Friedrichshafen - more than just Eurobike and Outdoor Fair

Saturday, 07 July 2018 08:18
Written by Portal Editor

Although the Eurobike and Outdoor Fair were the official occasion of our visit to Friedrichshafen this time, the central city on the northern shore of Lake Constance and the county seat of the Lake Constance district has much more to offer.

Friedrichshafen was named after the first Württemberg King Frederick I (1754-1816). The city prospered economically, especially under the rule of King Friedrich, as a privileged free port and goods handling center for the trade with Switzerland. As a result, new settlers were attracted, who settled in the Karl- and Friedrichsstraße and thus gradually connected the districts Buchhorn and Hofen. In the 19th century, Friedrichshafen served as the summer residence of the Württemberg monarch. The former monastery Hofen was rebuilt into a royal castle. Under the rule of King William I (1781-1864), the economy flourished again, which was reflected, among other things, in the purchase of the steamship "Wilhelm". Especially the castle attracted many strangers to come to Friedrichshafen, including ministers and senior officials, some of which built villas in the vicinity. The first tourists came to visit the city, among them was the Russian Tsar Alexander II (1818-1881).

Industrialization by Zeppelin manufactorer

The industrialization of Friedrichshafen is dominated by Ferdinand von Zeppelin. Born in Constance, the Count settled here in Friedrichshafen during the last years of the 19th century for the production of his rigid airships, the Zeppelins. On 2nd of July 1900, the 128-meter-long LZ1 rose from the take-off area in Manzeller Bay for the first time. After a few teething problems, they began to test the successor model LZ2 in 1906. It was, thanks to the enthusiasm of the Germans for the aviation industry, that the entire project was nevertheless continued despite some failed attempts. The 1909 in Bissingen an der Enz by Wilhelm Maybach founded aircraft-Motorenbau GmbH, on the initiative of Zeppelin, moved to Friedrichshafen because of changed technical requirements in 1912. The company was managed by Karl Maybach (1879-1960), the eldest son of Wilhelm Maybach. In order to get the high financial resources for research and production, a corporation (AG) was founded in 1909, the German Airship Company (DELAG) based in Frankfurt am Main, is the first air shipping company in the world.

ZF - gear factory in Friedrichshafen

An invention of the engineer Max Maag, which made the production of precise gears in series possible, not only contributed to the development of the Zeppelins but also to the development of the city itself and led to the founding of the Friedrichshafen (ZF) Zahnradfabrik in 1915, which also became an AG in 1922 AG. With the progress in airship construction, a general economic upswing started. With the number of new jobs, the influx of holidaymakers gradually increased too. In 1912, the "Zeppelin Group" employed about 200 people, most of whom lived in a new settlement built for them, called the Zeppelindorf.

The beginning of the First World War accelerated this economic growth, since many airships were built for the war effort. Graf Zeppelin died in 1917. The Dornier office, which was initially involved in metal airplane construction at Zeppelin, was taken over by Claude Dornier in 1922; This was the beginning of the later Dornier manufactory.