Marketers and customers
The Residenzplatz (in English: "Residence Square") in the town of Kempten on a market day, with the prince-abbatial residence on the right and the steeples of the St Lawrence Basilica in the background, Swabia, Bavaria, Germany
Some background information:
The prince-abbatial residence is a large baroque monastery complex in the town of Kempten. Its construction started in 1651 on the site of a demolished Romanesque Benedictine abbey. This abbey was attacked and destroyed by Protestant Swedish troops in 1632 in the course of the Thirty Years‘ War. First plans for the new abbey were made in 1648 under prince-abbot Roman Giel von Gielsberg and already three years later they were put into action.
Michael Beer, an Austrian architect, was assigned as the master builder. The abbey was partly erected on the foundations of the demolished Romanesque three-nave basilica. It had a monumental double-yard layout, which was groundbreaking at that time. In 1656, the central wing was built and and in 1661, the wings embedding the eastern yard were constructed. In 1668, the last one of the four quadratic corner towers with their octagonal tops was finished. As from 1732, many rooms of the monastery were furnished pompously.
In 1780, the late baroque orangery was built to finally enclose the court garden at its northern end. After the Bavarian secularization of 1803, the last prince-abbot Castolus Reichlin von Meldegg was allowed to inhabit the residence for some while yet. However, redundant sections were occupied by Bavarian military. The army used the building complex until 1945, when it was made a famine shelter for German refugees from East Prussia and Silesia. Since 1952, the prince-abbatial residence is open to the public within the frame of guided tours.
Kempten is the largest town in the southwestern Bavarian Allgäu region. It has about 68,000 residents. The area was already settled by the Celts and a Celtic town was already mentioned by the Greek geographer Strato around 50 BC. But some years later it was taken over by the Romans. Around 15 BC, they built the first town in their province of Raetia, which they called "Cambodunum". That makes Kempten definitely the oldest urban settlement in all of Germany.
The Romans erected "Cambodunum" on a classical Roman city plan with baths, a forum and temples. During the first century, it served as the provincial capital of Raetia before Augsburg (in Latin: "Augusta Vindelicorum") took over this role. In 233 AD, Cambodunum was plundered and destroyed by the Alemanni, a Suebic tribe. Following this, the original site of the town was abandoned and the settlement moved to a strategically safer location on the Burghalde hill overlooking the Iller river. After the last Roman troops had left the area in the middle of the 5th century, the town was entirely taken over by the Alemanni.
Once the Romans had abandoned the settlement, it was again moved from the hill down to the plains located next to the river Iller. In 683, the town that was still predominantly Alemannic, was destroyed once more, but this time by the Franks. The Frankish attack was a consequence of the city's support of an uprising against the Frankish kingdom. Around 700 an early monastery was built, the first in the Allgäu region, founded by two Benedictine monks from the Abbey of Saint Gall. Because of its financial support of Charlemagne’s wife Hildegard, an Allemannic princess, the monastery came to be one of the most privileged of the Frankish Empire.
After Kempten Abbey had been ravaged by the Magyars several times, the Prince-Bishop of Augsburg, who was also Abbot of Kempten, began the rebuilding of both the monastery and the city in 941. In 1213, the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II granted the Abbot of Kempten the right to bear the title of Duke. In 1289, King Rudolf I of Germany from the House of Habsburg also granted special privileges to the urban settlement in the river valley, making it the free imperial city of Kempten.
In 1525, the last property rights held by the abbots in the imperial city were sold in the so-called "Great Purchase", marking the start of the co-existence of two independent cities next to each other, each bearing the same name of Kempten. More conflict arose in 1527 after the imperial city of Kempten converted to Protestantism in direct opposition to the Catholic monastery and the free city of Kempten in the immediate vicinity of the imperial city. During the turmoil of the Thirty Years' War, both cities were destroyed by the imperial forces and the Swedish troops respectively just one year apart.
In 1651, a new abbey and also a new basilica was commissioned, after both the old abbey and basilica had also been destroyed by the Protestant Swedish forces in 1632 in the course of the Thirty Years‘ War. The construction works started still in the same year. The basilica is acknowledged as the first large church built in Germany after the end of the Thirty Years' War. During the Napoleonic Wars the ducal abbey and the imperial city came under Bavarian rule. Finally, in 1819, the two rivalling cities were united into a single communal entity.
During World War II, the city was the location of two subcamps of the Dachau concentration camp, each with about 700 inmates. Today, the old town of Kempten combines many different architectural styles. In addition to Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque styles, one can also find hybrid forms and modern architectural elements. Kempten is home to numerous medium-sized companies as well as the University of Applied Sciences with more than 2,800 students in eight degree courses, half of them in the field of engineering sciences.
