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60-410: The Nazi Gau (plural Gaue ) system was originally established in a party conference on 22 May 1926, in order to improve administration of the party structure. In the early stages, the borders and leaders of these Gaue fluctuated frequently, mainly due to internal power struggles. The Gau Swabia was, for the most part, identical with today's Regierungsbezirk Swabia . The Gau Swabia came under

120-480: A Landesverwaltungsamt (county administration office) with three offices at the former seats of the Bezirksregierungen . On 1 January 2005, Lower Saxony followed suit, disbanding its remaining four Regierungsbezirke of Brunswick , Hanover , Lüneburg , and Weser-Ems . On 1 August 2008, Saxony restructured its counties ( Landkreise , German: [ˈlantˌkʁaɪ̯zə] ), changed

180-553: A form of inner-party administration to a political and administrative sub-division of the country was gradual, not sudden, but completed by 1934. The process termed Gleichschaltung took care of all political opposition and the " Law on the Reconstruction of the Reich " of 30 January 1934 can possibly be seen as the final date for the transfer of power from the states to the Gaue . In Swabia,

240-644: A part of the region Mittelschwaben who is next to Oberschwaben and Allgäu . Memmingen is also sometimes called the Gate to the Allgäu . Memmingen is reached by the A7 and the A96 motorways and Memmingen station is on railways connecting Munich and Lindau and the Ulm–Oberstdorf railway . It has the public and international Memmingen Airport nearby. Most companies are SMEs , such as

300-533: A relatively small Gau , the local Gauleiter Wahl had to initially fend off attempts by his more powerful neighbor, Adolf Wagner , Gauleiter of the Munich-Upper Bavaria region, to incooperate Swabia into his Gau . Wahl was actually the only one of the Bavarian Gauleiter not to have graduated from University. Unlike Wagner, who was a personal friend of Hitler's, Wahl wielded no real influence with

360-544: A third authority in the still existing state, Franz Ritter von Epp held the office of Reichsstatthalter but wielded no real power. Swabia did not have a concentration camp within its boundaries but its close proximity to Dachau meant, that many of its subcamps were in the Gau . Swabia was also home to the Ordensburg Sonthofen , an elite Nazi training facility. As of 1938, Augsburg had around 900 Jews living within

420-449: A total of 19 Regierungsbezirke , ranging in population from 5,255,000 ( Düsseldorf ) to 1,065,000 ( Gießen ): [REDACTED] Media related to Regierungsbezirk at Wikimedia Commons Memmingen Memmingen ( German: [ˈmɛmɪŋən] ; Swabian : Memmenge ) is a town in Swabia , Bavaria , Germany . It is the economic, educational and administrative centre of

480-861: A trading centre. In the Middle Ages , the place was known as Mammingin ; in 1158 the Welfian Duke Welf VI founded the town of Memmingen. In 1286 it became an Imperial City , responsible only to the Holy Roman Emperor . Christoph Schappeler , the preacher at St. Martin 's in Memmingen during the early 16th century, was an important figure during the Protestant Reformation and the German Peasants' War . His support for peasant rights helped to draw peasants to Memmingen. The city first followed

540-518: Is a type of administrative division in Germany. Currently, four of sixteen Bundesländer ( states of Germany ) are split into Regierungsbezirke . Beneath these are rural and urban districts Regierungsbezirke ( pronounced [ʁeˈɡiːʁʊŋsbəˌt͡sɪʁkə] ) serve as regional mid-level local government units in four of Germany's sixteen federal states : Baden-Württemberg , Bavaria , Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia . Each of

600-700: Is also part of the town museum. It is one of 43 homeland museums recognised by the Ministry of the Interior. A foundation, founded and administered by the town, takes responsibility for the museum. The Strigel- and Antoniter-Museum at the Antonierkloster present wood carvings and paintings by the Strigel family of artists as well as a permanent exhibition on the work of the Hospital Brothers of St. Anthony . The museum

