Weingarten History, Germany

The place was already settled in the late 5th century by the "Alamannen". Even before the this tribe was around the later city ground. From the late time of the Merowingians date sthe grave field, which is totally preserved and can be seen in the local museum. The archaeologist say, that an more important place must have been located here.

In the 8th century the city, perhaps already called "Altdorf" was put to the frankish empire. In the middle of the 9th century the "Schussental" came as the county "Schussengau" in the property of the Welfs, who built an new castle at "Altdorf", as their family´s headquarter.

At about 935, the Welfs founded a womens monastery, that should also be the graveplace of the Welfs. It was destructed with fire in 1053 and the nuns were relocated at the "Martinsberg", a local hill.

1056, Welf IV. founded a new moastery on the "Martinsberg", after the Welfs had moved their castle to Ravensburg. It was a pure monks monastery, whose name "Monastery Weingarten" is documentedsince 1123. The monks worked among other things on. Their most famous work from 1217, the "Bethold Sakramentar"is now located in the Pierpont Morgan library at New York)

In the 13th century "Weingarten" developed to a market place and in 1377, it was also granted the market right by the emperor

1274, the monastery was granted to be realms abbey. They were rich and collected land that was at it´s best at about 306 km² and ranged from the "Allgäu" till the lake of constance. Weingarten was one of the biggest monastery in the south. In 1715 the little romanic church from 1124- 1182 was tared down. At this place on of the biggest baroque Basilikas was built. In 1803, after Secularization, the monastery was dissolved, their property was put to the house of Oranien-Nassau.

The city ALtdorf itself was already from 1452 part of the so called Vorderösterreich (Austria). In 1805 it was put to the Kingdom Württemberg. In 1806 Napoleon gave the monastery also to Württemberg.

1810 Altdorf and Weingarten were put to the administrative district of Ravensburg.

In the 19th century Weingarten developed to a military place whose last barracks have been closed in the late 20th century. Also a big machine industry developed, still existing nowadays as the "Maschinenfabrik Weingarten".

1865 Altdorf was renamed with the monastery name Weingarten and finally became a city. In 1922 a new "Benediktiner" monastery was founded in a part of the old monastery.

During wolrd war second Weingarten was put to the municipality Ravensburg, but they were separated again in 1946.

In that days the city got an university, for teachers training, thats a important place now.

In the 1970´s a during a municipality reform, Weingarten should have been put to Ravensburg again, but massive protest avoided that. In 1974 Weingarten also became a so called big district city.