Friedrichshafen facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

This page is about a German town. For the Danish town, see Frederikshavn. For the Finnish town, see Fredrikshamn. For the airplane manufacturer, see Flugzeugbau Friedrichshafen.

Quick facts for kids

Friedrichshafen

Friedrichshafen in August 2009

Coat of arms

Country

Elevation

400 m (1,300 ft)

Population

(2022-12-31)

• Total

62,932

CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)

88045–88048

07541, 07544

Website

www.friedrichshafen.de

Friedrichshafen is a city in Southern Germany. It is located on the northern shore of Lake Constance, also known as the Bodensee. The city is close to the borders of both Switzerland and Austria.

Friedrichshafen is the main city of the Bodensee district in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. About 63,000 people live there.

History of Friedrichshafen

How the City Began

Friedrichshafen was created in 1811. It was part of the new Kingdom of Württemberg. This kingdom was an ally of France during the Napoleonic Wars. The city was named after King Frederick I of Württemberg. He made it a special free port. This meant it was an important place for trade with Switzerland.

Friedrichshafen was formed from an older city called Buchhorn. It also included the village of Hofen. A monastery in Hofen was turned into a summer home for the kings of Württemberg.

Growth in the 19th and Early 20th Century

King William I helped the city grow even more. He bought a steamship called Wilhelm. Important officials built fancy houses near the royal castle. Many tourists visited, including Tsar Alexander II of Russia.

The first railway tracks were laid in 1847. They connected the port to Ravensburg. By 1850, Heilbronn was connected by rail. A ferry service to Romanshorn in Switzerland started in 1869. Even after joining the German Empire after the Franco-Prussian War, Friedrichshafen kept some special rights.

Castle

View from Lake Constance of All Saints' Church and Graf Zeppelin House

Zeppelin-Statue at Graf Zeppelin House, Säntis in the background

At the end of the 1800s, Ferdinand von Zeppelin started his famous dirigible (airship) factory here. The first Zeppelin airship, the LZ1, was 128 meters long. It flew for the first time on July 2, 1900. Other aviation companies, like Maybach, also started in Friedrichshafen. The aviation industry grew a lot during World War I.

After the war, the Kingdom of Württemberg ended. But the royal family still owned their castle in Friedrichshafen.

World War II and Its Impact

Church of St. Nikolaus

During World War II, Friedrichshafen was an important industrial city for Germany. Companies like Zeppelin, Maybach, Dornier, and Zahnradfabrik were located here. These factories used people who were forced to work there. These workers were from special camps between 1942 and 1945.

The city was bombed by Allied forces many times between 1943 and 1945. On April 28, 1944, a major bombing raid destroyed most of the old city center. About two-thirds of Friedrichshafen was destroyed during the war.

Modern Times

After World War II, Friedrichshafen became part of West Germany. It later joined the state of Baden-Württemberg. Many aviation companies, like Maybach, started building cars instead of planes after the war. Claudius Dornier started Dornier Flugzeugwerke, another aircraft company.

The production of large German airships ended after the 1937 Hindenburg disaster. Also, the United States stopped sending helium to Germany. After the war, German aircraft production was banned for many years.

The city began to recover when it became the main administrative center for the Bodenseekreis district in 1973. The last French troops left the city in 1992.

Geography

Where Friedrichshafen Is Located

Friedrichshafen is on a gently curved bay on the north shore of Lake Constance. It is also on the southwest edge of the Schussen river. The city's elevation ranges from about 395 meters (1,296 feet) above sea level at the lake to 501 meters (1,644 feet) in Ailingen.

The main part of the city is west of where the Rotach river flows into Lake Constance. This river flows through some smaller parts of the city before reaching the lake. The larger Schussen river touches the northeast part of the city.

Nearby Towns

The following towns are next to Friedrichshafen:

Immenstaad
Markdorf
Oberteuringen
Ravensburg
Meckenbeuren
Tettnang
Eriskich

Climate and Weather

Lake Constance and the nearby Alps mountains mostly influence Friedrichshafen's climate. Temperatures are usually mild compared to areas further inland. The Alps can cause strong winds called foehn winds and sometimes powerful thunderstorms. In winter, fog often forms.

Climate data for Friedrichshafen
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °F	36.1	39.6	47.8	55.6	64.4	70.3	73.8	72.1	66.7	55.8	45.3	38.1	55.6
Mean daily minimum °F	27.1	28.6	33.4	39.4	46.8	53.2	56.7	55.8	50.5	43.0	35.4	29.5	41.7
Average precipitation inches	2.4	2.4	2.1	2.9	3.8	4.8	5.2	4.7	3.2	2.6	2.9	2.3	39.3
Mean daily maximum °C	2.3	4.2	8.8	13.1	18.0	21.3	23.2	22.3	19.3	13.2	7.4	3.4	13.1
Mean daily minimum °C	−2.7	−1.9	0.8	4.1	8.2	11.8	13.7	13.2	10.3	6.1	1.9	−1.4	5.4
Average precipitation mm	60	61	54	73	96	121	133	120	81	65	73	58	995
Source: [1]

Economy

Aviation Industry

Dornier-Museum

Zeppelin NT Airship

Friedrichshafen's fair ground during AERO in 2011

Friedrichshafen is famous for its history in airship building. The Luftschiffbau Zeppelin company, which built airships, was located here. Other important aviation companies included Dornier Flugzeugwerke and ZF Friedrichshafen, which makes transmission systems. MTU Friedrichshafen GmbH, an engine company, was also founded here by Wilhelm Maybach.