660-401: Is fished out to be completely drained and cleaned, and at the same time a "Fisherman's King" (the one that caught the heaviest trout) is appointed among almost 1,200 fishermen. Every year up to 40,000 people come to this festival as participants or spectators. Every four years Memmingen re-enacts the events around the visit of Wallenstein in the year 1630 with Europe's biggest historic festival:

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720-525: Is for concerts, theatre, program cinema, readings and special parties. Memmingen has considerable tourist interest, mainly because large areas of the medieval old town survived World War II. There are ten town gates and towers and about two kilometres of the town wall. The old town contains many interesting houses of patricians, some in the baroque style. They are picturesque Streets with the Stadtbach (town river) beside. The medieval market place, surrounded by

780-611: Is one of the best preserved in southern Germany. With good transport links by road, rail and air, it is the transport hub for Upper Swabia and Central Swabia , and the Allgäu . Due to its proximity to the Allgäu region, Memmingen is often called the Gateway to the Allgäu ( Tor zum Allgäu ). The town motto is Memmingen – Stadt mit Perspektiven ("Memmingen – a town with perspectives"). In recent times it has been frequently referred to as Memmingen – Stadt der Menschenrechte (Memmingen –

840-602: Is the Town Museum at the Hermannsbau . The town's history is described in its historical rooms. There is also a section covering the history of the Jewish community in Memmingen, whose members were killed or forced into exile in 1939. Part of the Torah from the destroyed synagogue is on display there. The Freudenthal / Altvater Homeland Museum for refugees who have settled in Memmingen

900-405: Is used for changing exhibitions. The organ concerts in the churches of St. Martins and St. Josef are famous in the region. Chamber music would be performed in the former Kreuzherren monastery and also in some other buildings in Memmingen. There are several pubs, restaurants, wine taverns and cafés and also some discothèques in and around the town. The cultural centre Kaminwerk (Chimney factory)

960-648: The Hitler Jugend . The Gau Schwaben belonged to the military district Wehrkreis VII , which had its headquarters in Munich. The highest position in the Gau , Gauleiter , was held by only one person during the history of the Gau Schwaben : Second in charge were the Stellvertretende Gauleiter : The Jewish population of Swabia had remained relatively stable from the turn of the 20th century to 1933. With

1020-737: The Wallensteinfestspiele (Memmingen)  [ de ] . The theatre has a long tradition in Memmingen. By the Middle Ages some chroniclers were already recording different theatre performances. In 1937 the Landestheater Schwaben (State Theatre of Swabia) or LTS was founded in the town. In 1945, after World War II , the LTS was one of the first theatres in West Germany to begin putting on performances again. The performances take place in

1080-703: The Danube-Iller region. To the west the town is flanked by the Iller , the river that marks the Baden-Württemberg border. To the north, east and south the town is surrounded by the district of Unterallgäu (Lower Allgäu). With about 42,000 inhabitants, Memmingen is the 5th biggest town in the administrative region of Swabia. The origins of the town go back to the Roman Empire . The old town, with its many courtyards, castles and patricians' houses, palaces and fortifications

1140-628: The Free Democratic Party make up the opposition. There was a hefty dispute between the parties in 2005, concerning financial participation in the Memmingen Airport . The Ecological Democratic Party and the Greens initiated a referendum to inhibit financial support for the airport, but this vote met with no success. At the top of the town government is the Lord Mayor, who is elected directly by

1200-644: The Tetrapolitan Confession , and then the Augsburg Confession . The Twelve Articles: The Just and Fundamental Articles of All the Peasantry and Tenants of Spiritual and Temporal Powers by Whom They Think Themselves Oppressed was written (probably by Schappeler and Sebastian Lotzer ) in early 1525. This was a religious petition borrowing from Luther's ideas to appeal for peasant rights. Within two months of its publication in Memmingen, 25,000 copies of

