Füssen
Town
October 2009 aerial view of Füssen
October 2009 aerial view of Füssen
Coat of arms of Füssen
Coat of arms
Location of Füssen within Ostallgäu district
Füssen is located in Germany
Füssen
Füssen
Füssen is located in Bavaria
Füssen
Füssen
Coordinates: 47°34′N 10°42′E / 47.567°N 10.700°E / 47.567; 10.700
CountryGermany
StateBavaria
Admin. regionSchwaben
DistrictOstallgäu
Government
 • Mayor (2020–26) Maximilian Eichstetter[1] (CSU)
Area
 • Total43.52 km2 (16.80 sq mi)
Elevation
808 m (2,651 ft)
Population
 (2022-12-31)[2]
 • Total15,985
 • Density370/km2 (950/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes
87629
Dialling codes08362
Vehicle registrationOAL, FÜS, MOD
Websitestadt-fuessen.de

Füssen is a town in Bavaria, Germany, in the district of Ostallgäu, situated one kilometre from the Austrian border. The town is known for violin manufacturing and as the closest transportation hub for the Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau castles. As of 2022-12-31, the town has a population of 15,985.

History

Füssen was settled in Roman times, on the Via Claudia Augusta, a road that leads southwards to northern Italy and northwards to Augusta Vindelicum (today's Augsburg), the former regional capital of the Roman province Raetia. The original name of Füssen was "Foetes", or "Foetibus" (inflected), which derives from Latin "Fauces", meaning "gorge", probably referring to the Lech gorge. In Late Antiquity Füssen was the home of a part of the Legio III Italica, which was stationed there to guard the important trade route over the Alps.

Tower of the High Castle

Füssen later became the site of the "Hohes Schloss" (High Castle), the former summer residence of the prince-bishops of Augsburg. Below the Hohes Schloss is the Baroque complex of the former Benedictine monastery of St. Mang, whose history goes back to the 9th century. Füssen has Saint Mang (Magnus of Füssen) as its patron saint. He and his Benedictine brother Theodor were two monks from the Abbey of Saint Gall and are considered to be its founders, in addition to the Monastery of Kempten.[3] Magnus' original burial place was in the small chapel he built. His bones were transferred to the crypt of the church built in 850. Around the year 950 all his bones disappeared.[4]

The canting coat of arms, depicting a triskeles symbol (alluding to the German Füsse "feet"), is based on a city seal used in the early 14th century.

17th century engraving by Matthäus Merian, depicting Füssen.

In 1745, the Treaty of Füssen was signed between the Electorate of Bavaria and Habsburg Austria, ending Bavaria's participation in the War of the Austrian Succession.

During the 19th century, composer Richard Wagner used to come to Füssen by railway when he visited King Ludwig II of Bavaria.

Recent history

Since the 1950s the town has been familiar to travellers as the southern terminus of the Romantic Road. Füssen was host to the 1988 World Junior Curling Championships.

Geography

Lech Falls in 1857.

Füssen is located on the banks of the Lech River, which flows into the Forggensee. The Forggensee is a man-made lake which was built to prevent flooding. It is the catchment area for all the melting snow in the spring, and is drained after the middle of October.

Füssen at night with Ammergau Alps-mountains Tegelberg (left) and Säuling (right); in the middle Neuschwanstein Castle

Füssen is 808 meters (2,651 ft) above sea level, surrounded by mountains of the Ammergau Alps. The castles of Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau are located near the town. At latitude 47°34 N it is one of the southernmost towns in Germany, at roughly the same latitude as Seattle, Washington, United States.

St. Mang Basilica.
St Mang's Basilica and former monastery viewed from the bridge over the River Lech
The Forggensee with Füssen in the distance.
Füssen and the Lech River.
Lech Falls.

Attractions

The High Castle houses a branch gallery of the Bavarian State Collections of Paintings, which focuses on late Gothic and Renaissance works of art.

The oldest fresco in Germany can be found in the crypt of St Mang's Basilica. It dates back to about the year 980.

St Mang's Feast Day (6 September) is commemorated with a Holy Mass followed by a procession by torchlight through the old part of the city. During the week of the Saint's Feast a special 'Magnus Wine' is sold, with only 500 bottles produced.

Known beyond Füssen is the success of EV Füssen, the local Oberliga ice hockey club.

The Musiktheater Füssen is close to the lake Forggensee.

Local media

The local newspaper for Füssen is the Allgäuer Zeitung, printed daily except Sundays and on Holy Days of Obligation. It contains a special section with news from Füssen and the surrounding towns and villages called the Füssener Blatt.

Notable residents

Twinned towns

Füssen is twinned with:[5]

References

  1. ↑ Liste der ersten Bürgermeister/Oberbürgermeister in kreisangehörigen Gemeinden, Bayerisches Landesamt für Statistik, 15 July 2021.
  2. ↑ Genesis Online-Datenbank des Bayerischen Landesamtes für Statistik Tabelle 12411-003r Fortschreibung des Bevölkerungsstandes: Gemeinden, Stichtag (Einwohnerzahlen auf Grundlage des Zensus 2011)
  3. ↑ Saint Gall (Princely Abbey) in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
  4. ↑ "Heiliger Magnus" (in German). Pfarreiengemeinschaft Füssen. Retrieved 2018-05-25.
  5. ↑ "Partnerstädte" (in German). Füssen Tourismus und Marketing, Stadt Füssen. Retrieved 2015-03-14.

Further reading

  • Feistle: Materialien zur Geschichte der Stadt Füssen, Füssen, 1861.
  • Wüst, Wolfgang: "Füssen", in: Werner Paravicini, ed.: Höfe und Residenzen im spätmittelalterlichen Reich: ein dynastisch-topographisches Handbuch, 2 Teilbde (1: Dynastien und Höfe, 2: Residenzen) (Residenzenforschung 15 I/ 1,2) Ostfildern 2003, Bd. 1, pp. 204–205
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