Leutkirch im Allgäu

Coat of arms

Leutkirch im Allgäu

Location of Leutkirch im Allgäu within Ravensburg district

Coordinates: 47°49′32″N 10°1′20″E / 47.82556°N 10.02222°ECoordinates: 47°49′32″N 10°1′20″E / 47.82556°N 10.02222°E

Country

Government

• Lord Mayor

Hans-Jörg Henle

Area

• Total

174.95 km² (67.55 sq mi)

Population (2013-12-31)^[1]

• Total

21,837

• Density

120/km² (320/sq mi)

CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)

88291–88299

07561

Website

Leutkirch im Allgäu is a former Free Imperial Town located in south-eastern Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is part of the district of Ravensburg, in the western Allgäu region and belongs to the administrative region (Regierungsbezirk) of Tübingen.

Since the municipal reform of 1972, the consolidated Leutkirch urban area comprises the town of Leutkirch im Allgäu itself and the former municipalities of Diepoldshofen, Friesenhofen, Gebrazhofen, Herlazhofen, Hofs, Reichenhofen, Winterstetten and Wuchzenhofen.

History

Early history

Very few protohistoric settlement remains have been found in the Allgäu region although a grave dating from the migration period has been found in the Leutkirch area. The area was probably settled by Alemanic tribes before the establishment of the Danube-Iller-Rhine limes during the Roman period.

The town was created with the merger of the villages of Ufhofen and Mittelhofen and vestiges of those settlements were found under the old church of St. Martin. First mention of the church is found in a document of the Abbey of St. Gall dating back to 766. After the line of the local lord became extinct, the area was awarded to the counts of Bregenz and of Montfort.

Era of the Free Imperial Town

In 1293, King Adolf of Nassau granted to Leutkirch the right to rule itself according to the Town Code of Lindau (Rechte der Stadt Lindau), thus effectively raising Leutkirch to the status of a Free Imperial Town. For a while, the town continued to be ruled by a bailiff (Landvogt) appointed by the king. In 1311, there is mention for the first time of a town council (Rat) whose members are also the town judges. An elected bürgermeister (mayor) chaired the town council from the 15th century. A so-called Committee of Twenty, representing the guilds, was also part of the governing structure. Eventually, the town council was to be composed of a magistrate (Amtmann), two mayors, three secret councillors and nine councillors.

Location of the Free Imperial City in southeastern Swabia

The main industry of the town then was the linen trade and the main weaver guild had a membership of 200 at one time. Their linen production was exported to Italy and Spain mostly. Leutkirch became a member of the Swabian League in 1488 and gained a seat and vote both in the League and in the Imperial Diet (Reichstag).

Like the majority of the other Free Imperial Cities, Leutkirch went through considerable internal strife during the Protestant Reformation. The town, officially Lutheran in 1546, adhered to the Augsburg Confession and later joined the Schmalkaldic League. There was a fierce dispute for several years between the Protestant magistrates of the town and the abbot of Weingarten Abbey for control over St. Martin’s parish church whose patron was the abbot. A compromise was reached in 1562: the Catholics kept the parish church while the Protestants took over the hospital’s church, which was expanded in 1589 and is now known as Memorial Church. Catholics therefore maintained a foothold and some rights in the Protestant city. In 1577 Leutkirch joined other Lutheran Free Imperial Cities in signing the Formula of Concord.

Schloss Zeil overlooking Leutkirch, circa 1900. The palace of the counts of Waldburg was built just outside the territory of the Free Imperial City.

The town suffered heavily during the Thirty Years' War and the number of inhabitants fell drastically. The post-war period was not easy as well and the debt of the town continued to increase. However, difficult economic times did not prevent the town's rulers from having a new baroque town hall (rathaus) built in 1740. The stucco ceiling by Johannes Schütz remains one of the main attractions of the town. From the Peace of Westphalia onward, Leutkirch was to remain one of the smallest and least conspicuous of the 50 Free Imperial Cities of the Empire.

End of the Free Imperial Town of Leutkirch

In the course of the mediatisation of 1802-03, Leutkirch was not spared the fate of the great majority of the 50 Free Imperial Cities of the moribund Holy Roman Empire and lost its independence. The town was first annexed to the Duchy (later Kingdom) of Bavaria in 1803 before becoming part of the Kingdom of Württemberg in 1810.