1260-660: The state parliament . Regierungsbezirk is a German term variously translated into English as "governmental district", "administrative district" or "province", with the first two being the closest literal translations. The first Regierungsbezirke were established in the Kingdom of Bavaria and the Kingdom of Prussia in 1808. During the course of the Prussian reforms between 1808 and 1816, Prussia subdivided its provinces into 25 Regierungsbezirke , eventually featuring 37 such districts within 12 provinces. By 1871, at

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1320-753: The 15th and 16th centuries. Also the Seven Roof House , the baroque Kreuzherren monastery, the renovated whorehouse of the town, the Salzstadel (salt barn), the Kramerzunft (shopkeepers guild, also called the Twelve-Article-House are sights in Memmingen). Not so well known is the Bismarck tower in the west of Memmingen. Beside the tower is the 2007 build new soccer stadium. Green areas were created all along

1380-675: The Jewish population of Swabia was small, only Memmingen and Nördlingen having substantial numbers. After the forced addition of Austria to the Reich in March 1938, small parts of the former country were added to the south of the Gau Schwaben , specifically the Jungholz region. With the outbreak of the Second World War , the power of the Gauleiters , and therefore the power of the Gaue compared to

1440-456: The Lord Mayor. Memmingen is building, alongside the double centre Ulm / Neu-Ulm , the second economical centre in Upper Swabia. It thus leads the central supply function for the adjoining cities and districts. The last local elections were on March 2, 2008, with following results: ¹ Christlicher Rathausblock Memmingen ("Christian Townhall-Party") With €512 per capita, Memmingen is one of

1500-583: The Middle Ages (such as the Unterhospitalstiftung ). Blazon : Split from gold and silver, in front a half, reinforced in red, black eagle. Backward a red pawcross The town's colours, handed down since 1488, are Black, Red, White. The flag is a banner flag with cross bar. Amendingen and Eisenburg have their own historical coats of arms. Every year Memmingen celebrates the Fischertag (Fisherman's day), recreating medieval traditions. The town brook

1560-603: The Nazis rise to power it declined through deportation and emigration. After 1939, few of those remaining would have had a chance to escape or even survive the Holocaust . Source: "Der Gau Schwaben der NSDAP" (in German). Verwaltungsgeschichte.de . Retrieved 2008-06-26 . Regierungsbezirk A Regierungsbezirk ( German pronunciation: [ʁeˈɡiːʁʊŋsbəˌtsɪʁk] ) means "governmental district" and

1620-455: The Province of Hanover and Schaumburg-Lippe. These differences in autonomy and size were levelled on 1 January 1978, when four Regierungsbezirke replaced the two Verwaltungsbezirke and the six Regierungsbezirke : Brunswick and Oldenburg, Aurich , Hanover (remaining mostly the same), Hildesheim, Lüneburg, Osnabrück and Stade . Following the reunification of Germany in 1990,

1680-704: The Rooms of the Town Theatre, the theatre at the Schweizerberg (cabaret stage), in the Kaminwerk cultural centre or in rooms at the boroughs of Memmingen. The Schweizerberg Theatre will be closed at the end of 2010. It will move to new premises in the Elsbethen area, behind the Town Theatre, where a new cabaret stage, rehearsing rooms, workshops, depots, management rooms, the foyer and some guest rooms will be built. Another theatre

1740-512: The Swedish army, and became a base of operations for Swedish troops in Swabia . In September 1647 the Imperialists under Adrian von Enkevort besieged the Swedish garrison, under Colonel Sigismund Przyemski. Two months later the town surrendered. Following the reorganization of Germany in 1802, Memmingen became part of Bavaria. The 19th century saw the slow economic deterioration of the town, which

1800-453: The cities in Germany with the lowest level of debt (The German average is more than €1,300). The town had 2007 a management budget ( Verwaltungshaushalt ) of €94,925,160 and an asset budget ( Vermögenshaushalt ) of €19,490,860. The income from trade taxes amounted to about €40 million, the income tax assignment to about €20 million. The local rates were last changed in 2003. The town has many charitable foundations, with roots partly going back to

