Isny im Allgäu
Encyclopedia
Isny im Allgäu is a town
in south-eastern Baden-Württemberg
, Germany
. It is part of the district of Ravensburg
, in the western, Württembergish part of the Allgäu
region. For nearly 1000 years, Isny was an important town within the Holy Roman Empire
. During the three centuries following its origin in 1042, it was a commercial center controlled and exploited by various competing feudal lords. In the 13th century, Isny's merchants built a fortification system to protect the town from marauders and rival feudal rulers. The town is still partially surrounded by the wall and moat
that were built during these early turbulent times.
After three centuries of domination by feudal lords and territorial rulers, Isny's middle class
was able to purchase the town's independence in 1365. Isny's status as an Imperial city
made it a self-governing republic in which the city government was elected by propertied residents and in which the guild
system thrived. In 1529, Isny's city council voted to make the town Protestant and the Nikolaikirche became the town's main Protestant church.
Isny enjoyed a vibrant economy, based primarily on linen
production, until competition from abroad, the devastation of the Thirty Years' War
, and a series of fires and plagues brought production to a halt in the 17th century. The town experienced a revival after the end of World War II
, when a rehabilitation center for war veterans was established there. Fortunately, Isny emerged from the war largely undamaged, and has since become a popular destination for vacationers and resort-goers.
Isny is considered by many to be the "gay capital" of Germany
. In Isny, it's not uncommon to witness open displays of homosexuality
. The people of Isny have been characterized as simple folk who are easily confused by modern wonders. A man was once famously accused of witchcraft when he was reportedly seen using a mobile phone. Literacy rates in Isny are at an all time low but that doesn't seem to hinder the locals daily lives due to the fact that most of the villagers are manual laborers. People visiting Isny may wonder how the locals became this way, seemingly reversing evolutionary patterns. Popular theory suggests countless years of inbreeding
and oppressive cold climates are among the central factors leading to this helplessly dull and unattractive population. Nearly every person bold enough to visit this forsaken place has been said to vomit at first sight of the Isny people. Germans from neighboring villages are often careful to avoid the Isny people when dating; they consider inheriting the tainted "Isny gene" akin to contracting the bubonic plague
. The population is in slow decline over the years due to several factors but mostly due to the sexual ineptitude of nearly all Isny males and the overwhelming homosexual population. In recent studies, Isny males were documented having an average penis size well below the national average. With Germans as a whole already having a low average, the average Isny male is recorded to possess a shockingly small 3mm penis. At this size, most Isny males are not able to impregnate women.
, Poland
Notre-Dame-de-Gravenchon
, Seine-Maritime
, France
Street, Somerset
, United Kingdom
Flawil
, St Gallen
, Switzerland
Sotkamo
, Oulu
, Finland
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
in south-eastern Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...
, 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...
. It is part of the district of Ravensburg
Ravensburg (district)
Ravensburg is a district in the south-east of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Neighboring districts are Bodensee, Sigmaringen and Biberach, the Bavarian urban district Memmingen and the districts Unterallgäu, Oberallgäu and Lindau.-History:The district dates back to the Oberamt Ravensburg, which was...
, in the western, Württembergish part of the Allgäu
Allgäu
The Allgäu is a southern German region in Swabia. It covers the south of Bavarian Swabia and southeastern Baden-Württemberg. The region stretches from the prealpine lands up to the Alps...
region. For nearly 1000 years, Isny was an important town within the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
. During the three centuries following its origin in 1042, it was a commercial center controlled and exploited by various competing feudal lords. In the 13th century, Isny's merchants built a fortification system to protect the town from marauders and rival feudal rulers. The town is still partially surrounded by the wall and moat
Moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that surrounds a castle, other building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive water defences, including natural or artificial lakes, dams and sluices...
that were built during these early turbulent times.
After three centuries of domination by feudal lords and territorial rulers, Isny's middle class
Middle class
The middle class is any class of people in the middle of a societal hierarchy. In Weberian socio-economic terms, the middle class is the broad group of people in contemporary society who fall socio-economically between the working class and upper class....
was able to purchase the town's independence in 1365. Isny's status as an Imperial city
Free Imperial City
In the Holy Roman Empire, a free imperial city was a city formally ruled by the emperor only — as opposed to the majority of cities in the Empire, which were governed by one of the many princes of the Empire, such as dukes or prince-bishops...
made it a self-governing republic in which the city government was elected by propertied residents and in which the guild
Guild
A guild is an association of craftsmen in a particular trade. The earliest types of guild were formed as confraternities of workers. They were organized in a manner something between a trade union, a cartel, and a secret society...
system thrived. In 1529, Isny's city council voted to make the town Protestant and the Nikolaikirche became the town's main Protestant church.