Zeppelin Museum

Ferdinand von Zeppelin first built his airships in a floating hangar on the lake. This allowed the hangar to turn with the wind, making it easier to launch the large airships. Today, there is a big Zeppelin Museum near the lake.

A company called ZLT Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik GmbH in Friedrichshafen now builds smaller, modern airships called Zeppelin NT. You can even book sightseeing tours over Lake Constance on these airships.

Airbus Defence and Space has a site near Friedrichshafen. It is seen as a successor to the Dornier Flugzeugwerke company. The Dornier Museum is at the Friedrichshafen Airport. It shows restored Dornier aircraft and modern space technology.

AERO Friedrichshafen is a yearly aviation conference held in the city.

Other Industries and Events

Rolls-Royce Power Systems AG (MTU), a German engine company owned by Rolls-Royce, is also in Friedrichshafen.

Besides industry and tourism, Friedrichshafen hosts many international trade fairs. These include Aero (aviation technology), Interboot (water sports), OutDoor, Motorradwelt (Motorbikes), Eurobike (bicycles), and Tuning World Bodensee (car tuning). These fairs are important for the city's economy. There is a large fair ground called Messe Friedrichshafen near the airport where these events take place.

The Graf-Zeppelin-Haus cultural center is also a popular place for meetings, conferences, and music events. Friedrichshafen is also home to Europe's largest ham radio convention.

Education

Zeppelin University (LakeCampus)

Zeppelin University is a private university in Friedrichshafen. It is one of the few private universities in Baden-Württemberg that can award PhD degrees. The university's Cultural & Communication Management program has been ranked as one of the best in German-speaking countries. Its Public Management & Governance program and Corporate Management & Economics program also rank highly.

Ravensburg University of Cooperative Education also has a campus in Friedrichshafen.

Sports

VfB Friedrichshafen is a professional volleyball team from Friedrichshafen. It is one of the top teams in the German Volleyball League.

Culture

Music and Bands

A fanfare band

The Seehasen-Fanfarenzug is a fanfare band that started in 1956. It was created for the Seehasenfest, a local festival. The band began with four drummers and two fanfare players. In 1959, they designed their yellow and red costumes. The band has performed in many concerts abroad and won awards in Germany.

The Friedrichshafen Music School was founded in 1953. It is a public school for music education. In 2003, it moved into a new building near the Graf Zeppelin Gymnasium.

Festivals and Celebrations

Friedrichshafen has several annual festivals. The Kulturufer is a ten-day tent festival held on the shores of Lake Constance at the start of summer holidays. It features music, comedy, drama, dance, readings, acrobatics, and street theater. There is also a daily theater program for children.

Children and adults wearing Seegockel at the carnival parade

One of the most famous and oldest festivals is the Seehasenfest. This is a local children's festival that has been celebrated since after World War II.

Transport

Friedrichshafen Stadt station has regular train services. You can travel to Lindau and Ulm. There are also trains to Basel in Switzerland.

A car ferry service connects Friedrichshafen to Romanshorn in Switzerland. You can also reach other towns around the lake by ferry. Since 2005, a fast catamaran ferry connects Friedrichshafen and Konstanz.

Friedrichshafen has its own airport, Friedrichshafen Airport. It offers daily international flights, mainly by Lufthansa CityLine and Turkish Airlines. The Zeppelin company, Luftschiffbau Zeppelin (LZ), was re-established in 1993. A commercial airline, Deutsche Zeppelin Reederei (DZR), started flying passengers from Friedrichshafen Airport in 2001.

The nearest large cities include Konstanz, Ravensburg, Bregenz, St. Gallen, Ulm, Augsburg, Munich, Zürich, and Stuttgart.

Notable people

Heinrich Lanz in 1905

Meta von Salis

Hugo Eckener

Chantal Laboureur in 2012

People Born Before 1900

Matteo Pertsch (1769–1834), an architect who designed many historic buildings.
Frederick Miller (1824–1888), a brewery owner in the USA.
Heinrich Lanz (1838–1905), who made agricultural machines like the Lanz Bulldog.
Wilhelm Maybach (1846–1929), an engine designer and industrialist.
Barbara Margaretha Meta von Salis (1855–1929), a Swiss feminist and historian.
Hugo Eckener (1868–1954), who managed the Luftschiffbau Zeppelin company.
Hermann Blau (1871–1944), an engineer and chemist who invented Blau gas.
Ludwig Dürr (1878–1956), an airship designer.
Claude Dornier (1884–1969), an airplane builder and founder of Dornier GmbH.
Franz-Zeno Diemer (1889–1954), a flight pioneer.
Oberleutnant Hans Bethge (1890–1918), a World War I flying ace.
Richard Vogt (1894–1979), an engineer and aircraft designer.