1860-455: The city boundaries and was home to a magnificent synagogue , destroyed during Kristallnacht on 10 November 1938. It also had 200 Jewish men sent to Dachau that day. In the following years, the Jewish population of the city was gradually deported to concentration camps , that of 3 April 1942, numbering 128 persons, being the largest deportation since the Kristallnacht. Outside of the capital,

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1920-654: The first former Kreisleiter to be elected for the West German parliament, the Bundestag . The various departments of the Nazi organisation were by no means streamlined with the Gau system, but rather fiercely independent and competitive to each other. For example, while Bavaria was sub-divided in six Gaue , it was also divided in four sections of the SA , three sections of the SS and six sections of

1980-673: The following: Although the Lord Mayor has been from the Social Democratic Party of Germany since 1966, the biggest party in the town council is traditionally the Christian Social Union . The town politics is mostly dominated by a coalition of bigger parties ("coalition of the reasoned") from CSU, SPD, Christlicher Rathausblock Memmingen (Christian Town Hall Party Memmingen) and the Free Voters . The smaller parties of Ecological Democratic Party , Alliance '90/The Greens and

2040-607: The head of the party. Only when Hitler's ambitions turned national did his interest in Bavarian affairs dwindle. With the end of the internal power struggle, the following six Gaue had been established in Bavaria: With the ascent of the Nazis to power on 30 January 1933, the so-called Machtergreifung , the party immediately began to disassemble the power of the German states, the Länder . It

2100-533: The leadership of Karl Wahl (1892–1981), later an SS-Obergruppenführer , on 1 October 1928, when the Gau system in Bavaria was formalised, and remained under his control for the duration of the existence of the Gau. Until 1930, Bavaria, as the heartland of the Nazi movement in the 1920s, was seen by Hitler as his personal realm, the local Gaue commonly being called Untergaue (English: Sub-Gaue ), to show their dependence on

2160-457: The mayor of Augsburg, unsuccessfully. Nevertheless, their rise to power there could not be stopped either and by 1941, the party had 39,000 members in the city. Gradually, the Gauleiter (English: Gau Leader ) took control over their territories, reducing the local Minister Presidents , nominally the highest office in the German states, to figureheads. As such, the development of the Gau from

2220-739: The name of its Regierungsbezirke to Direktionsbezirke (directorate districts), and moved some responsibilities to the districts. The Direktionsbezirke were still named Chemnitz , Dresden , and Leipzig , but a border change was necessary because the new district of Mittelsachsen crossed the borders of the old Regierungsbezirke . On 1 March 2012, the Direktionsbezirke were merged into one Landesdirektion (county directorate). Currently, only four German states out of 16 in total are divided into Regierungsbezirke ; all others are directly divided into districts without mid-level agencies. Those four states are divided into

2280-457: The nineteen Regierungsbezirke features a non- legislative governing body called a Regierungspräsidium (governing presidium) or Bezirksregierung (district government) headed by a Regierungspräsident (governing president), concerned mostly with administrative decisions on a local level for districts within its jurisdiction. Saxony has Direktionsbezirke (directorate districts) with more responsibilities shifted from

2340-421: The party leadership. The Gauleiter was directly appointed by Hitler and only answerable to him. In practice, Hitler interfered little in the affairs of the local leaders and their power was almost absolute. Parallel to the five Bavarian Gauleiter , a Bavarian Minister President still existed during this time, the Nazi politician Ludwig Siebert and, after his death in 1942, his successor, Paul Giesler . As

2400-499: The people. He is the representative of the town and the leader of municipality. As second representatives, the majors are elected from the members of the town council. Historically the CSU, as biggest party, appoints the second major. The third major is appointed by the third biggest party. The second biggest party, the SPD, traditionally declines to appoint the third major, because they already appoint

2460-452: The refugee problem, nearly a quarter of the population of Augsburg after the war being refugees and displaced persons . Karl Wahl, Gauleiter of Swabia for almost 17 years, only served a light sentence after the war. He died in 1981, aged 88. Philipp Meyer , Nazi Kreisleiter for Donauwörth , was sentenced to death at end of the war for refusing to evacuate his district and prepare it for defense and, in post-war West Germany , he became

