|
BREGENZ
The city of Bregenz is located at the Bodensee close to
the four-border corner of Germany, Switzerland and
Liechtenstein. The roots of this capital of Vorarlberg
can be found in Roman times. Bregenz was then the
military and trade base Brigantinum. Around 610 AD it
was conquered and destroyed by the Allmanni. Up from
10th century Bregenz became the seat of the
Uldarichinger count and started flourishing and
extending in the 13th and 14th century. Bregenz was
bought in two halves by the Habsburgs in 1451 and in
1523. From 18th to the 19th the traffic network was
expanded enormously through railroad and steamship
connections. In 1923 Bregenz became the capital of
Vorarlberg and in 1945 it suffered severe damage by the
French troops, when around 72 houses were destroyed.
Today Bregenz is home to around 27.097 people. With its
location at the Bodensee and the Alps it has a bi-seasonal
tourism with around 234.000 people from all around the
world staying overnight. The economy is dominated by
small businesses, especially textile industry.
The Upper town district is the oldest, with buildings
form the 13th to 16th century. In this part of town you
can still find parts of the original fortifying town
walls. The Martin's Tower is the landmark of Bregenz, a
building with a late Roman core and mainly baroque style
architecture. The fresco in the chapel dates back to
1362. A further very impressive building is the gothic
parish church of St. Gall, with a Roman-Romanesque
foundation from before 1380 and a Baroque altar.
The cultural biggest event is the Bregenz Festival in
the summer, with operas and plays, held on a stage build
into the Bodensee. |
|
|