Memmingen

File:StadtMemmingen.jpg

File:Memmingen, der Grosszunft Dm=D-7-64-000-149 foto2 2014-07-28 14.57.jpg

File:River Iller in Memmingen.jpg

It is believed that on the site of present-day Memmingen in Roman times there was a small military town, probably called Cassiliacum. In the 5th century an Alemannic settlement was established and in the 7th century there was a palace belonging to the king of the Franks.

Memmingen was linked to Bohemia, Austria and Munich by the salt road to Lindau. Another important route through Memmingen was the Italian road from Northern Germany to Switzerland and Italy. Both roads helped Memmingen gain importance as a trading centre. In the Middle Ages, the place was known as Mammingin; in 1158 the Welfian Duke Welf VI founded the town of Memmingen. In 1286 it became an Imperial City, responsible only to the Holy Roman Emperor.

Christoph Schappeler, the preacher at St. Martin's in Memmingen during the early 16th century, was an important figure during the Protestant Reformation and the German Peasants' War. His support for peasant rights helped to draw peasants to Memmingen. The city first followed the Tetrapolitan Confession, and then the Augsburg Confession.

The Twelve Articles: The Just and Fundamental Articles of All the Peasantry and Tenants of Spiritual and Temporal Powers by Whom They Think Themselves Oppressed was written (probably by Schappeler and Sebastian Lotzer) in early 1525. This was a religious petition borrowing from Luther's ideas to appeal for peasant rights. Within two months of its publication in Memmingen, 25,000 copies of the tract were in circulation around Europe. These are the first known set of human rights documents in the world (if one ignores Magna Carta in England in 1215).

In the 1630s Memmingen was at centre stage during the Thirty Years' War, and the Imperial generalissimo Wallenstein was quartered in the town when he was dramatically dismissed from service. From 1632 Memmingen was briefly garrisoned by the Swedish army, and became a base of operations for Swedish troops in Swabia. In September 1647 the Imperialists under Adrian von Enkevort besieged the Swedish garrison, under Colonel Sigismund Przyemski. Two months later the town surrendered.Helfferich, Tryntje, The Thirty Years War: A Documentary History (Cambridge, 2009), pp. 300-1.

Following the reorganization of Germany in 1802, Memmingen became part of Bavaria. The 19th century saw the slow economic deterioration of the town, which was halted only with the building of a railway following the course of the River Iller.

Since World War II Memmingen has been a developing town, with a rate of economic growth above the average for Bavaria.

Memmingen is located at the western border of Bavaria at the river Iller, 50 km south of Ulm, and 100 km west of Munich. The landscape or region beginning with Memmingen is called Unterallgäu and forms a part of the region Mittelschwaben who is next to Oberschwaben and Allgäu. Memmingen is also sometimes called the Gate to the Allgäu.

Memmingen is reached by the A7 and the A96 motorways and Memmingen station is on railways connecting Munich and Lindau and the Ulm–Oberstdorf railway.

It has the public and international Memmingen Airport nearby.

Most companies are SMEs, such as the following:

• Alpine Hydraulik GmbH{{cite web|url=http://www.alpine-hydraulik.de|title=Willkommen bei Alpine-Hydraulik|last=wolf-werbegrafik}}
• {{ill|Berger Holding|de}}
• Dachser Logistics
• Gebrüder Weiss
• Gefro Reformversand Frommlet{{cite web|url=http://www.gefro.de|title=Suppen, Soßen und Würzen}}
• {{ill|Hans Kolb Wellpappe|de}}
• {{ill|Goldhofer|de}}
• {{ill|Magnet-Schultz|de}}
• {{ill|Memminger Brauerei|de}}
• Metzeler Schaum GmbH{{cite web |url=http://www.metzeler-schaum.de/metzeler_flash.php |title=Willkommen bei Metzeler Schaum GMBH |access-date=2007-12-20 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071213224831/http://www.metzeler-schaum.de/metzeler_flash.php |archive-date=2007-12-13 }}
• {{ill|Pfeifer Holding|de}}
• Rohde & Schwarz

Although the Lord Mayor has been from the Social Democratic Party of Germany since 1966, the biggest party in the town council is traditionally the Christian Social Union.