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2520-650: The site of present-day Memmingen in Roman times there was a small military town, probably called Cassiliacum . In the 5th century an Alemannic settlement was established and in the 7th century there was a palace belonging to the king of the Franks . Memmingen was linked to Bohemia , Austria and Munich by the salt road to Lindau . Another important route through Memmingen was the Italian road from Northern Germany to Switzerland and Italy. Both roads helped Memmingen gain importance as

2580-436: The state government, increased. Many of the Gauleiters were put in charge of the war effort in their Military District (German: Wehrkreis ). Swabia, with its capital Augsburg , was a vital place for the war effort, being home to the manufacturers MAN AG and Messerschmitt . For this reason, Augsburg suffered heavily under allied bombing raids. Many of the companies in Swabia and Augsburg which were in some way involved in

2640-675: The state of North Rhine-Westphalia in modern Germany are in direct continuation of those created in the Prussian Rhine and Westphalia provinces in 1816. Regierungsbezirke never existed in Bremen , Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein , and Saarland . In 1946, Lower Saxony was founded by the merger of the three former Free States of Brunswick , Oldenburg , Schaumburg-Lippe , and the former Prussian province of Hanover . Brunswick and Oldenburg became Verwaltungsbezirke [fɛɐ̯ˈvaltʊŋsbəˌt͡sɪʁkə] (roughly administrative regions of extended competence) alongside six less autonomous Prussian-style Regierungsbezirke comprising

2700-513: The territory of the former East Germany was organized into six re-established new federal states , including a reunified Berlin . Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt established three Regierungsbezirke each, while the other new states didn't implement them. During the 2000s, four German states discontinued the use of Regierungsbezirke . On 1 January 2000, Rhineland-Palatinate disbanded its three Regierungsbezirke of Koblenz , Rheinhessen-Pfalz and Trier . The employees and assets of

2760-485: The three Bezirksregierungen ( German pronunciation: [bəˈt͡sɪʁksʁeˌɡiːʁʊŋən] ) were converted into three public authorities responsible for the whole state, each covering a part of the former responsibilities of the Bezirksregierung ( German: [bəˈt͡sɪʁksʁeˌɡiːʁʊŋ] ). On 1 January 2004, Saxony-Anhalt disbanded its three Regierungsbezirke of Dessau , Halle and Magdeburg . The responsibilities are now covered by

2820-665: The time of German unification , the concept of Regierungsbezirke had been adopted by most States of the German Empire . Similar entities were initially established in other states under different names, including Kreishauptmannschaft (district captainship) in Saxony , Kreis (district) in Bavaria and Württemberg (not to be confused with the present-day Kreis or Landkreis districts), and province in Hesse. The names of these equivalent administrative divisions were standardized to Regierungsbezirk in Nazi Germany , but after World War II these naming reforms were reverted. The Regierungsbezirke in

2880-497: The town hall, which is built in renaissance style, the Großzunft (Guildhouse) and the painted Steuerhaus (tax house). Also famous is St. Martin 's church, built in gothic style with its more-than-500-year-old Choir and the 1996 restored Hospital Brothers of St. Anthony monastery ( Antonierkloster ), the oldest, best conserved and biggest of these kind. The probably oldest church in town Unser Frauen (Church of Our Lady) or also called Frauenkirche with significant frescos of

2940-401: The town of human rights). This alludes to the Twelve Articles , considered to be the first written set of human rights in Europe , which were penned in Memmingen in 1525. Every four years there is the Wallensteinfestspiel , with about 4,500 participants, the biggest historical reenactment in Europe. It commemorates the invasion of Wallenstein and his troops in 1630. It is believed that on

3000-405: The town park in the New World , the old Landesgartenschau place. Also the old and the forest cemetery, which are both used as parks. There were four cemeteries in Memmingen in the Middle Ages. They were around the St. Martin 's Church and the Church of Our Lady, also at the Kreuzherren monastery and the Scottish monastery . They were abandoned in 1530. The replacement was the Old cemetery at

