Wikipedia

Lindau

For other uses, seeLindau (disambiguation).

Lindau(German:Lindau (Bodensee),Lindau am Bodensee;German:[ˈlɪndaʊ̯]ⓘ;Low Alemannic:Lindou) is a majortownandislandon the eastern side ofLake Constance(Bodenseein German) inBavaria,Germany.It is the capital of the county (Landkreis) ofLindau,Bavaria and is near the borders of theAustrianstate ofVorarlberg,and theSwisscantons ofSt. GallenandThurgau.The coat of arms of Lindau town is alinden tree,referring to the supposed origin of the town's name.[a]The historic town of Lindau is located on the 0.68-square-kilometre (0.26 sq mi) island of the same name, which is connected with the mainland by a road bridge and a railway causeway leading toLindau station.

Lindau
Town
Aerial view of Lindau Island
Aerial view of Lindau Island
Coat of arms of Lindau
Coat of arms
Location of Lindau within Lindau district
Baden-WürttembergAustriaSwitzerlandOberallgäuBodolzGestratzGrünenbachHeimenkirchHergatzHergensweilerLindauLindenberg im AllgäuMaierhöfenNonnenhornOberreuteOpfenbachRöthenbachScheideggSigmarszellStiefenhofenWasserburg am BodenseeWeiler-SimmerbergWeißensbergLake Constance
Lindau is located in Germany
Lindau
Lindau
Lindau is located in Bavaria
Lindau
Lindau
Coordinates:47°32′45″N9°41′00″E/ 47.54583°N 9.68333°E/47.54583; 9.68333
CountryGermany
StateBavaria
Admin. regionSwabia
DistrictLindau
Government
•Lord mayor(2020–26)Dr. Claudia Alfons[1](Ind.)
Area
• Total33.18 km2(12.81 sq mi)
Elevation
401 m (1,316 ft)
Population
(2023-12-31)[2]
• Total26,155
• Density790/km2(2,000/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00(CET)
• Summer (DST)UTC+02:00(CEST)
Postal codes
88131
Dialling codes08382
Vehicle registrationLI
Websitelindau.de

Lindau is located near the meeting point of the Austrian, German, and Swiss borders and is nestled on the lake in front of Austria'sPfändermountain. Lindau is popular with sightseers and vacationers for its medieval town centre and picturesque location on Lake Constance.

History

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Lindau in winter
Lindau in the 16th century

The first use of the name Lindau was documented in 882 by a monk fromSt. Gallen,stating that Adalbert (count of Raetia) had founded anunneryon the island. However, the remains of an earlyRomansettlement dating back to the 1st century were found in the district of Aeschach.

In 1180, St. Stephan's church was founded. In 1224, theFranciscansfounded a monastery on the island. In 1274–75, Lindau became anImperial Free Cityunder KingRudolf I.

In 1430, about 15 of Lindau'sJewswere burned at the stake after being accused of murdering a Christian child.[3][4]In 1528, Lindau accepted theProtestant Reformation,following theTetrapolitan Confessionat first and subsequently theAugsburg Confession.In 1655, after theThirty Years' War,the firstLindauer Kinderfest(children's festival) was held, in memory of the war. This festival, introduced by Councillor Valentin Heider, still makes up an important part of the town's identity.

Lindau lost its status as anImperial Free Cityin 1802, after the dissolution of theHoly Roman Empire.The city went toKarl August von Bretzenheim,a son of theElector of Bavaria Charles Theodore,who gave Lindau and the monastery to theAustrian Empirein 1804. In 1805, Austria returned Lindau toBavaria.

In 1853, a causeway was built to connect therailway from Munichto the island. In 1856, a newharbourwas built, with its characteristic landmarks, the biglion sculptureandBavaria's only lighthouse.

In 1922, the independent districts ofAeschach,Hoyren andReutinmerged with the Lindau district. After World War II, Lindau fell under French military administration and went first toWürttemberg-Hohenzollernand then to the State ofBaden-Württemberg.In 1955, Lindau again returned toBavaria.

TheNobel Laureate Meetings at Lindau[5]began in 1951 and bring manyNobel Prizelaureates to Lindau each year.

Tourist attractions

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The famous harbour entrance of Lindau
The back of the old town hall of Lindau

Lindau is a popular tourist attraction in southern Germany. The gardens of Lindau are best in spring or summer blossom, and summer is the peak tourist period. Lindau is famous for its architecture and outdoor attractions such as cycling, sailing, hiking, swimming, and camping.

