Füssen
Encyclopedia
Füssen is a town in Bavaria
, Germany
, in the district of Ostallgäu
situated 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) from the Austria
n border
. It is located on the banks of the Lech river
. The River Lech flows into the Forggensee
. Füssen's coat of arms shows a triskelion
(three legs).
, a road that leads southwards to northern Italy
and northwards to the former regional capital of the Roman
province called Raetia
, the capital of which was Augusta Vindelicum today's Augsburg
. The original name of Füssen was "Foetes", or "Foetibus" (inflected), which derives from Latin
"Fauces", meaning "gorge", probably referring to the Lech gorge.
In Late Antiquity Füssen was the home of a part of the Legio III Italica
, which was stationed there to guard the important trade route over the Alps
.
The "Hohes Schloss" (High Castle), the former summer residence of the prince bishops of Augsburg
and one of Bavaria
's largest and best preserved late Gothic castle complexes, is Füssen's landmark. Today the castle houses a branch gallery of the Bavarian State Collections of Paintings, which focuses on late Gothic and Renaissance works of art. Below the Hohes Schloss is the Baroque complex of the former Benedictine
monastery of St. Mang
, whose history goes back to the 9th century.
Füssen is the highest town in Bavaria
(808 m above sea level). The famous castles of Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau
are located near the town; travellers by rail
change on to buses 73/78 at Füssen railway station. Richard Wagner
the famous German
composer
, used to come to Füssen by railway when he visited King Ludwig II. The town is also familiar to travellers as the terminus of the Romantic road
. Steve McQueen
's motorcycle
stunts and many other scenes in The Great Escape
were filmed in and around the town. During World War II
, a subcamp of the Dachau concentration camp was located in the town.
The Forggensee is a man-made lake which was built to prevent flooding. It is the catchment area for all the melting snow in the spring. After the middle of October the lake is drained ready for the next spring melt.
Füssen has Saint Mang (Magnus of Füssen
) as its Patron Saint. His original burial place was in the small chapel he built. His bones were transferred to the crypt of the church being built in 850. Around the year 1100 all his bones disappeared. The burial place in the crypt of the St Mang Basilica
can be seen today, although the only bone of St Mang is a relic which can be found above the main altar in a glass cross. The cross also contains his staff, breast cross and chalice. St Mang's Feast Day is 6 September. On this day Holy Mass is celebrated, then all proceed by torchlight through the old part of the city. During the week of the Saint's Feast a special 'Magnus Wine' is sold. Only 500 bottles are produced. The 2009 vintage was produced in South Tyrol
and is described as "Good bouquet, light and fruity". Also it has a label change showing the Basilica of St Mang with a photo of a Statue of St Mang super-imposed on it.
The oldest fresco in the whole of Germany can be found in the crypt of St Mang's Basilica. It dates back to about the year 980.
Another son of Füssen has been raised to the title of Blessed
by the Roman Catholic Church
. Francis Xavier Seelos
was born 11 January 1819 in Füssen. His father was the sacristan at St Mang's Basilica. He became a priest
of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer
. Seelos died in New Orleans, USA on 4 October 1867. He was made a Blessed on 9 April 2000 by Pope John Paul II
. The Shrine
and Relics of the Blessed Seelos can also be found in the Basilica
. His Feast Day is 5 October.
The local newspaper for Füssen is the Allgäuer Zeitung, printed daily except Sundays and on Holy Days of Obligation
. It contains a special section with news from Füssen and the surrounding towns and villages called the Füssener Blatt.
Also well known beyond the borders of Germany was Füssen by the national and international success of the local ice hockey club EV Füssen
.
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, in the district of Ostallgäu
Ostallgäu
Ostallgäu is a district in Bavaria, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Oberallgäu, Unterallgäu, Augsburg, Landsberg, Weilheim-Schongau and Garmisch-Partenkirchen, and by the Austrian state of Tyrol...
situated 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) from the Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n border
Border
Borders define geographic boundaries of political entities or legal jurisdictions, such as governments, sovereign states, federated states and other subnational entities. Some borders—such as a state's internal administrative borders, or inter-state borders within the Schengen Area—are open and...
. It is located on the banks of the Lech river
Lech River
The Lech is a river in Austria and Germany. It is a right tributary of the Danube in length with a drainage basin of .Its source is located in the Austrian state of Vorarlberg, where the river rises from lake Formarinsee in the Alps at an altitude of...
. The River Lech flows into the Forggensee
Forggensee
Forggensee is a lake located north of Füssen in the district of Ostallgäu in Bavaria, Germany. One of many lakes in the region around Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein castles, Forggensee is the fifth-largest lake in Bavaria, with a surface area of 15.2 km². The Lech river flows through it....
. Füssen's coat of arms shows a triskelion
Triskelion
A triskelion or triskele is a motif consisting of three interlocked spirals, or three bent human legs, or any similar symbol with three protrusions and a threefold rotational symmetry. Both words are from Greek or , "three-legged", from prefix "τρι-" , "three times" + "σκέλος" , "leg"...
