Nesselwang
Encyclopedia
Nesselwang is a municipality
Municipalities of Germany
Municipalities are the lowest level of territorial division in Germany. This may be the fourth level of territorial division in Germany, apart from those states which include Regierungsbezirke , where municipalities then become the fifth level.-Overview:With more than 3,400,000 inhabitants, the...

 in the district of Ostallgäu
Ostallgäu
Ostallgäu is a district in Bavaria, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Oberallgäu, Unterallgäu, Augsburg, Landsberg, Weilheim-Schongau and Garmisch-Partenkirchen, and by the Austrian state of Tyrol...

 in Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...

 in Germany
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...

. It is an oft photographed market town and tourist resort at the foot of the Alps in Allgäu. It consists of the market (Nesselwang) as well as 17 surrounding hamlets (Gschwend, Hörich, Reichenbach, Bayerstetten, Wank, Hertingen, Attlesee, Schneidbach, Hammerschmiede, Lachen, Niederhöfen, Rindegg, Thal, Schicken, Schneidbach, Voglen and Widdumhof).

History

In Roman times there was a road connecting Via Claudia Augusta with the Roman town of Cambodunum (Kempten). This road passed through the area now occupied by Nesselwang however there is no evidence of Roman occupation in the town.

In 1059 the Emperor Heinrich IV borrowed from the Bishop of Augsburg with the area including Nesselwang as security. This loan was not paid back and so the area became part of the estates of the Bishop of Augsburg.

The first mention of Nesselwang was in 1302, in the form Nesselwach, although both the settlement and the name are probably older than this.

The castle in the south of Nesselwang was maybe already built in the 11th century but the name Nesselburg was first mentioned in 1302.

The town received the right to hold a market from King Sigismund in 1429. The document conferring this right is now in the Bavarian State Archive in Munich .

In 1582 Nesselwang received its own coat of arms and seal from Bishop Marquard from Berg. This allowed the town to seal documents and is an indices for a certain amount of self government under the rule of the Augsburger Bishops.

In the years between 1500 and 1800 the history of Nesselwang was continuously effected by the wars then being fought in Europe. A quote from the owner of the Hotel Bären in 1796 is seen as expressing the general feeling during this time, It could be translated as „Please God, let things soon be different!“

In the year 1803 Nesslewang passed from the Bishop of Augsburg to the Kingdom of Bavaria.

In 1869 the town received the right for full self government with a mayor and town council, a right which is still extant in the present day.

Tourism

The town and surrounding hamlets are home to some 3600 people and are visited by about 73000 holiday guests each year.
During the winter the town is a ski resort with the lifts of the Alpspitzbahn starting directly in the town and carrying skiers nearly to the top of the Alpspitz. During summer the lift can also be used to reach the start points for a variety of walking tours as well as to reach the top of the summer sledge run. Mountain biking, swimming in the surrounding lakes and walking through the surrounding scenery are all popular summer pastimes. There is also an adventure swimmimg pool and a museum to visit.
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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