Tower: Mangenturm

Economy

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Historically, the trading route fromNurembergto Italy passed through Lindau; fishery has also played a big role in the economy of the city, and in the 19th century, Lindau was an important location for textile industries. Tourism (including restaurants and accommodation) and industrial production are the main industries in contemporary Lindau. Lindau has a very low unemployment rate, likely the result of a diverse economy and proximity to theAlpine Rhine Valley.

Lindau is home to several large corporations:

There are also numerous farms, producing apples, pears, strawberries, and related products e.g.Schnapps,wineand fruit juices.

Districts

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Lindau is split into severaldistricts.A search for Lindau Stadt will reveal the town's bordering of the neighbour parts of Lindau.

Transport

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Lindau Hauptbahnhof

Railway

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Lindau-Insel stationis Lindau's main station and is located on Lindau Island nearby harbour. However, the station was complemented by the development ofLindau-Reutin stationin the Reutin district on the mainland, which was opened in 2020. Lindau-Insel station has trains to and fromFriedrichshafen,Munich,Ulm,Augsburg,Bregenz(byVorarlbergbahnderÖBB) andZürich(SBB). Historically was it in 1854 the end of theLudwigs-Bavarian-North-South-Line.

Bus – Stadtbus Lindau

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Lindau's bus system is calledStadtbus Lindau,which departs from all stations every 30 minutes and runs until 22.30 daily, with special services for events. The bus system is run by the main local utility provider Stadtwerke Lindau.

AdditionallyRBAand the Zweiländer-line of Austria’s Landbus Unterland also operate from Lindau. Recently long-distance coaches have started running to distant German cities, an alternative toDeutsche Bahntrains.

Road

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Lindau is connected to theAutobahn A96(E43). Main roads (German Bundesstraße) includeB31and B12. The A96 links to the Austrian Autobahn A14 starting right after joining with the 7 km longPfändertunnel.The tunnel was expanded into a 4-lane, 2-tunnel road that was opened in 2013 to accommodate increased north–south traffic.

Airports

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Lindau does not have its own airport. However, it is close toFriedrichshafen AirportandMemmingen Airport,which usually serve tourist arrivals and European destinations. The nearest major airports areMunich Airport,Stuttgart Airport,orZurich Airport.

Utilities

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Lindau's local utility provider is called Stadtwerke Lindau, which provides electricity, water, telecommunications, public baths, and some other services to Lindau.

Telecommunications

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The local utility provider StadtwerkeTK-Lindaustarted deploying fibre-optic internet to major businesses and new housing development areas. Other networks include cable television byKabel Deutschland,which is available in some streets andxDSL,by many providers. Some systems have seen upgrades of theADSLstandard in the last years to cope with the high bandwidth demand. There are plans to deploy aWiFihotspot network (orWLAN,as it is more commonly known in German) across the Island of Lindau.

Property, redevelopment, and other major projects

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Lindau is currently planning several redevelopment projects across the city. The following is a list of projects that are planned for redevelopment.

  • New train station – Lindau has been planning a new train station for many years. Currently there is agreement between the major stakeholders to build a new station near the shopping mall Lindaupark (Reutin district) and refurbish the station on the island. Both stations will remain active.
  • Electrification of the train tracks to Munich (connecting Munich and Zürich) – this major project is sponsored by large external stakeholders such as the State of Bavaria, Switzerland, andDeutsche Bahn.
  • Lindau Inselhalle – Lindau's main hall, which is used for conferences is due to be rebuilt soon.
  • Multi-storey car park– related to the redevelopment of Lindau Inselhalle on the island
  • Property developments near the train station on the island are planned, after rail tracks have been removed
  • A new fire station was completed in September 2014 near Auenstraße (outside the island) – a major headquarters for all the former stations across town, including the Technisches Hilfswerk (THW) unit of Lindau.
  • Property developments connected to the area that belongs toDeutsche Bahnnear Reutin, once the new train station is completed
  • Property developments in Aeschach district – including some major buildings, including luxury apartments and offices
  • Railway underpass near the entrance of the island – Lindau is planning two railway underpasses for cars to ease congestion, partly caused by tourists visiting by car, causing frequent crossing closures
  • Several company extensions or relocations are planned – as of September 2014, Continental AG is extending into a third office complex
  • Lindau Utility is deploying optical broadband across the city
  • Lindau Strandbad, the major public bath, is in discussion of being refurbished
  • Major redevelopment of REWE Supermarket in Bodolz – New interior, new shops. It will be closed from December 2014 until April 2015

Local news sources

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Lindau has a well established newspaper calledLindauer Zeitung,which is part of theSchwäbische Zeitung,which is released daily. Another newspaper is theBürgerzeitung Lindau(BZ), which is published by the city council. It is released biweekly and contains announcements for the town by themayorand local news. The paper is free, sponsored by advertisements, and can usually be found in shops. Both newspapers are available in print and online.