(three legs).
History and geography
It had been a settlement in Roman times on the Via Claudia AugustaVia Claudia Augusta
The Via Claudia Augusta is an ancient Roman road, which linked the valley of the Po River with Rhaetia across the Alps. Since 2007, the Giontech Archeological Site, in Mezzocorona/Kronmetz serves as the Via Claudia Augusta International Research Center, directed by Prof...
, a road that leads southwards to northern Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and northwards to the former regional capital of the Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
province called Raetia
Raetia
Raetia was a province of the Roman Empire, named after the Rhaetian people. It was bounded on the west by the country of the Helvetii, on the east by Noricum, on the north by Vindelicia, on the west by Cisalpine Gaul and on south by Venetia et Histria...
, the capital of which was Augusta Vindelicum today's Augsburg
Augsburg
Augsburg is a city in the south-west of Bavaria, Germany. It is a university town and home of the Regierungsbezirk Schwaben and the Bezirk Schwaben. Augsburg is an urban district and home to the institutions of the Landkreis Augsburg. It is, as of 2008, the third-largest city in Bavaria with a...
. The original name of Füssen was "Foetes", or "Foetibus" (inflected), which derives from Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
"Fauces", meaning "gorge", probably referring to the Lech gorge.
In Late Antiquity Füssen was the home of a part of the Legio III Italica
Legio III Italica
Legio tertia Italica was a Roman legion levied by Marcus Aurelius around 165, for his campaign against the Marcomanni tribe. The cognomen Italica suggests that recruits were originally from Italy. The legion was still active in Raetia and other provinces in the early 5th century Legio tertia...
, which was stationed there to guard the important trade route over the Alps
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
.
The "Hohes Schloss" (High Castle), the former summer residence of the prince bishops of Augsburg
History of Augsburg
Diocese of Augsburg is a diocese of the Catholic Church in Germany. The diocese is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Munich.-Early period:According to the acts of the martyrdom of St. Afra, who with her handmaids suffered at the stake for Christ, there existed in Augsburg early in the fourth...
and one of Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
's largest and best preserved late Gothic castle complexes, is Füssen's landmark. Today the castle houses a branch gallery of the Bavarian State Collections of Paintings, which focuses on late Gothic and Renaissance works of art. Below the Hohes Schloss is the Baroque complex of the former Benedictine
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
monastery of St. Mang
St. Mang's Abbey, Füssen
St. Mang's Abbey, Füssen or Füssen Abbey was a Benedictine monastery in Füssen in Bavaria, Germany.- History :The Benedictine abbey of Saint Mang was founded in the first half of the 9th century as a proprietary monastery of the Bishops of Augsburg...
, whose history goes back to the 9th century.
Füssen is the highest town in Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
(808 m above sea level). The famous castles of Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau
Schloss Hohenschwangau
Hohenschwangau Castle or Schloss Hohenschwangau is a 19th century palace in southern Germany. It was the childhood residence of King Ludwig II of Bavaria and was built by his father, King Maximilian II of Bavaria...
are located near the town; travellers by rail
Rail transport
Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...
change on to buses 73/78 at Füssen railway station. Richard Wagner
Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...
the famous German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, used to come to Füssen by railway when he visited King Ludwig II. The town is also familiar to travellers as the terminus of the Romantic road
Romantic Road
The Romantic Road is the term for a theme route coined by travel agents in the 1950s to describe the of highway in southern Germany , between Würzburg and Füssen. In medieval times it used to be a trade route, connecting the center of Germany with the South...
. Steve McQueen
Steve McQueen
Terrence Steven "Steve" McQueen was an American movie actor. He was nicknamed "The King of Cool." His "anti-hero" persona, which he developed at the height of the Vietnam counterculture, made him one of the top box-office draws of the 1960s and 1970s. McQueen received an Academy Award nomination...
's motorcycle
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
stunts and many other scenes in The Great Escape
The Great Escape (film)
The Great Escape is a 1963 American film about an escape by Allied prisoners of war from a German POW camp during World War II, starring Steve McQueen, James Garner, and Richard Attenborough...
were filmed in and around the town. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, a subcamp of the Dachau concentration camp was located in the town.
The Forggensee is a man-made lake which was built to prevent flooding. It is the catchment area for all the melting snow in the spring. After the middle of October the lake is drained ready for the next spring melt.
Füssen has Saint Mang (Magnus of Füssen
Magnus of Füssen
Saint Magnus of Füssen, otherwise Magnoald or Mang, was a missionary saint in southern Germany, also known as the Apostle of the Allgäu. He is believed to have been a contemporary either of Saint Gall or of Saint Boniface and is venerated as the founder of St. Mang's Abbey, Füssen.-Life:There is...
