Erlebnis Katamaran. Direkt über den Bodensee. - Friedrichshafen

Historic facts
Friedrichshafen town
The town roots reach back to the foundation of the Alemannic village Alt-
Buchhorn in the 5th century.
In 1811 King Friedrich of Württemberg united Buchhorn together with the
village and the monastery Hofen under Friedrichshafen town and residence
with altogether 750 inhabitants. In 1824 the first steamboat appeared
on Lake Constance and on 2 July 1900 the take-off of the first Zeppelin
airship introduced a new era that has stayed eminent in our town to this
very day. In 1915 the airship airport Löwental was opened and turned
into a civilian airport in 1928. Since 1929 the former railway ferry has
taken also cars and lorries to Romanshorn. In 1933 the Hafenbahnhof
(harbour station) was finished. After the Hindenburg disaster at Lakehurst
on 6 May 1937, where 36 people died in the explosion of the LZ 129,
the construction of further airships as well as the flight operation of the
zeppelins was stopped.
During 1943/45 Friedrichshafen was almost completely destroyed by air
raids. After the war the reconstruction phase was influenced by companies
such as ZF Friedrichshafen, MTU Friedrichshafen, Zeppelin GmbH and
Dornier group. In 1950 Friedrichshafen staged the first IBO (international
Lake Constance fair) followed by the opening of the first “Interboot”
(international boat fair) in 1962 and many further exhibitions that found a
new home in the spacious exhibition centre near the airport in July 2002.
In 1985 the growing town of Friedrichshafen created a place for culture
and exchange – “Graf-Zeppelin-Haus”, the new culture and congress
centre. Another top sight was opened in 1996, the “Zeppelin Museum” in
the former Hafenbahnhof (harbour station), presenting the world´s largest
collection on the history of airship navigation. 100 years after the first
ascent of the “flying giants” the Zeppelin era could be continued. Since
2001 the Zeppelin NT has glided silently with its passengers over the Lake
Constance region. In 2003 the now called ZF Arena, a multifunctional
hall for up to 4,000 people opened, followed by the new media centre
K42 on the lakeside promenade in 2006. In 2007 Friedrichshafen became
Germany´s first T-City as a result of a competition of the “Deutsche
Telekom AG”. Since the summer of 2009 the new Dornier Museum has
become a further highlight in the Friedrichshafen cultural scene. At present
Friedrichshafen has approx. 59,000 inhabitants.
200 years Friedrichshafen in 2011
On 17 July 1811 King Friedrich of Württemberg announced
the unification of Buchhorn town and Hofen
village and monastery. For this reason Friedrichshafen will celebrate its
200th birthday in 2011 with a variety of activities for everybody near and
far showing that Friedrichshafen is a colourful, multifaceted and modern
town. Come and celebrate with us – either at the traditional “Seehasenfest“
(see p. 40) taking place on the town´s birthday or at one of the many other
festivities. You are very welcome. More information on www.fn-2011.de.
Sights and museums in Friedrichshafen
The Schlosskirche (palace church) with its two 55 m high domed
towers made from Rorschach sandstone is the landmark of Friedrichs hafen.
It was built by Christian Thumb from 1695 to 1701 and belongs to the
famous Upper Swabian baroque buildings. Since 1812 it has been a protestant
church. In 1944 it was partly destroyed by air raids, reconstructed
from 1947 to 1951 and then given back to the protestant community.
Visiting times: From Easter to mid-October: 9am-6pm
Closed for visits: Wed from 2:30pm, Fri morning until 11am, mostly
Sat, Sun morning and during wedding ceremonies.
Info: Tel. +49 (0) 7541 21308, schloss-fn@evkirche-rv.de
Guided tours: Evangelisches Pfarramt, Schlosskirche 1,
Tel. +49 (0) 7541 21308, Fax 23195, www.evkirche-fn.de,
www.kirchenmusik-freundeskreis-fn.de (concert dates)
Schloss (palace) now residence of Friedrich Duke of Württemberg (no
inside viewing possible). The palace was originally built as a convent priory
by Michael Beer from Vorarlberg (Austria) in 1654. The monastery was
closed down in 1802. Under the reign of Wilhelm I. of Württemberg it was
reconstructed from 1824 to 1828 and then used as a summer residence for
the Württemberg kings.
Zeppelin flights With the take-off of the first
Zeppelin airship on 2 July 1900 a new era started
in Friedrichshafen leaving a lasting impact on the
town. About a 100 years after the first “flying giants“ the Zeppelin era was
continued with the Zeppelin NT cruising over the Lake Constance region
since 2001. 11 different routes are on offer with a flight duration between
30 minutes and 2 hours.
Info and reservation: Tel. +49 (0) 7541 3001-23 or
Tel. +49 (0) 7541 5900-0, www.zeppelinflug.de (see p. 42)
Palace with palace church
x 8 x 9