Schools and kindergartens

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Lindau has two main high schools:Bodensee-Gymnasiumand Valentin-Heider-Gymnasium. With one middle school for girls (Maria-Ward-Realschule Lindau) and one middle school for boys (Staatliche Realschule für Knaben Lindau), there are severalprimary schoolsacross the town. Lindau recently completed construction of a newKindergarten,which also included a KitaKindertagestätte,which is a baby nursery for children aged 2–3. There is high demand for childcare in Lindau and providers are obliged by theState of Bavariato provide for every child.

Hospitals, civic offices

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Shopping

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Lindau's large shopping centres and supermarkets such as Aldi, Lidl, and REWE are off Lindau Island. However, the Island has many different shops that sell clothing, cosmetics, gifts, toys, antiques, and local products such as cheese and wine. Lindau's main shopping mall is calledLindauparkand hosts larger shops such asMüller Drogerieand a supermarket.

Festivals and events

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Thanks to its location on Lake Constance, Lindau hosts a number of festivals and events, usually in summer (between May and August).

Notable people

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Genealogy

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Lindau is believed to be the origin of the Lindauer surname of Germany, Switzerland, Alsace-Lorraine, Austria and the Czech Republic. A Jewish family bearing this name is said to have descended from Suskind of Lindau, who was among those killed during the pogrom of 1430.[6]

Lindaueris also the name of a famous wine brand from New Zealand. However, there is no established relationship between Lindau and the wine, which is named after painterGottfried Lindauer.[7]

Gastronomy

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Lindau produces a number of local wines and beverages. There are a number of localities that produce wines (Rädlewirtschaften) from local vineyards andSchnappsmade by local farmers.

Climate

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Lindau is located in atemperateclimatic zone(experiencing four distinct seasons) with mountain surroundings and the freshwater lake. Winters can be cold, with temperatures reaching as low as −20 °C on occasion. In some exceptional cases, winters can be so severely cold that major parts of the lake freeze, making crossing of the lake by car possible, however this is a once in 50- to 100-year event. Summers are normally warm to hot and usually humid due to the surrounding lake.

Heavy storms, rain showers, and thunderstorms are common in summer and heavy winds up to 8 on theBeaufort scaleare possible. Usually, the lake is calm; however, there is a warning-light system for boats to indicate if heavy storms are forecast. Due to the surrounding mountains, snow is always in sight and a good indicator of weather.Lake Constanceis located at roughly 400m meters above sea level.

Twin towns

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See also:List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany

Lindau istwinnedwith:

Footnotes

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  1. ^Lindemeans linden tree (or Tilia) in German. It gives rise toLindenbergtoo, a name which belongs to a town, a hill, a mountain and three municipalities.

References

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  1. ^Liste der ersten Bürgermeister/Oberbürgermeister in kreisangehörigen Gemeinden,Bayerisches Landesamt für Statistik,15 July 2021.
  2. ^Genesis Online-Datenbank des Bayerischen Landesamtes für Statistik Tabelle 12411-003r Fortschreibung des Bevölkerungsstandes: Gemeinden, Stichtag(Einwohnerzahlen auf Grundlage des Zensus 2011).
  3. ^S Rieger, G Jochem [transl. HP Sinclair], "Chronology of the History of the Jews of Bavaria", 2006.http://www.rijo.homepage.t-online.de/pdf/EN_BY_JU_bye.pdf&usg=AFQjCNEAO45HwiMMJ-xTp2kRLebyl68n5Q[permanent dead link],accessed 16 October 2008.
  4. ^Zunz, Leopold (1907).The Sufferings of the Jews During the Middle Ages.Bloch Publishing Company.
  5. ^"Home".lindau-nobel.net.Retrieved2 April2018.
  6. ^MJ Lindauer [transl. D Raindorf], "The Story of the Lindauer and Weil Families", Part Two, 1900.http://jebenhausen.worldzonepro.com/narrative2.html[permanent dead link],accessed 16 October 2008
  7. ^"Lindauer - About".www.lindauer.co.nz.Archived fromthe originalon 13 March 2016.Retrieved30 January2015.[title missing]
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