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Swabia (Bavaria)

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This article is about the administrative region (Regierungsbezirk) of Bavaria. For the greater historical region of Germany, see Swabia.

Swabia (German: Schwaben, Swabian: Schwaabe) is one of the seven administrative regions of Bavaria, Germany. It consists of ten districts and 340 municipalities (including four cities) with Augsburg being the administrative capital. It is the only German region officially named Swabia in the principle of spatiality.

Swabia
Schwaben (German)
Regierungsbezirk
Flag of Swabia
Flag
Coat of arms of Swabia
Coat of arms
Map of Bavaria highlighting Swabia
Map of Bavaria highlighting Swabia
CountryGermany
StateBavaria
Region seatAugsburg
Government
 • District PresidentBarbara Schretter
Area
 • Total
9,993.97 km2 (3,858.69 sq mi)
Population
 (31 December 2023)[1]
 • Total
1,962,086
 • Density200/km2 (510/sq mi)
GDP
[2]
 • Total€80.667 billion (2021)
WebsiteSchwaben

Governance

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The county of Swabia is located in southwest Bavaria. It was annexed by Bavaria in 1803, is part of the historic region of Swabia and was formerly ruled by dukes of the Hohenstaufen dynasty. During the Nazi period, the area was separated from the rest of Bavaria to become the Gau Swabia. It was re-incorporated into Bavaria after the war.

The Regierungsbezirk is subdivided into 3 regions (Planungsregionen): Allgäu, Augsburg, and Donau-Iller. Donau-Iller also includes two districts and one city of Baden-Württemberg.

Landkreise
(rural districts) 		Kreisfreie Städte
(district-free towns) 		Natural regions

* Part of the Swabian Keuper Land

Districts and district-free towns before the regional reorganization in 1972

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Swabia before the regional reorganization in 1972
Kreisfreie Städte
(district-free towns) 		Landkreise
(districts) 		Landkreise
(districts)
(continuation)

Population

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Historical population of Swabia:

  • 1939: 934,311
  • 1950: 1,293,734
  • 1961: 1,340,217
  • 1970: 1,467,454
  • 1987: 1,546,504
  • 2002: 1,776,465
  • 2005: 1,788,919
  • 2006: 1,786,764
  • 2008: 1,787,995
  • 2010: 1,785,875
  • 2015: 1,846,020
  • 2019: 1,899,442

Economy

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The Gross domestic product (GDP) of the region was € 74.8 billion in 2018, accounting for 2.2% of German economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was € 36,500 or 121% of the EU27 average in the same year. The GDP per employee was 101% of the EU average.[3]

History

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Regierung von Schwaben - Superior administration of Swabia (former Fürstbischöfliche Residenz) in Augsburg

The Bavarian administrative region of Swabia is the eastern part of the Duchy of Swabia. After the execution of the Swabian duke Conradin in Naples in 1268, his uncle, the Bavarian duke Louis, inherited some of Conradin's possessions in Swabia. In 1803, with the German Mediatisation, Bavaria acquired the further East Swabian territories, which were merged with Palatinate-Neuburg.

After the founding of the Kingdom of Bavaria, the state was totally reorganised and, in 1808, divided into 15 administrative districts (German: Regierungsbezirke), in Bavaria called Kreise. They were created in the fashion of the French departements, quite even in size and population, and named after their main rivers.

In the following years, due to territorial changes (e.g. the loss of Tyrol, the addition of the Palatinate), the number of districts was reduced to 8. The Swabian territories were merged with Palatinate-Neuburg and the new district was called Oberdonaukreis (Upper Danube District). In 1837, king Ludwig I of Bavaria renamed all the districts after historical territorial names and tribes of the area. This also involved some border changes or territorial swaps. Thus the name Oberdonaukreis changed to Swabia.

In 1945, the town of Lindau was detached from Bavaria by France, but it was reunited with the district of Swabia in 1955. In 1972, the former Swabian city Neuburg an der Donau was reunited with the district of Upper Bavaria.

Main sites

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Neuschwanstein Castle, Schwangau

Next to the capital Augsburg and several other old cities including Donauwörth, Nördlingen, Memmingen, Mindelheim, Kaufbeuren and Kempten, the Ottobeuren Abbey and the scenic attractions of the River Danube in the north and the Allgäu in the south with the Allgäu Alps and Oberstdorf and the royal castles of Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein next to Füssen belong to the major attractions. With the district of Lindau, Bavarian Swabia has access to Lake Constance.

Food and drink

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Swabian cuisine is down-to-earth and rather simple. Noodle products are very important.

  •  
    Cheese Spätzle
  •  
    Musmehl, main ingredient of Brenntar
  •  
    Schupfnudel with sauerkraut

Notable people

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Genesis Online-Datenbank des Bayerischen Landesamtes für Statistik Tabelle 12411-003r Fortschreibung des Bevölkerungsstandes: Gemeinden, Stichtag (Einwohnerzahlen auf Grundlage des Zensus 2011).
  2. ^ "EU regions by GDP, Eurostat". Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  3. ^ "Regional GDP per capita ranged from 30% to 263% of the EU average in 2018". Eurostat.
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48°30′N 10°30′E / 48.5°N 10.5°E / 48.5; 10.5

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