Kempten im Allgäu: Guide, Hotels, Map & Photos
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EUR 51 - 79 Landhotel Hirsch
 This country hotel is quietly located just outside the town of Kempten, in the Allgäu region of Bavaria. It includes a free buffet breakfast and free… MoreEUR 71 - 105 Parkhotel Kempten
 The Parkhotel Kempten is located in Kempten town centre in the Allgäu holiday region. It offers well-equipped rooms, a 13th-floor restaurant and a da… MoreEUR 35 - 95 smartMotel
 Thanks to its easily accessible location, you can reach our motel in Kempten in just 2 minutes from the A7 motorway. Kempten´s city centre can a… MoreEUR 59 - 96 Hotel Waldhorn
 This 3-star hotel in the Allgäu town of Kempten offers a modern spa, quiet rooms, and a restaurant serving traditional Bavarian cuisine.
All of the … MoreEUR 58 - 85 Hotel Sonnenhang
 This peaceful hotel lies only 10 minutes from Kempten town centre in the Allgäu region, within walking distance from the Mariaberg mountain and close… MoreEUR 59 - 98 Hotel am Forum
 This family-run, 3-star hotel in Kempten offers soundproofed rooms, rich breakfast buffets, and private parking. It is a great base for bicycle trips … MoreEUR 79 - 119 Hotel Bayerischer Hof
 This traditional Bavarian hotel offers rooms, suites and apartments with DVD player and CD player. It is located beside the River Iller, a 10-minute w… MoreEUR 52 - 83 Hotel Peterhof
 This 3-star Superior hotel offers cosy rooms with free Wi-Fi, and free and secure parking. It is just a 5-minute walk from Kempten´s historic t… MoreEUR 60 - 84 Der Fuerstenhof
 This elegant hotel stands beside the pedestrian area in Kempten town centre. It offers a 24-hour reception, free outdoor parking and spacious rooms fu… More | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Kempten im Allgäu: Guide
Kempten (Allgäu) is the largest city in Allgäu, a region in the south-west of Bavaria, Germany. It is located at . Population was 63,513 in 2004. The area was possibly settled originally by Celts, but was later overtaken by the Ancient Rome|Romans, who called the town Cambodunum. Archaeologists consider Kempten one of the oldest urban settlements in Germany.
Pre-Roman History
The Greek geographer Strabon mentions in 50BC a town of the Celtic Estiones
named “Kambodunon”. This is considered the oldest written reference of any German city. So far no archaeological evidence could be found that this Celtic settlement really existed.
Roman History
In 15BC Roman troops lead by Nero Claudius Drusus and his brother Tiberius conquer and destroy an existing Celtic city. Later the settlement was named Cambodunum.
In the consecutive years the city was rebuilt modeled on a classical Roman city with Roman Baths, forum and temples. Initially built in wood, the city again was rebuilt in stone after a devastating fire that destroyed almost the entire city in the year 69. Extensive archeological excavations at the end of the 19th century and again during the 1950s at what were then the outskirts of Kempten unearthed the extensive stuctural foundations.
The city is again destroyed in 233 by Alemans, a Suebic tribe, who invaded the Western part of the Roman Empire. The original site of Cambodunum then was abandoned and was moved to a strategically safer location on the Burghalde hill overlooking the river Iller.
Only in 488 the last Roman troops leave the area and the city was entirely overtaken by the Alemans.
Medieval Times
After the Romans left the settlement is moved from the hill down to the plains located next to the river Iller. Written sources now call the city Cambidano. Being still predominantly Alemanic, the town once more is destroyed by the Germanic tribe of the Francs in 683 as a consequence of the city’s support of an uprising against the Francs.
Around 747 AD a first missionary cell is founded by the Irish people|Irish monks Magnus and Theodore sent from St. Gall in Switzerland to evangelise the area. In the following years a monastery is built which would become the first in the Allgäu region. Audogar is the first abbot of the new Benedictine monastery. Through the financial and lobbyist support of Charlemagne’s wife Hildegard, wife of Charlemagne|Hildegard, an Allemanic princes, the monastery manages to become one of the most privileged monasteries of the Franc Empire.
After several destructions through the invading Hungarians, Ulrich of Augsburg, the bishop of Augsburg and also abbot of Kempten initiates the rebuilding of the monastery and the city in 941.
In 1213 King Friedrich II declares the abbots members of the Dukes of the German Empire and grants the right to bear a Dukes’ title. However in 1289 King Rudolf of Habsburg also grants special privileges to the urban settlement in the river valley making it an Imperial City. But only in 1525 last property rights of the abbots in the Imperial City are sold in the so-called “Great Purchase” marking the start of the coexistence of two independent cities bearing the same name next to each other. More conflict arises after the now Free Imperial City converts to Protestantism in direct opposition to the Catholic monastery in 1527.
Renaissance and Baroque to Modern Times
During the commotions of the 30-years’-War 1632/33 both cities were destroyed with either help of the imperial forces or the Swedish troops respectively who fought over supremacy in Kempten.
Only shortly after the war the Duke Abbot Roman Giel of Gielsberg commissioned the two architects Michael Beer and Johann Serro from Graubünden with the plans to build a new parish church and monastery church including a representative Residence for the Duke Abbots. This church is acknowledged as the first major church construction in Germany after the 30-years’-War.
During the Napoleonic Wars the Duke Abbey and Imperial City come under Bavarian rule in 1802/03. Finally in 1819 the two rivaling cities are united as one communal entity.
Places of Interest
The St. Lorenz Basilica
- Sligo, Ireland
Kempten is well connected with the region through the A7 Autobahn(Würzburg-Ulm-Füssen). National Highway No. 12 (partly as A980 Autobahn), 19 and 309 are also intersecting in Kempten.
The city is also easily accessible by rail and has Intercity and Eurocity connections.
The University of Applied Sciences Kempten (Fachhochschule Kempten) started in the winter semester of 1978/79 with 89 students and since then expanded and now accommodates more than 2800 students in eight degree courses:
Business Administration
There are also three Grammar Schools offering education to the entire region of the Allgäu.
This "Travel Guide" section is drawn from the Wikipedia article "Kempten im Allgäu". We hope you will edit and improve it. It is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.
The St. Mang Church
The Burghalde Castle
The Duke Abbots Residence
The Archaeological Park Cambodunum
The City Hall and Square
The medieval Keck Chapel Sister Cities
- Bad Dürkheim, Germany
- Quiberon, France
- Sopron, Hungary
- Trento, Italy, since 1987 Travelling and Transport
Education
Tourism and Hospitality Management
Electrical Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Industrial Engineering – Electronic and Information Technology
Industrial Engineering – Mechanical Engineering with Distribution Management or Information Technology
Computer Science
Social Management Famous People
Famous people from Kempten include:
Ernst Mayr, Biologist
Claudius Dornier, Plane Constructor
Friedrich Ferdinand Schnitzer, famous U.S. architect
Ignaz Kiechle, Politician
İlhan MansızTurkey|,Turkish footballerExternal links