Lindau


Lindau is a major town and island on the eastern side of Lake Constance in Bavaria, Germany. It is the capital of the county of Lindau, Bavaria and is near the borders of the Austrian state of Vorarlberg, and the Swiss cantons of St. Gallen and Thurgau. The coat of arms of Lindau town is a linden tree, referring to the supposed origin of the town's name. The historic town of Lindau is located on the island of the same name, which is connected with the mainland by a road bridge and a railway causeway leading to Lindau station.
Lindau is located near the meeting point of the Austrian-German-Swiss tripoint and is nestled on the lake in front of Austria's Pfänder mountain. Lindau is popular with sightseers and vacationers for its medieval town centre and picturesque location on Lake Constance.

History

The first use of the name Lindau was documented in 882 by a monk from St. Gallen, stating that Adalbert had founded a nunnery on the island. However, the remains of an early Roman settlement dating back to the 1st century were found in the district of Aeschach.
In 1180, St. Stephan's church was founded. In 1224, the Franciscans founded a monastery on the island. In 1274–75, Lindau became an Imperial Free City under King Rudolf I.
In 1430, about 15 of Lindau's Jews were burned at the stake after being accused of murdering a Christian child. In 1528, Lindau accepted the Protestant Reformation, following the Tetrapolitan Confession at first and subsequently the Augsburg Confession. In 1655, after the Thirty Years' War, the first Lindauer Kinderfest was held, in memory of the war. This festival, introduced by Councillor Valentin Heider, still makes up an important part of the town's identity.
Lindau lost its status as an Imperial Free City in 1802, after the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire. The city went to Karl August von Bretzenheim, a son of the Elector of Bavaria Charles Theodore, who gave Lindau and the monastery to the Austrian Empire in 1804. In 1805, Austria returned Lindau to Bavaria.
In 1853, a causeway was built to connect the railway from Munich to the island. In 1856, a new harbour was built, with its characteristic landmarks, the big lion sculpture and Bavaria's only lighthouse.
In 1922, the independent municipalities of Aeschach, Hoyren and Reutin merged with the Lindau district. After World War II, Lindau fell under French military administration and went first to Württemberg-Hohenzollern and then to the State of Baden-Württemberg. In 1955, Lindau again returned to Bavaria.
The Nobel Laureate Meetings at Lindau began in 1951 and bring many Nobel Prize laureates to Lindau each year.

Tourist attractions

Lindau is a popular tourist attraction in southern Germany. The gardens of Lindau are best in spring or summer blossom, and summer is the peak tourist period. Lindau is famous for its architecture and outdoor attractions such as cycling, sailing, hiking, swimming, and camping.
  • Harbour entrance with lighthouse and Bavarian Lion sculpture
  • Church of St. Stephan, c. 1180 with remodelling in 1782
  • Church of St. Peter, became a war memorial church in 1928
  • Minster 'Unserer Lieben Frau' former church of the monastery 'Maria Himmelfahrt', with St. Marien
  • Maximilianstraße
  • Historic Town Hall
  • The Casino Spielbank Lindau is located across the Bodensee bridge.
  • Gardens and Parks of Lindau, e.g.
  • Haus zum Cavazzen Museum
  • Theatre Lindau occupies a former 13th century monastery church.
  • Boat trips by Bodenseeschifffahrt is considered recreational and tours serve the Lindau Harbor Christmas market as well as the Christmas markets in Bregenz.
  • with books from the 15th to 18th century inside the historic town hall
  • Hoyerberg near Hoyerberg Schlössle is a scenic lookout with views of the surrounding area

    Economy

Historically, the trading route from Nuremberg to Italy passed through Lindau; fishery has also played a big role in the economy of the city, and in the 19th century, Lindau was an important location for textile industries. Tourism and industrial production are the main industries in contemporary Lindau. Lindau has a very low unemployment rate, likely the result of a diverse economy and proximity to the Alpine Rhine Valley.
Lindau is home to several large corporations:
There are also numerous farms, producing apples, pears, strawberries, and related products e.g. Schnapps, wine and fruit juices.

