Linzgau
Encyclopedia
Linzgau is a region in southern Germany
in the state of Baden-Württemberg
north of Lake Constance
and south of the Danube
valley. It is bounded by Lake Constance on the south, the Hegau
on the west, the Danube valley on the north, and the Schussen River on the east.
It reaches east as far as Überlingen
and north as far as Pfullendorf
.
Lentia for what is now known as the Linzer Aach
river.
and bronze age
pile dwellings
on the shores of Lake Constance, of which some examples are reconstructed at Unteruhldingen
. Similar neolithic
structures have also been found in a peat bog near Ruhestetten in the municipality of Wald
.
From the late Hallstatt culture
on, the population can be regarded as Celts. Burial mounds have been discovered at Hödingen
, Salem, and Stetten
.
. Roman settlements existed at Bambergen
, Meersburg
, and Mettenbuch in the municipality of Ostrach
.
After the Roman withdrawal beyond the Rhine, Germanic tribes settled in the area. The original Celtic name of the stream gave its name to an Alamannic tribe, the Lentienses
mentioned in the fourth century AD by the Roman historian Ammianus Marcellinus
.
. Starting in 917
, it belonged to the duchy of Swabia
. In 1135, the counts of Heiligenberg
received the county of Linzgau. From them, it passed to the Count of Werdenberg
in 1277, and later to the Count of Fürstenberg
in 1535. The area was then mostly called the County of Heiligenberg.
, so the name became synonymous with the district of Überlingen. Today, the area encompasses the districts of Bodensee and Sigmaringen
.
deanery
. However, it is regaining popularity, as shown by the naming of the new shopping center in Pfullendorf the Linzgau-Center or the slogan of Markdorf
: Heart of the Linzgau.
The regional tourist association also calls itself Bodensee-Linzgau Tourismus e.V.
in the last ice age
.
The northern part (or upper Linzgau) has a more rugged climate and rises to as high as 833 m. It is characterized by glacial moraine
s, with occasional swamp
s and small lakes, especially in the northeast. Agriculture is largely dedicated to grain.
Most of the Linzgau is still rural, with the most heavily populated areas along the shores of Lake Constance. The largest cities are Überlingen, Pfullendorf, and Markdorf.
A car ferry runs from Meersburg
across the arm of Lake Constance called the Überlinger See to connect with Constance
.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in the state of Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...
north of Lake Constance
Lake Constance
Lake Constance is a lake on the Rhine at the northern foot of the Alps, and consists of three bodies of water: the Obersee , the Untersee , and a connecting stretch of the Rhine, called the Seerhein.The lake is situated in Germany, Switzerland and Austria near the Alps...
and south of the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
valley. It is bounded by Lake Constance on the south, the Hegau
Hegau
The Hegau is a formerly volcanic landscape in southern Germany extending around the industrial city of Singen , between Lake Constance in the east, the Rhine River in the south, the Danube River in the north and the Randen—as the southwestern mountains of the Swabian Alb are called—in the west.The...
on the west, the Danube valley on the north, and the Schussen River on the east.
It reaches east as far as Überlingen
Überlingen
Überlingen is a city on the northern shore of Lake Constance . After the city of Friedrichshafen, it is the second largest city in the Bodenseekreis , and a central point for the outlying communities...
and north as far as Pfullendorf
Pfullendorf
Pfullendorf is a small historic city in the district of Sigmaringen in Baden-Württemberg in Germany.-Geography:Its location is in the district of Sigmaringen, 25 km north of Lake Constance and south of the Danube valley and therefore on the continental divide between the watersheds of the...
.
History
The name derives from a Celtic nameCeltic languages
The Celtic languages are descended from Proto-Celtic, or "Common Celtic"; a branch of the greater Indo-European language family...
Lentia for what is now known as the Linzer Aach
Linzer Aach
The Linzer Aach is a river in Linzgau, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is approximately 52 kilometres long and flows into Lake Constance. It has a catchment area of 287 km ² and is part of the Rhine river system...
river.
Prehistoric times
The best-known remains of prehistoric human habitation in the region are the neolithicNeolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
and bronze age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
pile dwellings
Stilt house
Stilt houses or pile dwellings or palafitte are houses raised on piles over the surface of the soil or a body of water. Stilt houses are built primarily as a protection against flooding, but also serve to keep out vermin...
on the shores of Lake Constance, of which some examples are reconstructed at Unteruhldingen
Unteruhldingen
Unteruhldingen is a small village, part of the town of Uhldingen-Mühlhofen, on the northwestern shore of Lake Constance, Germany.It is home to the Pfahlbauten, an open air museum displaying reconstructions of Neolithic and Bronze Age pile dwellings...
. Similar neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
structures have also been found in a peat bog near Ruhestetten in the municipality of Wald
Wald, Baden-Württemberg
Wald is a municipality in the district of Sigmaringen in Baden-Württemberg in Germany....
.
From the late Hallstatt culture
Hallstatt culture
The Hallstatt culture was the predominant Central European culture from the 8th to 6th centuries BC , developing out of the Urnfield culture of the 12th century BC and followed in much of Central Europe by the La Tène culture.By the 6th century BC, the Hallstatt culture extended for some...
on, the population can be regarded as Celts. Burial mounds have been discovered at Hödingen
Überlingen
Überlingen is a city on the northern shore of Lake Constance . After the city of Friedrichshafen, it is the second largest city in the Bodenseekreis , and a central point for the outlying communities...
, Salem, and Stetten
Stetten, Bodenseekreis
Stetten is a town in the district of Bodensee in Baden-Württemberg in Germany.- References :...
.
Roman times
From the first century BC to the third century AD, the area was part of the Roman EmpireRoman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
. Roman settlements existed at Bambergen
Überlingen
Überlingen is a city on the northern shore of Lake Constance . After the city of Friedrichshafen, it is the second largest city in the Bodenseekreis , and a central point for the outlying communities...