Marketers and customers
The Residenzplatz (in English: "Residence Square") in the town of Kempten on a market day, with the prince-abbatial residence on the right and the steeples of the St Lawrence Basilica in the background, Swabia, Bavaria, Germany
Some background information:
The prince-abbatial residence is a large baroque monastery complex in the town of Kempten. Its construction started in 1651 on the site of a demolished Romanesque Benedictine abbey. This abbey was attacked and destroyed by Protestant Swedish troops in 1632 in the course of the Thirty Years‘ War. First plans for the new abbey were made in 1648 under prince-abbot Roman Giel von Gielsberg and already three years later they were put into action.
Michael Beer, an Austrian architect, was assigned as the master builder. The abbey was partly erected on the foundations of the demolished Romanesque three-nave basilica. It had a monumental double-yard layout, which was groundbreaking at that time. In 1656, the central wing was built and and in 1661, the wings embedding the eastern yard were constructed. In 1668, the last one of the four quadratic corner towers with their octagonal tops was finished. As from 1732, many rooms of the monastery were furnished pompously.
In 1780, the late baroque orangery was built to finally enclose the court garden at its northern end. After the Bavarian secularization of 1803, the last prince-abbot Castolus Reichlin von Meldegg was allowed to inhabit the residence for some while yet. However, redundant sections were occupied by Bavarian military. The army used the building complex until 1945, when it was made a famine shelter for German refugees from East Prussia and Silesia. Since 1952, the prince-abbatial residence is open to the public within the frame of guided tours.
Kempten is the largest town in the southwestern Bavarian Allgäu region. It has about 68,000 residents. The area was already settled by the Celts and a Celtic town was already mentioned by the Greek geographer Strato around 50 BC. But some years later it was taken over by the Romans. Around 15 BC, they built the first town in their province of Raetia, which they called "Cambodunum". That makes Kempten definitely the oldest urban settlement in all of Germany.
The Romans erected "Cambodunum" on a classical Roman city plan with baths, a forum and temples. During the first century, it served as the provincial capital of Raetia before Augsburg (in Latin: "Augusta Vindelicorum") took over this role. In 233 AD, Cambodunum was plundered and destroyed by the Alemanni, a Suebic tribe. Following this, the original site of the town was abandoned and the settlement moved to a strategically safer location on the Burghalde hill overlooking the Iller river. After the last Roman troops had left the area in the middle of the 5th century, the town was entirely taken over by the Alemanni.
Once the Romans had abandoned the settlement, it was again moved from the hill down to the plains located next to the river Iller. In 683, the town that was still predominantly Alemannic, was destroyed once more, but this time by the Franks. The Frankish attack was a consequence of the city's support of an uprising against the Frankish kingdom. Around 700 an early monastery was built, the first in the Allgäu region, founded by two Benedictine monks from the Abbey of Saint Gall. Because of its financial support of Charlemagne’s wife Hildegard, an Allemannic princess, the monastery came to be one of the most privileged of the Frankish Empire.
After Kempten Abbey had been ravaged by the Magyars several times, the Prince-Bishop of Augsburg, who was also Abbot of Kempten, began the rebuilding of both the monastery and the city in 941. In 1213, the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II granted the Abbot of Kempten the right to bear the title of Duke. In 1289, King Rudolf I of Germany from the House of Habsburg also granted special privileges to the urban settlement in the river valley, making it the free imperial city of Kempten.
In 1525, the last property rights held by the abbots in the imperial city were sold in the so-called "Great Purchase", marking the start of the co-existence of two independent cities next to each other, each bearing the same name of Kempten. More conflict arose in 1527 after the imperial city of Kempten converted to Protestantism in direct opposition to the Catholic monastery and the free city of Kempten in the immediate vicinity of the imperial city. During the turmoil of the Thirty Years' War, both cities were destroyed by the imperial forces and the Swedish troops respectively just one year apart.
In 1651, a new abbey and also a new basilica was commissioned, after both the old abbey and basilica had also been destroyed by the Protestant Swedish forces in 1632 in the course of the Thirty Years‘ War. The construction works started still in the same year. The basilica is acknowledged as the first large church built in Germany after the end of the Thirty Years' War. During the Napoleonic Wars the ducal abbey and the imperial city came under Bavarian rule. Finally, in 1819, the two rivalling cities were united into a single communal entity.
During World War II, the city was the location of two subcamps of the Dachau concentration camp, each with about 700 inmates. Today, the old town of Kempten combines many different architectural styles. In addition to Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque styles, one can also find hybrid forms and modern architectural elements. Kempten is home to numerous medium-sized companies as well as the University of Applied Sciences with more than 2,800 students in eight degree courses, half of them in the field of engineering sciences.