Districts

Lindau is split into several districts. A search for Lindau Stadt will reveal the town's bordering of the neighbour parts of Lindau.
  • Central: Island, Aeschach
  • East: Reutin, Zech
  • West: Bad Schachen, Unterreitnau
  • North: Oberreitnau, Hochbuch, Hoyern, Schönau

    Transport

Rail

is Lindau's main railway station and is located on Lindau Island near the harbour. However, the station was complemented by the development of Lindau-Reutin station in the Reutin district on the mainland, which was opened in 2020. Another station is. Historically in 1854, Lindau-Insel station was the terminus of the Ludwigs-Bavarian-North-South-Line. It is part of the Lake Constance Belt Railway.
Lindau-Insel and Lindau-Reutin stations are served by direct trains to/from Friedrichshafen, Munich, Ulm, Augsburg, Vienna, Bregenz, Romanshorn and St. Gallen/Zurich.

Bus – Stadtbus Lindau

Lindau's bus system is called Stadtbus Lindau, which departs from all stations every 30 minutes and runs until 22.30 daily, with special services for events. The bus system is run by the main local utility provider Stadtwerke Lindau.
Additionally RBA and the Zweiländer-line of Austria’s Landbus Unterland also operate from Lindau. Recently long-distance coaches have started running to distant German cities, an alternative to Deutsche Bahn trains.

Road

Lindau is connected to the Autobahn A96. Main roads include B31 and B12. The A96 links to the Austrian Autobahn A14 starting right after joining with the 7 km long Pfändertunnel. The tunnel was expanded into a 4-lane, 2-tunnel road that was opened in 2013 to accommodate increased north–south traffic.

Boat

There are regular boat lines from Lindau harbour to other lakeside towns on Lake Constance, such as Bregenz, Friedrichshafen, Konstanz, Meersburg, Rorschach, Romanshorn and Überlingen.

Airports

Lindau does not have its own airport. However, it is close to Friedrichshafen Airport and Memmingen Airport, which usually serve tourist arrivals and European destinations. The nearest major airports are Munich Airport, Stuttgart Airport, or Zurich Airport. St. Gallen Altenrhein Airport is a minor airport on the opposite side of the lake.

Utilities

Lindau's local utility provider is called Stadtwerke Lindau, which provides electricity, water, telecommunications, public baths, and some other services to Lindau.

Telecommunications

The local utility provider Stadtwerke started deploying fibre-optic internet to major businesses and new housing development areas. Other networks include cable television by Kabel Deutschland, which is available in some streets and xDSL, by many providers. Some systems have seen upgrades of the ADSL standard in the last years to cope with the high bandwidth demand. There are plans to deploy a WiFi hotspot network across the Island of Lindau.

Property, redevelopment, and other major projects

Lindau is currently planning several redevelopment projects across the city. The following is a list of projects that are planned for redevelopment.
  • New train station – Lindau has been planning a new train station for many years. Currently there is agreement between the major stakeholders to build a new station near the shopping mall Lindaupark and refurbish the station on the island. Both stations will remain active.
  • Electrification of the train tracks to Munich – this major project is sponsored by large external stakeholders such as the State of Bavaria, Switzerland, and Deutsche Bahn.
  • Lindau Inselhalle – Lindau's main hall, which is used for conferences is due to be rebuilt soon.
  • Multi-storey car park – related to the redevelopment of Lindau Inselhalle on the island
  • Property developments near the train station on the island are planned, after rail tracks have been removed
  • A new fire station was completed in September 2014 near Auenstraße – a major headquarters for all the former stations across town, including the Technisches Hilfswerk unit of Lindau.
  • Property developments connected to the area that belongs to Deutsche Bahn near Reutin, once the new train station is completed
  • Property developments in Aeschach district – including some major buildings, including luxury apartments and offices
  • Railway underpass near the entrance of the island – Lindau is planning two railway underpasses for cars to ease congestion, partly caused by tourists visiting by car, causing frequent crossing closures
  • Several company extensions or relocations are planned – as of September 2014, Continental AG is extending into a third office complex
  • Lindau Utility is deploying optical broadband across the city
  • Lindau Strandbad, the major public bath, is in discussion of being refurbished

    Local news sources

Lindau has a well established newspaper called , which is part of the Schwäbische Zeitung, which is released daily. Another newspaper is the Bürgerzeitung Lindau, which is published by the city council. It is released biweekly and contains announcements for the town by the mayor and local news. The paper is free, sponsored by advertisements, and can usually be found in shops. Both newspapers are available in print and online.