The town politics is mostly dominated by a coalition of bigger parties ("coalition of the reasoned") from CSU, SPD, Christlicher Rathausblock Memmingen (Christian Town Hall Party Memmingen) and the Free Voters. The smaller parties of Ecological Democratic Party, Alliance '90/The Greens and the Free Democratic Party make up the opposition.

There was a hefty dispute between the parties in 2005, concerning financial participation in the Memmingen Airport. The Ecological Democratic Party and the Greens initiated a referendum to inhibit financial support for the airport, but this vote met with no success.

At the top of the town government is the Lord Mayor, who is elected directly by the people. He is the representative of the town and the leader of municipality. As second representatives, the majors are elected from the members of the town council. Historically the CSU, as biggest party, appoints the second major. The third major is appointed by the third biggest party. The second biggest party, the SPD, traditionally declines to appoint the third major, because they already appoint the Lord Mayor.

Memmingen is building, alongside the double centre Ulm/Neu-Ulm, the second economical centre in Upper Swabia. It thus leads the central supply function for the adjoining cities and districts.

The last local elections were on March 2, 2008, with following results:[http://www.memmingen.de/fileadmin/wahl/stadtratswahl_2008.html Election Result]

¹ Christlicher Rathausblock Memmingen ("Christian Townhall-Party")

• 1884–1909: Karl Scherer
• 1910–1931: Fritz Braun
• 1932–1945: Heinrich Berndl, NSDAP
• 1945–1948: Georg Fey, CSU
• 1948–1952: Lorenz Riedmiller, SPD
• 1952–1966: Heinrich Berndl, without party
• 1966–1968: Rudolf Machnig, SPD
• 1968–1980: Johannes Bauer, SPD
• 1980–2016: Ivo Holzinger, SPD
• 2016: Markus Kennerknecht, SPD
• 2017–today: Manfred Schilder, CSU

With €512 per capita, Memmingen is one of the cities in Germany with the lowest level of debtMemminger Zeitung, 2008-03-12, Page 27 (The German average is more than €1,300). The town had 2007 a management budget (Verwaltungshaushalt) of €94,925,160 and an asset budget (Vermögenshaushalt) of €19,490,860. The income from trade taxes amounted to about €40 million, the income tax assignment to about €20 million. The local rates were last changed in 2003. The town has many charitable foundations, with roots partly going back to the Middle Ages (such as the Unterhospitalstiftung).

Blazon: Split from gold and silver, in front a half, reinforced in red, black eagle. Backward a red pawcross

The town's colours, handed down since 1488, are Black, Red, White. The flag is a banner flag with cross bar.

Amendingen and Eisenburg have their own historical coats of arms.

Every year Memmingen celebrates the Fischertag (Fisherman's day), recreating medieval traditions. The town brook is fished out to be completely drained and cleaned, and at the same time a "Fisherman's King" (the one that caught the heaviest trout) is appointed among almost 1,200 fishermen. Every year up to 40,000 people come to this festival as participants or spectators.

Every four years Memmingen re-enacts the events around the visit of Wallenstein in the year 1630 with Europe's biggest historic festival: the {{ill|Wallensteinfestspiele (Memmingen)|de}}.

File:LandesTheaterSchwaben2000.jpg

The theatre has a long tradition in Memmingen. By the Middle Ages some chroniclers were already recording different theatre performances. In 1937 the Landestheater Schwaben (State Theatre of Swabia) or LTS was founded in the town. In 1945, after World War II, the LTS was one of the first theatres in West Germany to begin putting on performances again. The performances take place in the Rooms of the Town Theatre, the theatre at the Schweizerberg (cabaret stage), in the Kaminwerk cultural centre or in rooms at the boroughs of Memmingen. The Schweizerberg Theatre will be closed at the end of 2010. It will move to new premises in the Elsbethen area, behind the Town Theatre, where a new cabaret stage, rehearsing rooms, workshops, depots, management rooms, the foyer and some guest rooms will be built.{{cite web|url=http://www.els-memmingen.de/projekt/theater/theaterbau/|title=New Buildings at the Elsbethen area|access-date=2009-04-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090918020702/http://www.els-memmingen.de/projekt/theater/theaterbau/|archive-date=2009-09-18|url-status=dead}}

Another theatre was founded by Helmut Wolfseher and members of the Alternative Kleinkunst e.V. (Alternative Cabaret Society), Parterretheater im Künerhaus (PIK). This theatre is specifically for amateur actors and young talented musicians. The Kaminwerk also puts on major plays by amateur actors. The municipal hall is for Volksschauspieler or other artists.

