Weingarten | |
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_COA.svg) Coat of arms | |
Location of Weingarten within Ravensburg district  | |
 Location of Weingarten | |
  Weingarten  Weingarten | |
| Coordinates:47°48′33″N09°38′40″E / 47.80917°N 9.64444°E /47.80917; 9.64444 | |
| Country | Germany |
| State | Baden-Württemberg |
| Admin. region | Tübingen |
| District | Ravensburg |
| Municipal assoc. | Mittleres Schussental |
| Government | |
| • Lord mayor(2022–30) | Clemens Moll[1] (Ind.) |
| Area | |
• Total | 12.16 km2 (4.70 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 485 m (1,591 ft) |
| Population (2023-12-31)[2] | |
• Total | 25,521 |
| • Density | 2,099/km2 (5,436/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| Postal codes | 88250 |
| Dialling codes | 0751 |
| Vehicle registration | RV |
| Website | www.weingarten-online.de |
Weingarten (German pronunciation:[ˈvaɪnɡaʁtn̩]ⓘ;Low Alemannic:Wãẽgaade;lit. 'Wine Garden') is a town with a population of 25,000 (as of 2020[update]) inWürttemberg, in theDistrict of Ravensburg, in the valley of theSchussen River. Together with the southern neighbour cities ofRavensburg andFriedrichshafen on Lake Constance (Bodensee), it forms one of 14 medium-sized infrastructural centres inBaden-Württemberg. The town is seat of the University of Applied Sciences of Ravensburg-Weingarten (Hochschule Ravensburg-Weingarten) and of the Teachers' College of Weingarten (Pädagogische Hochschule Weingarten).
The town was formerly known asAltdorf and was renamed to Weingarten in 1865. Before that, Weingarten was the name ofWeingarten Abbey only, which lay on the Martinsberg (St. Martin's hill) above the town. The name "Altdorf" is derived from the Frankishalach for "church". So "Altdorf" does not mean "old village" but "village/thorp with the parish church".
Near the old town, anAlemannic burial place was excavated in 1954–1957, dating from the 5th century. In the 8th century the region became part of theFrankish empire. Around the 9th century theElder Welfs becamecounts of the Schussengau and established their seat in Altdorf.
In 1056Welf IV transferred the ancestral seat of the Welfs to the newly built castle ofRavensburg. He founded a newBenedictine abbey at the Martinsberg in Altdorf; this abbey was namedWeingarten Abbey.
By a contract of inheritance, in 1191 theHohenstaufenFrederick Barbarossa acquired the ownership of the Schussengau (including Altdorf, Weingarten and Ravensburg) fromWelf VI,Duke of Spoleto and uncle of bothFrederick Barbarossa andHenry the Lion.
About seventy years later, with the death ofConradin inNaples in 1268, the line of theHohenstaufen became extinct. Their former estates were confiscated as imperial property of theHoly Roman Empire. While the small town of Altdorf was ruled by theReichslandvogt (imperialsteward resp.bailiff) ofSwabia, the abbey of Weingarten won the status of an "Imperial Abbey" with privileges similar to those of anImperial Free City. TheLandvogtei was given in 1473/1486 as pawn toSigismund, Archduke of Austria, which led to its integration as a district withinFurther Austria.
TheVogt's seat was first located at the castle of Ravensburg (most often called "Veitsburg" to distinguish it from the Imperial City of Ravensburg) until 1647 when Swedish troops destroyed the castle and theVogt moved to a palace (the today'sSchlössle) in Altdorf.
The abbey of Weingarten became one of the wealthiest monasteries in southern Germany, owning about 306 km2 of rich estates, before it was confiscated during thesecularization following theReichsdeputationshauptschluß bill in 1803. Weingarten was first allotted to theHouse of Nassau, Altdorf to the dukedom ofWürttemberg. In 1806 Weingarten, too, was incorporated into Württemberg.
During the 19th century several barracks were placed in Altdorf-Weingarten, making the city an important military site; following this in 1911 a youngErwin Rommel was based in the town.[3] As in neighbouring Ravensburg, a significant engineering industry evolved during the second half of the century, based mainly on the local traditions of (paper and other) mills and textile production.
In 1922, monks fromBeuron Abbey (on the Danube) andErdington Abbey (inBirmingham) founded a new Benedictine abbey that leased some of the former abbey rooms. In 2010 the last four monks abandoned the abbey, the lease was taken over by the CatholicDiocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart which tried to find a new monastic community to install here.
DuringNazi Germany Weingarten was incorporated into Ravensburg; after the war, the rival cities were separated again.
Since 1949, most of the former abbey buildings have been occupied by a teachers' college. A smaller part of the main building is leased to the CatholicDiocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart which runs the Catholic Academy for adult education there. New buildings were erected in the neighbourhood by theUniversity of Applied Sciences Ravensburg-Weingarten. In 2014 parts of the Academy were rededicated as a refugees home, in 2015 rooms of the then-abandoned abbey were rededicated as auxiliary first admittance facility for refugees.
During the municipal reforms of the 1970s, a renewed attempt to fuse Ravensburg and Weingarten failed due to massive resistance on the part of Weingarten's citizenry.
Weingarten was home to the NATO InternationalLong Range Reconnaissance Patrol School through the 1980s and 90s until it moved toPfullendorf.
Elections in May 2014:
Brest, Belarus
Bron, France
Burgeis (Mals), Italy
Grimma, GermanyMantua, ItalyWeingarten also has a climatic partnership withBlumenau in Brazil.[4]
The local tradition of theSwabian-Alemanniccarnival calledFasnet can be traced back to 1348. At that time "town-hall dances" were reported, celebrating the end of apestepidemic.
Every year, the Fasnet season starts with theGumpige Dunnschdig (Jumpy Thursday) a week beforeAsh Wednesday. In the evening, theHemedglonkerumzug (from "hemed" =nightgown in local dialect) takes place, so everybody runs through the streets in pyjamas or nightshirts. This custom symbolizes the awakening of carnival fools.
The main pageant takes place at Sunday. Typical carnival characters of Weingarten are thePlätzler (in a red and white costume, first depicted in 1868), theLauratal ghosts and theBockstallnarren ("buck stable fools"). In addition to these local groups, many other carnival groups from the region take part in the pageant.
On the Friday followingAscension, Catholics from Weingarten and from most parts ofUpper Swabia take part in the annualBlutritt, a large equestrianprocession. The procession of about 3,000 riders and dozens of localmusic bands leads through the town centre and some surrounding villages to bless houses, farms and fields with arelic of the holyblood of Jesus Christ. During the rest of the year, the relic is on display in theWeingarten Abbey church.
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