Überlingen

From Freepedia

The title of this article contains the character ü. Where it is unavailable or not desired, the name may be given as Ueberlingen.

Image:Ueberlingen Innenstadt2.jpg Überlingen is a city in south-western Germany. It is part of the Bodenseekreis (district), which is part of the Land Baden-Württemberg. It lies on Lake Constance and has approx. 21,000 inhabitants.

The alemannic Überlingen was first mentioned in the year 770. It was granted city rights in 1211. The city center with cathedral, town hall and fortification goes back to the foundation by Emperor Frederick Barbarossa in 1180. As market city and fortified bridge head, Überlingen was of significance mainly for the Hohenstaufen emperors. The city flourished between the 13th and 16th century mainly due to intense winegrowing on the south facing slopes of the Lake Constance. During the Thirty Years' War, the Swedes tried to conquer the city in 1632 and 1634 but were only successful in 1643 with a coup de main.

In 2002, a Tupolev 154 collided with a Boeing 757 nearby, killing 71. See this BBC Article

Today Überlingen is a popular tourist destination at Lake Constance.