Twin towns

Leutkirch im Allgäu is twinned with:

Bédarieux, France, since 1982
Hérépian, France, since 1982
Lamalou-les-Bains, France, since 1982
Castiglione delle Stiviere, Italy, since 1995

The late Gothic St. Martin's Church built in the early 16th. century. The onion dome was added in 1814.

Tower (der Pulverturm) with church (die Sankt Martins Kirche) in background

Swabian League (1488–1534) of the Holy Roman Empire

Imperial cities	Aalen Augsburg Biberach Bopfingen Dinkelsbühl Donauwörth Esslingen Giengen Heilbronn Isny Kaufbeuren Kempten Leutkirch Lindau Memmingen Nördlingen Pfullendorf Ravensburg Reutlingen Schwäbisch Gmünd Schwäbisch Hall Überlingen Ulm Wangen Weil Wimpfen

Nobility	St George's Shield (Gesellschaft von Sanktjörgenschild)

Territories	Brandenburg-Ansbach Baden Bavaria Bayreuth Palatinate Hesse Mainz Trier Württemberg

Swabian Circle (1500–1806) of the Holy Roman Empire

Ecclesiastical	Augsburg Constance Ellwangen Kempten Abbey Lindau

Secular	Baden Buchau Heiligenberg Hohenzollern-Hechingen Klettgau Liechtenstein Tengen Waldburg Scheer Trauchburg Waldsee Wolfegg Wurzach Zeil Württemberg

Prelates	Baindt Buchau Elchingen Gengenbach Gutenzell Heggbach Irsee Kaisheim Mainau Marchtal Neresheim Ochsenhausen Petershausen Roggenburg Rot Rottenmünster Salmanweiler St. George's in Isny Schussenried Söflingen Ursberg Weingarten Weißenau Wettenhausen Zwiefalten

Counts Lords	Altshausen Baar Bondorf Eberstein Eglingen Eglofs Fugger Jakob Johann Markus Gundelfingen Gutenstein Hausen Heiligenberg Hohenems Hohengeroldseck Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen Justingen Kinzigerthal Königsegg and Aulendorf Lustenau Meßkirch Mindelheim / Schwabegg Oberdischingen Öttingen Baldern Öttingen Wallerstein Rechberg Rothenfels and Stauffen Stühlingen and Hohenhöwen Tettnang / Langenargen Thannhausen Wiesensteig

Cities	Aalen Augsburg Biberach Bopfingen Buchau Buchhorn Dinkelsbühl Eßlingen Gengenbach Giengen Heilbronn Isny Kaufbeuren Kempten Leutkirch Lindau Memmingen Nördlingen Offenburg Pfullendorf Ravensburg Reutlingen Rottweil Schwäbisch Gmünd Schwäbisch Hall Überlingen Ulm Wangen Weil Wimpfen Zell

Circles est. 1500: Bavarian, Swabian, Upper Rhenish, Lower Rhenish–Westphalian, Franconian, (Lower) Saxon Circles est. 1512: Austrian, Burgundian, Upper Saxon, Electoral Rhenish · Unencircled territories

Free imperial cities of the

Holy Roman Empire

By 1792

Free Imperial Cities as of 1648

Lost imperial immediacy or no longer part of the Holy Roman Empire by 1792

^D Member of the Décapole
^H Member of the Hanseatic League
^S Member or associate of the Swiss Confederacy

Towns and municipalities in Ravensburg (district)

Achberg Aichstetten Aitrach Altshausen Amtzell Argenbühl Aulendorf Bad Waldsee Bad Wurzach Baienfurt Baindt Berg Bergatreute Bodnegg Boms Ebenweiler Ebersbach-Musbach Eichstegen Fleischwangen Fronreute Grünkraut Guggenhausen Horgenzell Hoßkirch Isny im Allgäu Kißlegg Königseggwald Leutkirch im Allgäu Ravensburg Riedhausen Schlier Unterwaldhausen Vogt Waldburg Wangen im Allgäu Weingarten Wilhelmsdorf Wolfegg Wolpertswende

References

↑ "Gemeinden in Deutschland mit Bevölkerung am 31. Dezember 2013 (Einwohnerzahlen auf Grundlage des Zensus 2011)". Statistisches Bundesamt (in German). 2014.

This article incorporates information from the German Wikipedia.

Authority control	WorldCat Identities VIAF: 141999277 LCCN: n88080040 GND: 4035503-2

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