Editing Konstanz (section)

==History==
<!--[[File:Konstanz-bruecke1925.jpg|thumb|right|Konstanz in 1925 seen from the lake {{deletable image-caption|Friday, December 17, 2010|date=December 2010}}]]-->
[[File:Konstanz Schnetztor asv2022-10.jpg|thumb|''Schnetztor'', a section of the former [[city wall]].]]

{{see also|Bishopric of Constance}}
The first traces of civilization in Konstanz date back to the late [[Stone Age]]. 
During the reign of [[Augustus]], the [[Celts]] living south of the Danube were conquered by the Romans. Around 40 AD, the first Romans settled on the site. This small town on the left bank of the Rhine was probably first called ''Drusomagus'' and belonged to the [[Roman province]] of ''[[Raetia]]''. Its later name, originally ''Constantia'', comes either from the Roman emperor [[Constantius Chlorus]], who fought the [[Alemanni]] in the region and built a strong fortress around 300 AD, or from his grandson [[Constantius II]], who visited the region in 354. The remains of the [[Late Antiquity|late Roman]] fortress ''Constantia'' were discovered in 2003.

Around 585 the first bishop took up residence in Konstanz and this marked the beginning of the city's importance as a spiritual center. By the late [[Middle Ages]], about one quarter of Konstanz's 6,000 inhabitants were exempt from taxation on account of clerical rights.

Trade thrived during the Middle Ages. Konstanz owned the only bridge in the region, which crossed the Rhine, making it a strategic location in the [[Duchy of Swabia]]. Its [[linen]] production had made an international name for the city and it was prosperous. In 1192, Konstanz gained the status of [[Free Imperial City|Imperial City]] so it was henceforth subject only to the [[Holy Roman Emperor]].

In 1414 to 1418, the [[Council of Constance]] took place, during which, on 6 July 1415, [[Jan Hus]] (Czech religious thinker, philosopher and reformer), who was seen as a threat to [[Christianity]] by the [[Roman Catholic Church]], was [[burned at the stake]]. It was here that the [[Papal Schism of 1378|Papal Schism]] was ended and [[Pope Martin V]] was elected during the only [[conclave]] ever held north of the Alps. [[Ulrich von Richental]]'s illustrated chronicle of the Council of Constance testifies to all the major happenings during the council as well as showing the everyday life of medieval Konstanz. The ''Konzilgebäude'' where the conclave was held can still be seen standing by the harbour. Close by stands the ''[[Imperia (statue)|Imperia]]'', a statue that was erected in 1993 to satirically commemorate the council.

In 1460, the [[Old Swiss Confederacy|Swiss Confederacy]] conquered [[Thurgau]], Konstanz's natural [[hinterland]]. Konstanz then made an attempt to get admitted to the Swiss Confederacy, but the forest cantons voted against its entry, fearing overbearing city states; Konstanz then joined the [[Swabian League]] instead. In the [[Swabian War]] of 1499, Konstanz lost its last privileges over Thurgau to the Confederation.

The [[Protestant Reformation]] took hold in Konstanz in the 1520s, headed by [[Ambrosius Blarer]]. Soon the city declared itself officially [[Protestant]], pictures were removed from the churches, and the bishop temporarily moved to [[Meersburg]], a small town across the lake. The city first followed the [[Tetrapolitan Confession]], and then the [[Augsburg Confession]]. However, in 1548 Emperor [[Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles V]] imposed the [[Imperial Ban]] on Konstanz and it had to surrender to [[Habsburg monarchy|Habsburg Austria]] which had suddenly attacked. Thus Konstanz lost its status as an imperial city.
The new Habsburg rulers were eager to [[Counter Reformation|re-Catholicise]] the town and in 1604 a [[Jesuits|Jesuit College]] was opened. Its accompanying theatre, built in 1610, is the oldest theatre in Germany still performing regularly.

