Pfullendorf

Infobox German Location
Art = Stadt
Wappen = Pfullendorf Wappen.pnglat_deg = 47 |lat_min = 55 |lat_sec = 27
lon_deg = 9 |lon_min = 15 |lon_sec = 24
Lageplan = Karte Pfullendorf.gif
Bundesland = Baden-Württemberg
Regierungsbezirk = Tübingen
Landkreis = Sigmaringen
Höhe = 654
Fläche = 90.56
Einwohner = 13183
Stand = 2006-12-31
PLZ = 88630
Vorwahl = 07552
Kfz = SIG
Gemeindeschlüssel = 08 4 37 088
Adresse = Am Kirchplatz 1
88630 Pfullendorf
Website = [http://www.pfullendorf.de/ www.pfullendorf.de]
Bürgermeister = Thomas Kugler

Pfullendorf is a small historic city in the district of Sigmaringen in Baden-Württemberg in Germany.

Geography

Its location is in the district of Sigmaringen, 25 km north of Lake Constance and south of the Danube valley and therefore on the continental divide between the watersheds of the Rhine and the Danube. The area is known as the Linzgau.

The surrounding towns are Wald, Herdwangen-Schönach, Meßkirch, Ostrach, Illmensee, Krauchenwies, Heiligenberg, and Deggenhausertal.

History

Pfullendorf was founded by the Alamanni tribe and named "Dorf am Phoul" ("Pfuol"), meaning "village on the Phoul". It was made a Free Imperial City in the Holy Roman Empire on June 2, 1220 by Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor.

Starting in 1383, Pfullendorf governed itself with a democratic guild constitution, with annual election of the mayor. With brief interruptions, this guild constitution remained in force until 1803 and was a model for other cities.

At the Council of Constance in 1415, King Sigismund gave the city the right of "higher judgment", that is, the right of execution. This meant that Pfullendorf was answerable only to God and the Emperor.

Although the Reformation, the Peasants' War, the Thirty Years' War, the French Revolution, and the plague left their marks on the region, Pfullendorf was able to avoid major destruction.

In 1803, Pfullendorf became part of Baden, and it remained an administrative center in the upper Linzgau until 1936. It then became part of the district of Überlingen, and belongs to the district of Sigmaringen since 1973.

From 1972 to 1976, the neighboring villages of Aach-Linz, Denkingen, Gaisweiler, Tautenbronn, Großstadelhofen, Mottschieß, Otterswang, and Zell-Schwäblishausen became part of Pfullendorf.

Culture

The German Army's Special Operations Training Centre ("Ausbildungszentrum für spezielle Operationen") is located in Pfullendorf, as was the NATO International Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol School following its move from Weingarten to its closure in 1999. In 2001 the United States Army took command of the I-LRRP School in Pfullendorf and the name was changed to the International Special Training Centre (ISTC). ISTC is the International Wing (I-Wing) of the German Ausbildungszentrum Special Operations.

Twin towns

*Allschwil in Switzerland since April 13, 1984
*Saint-Jean-de-Braye in France since May 1, 1987

External links

* [http://www.pfullendorf.de/ Official website]