) as its Patron Saint. His original burial place was in the small chapel he built. His bones were transferred to the crypt of the church being built in 850. Around the year 1100 all his bones disappeared. The burial place in the crypt of the St Mang Basilica
Basilica
The Latin word basilica , was originally used to describe a Roman public building, usually located in the forum of a Roman town. Public basilicas began to appear in Hellenistic cities in the 2nd century BC.The term was also applied to buildings used for religious purposes...
can be seen today, although the only bone of St Mang is a relic which can be found above the main altar in a glass cross. The cross also contains his staff, breast cross and chalice. St Mang's Feast Day is 6 September. On this day Holy Mass is celebrated, then all proceed by torchlight through the old part of the city. During the week of the Saint's Feast a special 'Magnus Wine' is sold. Only 500 bottles are produced. The 2009 vintage was produced in South Tyrol
South Tyrol
South Tyrol , also known by its Italian name Alto Adige, is an autonomous province in northern Italy. It is one of the two autonomous provinces that make up the autonomous region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol. The province has an area of and a total population of more than 500,000 inhabitants...
and is described as "Good bouquet, light and fruity". Also it has a label change showing the Basilica of St Mang with a photo of a Statue of St Mang super-imposed on it.
Another son of Füssen has been raised to the title of Blessed
Beatification
Beatification is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a dead person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in his or her name . Beatification is the third of the four steps in the canonization process...
by the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
. Francis Xavier Seelos
Francis Xavier Seelos
Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos was a German-American Roman Catholic priest and Redemptorist missionary....
was born 11 January 1819 in Füssen. His father was the sacristan at St Mang's Basilica. He became a priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer
Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer
The Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer is a Roman Catholic missionary Congregation founded by Saint Alphonsus Liguori at Scala, near Amalfi, Italy for the purpose of labouring among the neglected country people in the neighbourhood of Naples.Members of the Congregation, priests and brothers,...
. Seelos died in New Orleans, USA on 4 October 1867. He was made a Blessed on 9 April 2000 by Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
. The Shrine
Shrine
A shrine is a holy or sacred place, which is dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, daemon or similar figure of awe and respect, at which they are venerated or worshipped. Shrines often contain idols, relics, or other such objects associated with the figure being venerated....
and Relics of the Blessed Seelos can also be found in the Basilica
Basilica
The Latin word basilica , was originally used to describe a Roman public building, usually located in the forum of a Roman town. Public basilicas began to appear in Hellenistic cities in the 2nd century BC.The term was also applied to buildings used for religious purposes...
. His Feast Day is 5 October.
The local newspaper for Füssen is the Allgäuer Zeitung, printed daily except Sundays and on Holy Days of Obligation
Holy Day of Obligation
In the Catholic Church, Holy Days of Obligation or Holidays of Obligation, less commonly called Feasts of Precept, are the days on which, as of the Code of Canon Law states,-Eastern Catholic Churches:...
. It contains a special section with news from Füssen and the surrounding towns and villages called the Füssener Blatt.
Also well known beyond the borders of Germany was Füssen by the national and international success of the local ice hockey club EV Füssen
EV Füssen
EV Füssen is an ice hockey team from Germany. They play their home games at the Bundesleistungszentrum für Eishockey , located in Füssen, Allgäu...
.
Twinned towns
- Palestrina
PalestrinaPalestrina is an ancient city and comune with a population of about 18,000, in Lazio, c. 35 km east of Rome...
, ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, since 1972 - Numata, Gunma
Numata, Gunmais a city in Gunma Prefecture, Japan. It is in northern Gunma, bordered by Mt. Akagi and Mt. Hotaka. The kanji for Numata approximately mean "boggy field."...
, JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, since 1998 - Bardu
BarduBardu is a municipality in Troms county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Setermoen, the largest urban area in the municipality.Norway's largest military garrison is located at Setermoen...
, NorwayNorwayNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million... - Helen, Georgia
Helen, GeorgiaHelen is a city located on the Chattahoochee River in White County in the north of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2000 census, the city's population was 420.-History:...
, USA - Airdrie
Airdrie, North LanarkshireAirdrie is a town within North Lanarkshire, Scotland. It lies on a plateau roughly 400 ft above sea level, and is approximately 12 miles east of Glasgow city centre. Airdrie forms part of a conurbation with its neighbour Coatbridge, in the former district known as the Monklands. As of 2006,...
, ScotlandScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
Further reading
- Feistle: Materialien zur Geschichte der Stadt Füssen, Füssen, 1861.
- Wüst, Wolfgang: "Füssen", in: Werner Paravicini, ed.: Höfe und Residenzen im spätmittelalterlichen Reich: ein dynastisch-topographisches Handbuch, 2 Teilbde (1: Dynastien und Höfe, 2: Residenzen) (Residenzenforschung 15 I/ 1,2) Ostfildern 2003, Bd. 1, pp. 204–205