3060-401: The town wall. The old ditches where filled up and replaced with green areas or parks with partially over 150-year-old trees. The name of the parks are (starting clockwise at the Ulmer Gate ): Hubergarten, Zollergarten, Ratzengraben/Zollergraben, Kohlschanze, Reichshain, Kaisergraben, Hohe Wacht, Westertorplatz, Grimmelschanze. Nearby every residential area has its own smaller parks. There is also

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3120-407: The tract were in circulation around Europe. These are the first known set of human rights documents in the world (if one ignores Magna Carta in England in 1215). In the 1630s Memmingen was at centre stage during the Thirty Years' War , and the Imperial generalissimo Wallenstein was quartered in the town when he was dramatically dismissed from service. From 1632 Memmingen was briefly garrisoned by

3180-399: The very south-west of the Gau , became part of the French occupation zone. Political power, at first lying with the occupation authorities, was soon returned to the new Bavarian government. The Regierungsbezirk Swabia , never having formally been dissolved, took control of the civil administration of the region again. Its most pressing issue was the reconstruction of the destroyed cities and

3240-448: The war effort also used slave labour to be able to continue producing. A large number of those died through exhaustion, mistreatment and allied air raids on the production facilities. A monument in Augsburg remembers those victims of the Nazi regime. As the war progressed and Nazi Germany grew more desperate, the Gauleiters were put in total control of the war effort in their Gau . On 16 November 1942 Wahl, along with all Gauleiters ,

3300-440: Was envisioned by the Nazis that the Party-Gaue would take the place of the old structure. In reality, Hitler was afraid of such a move, fearing it would upset local party leaders and could possibly result in an inner-party power struggle. In Augsburg, the Swabian capital, the Nazis did not gain a strong foothold straight away, only having received 33% of the votes at the 1933 elections. Wahl even interceded with Hitler not to dismiss

3360-424: Was established in 1996. With donations from the Memminger Wohnungsbaugenossenschaft (MeWo) the MEWO-Kunsthalle was opened in 2005 in the old post office next to the station. The museum holds the estates of the Memmingen artists Max Unold and Josef Madlener and presents a wide selection of contemporary art exhibitions. The size and scope of this art gallery is unique in region. The former Kreuzherren monastery

3420-520: Was founded by Helmut Wolfseher and members of the Alternative Kleinkunst e.V. (Alternative Cabaret Society), Parterretheater im Künerhaus (PIK) . This theatre is specifically for amateur actors and young talented musicians. The Kaminwerk also puts on major plays by amateur actors. The municipal hall is for Volksschauspieler or other artists. The following works featuring Memmingen have been produced: Stage plays and operas that have had world premières in Memmingen are: The biggest museum in Memmingen

3480-432: Was halted only with the building of a railway following the course of the River Iller. Since World War II Memmingen has been a developing town, with a rate of economic growth above the average for Bavaria. Memmingen is located at the western border of Bavaria at the river Iller, 50 km south of Ulm , and 100 km west of Munich. The landscape or region beginning with Memmingen is called Unterallgäu and forms

3540-432: Was named a Reich Defense Commissioner ( Reichsverteidigungskommissar ). In September 1944, the Gauleiters were ordered to form the Volkssturm in a last effort to mobilise all of the male population. Near the end of the war in April 1945, Wahl and Swabia were subordinated to Paul Giesler , the Gauleiter of Gau Munich-Upper Bavaria , who was named Reich Defense Commissioner - South and, in addition to his own Gau ,

3600-407: Was placed in charge of Swabia and three of the formerly Austrian Gaue ( Reichsgau Salzburg , Reichsgau Upper Danube and Reichsgau Tirol-Vorarlberg ). In the last days of the war, Karl Wahl made no effort to prevent the hand over of Augsburg to the allies. Shortly after, he was arrested. Almost all of Swabia, like the rest of Bavaria, became part of the American occupation zone . Lindau , at

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