt, including theDominicans Island), which houses the administrative centre and shopping facilities in addition to theHochschule (University of Applied Sciences) as well as the port andmain railway station.
The island ofMainau belonged to the ward of Litzelstetten, a separate municipality, until its incorporation into Konstanz on 1 December 1971. Altstadt and Paradies are the only territories of Germany located south of theRhine.
The first traces of civilization in Konstanz date back to the lateStone Age. During the reign ofAugustus, theCelts living south of the Danube were conquered by the Romans. Around 40 AD, the first Romans settled on the site. This small town on the left bank of the Rhine was probably first calledDrusomagus and belonged to theRoman province ofRaetia. Its later name, originallyConstantia, comes either from the Roman emperorConstantius Chlorus, who fought theAlemanni in the region and built a strong fortress around 300 AD, or from his grandsonConstantius II, who visited the region in 354. The remains of thelate Roman fortressConstantia were discovered in 2003.
Around 585 the first bishop took up residence in Konstanz and this marked the beginning of the city's importance as a spiritual center. By the lateMiddle Ages, about one quarter of Konstanz's 6,000 inhabitants were exempt 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 location in theDuchy of Swabia. Itslinen production had made an international name for the city and it was prosperous. In 1192, Konstanz gained the status ofImperial City so it was henceforth subject only to theHoly Roman Emperor.
In 1414 to 1418, theCouncil of Constance took place, during which, on 6 July 1415,Jan Hus (Czech religious thinker, philosopher and reformer), who was seen as a threat toChristianity by theRoman Catholic Church, wasburned at the stake. It was here that thePapal Schism was ended andPope Martin V was elected during the onlyconclave 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. TheKonzilgebäude where the conclave was held can still be seen standing by the harbour. Close by stands theImperia, a statue that was erected in 1993 to satirically commemorate the council.
In 1460, theSwiss Confederacy conqueredThurgau, Konstanz's naturalhinterland. Konstanz then made an attempt to get admitted to the Swiss Confederacy, but the forest cantons voted against its entry, fearing overbearing city states; Konstanz then joined theSwabian League instead. In theSwabian War of 1499, Konstanz lost its last privileges over Thurgau to the Confederation.
TheProtestant Reformation took hold in Konstanz in the 1520s, headed byAmbrosius Blarer. Soon the city declared itself officiallyProtestant, pictures were removed from the churches, and the bishop temporarily moved toMeersburg, a small town across the lake. The city first followed theTetrapolitan Confession, and then theAugsburg Confession. However, in 1548 EmperorCharles V imposed theImperial Ban on Konstanz and it had to surrender toHabsburg Austria which had suddenly attacked. Thus Konstanz lost its status as an imperial city.The new Habsburg rulers were eager tore-Catholicise the town and in 1604 aJesuit College was opened. Its accompanying theatre, built in 1610, is the oldest theatre in Germany still performing regularly.
On 22 October 1940, 110 of the last Jewish residents were deported toGurs internment camp in France. Most of those who were still alive in August 1942 were murdered in eitherSobibór orAuschwitz.
TheAltstadt (Old Town), which is large considering the small size of modern Konstanz, has many old buildings and twisting alleys. The city skyline is dominated byKonstanz Cathedral, several other churches and three towers left over from the city wall, one of which marks the place of the former medieval bridge over theRhine.
In the late 2010s, Konstanz has become a popular destination forEinkaufstourismus, orcross-border shopping by Swiss due to lower prices on basic items in Germany, a favorableexchange rate between theSwiss franc and theeuro, and a generous GermanVAT refund for non-European Union residents. Retail chains such asH&M anddm have built large new stores near the town's central square to cater to this trade, and some Konstanz residents feel the city is losing its historic character in the process; many of them avoid the area on Saturdays. This has led to friction with officials from Kreuzlingen as their city has seen no economic benefit from this trade, and they have been requesting that theirnational government bring up the issue of the VAT refund with Germany.[7] Subsequently, Germany has introduced a minimum spend amount of €50.01 per receipt for the German VAT to be refunded. Customs clearance centres are conveniently located near shopping centres.
The nearest airport isFriedrichshafen Airport, which can be reached by a fastferry service. This airport mainly hosts domestic flights, but flights toAustria andTurkey are also available. The nearest international airports are inStuttgart,Basel, andZurich, of which the latter has a direct train from Konstanz station.
^"Cotta (family)" .Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 7 (11th ed.). 1911. pp. 250–251, page 251.his youngest son, Johann Friedrich, Freiherr Cotta von Cottendorf (1764–1832).... In 1825 he started steamboats, for the first time, on Lake Constance, and introduced them in the following year on the Rhine.
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