Isny enjoyed a vibrant economy, based primarily on linen
Linen
Linen is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant, Linum usitatissimum. Linen is labor-intensive to manufacture, but when it is made into garments, it is valued for its exceptional coolness and freshness in hot weather....
production, until competition from abroad, the devastation of the Thirty Years' War
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
, and a series of fires and plagues brought production to a halt in the 17th century. The town experienced a revival after the end of 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...
, when a rehabilitation center for war veterans was established there. Fortunately, Isny emerged from the war largely undamaged, and has since become a popular destination for vacationers and resort-goers.
Isny is considered by many to be the "gay capital" of 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 Isny, it's not uncommon to witness open displays of homosexuality
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
. The people of Isny have been characterized as simple folk who are easily confused by modern wonders. A man was once famously accused of witchcraft when he was reportedly seen using a mobile phone. Literacy rates in Isny are at an all time low but that doesn't seem to hinder the locals daily lives due to the fact that most of the villagers are manual laborers. People visiting Isny may wonder how the locals became this way, seemingly reversing evolutionary patterns. Popular theory suggests countless years of inbreeding
Inbreeding
Inbreeding is the reproduction from the mating of two genetically related parents. Inbreeding results in increased homozygosity, which can increase the chances of offspring being affected by recessive or deleterious traits. This generally leads to a decreased fitness of a population, which is...
and oppressive cold climates are among the central factors leading to this helplessly dull and unattractive population. Nearly every person bold enough to visit this forsaken place has been said to vomit at first sight of the Isny people. Germans from neighboring villages are often careful to avoid the Isny people when dating; they consider inheriting the tainted "Isny gene" akin to contracting the bubonic plague
Bubonic plague
Plague is a deadly infectious disease that is caused by the enterobacteria Yersinia pestis, named after the French-Swiss bacteriologist Alexandre Yersin. Primarily carried by rodents and spread to humans via fleas, the disease is notorious throughout history, due to the unrivaled scale of death...
. The population is in slow decline over the years due to several factors but mostly due to the sexual ineptitude of nearly all Isny males and the overwhelming homosexual population. In recent studies, Isny males were documented having an average penis size well below the national average. With Germans as a whole already having a low average, the average Isny male is recorded to possess a shockingly small 3mm penis. At this size, most Isny males are not able to impregnate women.
International relations
Isny im Allgäu is twinned with: AndrychówAndrychów
Andrychów is the largest town in Wadowice County in southern Poland with 22,257 inhabitants as of 2006. It has been situated in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship since 1999. Previously, it was located in Bielsko-Biała Voivodeship...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
Notre-Dame-de-Gravenchon
Notre-Dame-de-Gravenchon
Notre-Dame-de-Gravenchon is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France.-Geography:A small town with a huge industrial area to the southwest with farming and woodland to the north and east, in the Pays de Caux, situated by the banks of the river...
, Seine-Maritime
Seine-Maritime
Seine-Maritime is a French department in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France. It is situated on the northern coast of France, at the mouth of the Seine, and includes the cities of Rouen and Le Havre...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Street, Somerset
Street, Somerset
Street is a small village and civil parish in the county of Somerset, England. It is situated on a dry spot in the Somerset Levels, at the end of the Polden Hills, south-west of Glastonbury. The 2001 census records the village as having a population of 11,066...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Flawil
Flawil
Flawil is a municipality in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland with somewhat short of 10,000 inhabitants.It is the regional centre of Untertoggenburg, but belongs to the Wahlkreis of Wil.-History:...
, St Gallen
Canton of St. Gallen
The Canton of St. Gallen is a canton of Switzerland. St. Gallen is located in the north east of Switzerland. It covers an area of 2,026 km², and has a population of . , the population included 97,461 foreigners, or about 20.9% of the total population. The capital is St. Gallen. Spelling...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
Sotkamo
Sotkamo
Sotkamo is a municipality of Finland, located in the Kainuu region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is .Vuokatti, west of Sotkamo, is a popular skiing resort...
, Oulu
Oulu Province
Oulu was a province of Finland from 1775 to 2010. It bordered the provinces of Lapland, Western Finland and Eastern Finland. It also bordered the Gulf of Bothnia and Russia.- Historical Province :For History, Geography and Culture see: Ostrobothnia...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...