The following works featuring Memmingen have been produced:

• Stage play Memmingen from Bettina Fless (1989)
• Book Mohr of Memmingen from Utz Benkel
• Song Memmingen by Blackmore’s Night, see also Shadow of the Moon

Stage plays and operas that have had world premières in Memmingen are:

• 1995: The Jewbank
• Metal-Operas by David DeFeis:
• 1999: Klytaimnestra
• 2001: Hel
• 2005: Lilith
• 2005: Mohr of Memmingen
• 2007: Green Organes
• 2008: Katharina and Till (10 January 2009)

File:MeWoKunsthalle2.jpg

The biggest museum in Memmingen is the Town Museum at the Hermannsbau.{{cite web|url=http://www.memmingen.de/569.html|title=Stadt Memmingen: Stadtmuseum|first=Michael|last=Haugg}} The town's history is described in its historical rooms. There is also a section covering the history of the Jewish community in Memmingen, whose members were killed or forced into exile in 1939. Part of the Torah from the destroyed synagogue is on display there. The Freudenthal/Altvater Homeland Museum for refugees who have settled in Memmingen is also part of the town museum. It is one of 43 homeland museums recognised by the Ministry of the Interior. A foundation, founded and administered by the town, takes responsibility for the museum. The Strigel- and Antoniter-Museum at the Antonierkloster present wood carvings and paintings by the Strigel family of artists as well as a permanent exhibition on the work of the Hospital Brothers of St. Anthony.{{Cite web |url=http://www.memmingen.de/fileadmin/ext_scripts/Antoniter-Museum/index.htm |title=official museums website |access-date=2009-04-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090309095210/http://www.memmingen.de/fileadmin/ext_scripts/Antoniter-Museum/index.htm |archive-date=2009-03-09 |url-status=dead }} The museum was established in 1996. With donations from the Memminger Wohnungsbaugenossenschaft (MeWo) the MEWO-Kunsthalle was opened in 2005 in the old post office next to the station. The museum holds the estates of the Memmingen artists Max Unold and Josef Madlener and presents a wide selection of contemporary art exhibitions.{{cite web|url=http://www.mewo-kunsthalle.de|title=MEWO Kunsthalle Memmingen}} The size and scope of this art gallery is unique in region. The former Kreuzherren monastery is used for changing exhibitions.{{cite web|url=http://www.memmingen.de/570.html|title=Stadt Memmingen: Kreuzherrnsaal|first=Michael|last=Haugg}}

The organ concerts in the churches of St. Martins and St. Josef are famous in the region. Chamber music would be performed in the former Kreuzherren monastery and also in some other buildings in Memmingen.

There are several pubs, restaurants, wine taverns and cafés and also some discothèques in and around the town. The cultural centre Kaminwerk (Chimney factory) is for concerts, theatre, program cinema, readings and special parties.

File:Memmingen Ulmer Tor 2016 1.jpg

Memmingen has considerable tourist interest, mainly because large areas of the medieval old town survived World War II. There are ten town gates and towers and about two kilometres of the town wall. The old town contains many interesting houses of patricians, some in the baroque style. They are picturesque Streets with the Stadtbach (town river) beside. The medieval market place, surrounded by the town hall, which is built in renaissance style, the Großzunft (Guildhouse) and the painted Steuerhaus (tax house). Also famous is St. Martin's church, built in gothic style with its more-than-500-year-old Choir and the 1996 restored Hospital Brothers of St. Anthony monastery (Antonierkloster), the oldest, best conserved and biggest of these kind. The probably oldest church in town Unser Frauen (Church of Our Lady) or also called Frauenkirche with significant frescos of the 15th and 16th centuries. Also the Seven Roof House, the baroque Kreuzherren monastery, the renovated whorehouse of the town, the Salzstadel (salt barn), the Kramerzunft (shopkeepers guild, also called the Twelve-Article-House are sights in Memmingen). Not so well known is the Bismarck tower in the west of Memmingen. Beside the tower is the 2007 build new soccer stadium.{{cite web|url=http://www.memmingen.de/40.html|title=Stadt Memmingen: Stadion / Arena|first=Michael|last=Haugg}}

Green areas were created all along the town wall. The old ditches where filled up and replaced with green areas or parks with partially over 150-year-old trees. The name of the parks are (starting clockwise at the Ulmer Gate): Hubergarten, Zollergarten, Ratzengraben/Zollergraben, Kohlschanze, Reichshain, Kaisergraben, Hohe Wacht, Westertorplatz, Grimmelschanze. Nearby every residential area has its own smaller parks. There is also the town park in the New World, the old Landesgartenschau place. Also the old and the forest cemetery, which are both used as parks.