, Meersburg
Meersburg
Meersburg is a town of Baden-Württemberg in the southwest of Germany at Lake Constance.It is famous for its charming medieval city. The lower town and upper town are reserved for pedestrians only and connected by two stairways and a steep street .-History:The name of the town means "Burg on the...
, and Mettenbuch in the municipality of Ostrach
Ostrach
Ostrach is a municipality in the district of Sigmaringen in Baden-Württemberg in Germany.-Geography:Ostrach lies between the Danube and Lake Constance, about halfway between Sigmaringen and Ravensburg. It lies on the brook of the same name, which passes through a narrow pass between the glacial...
.
After the Roman withdrawal beyond the Rhine, Germanic tribes settled in the area. The original Celtic name of the stream gave its name to an Alamannic tribe, the Lentienses
Lentienses
The Lentienses were an Germanic tribe in the region between the river Danube in the North, the river Iller in the East, and Lake Constance in the South, in what is now south Germany. They were reported to be one of the most rebellious tribes at the time...
mentioned in the fourth century AD by the Roman historian Ammianus Marcellinus
Ammianus Marcellinus
Ammianus Marcellinus was a fourth-century Roman historian. He wrote the penultimate major historical account surviving from Antiquity...
.
Middle Ages
In the sixth century, as all of the Alemannic territory the Linzgau was conquered by the FranksFranks
The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
. Starting in 917
917
Year 917 was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar.- Asia :* The Great Yue Kingdom, later renamed Southern Han, is founded by Liu Yan in Guangdong and Guangxi.- Europe :...
, it belonged to the duchy of Swabia
Swabia
Swabia is a cultural, historic and linguistic region in southwestern Germany.-Geography:Like many cultural regions of Europe, Swabia's borders are not clearly defined...
. In 1135, the counts of Heiligenberg
Heiligenberg
Heiligenberg is a municipality and a village in the Bodensee district in Baden-Württemberg, about seven kilometres north of Salem, in Germany.-Location and climate:...
received the county of Linzgau. From them, it passed to the Count of Werdenberg
Werdenberg
Werdenberg may be* Werdenberg ** County of Werdenberg Sargans** Werdenberg *** Hartmann I. von Werdenberg , also Count of Kraiburg and Marquartstein...
in 1277, and later to the Count of Fürstenberg
Fürstenberg
Fürstenberg and can refer to the following.- Historical states :* Fürstenberg , county * Fürstenberg-Baar, county * Fürstenberg-Blumberg, county...
in 1535. The area was then mostly called the County of Heiligenberg.
Modern times
In the eary 19th century, under the rule of Napoleon, the Linzgau was assigned to the Grand Duchy of BadenGrand Duchy of Baden
The Grand Duchy of Baden was a historical state in the southwest of Germany, on the east bank of the Rhine. It existed between 1806 and 1918.-History:...
, so the name became synonymous with the district of Überlingen. Today, the area encompasses the districts of Bodensee and Sigmaringen
Sigmaringen (district)
Sigmaringen is a district in the south of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Neighboring districts are Reutlingen, Biberach, Ravensburg, Bodensee, Constance and Zollernalbkreis.-History:...
.
Linzgau today
Today, the only official use for the term Linzgau is the CatholicCatholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
deanery
Deanery
A Deanery is an ecclesiastical entity in both the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residence of a Dean.- Catholic usage :...
. However, it is regaining popularity, as shown by the naming of the new shopping center in Pfullendorf the Linzgau-Center or the slogan of Markdorf
Markdorf
Markdorf is a town in the Bodensee district, in Baden-Württemberg, Southern Germany. It is situated near Lake Constance, 10 km northwest of Friedrichshafen....
: Heart of the Linzgau.
The regional tourist association also calls itself Bodensee-Linzgau Tourismus e.V.
Landscape
The southern part of the Linzgau lies on the banks of Lake Constance and has a milder climate, which lends itself to fruit orchards and vineyards. The landscape is rolling, but fairly flat, with occasional drumlins caused by deposits from the retreating Rhine GlacierRhine Glacier
The Rhine Glacier was a glacier during the Last glacial period which is responsible for the formation of the Lake Constance....
in the last ice age
Ice age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
.
The northern part (or upper Linzgau) has a more rugged climate and rises to as high as 833 m. It is characterized by glacial moraine
Moraine
A moraine is any glacially formed accumulation of unconsolidated glacial debris which can occur in currently glaciated and formerly glaciated regions, such as those areas acted upon by a past glacial maximum. This debris may have been plucked off a valley floor as a glacier advanced or it may have...
s, with occasional swamp
Swamp
A swamp is a wetland with some flooding of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a large number of hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation. The two main types of swamp are "true" or swamp...
s and small lakes, especially in the northeast. Agriculture is largely dedicated to grain.
Most of the Linzgau is still rural, with the most heavily populated areas along the shores of Lake Constance. The largest cities are Überlingen, Pfullendorf, and Markdorf.
Transport
The national highways 31 and 33, which run from east to west along Lake Constance are the only major highways through the region.A car ferry runs from Meersburg
Meersburg
Meersburg is a town of Baden-Württemberg in the southwest of Germany at Lake Constance.It is famous for its charming medieval city. The lower town and upper town are reserved for pedestrians only and connected by two stairways and a steep street .-History:The name of the town means "Burg on the...
across the arm of Lake Constance called the Überlinger See to connect with Constance
Constance
Constance is a female given name that derives from Latin and means "constant." Variations of the name include Connie, Constancia, Constanze, Constanza, Stanzy, and Konstanze.Constance may refer to:-People:*Constance Bennett , American actress...
.