Isny im Allgäu
Town
Coat of arms of Isny im Allgäu
Coat of arms
Location of Isny im Allgäu within Ravensburg district
Isny im Allgäu is located in Germany
Isny im Allgäu
Isny im Allgäu
Isny im Allgäu is located in Baden-Württemberg
Isny im Allgäu
Isny im Allgäu
Coordinates: 47°41′31″N 10°2′22″E / 47.69194°N 10.03944°E / 47.69194; 10.03944
CountryGermany
StateBaden-Württemberg
Admin. regionTübingen
DistrictRavensburg
Government
 • Mayor (2015–23) Rainer Magenreuter[1] (Ind.)
Area
 • Total85.37 km2 (32.96 sq mi)
Elevation
704 m (2,310 ft)
Population
 (2021-12-31)[2]
 • Total14,518
 • Density170/km2 (440/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes
88316
Dialling codes07562
Vehicle registrationRV
Websitewww.isny.de

Isny im Allgäu (Low Alemannic: Isny im Allgai) is a town in south-eastern Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is part of the district of Ravensburg, in the western, Württembergish part of the Allgäu region.

Isny was a Free Imperial City (Freie Reichsstadt) until the mediatisation of 1803.

History

The tiny Imperial City of Isny was tucked between the counties of Waldburg and Egloff.
Isny before and after the great fire of 1631; St. George's Abbey church is the building with two spires to the right, with the rest of the monastery adjacent. Merian, Topographica Sueviae, 1643–56
Isny im Allgau
Imperial City of Isny in the Allgäu
Reichsstadt Isny im Allgäu
1365–1803
StatusImperial City
CapitalIsny im Allgäu
GovernmentRepublic
Historical eraEarly modern period
• Abbey founded by Count of Altshausen-Veringen
1096
• Isny gained town rights
1235 1365
• Became Imperial city by purchasing Vogtei from Stewards of Waldburg
1365
1529
• Abbey gained Imperialimmediacy
1781
• City mediatised and abbey secularised to Princely County of Quadt-Wykradt
1803
• City and abbey mediatised to Kgdm Württemberg
1806
Preceded by		Succeeded by
House of Waldburg
Princely County of Quadt-Wykradt

During the three centuries following its origin in 1042, it was a commercial center controlled and exploited by various competing feudal lords. In the 13th century, Isny's merchants built a fortification system to protect the town from marauders and rival feudal rulers. The town is still partially surrounded by the city walls and moat that were built during these early turbulent times.

After three centuries of domination by feudal lords and territorial rulers, Isny's middle class was able to purchase the town's independence in 1365. Isny's status as an Imperial city made it a self-governing republic in which the city government was elected by propertied residents and in which the guild system thrived. In 1529, Isny's Protestant minority took the city council and voted to make the town Protestant and the Nikolaikirche became the town's main Protestant church. In 1803, the city was mediatized and became a possession of the Counts of Quadt. In 1806, the city passed to the Kingdom of Württemberg, which allowed the Catholic majority to once again move to the city. In 1889, the majority of urban residents was Catholic (1139 ev / 1444 Cath.).

Isny enjoyed a vibrant economy, based primarily on linen production, until competition from abroad, the devastation of the Thirty Years' War, and a series of fires and plagues brought production to a halt in the 17th century. The town experienced a revival after the end of World War II, when a rehabilitation center for war veterans was established there. Isny emerged from the war largely undamaged, and has since become a popular destination for vacationers and resort-goers.

In the late 1970s, the town commissioned the renowned graphic designer Otl Aicher to create a graphic identity for its tourist board. Aicher responded with a set of 128 black and white pictograms which, while initially controversial, are now regarded as forward thinking and are still used to promote the town.[3]

Twin towns – sister cities

Isny im Allgäu is twinned with:[4]

Notable people

See also

References

  1. ↑ Aktuelle Wahlergebnisse, Staatsanzeiger, accessed 14 September 2021.
  2. ↑ "Bevölkerung nach Nationalität und Geschlecht am 31. Dezember 2021" [Population by nationality and sex as of December 31, 2021] (CSV) (in German). Statistisches Landesamt Baden-Württemberg. June 2022.
  3. ↑ Eley, Patrick; Stuhler, Elli; Nazzari, Joy; Hulse, Guy (2017). Otl Aicher's Isny: How a German Town Defied the Postcard Mentality. London: Place Press. ISBN 978-1999823108.
  4. ↑ "Städtepartnerschaften" (in German). Isny im Allgäu. Retrieved 2023-09-19.
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