File:Memmingen Alter Friedhof.jpg

There were four cemeteries in Memmingen in the Middle Ages. They were around the St. Martin's Church and the Church of Our Lady, also at the Kreuzherren monastery and the Scottish monastery.Author: Joachim Jahn and others, Title:Die Geschichte der Stadt Memmingen – Von den Anfängen bis zum Ende der Reichsstadtzeit (Band 1), Publisher:Theiss Verlag, Location:Memmingen, Year:1997, {{ISBN|3-8062-1315-1}}, Page:98 They were abandoned in 1530. The replacement was the Old cemetery at the former Scottish monastery. This cemetery was abandoned in 1930. The closing of the Old Cemetery has involved a new Cemetery. It was founded in the east of Memmingen as a Forest Cemetery. More cemeteries are in the districts Amendingen, Steinheim, Buxach, Volkratshofen, Ferthofen and Dickenreishausen. In the east of the town is also a Jewish cemetery.

{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany}}

Memmingen is twinned with:{{cite web |title=Memmingens Städtepartnerschaften, Freundschaften und Patenschaften|url=https://www.memmingen.de/buergerservice/politik/partnerstaedte.html|website=memmingen.de|publisher=Memmingen|language=de|access-date=2021-02-24}}

{{div col|colwidth=20em}}

• {{flagicon|USA}} Glendale, United States (1976)
• {{flagicon|ITA}} Province of Teramo, Italy (1981)
• {{flagicon|ITA}} Teramo, Italy (1986)
• {{flagicon|FRA}} Auch, France (1990)
• {{flagicon|GER}} Eisleben, Germany (1990)
• {{flagicon|ISR}} Kiryat Shmona, Israel (2009)
• {{flagicon|TUR}} Karataş, Turkey (2009)
• {{flagicon|AUT}} Litzelsdorf, Austria (2009)
• {{flagicon|UKR}} Chernihiv, Ukraine (2009)

{{div col end}}

Memmingen also has friendly relations with:

• {{flagicon|FRA}} Colmar, France (1965)

• Bernhard Walther (1430–1504), merchant, humanist and astronomer
• Bernhard Strigel (1461–1528), portrait and historical painter
• Johann Heiss (1640–1704), painter
• Gertrud Otto (1895–1970), art historian
• Franz Roth (born 1946), footballer
• Heinrich Bedford-Strohm (born 1960), Lutheran bishop
• Holger Badstuber (born 1989), footballer
• Timo Gebhart (born 1989), footballer
• Sergejs Boldaveško (born 1970), hockey player
• Mario Götze (born 1992), footballer

{{Weather box|width=auto

|metric first=y

|single line=y

|collapsed = Y

|location = Memmingen, elevation {{convert|615|m|ft|abbr=on}}, (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1961–present)