The city became part of the [[Grand Duchy of Baden]] in 1806. In 1821, the [[Bishopric of Constance]] was dissolved and became part of the [[Archdiocese of Freiburg]]. Konstanz became part of the [[German Empire]] in 1871 during the [[unification of Germany]]. After [[World War I]] it was included within the [[Republic of Baden]].

[[File:Konstanz-bahnhofstraße-ecke-sigismundstraße-deportierte-konstanzer-juden-monolith.JPG|thumb|right|Memorial to the [[Jews in Nazi Germany|murdered Jews]] of Konstanz]]
On 22 October 1940, 110 of the last Jewish residents were deported to [[Gurs internment camp]] in France. Most of those who were still alive in August 1942 were murdered in either [[Sobibór extermination camp|Sobibór]] or [[Auschwitz concentration camp|Auschwitz]].

Because it almost lies within [[Switzerland]], directly adjacent to the Swiss border, Konstanz was not bombed by the [[Allies of World War II|Allied Forces]] during [[World War II]].  <!-- {{Citation needed|reason=Switzerland was under blackout from November 1940 to September 1944, this fact seems to be more of a popular myth |date=April 2020}}. See ref provided. How do we know Swiss blacked out?--> After the war, Konstanz was included first in [[South Baden]] and then in the new state of [[Baden-Württemberg]].

The ''Altstadt'' (Old Town), which is large considering the small size of modern Konstanz, has many old buildings and twisting alleys. The city skyline is dominated by [[Cathedral of Konstanz|Konstanz Cathedral]], several other churches and three towers left over from the city wall, one of which marks the place of the former medieval bridge over the [[Rhine]].

The [[University of Konstanz]] was established close to the town in 1966. It houses a library with approximately two million books, all freely accessible 24 hours a day, as well as a [[botanical garden]] (the [[Botanischer Garten der Universität Konstanz]]). Especially since 2007, the university, being one of the nine German universities most successful in the [[German Universities Excellence Initiative]], has gained considerable reputation as a so-called "elite university".

Konstanz was the birthplace of Count [[Ferdinand von Zeppelin]], constructor of the famous [[Zeppelin]] [[airship]]s.
In the late 2010s, Konstanz has become a popular destination for ''Einkaufstourismus'', or [[Border trade|cross-border shopping]] by Swiss due to lower prices on basic items in Germany, a favorable [[exchange rate]] between the [[Swiss franc]] and the [[euro]], and a generous German [[Tax in Germany#value-added tax|VAT]] refund for non-[[European Union]] residents. Retail chains such as [[H&M]] and [[dm-drogerie markt|dm]] have built large new stores near the town's central square to cater to this trade, and some Konstanz residents feel the city is losing its historic character in the process; many of them avoid the area on Saturdays. This has led to friction with officials from Kreuzlingen as their city has seen no economic benefit from this trade, and they have been requesting that their [[government of Switzerland|national government]] bring up the issue of the VAT refund with Germany.<ref name="Cross-border shopping">{{cite news|last=Gagnon|first=Milan|title=The Swiss Invasion|url=http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/roads/2017/03/kostanz_the_german_border_town_under_siege_by_rapacious_swiss_bargain_hunters.html|newspaper=[[Slate (website)|Slate]]|date=March 6, 2017|access-date=March 6, 2017}}</ref> Subsequently, Germany has introduced a minimum spend amount of €50.01 per receipt for the German VAT to be refunded. Customs clearance centres are conveniently located near shopping centres.
{{clear}}
{| class="wikitable floatright"
|+Largest groups of foreign residents
|-
! scope="col" | Nationality
! scope="col" | Population (2014)
|-
|{{flag|Italy}} || 1,627
|-
|{{flag|Turkey}} || 1,132
|-
|{{flag|Croatia}} || 568
|-
|{{flag|Romania}} || 565
|-
|{{flag|Serbia & Montenegro}} || 500
|-
|{{flag|Austria}} || 381
|-
|}