|Jan record high C = 15.9

|Feb record high C = 19.5

|Mar record high C = 22.8

|Apr record high C = 28.0

|May record high C = 30.4

|Jun record high C = 33.9

|Jul record high C = 35.8

|Aug record high C = 34.8

|Sep record high C = 29.6

|Oct record high C = 26.5

|Nov record high C = 20.8

|Dec record high C = 16.7

|Jan record low C = -25.2

|Feb record low C = -23.2

|Mar record low C = -25.1

|Apr record low C = -8.8

|May record low C = -3.7

|Jun record low C = -0.4

|Jul record low C = 3.0

|Aug record low C = 3.2

|Sep record low C = -1.6

|Oct record low C = -6.6

|Nov record low C = -15.4

|Dec record low C = -23.2

|Jan high C = 2.8

|Feb high C = 4.4

|Mar high C = 9.1

|Apr high C = 13.9

|May high C = 18.2

|Jun high C = 21.7

|Jul high C = 23.6

|Aug high C = 23.4

|Sep high C = 18.5

|Oct high C = 13.4

|Nov high C = 7.0

|Dec high C = 3.4

| year high C =

|Jan mean C = -0.3

|Feb mean C = 0.3

|Mar mean C = 4.1

|Apr mean C = 8.2

|May mean C = 12.7

|Jun mean C = 16.2

|Jul mean C = 17.8

|Aug mean C = 17.4

|Sep mean C = 12.9

|Oct mean C = 8.6

|Nov mean C = 3.6

|Dec mean C = 0.5

| year mean C =

|Jan low C = -3.4

|Feb low C = -3.4

|Mar low C = -0.3

|Apr low C = 2.6

|May low C = 7.1

|Jun low C = 10.7

|Jul low C = 12.3

|Aug low C = 11.9

|Sep low C = 8.2

|Oct low C = 4.7

|Nov low C = 0.5

|Dec low C = -2.4

| year low C =

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation mm = 51.5

|Feb precipitation mm = 45.9

|Mar precipitation mm = 57.9

|Apr precipitation mm = 64.3

|May precipitation mm = 108.5

|Jun precipitation mm = 124.6

|Jul precipitation mm = 118.9

|Aug precipitation mm = 117.7

|Sep precipitation mm = 80.1

|Oct precipitation mm = 65.7

|Nov precipitation mm = 62.0

|Dec precipitation mm = 63.9

|year precipitation mm =

|unit precipitation days = 0.1 mm

| Jan precipitation days = 15.3

| Feb precipitation days = 14.3

| Mar precipitation days = 15.2

| Apr precipitation days = 13.8

| May precipitation days = 16.6

| Jun precipitation days = 16.8

| Jul precipitation days = 15.8

| Aug precipitation days = 15.0

| Sep precipitation days = 14.5

| Oct precipitation days = 15.7

| Nov precipitation days = 15.4

| Dec precipitation days = 17.6

| year precipitation days =

|Jan sun = 66.3

|Feb sun = 88.5

|Mar sun = 127.2

|Apr sun = 165.5

|May sun = 196.6

|Jun sun = 205.3

|Jul sun = 232.5

|Aug sun = 213.4

|Sep sun = 156.3

|Oct sun = 113.3

|Nov sun = 67.7

|Dec sun = 51.2

|year sun =

|Jan humidity = 85.5

|Feb humidity = 82.1

|Mar humidity = 78.1

|Apr humidity = 73.7

|May humidity = 73.9

|Jun humidity = 73.9

|Jul humidity = 76.2

|Aug humidity = 81.3

|Sep humidity = 84.9

|Oct humidity = 88.1

|Nov humidity = 87.0

|Dec humidity = 79.9

|source 1 = SKlima{{cite web

|url = http://sklima.de/datenbank_auswertung.php?tab=2

|title = Monatsauswertung

|website = sklima.de

|publisher = SKlima

|language = de

|access-date = 12 December 2024}}

|source 2 = Wetterzentrale{{cite web

|url = https://www.wetterzentrale.de/extremes_mon.php?station=3244&maand=1&country=1&order=1&extreem=X_TX

|title = Monthly records - Tagesmaximum Temp. (Memmingen)

|publisher = DWD

|language = de

|access-date = 12 December 2024}}{{cite web

|url = https://www.wetterzentrale.de/extremes_mon.php?station=3244&maand=1&country=1&order=2&extreem=X_TN

|title = Monthly records - Tagesminimum Temp. (Memmingen)

|publisher = DWD

|language = de

|access-date = 12 December 2024}}Deutscher Wetterdienst (sun 1981–2010){{Cite web

|url=https://www.dwd.de/DE/leistungen/klimadatendeutschland/mittelwerte/sonne_8110_SV_html.html;jsessionid=F239C744A75363793A2A04DC1657A986.live21071?view=nasPublication&nn=16102

|title= Sonnenscheindauer: vieljährige Mittelwerte 1981-2010

|website=www.dwd.de

|access-date=29 September 2024}}

}}

{{reflist}}

{{commons category-inline}}

• {{wikivoyage-inline|Memmingen}}
• {{Official website}} {{in lang|de}}
• [https://www.all-in.de/memmingen-und-region Memmingen Online] {{in lang|de}}

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