Schwaben (Swabia)

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Hierarchy
Regional Research > Germany, after 1989 > Bavaria > Schwaben (Swabia)

File:Lage Regierungsbezirk Schwaben in Bayern.png
Location of Administrative District (Regierungsbezirk) Schwaben within the Federal State (Bundesland) Bavaria



Contents

Introduction

Schwaben (Swabia) is one of the 7 administrative districts (Regierungsbezirk) of Bavaria (Bayern).

Coat of Arms

File:Wappen Regierungsbezirk Schwaben Land Bayern.png
Schwaben - Coat of arms


The Swabia coat of arms consists of three symbols that represent the former territories of Swabia. The double eagle (Doppeladler) represents the former Imperial Free Cities, the Imperial holdings of the Staufer and territories of former Imperial Knights; the red and silver shield represents the area of the former Hochstift Augsburg and the other former ecclesiastical territories; the golden stripe upon the diagonal red and white stripes was the coat of arms of the former Markgrafschaft Burgau that symbolizes the middle part of Swabia and the former territories of the Houses of Fugger, Oettingen, Nördlingen.


General Information

Schwaben (Swabia) is located in the southwest of Bavaria. It borders on the Bavarian administrative districts Middle Franconia and Upper Bavaria. In the west it borders on the German Federal State Baden-Württemberg and in the south on Austria.

Data: 2003 Area in qkm Population Inhabitants /qkm
Schwaben (Swabia) 9,992 1,782,386 178
Bavaria total 70,549 12,423,386 176


(Source: Bayerisches Landesamt für Statistik und Datenverarbeitung, Genesis online)

Political Structure

Swabias administrative Capital is the city of Augsburg.

File:Karte Regierungsbezirk Schwaben Land Bayern 02.png
Counties of Schwaben


Counties


Independent Cities



Structure before 1972/78

In 1972/78 Bavaria had a major re-organization of the administrative system - a county-reform (Landkreisreform) and the municipality-reform (Gemeindereform). Aim was to downsize the number of existing administrative counties (Landkreise), independent cities (Kreisfreie Städte) and municipalities (Gemeinden). After these reforms a lot of formerly independent places and communities became part of another municipality (sometimes with this even became part of another county). Also some formerly existing counties were combined and the old county names ceased to exists. In some areas of Bavaria places even changed the administrative district (Regierungsbezirk) they belonged too.

Swabia`s past administrative structure:

Swabia  since 1972    before 1972   
Counties 10 20
Independent Cities   4 10
Municipalities 340  ?



Counties (before county/municipality reforms in 1972 / 78):

* Augsburg (today: part of county Augsburg and/or county Aichach-Friedberg)
* Dillingen an der Donau
* Donauwörth (today: part of county Donau-Ries)
* Friedberg (today: part of county Aichach-Friedberg)
* Füssen (today: part of county Ostallgäu)
* Günzburg
* lllertissen (today: part of county Unterallgäu and/or county Neu-Ulm)
* Kaufbeuren (today: part of county Ostallgäu and/or independent city Kaufbeuren)
* Kempten (Allgäu) (today: part of county Oberallgäu)
* Krumbach (Schwaben) (today: part of county Günzburg)
* Lindau (Bodensee)
* Marktoberdorf (today: part of county Ostallgäu)
* Memmingen (today: part of county Unterallgäu and/or independent city Memmingen)
* Mindelheim (today: part of county Unterallgäu)
* Neuburg an der Donau (today: Administrative District: Upper Bavaria; county Neuburg-Schrobenhausen)
* Neu-Ulm
* Nördlingen (today: part of county Donau-Ries)
* Schwabmünchen (today: part of county Augsburg)
* Sonthofen (today: part of county Oberallgäu)
* Wertingen (today: part of county Dillingen an der Donau)



Independent Cities (before county/municipality reforms in 1972 / 78):

  • Augsburg
  • Dillingen an der Donau
  • Günzburg
  • Kaufbeuren
  • Kempten (Allgäu)
  • Lindau (Bodensee)
  • Memmingen
  • Neuburg an der Donau    (today: Administrative District: Upper Bavaria; county Neuburg-Schrobenhausen)
  • Neu-Ulm
  • Nördlingen




Church Structure

The population of Swabia is overall more catholic, there are 75 % Roman-Catholics (römisch-katholisch) and 17 % Protestants (evangelisch-lutherisch), according to data from 1987. In the past the people of this area either stayed catholic or reverted back to Catholicism after the so-called Gegenreformation (rigorous reinforcing of Catholicism, Counter-Reformation).

Evangelical-Lutheran



Evangelical-Reformed


Roman-Catholic




Religion of Population (1987)

Religion of population (1987) Population    Roman
Catholic     		Evangelical
church (**) 		Jewish   other
Religions 		none   
total % % % % %
Bavaria (total) 10,902,643 67 24 0.05 4 5
Swabia 1,546,504 75 17 0.02 4.8 4


(**) incl. Freikirchen

(Source: Data: 1987, Bayerisches Landesamt für Statistik und Datenverarbeitung, Genesis online)


History

NOTE: English version of - Swabia history - is currently NOT available. Meanwhile see summary overview:



Historical Political Structure

NOTE: English version of - Swabia historical political structure - is currently NOT available. Meanwhile see summary overview:



Historical predecessor entities on Swabia territory:
English version of - Swabia historical predecessor entities - is currently NOT available

See here:



Development of the past administrative structure of Swabia after 1806:
In 1808 within the Kingdom of Bavaria a new organizational structure was set up and regarding current day Swabia the following structure evolved, in:

  • 1808: the new Kreise called Oberdonaukreis (administrative capital: Ulm), Lechkreis (administrative capital: (Augsburg) and Illerkreis (administrative capital: Kempten) were formed
  • 1810: the second Oberdonaukreis, enlarged with territory from the dissolved Altmühlkreis (without LG ä.O.: Riedenburg), from the dissolved Lechkreis (LG ä.O.: Göggingen, Zusmarshausen and city of Augsburg) and from Kingdom of Württemberg (Weiltingen). The Oberdonaukreis handed over to Illerkreis (LG ä.O.: Elchingen, Günzburg, Illertissen, Roggenburg, and the former holdings of the Grafen Fugger-Kirchberg and Weißenhorn) and to the Kingdom of Württemberg (Alpeck, Geislingen, Söflingen).
  • 1817: Oberdonaukreis (now with administrative capital: Augsburg) was enlarged with territory of the dissolved Illerkreis (without LG ä.O.: Schongau) and from the Isarkreis (LG ä.O.: Aichach, Friedberg, Schrobenhausen). It handed over to the Regenkreis (LG ä.O.: Beilngries, Kipfenberg, Ingolstadt, Neumarkt and city of Ingolstadt) and to the Rezatkreis (LG ä.O.: Greding, Heidenheim, Hilpoltstein, Monheim, Pleinfeld, Weißenburg, Oettingen-Spielberg and Pappenheim)

After a major re-organization of the royal administration, this administrative region was renamed in:

  • 1837: to Kreis Schwaben und Neuburg (administrative capital: Augsburg) and handed over to Kreis Oberbayern (LG ä.O.: Aichach, Friedberg, Schrobenhausen, Rain) and got from Kreis Mittelfranken (LG ä.O.: Monheim, Nördlingen, Wemding, city Nördlingen, area of Bissingen, Harburg, Mönchsroth, Oettingen, Wallerstein).


The main area of this administrative region called Kreis Schwaben und Neuburg is more or less identical to the Swabia, as we know it today. In the following centuries there were these changes: e.g. in 1939: the administrative region was re-named to Kreis Schwaben; in 1944: the now called Regierungsbezirk Schwaben (administrative district: Swabia) got from Regierungsbezirk Oberbayern (Landkreis: Friedberg); in 1972: Swabia handed over to Upper Bavaria (county: Neuburg an der Donau and city of Neuburg) and got from there county Aichach.

see here also:



Abbreviation:
LG ä.O. = Landgericht älterer Ordnung / Landgericht ä.O. (Regional court area of the old Order)


Genealogical and Historical Societies

Genealogical Societies



Historical Societies



Genealogical and Historical Documents



Bibliography

Historical Literature

  • Jahresberichte des Historischen Vereins für Schwaben (1834-1873)
  • Zeitschrift des Historischen Vereins für Schwaben (1874-)
  • Schwäbische Geschichtsquellen und Forschungen (1919-)



Gazetteers and Maps

Gazetteers



Maps

  • Bavaria Maps Overview of helpful Links to maps for genealogist.



Maps showing the territory development of Swabia from 1789-1819:



Maps showing the past administrative organization of Swabia, 1808 until today:

see also:



Archives and Libraries

Archives


Church Book Archives:



LDS/FHC

Catholic Church books of Diözese Augsburg were filmed by the LDS, microfilms can be found in their Family history library, see:


Miscellaneous


Internet Links

Official Websites


Genealogical Websites




Miscellaneous Websites



Data from the Genealogical Place Database (GOV)

GOV-Id adm_369097
name
  • Oberdonaukreis (1808-10-01 - 1837-12-31) Source 1808 Spalte 1484 (deu)
  • Schwaben und Neuburg (1838-01-01 - 1939) Source 1837 Spalte 798 (deu)
  • Schwaben (1939 -) (deu)
  • Swabia (1939 -) (eng)
type
  • Kreis (1808-10-01 - 1939) Source 1808 Spalte 1484
  • administrative district (1939 -)
population
external id
  • BLO:12
web page
map

If no red dot is show no geographic position has been defined for this place.
Affiliations
Übergeordnete Objekte

Bavaria, Baiern, Bayern (1808-10-01 - 1946) ( duchy kingdom free state ) Source 1808 Spalte 1484

Bavaria, Beieren, Бавария, Bayern, Bavière (1946 -) ( federal state )

Untergeordnete Objekte
name type GOV-Id Timespan
Nördlingen district office rural county object_306404 (1862 - 1972-07-01)
Nördlingen kreisfreie Stadt Stadt NORGENJN58GU (- 1972-07-01)
Lindau (Bodensee) rural county adm_139776
Sonthofen rural county object_375725 (- 1972-06-30)
Günzburg rural county adm_139774
Donau-Ries rural county adm_139779 (1972-07-01 -)
Donauwörth district office rural county object_306398 (1862 - 1972-07-01)
Wertingen district office rural county object_306536 (1862 - 1972-07-01)
Unterallgäu rural county adm_139778 (1972 -)
Neu-Ulm rural county adm_139775
Ingolstadt Landgericht Magistrates' Court object_285535 (1810-11-01 - 1817-03-31)
Memmingen kreisfreie Stadt adm_139764
Dillingen an der Donau rural county adm_139773 (1972-07-01 -)
Dillingen an der Donau district office rural county object_306530 (1862 - 1972-07-01)
Kaufbeuren kreisfreie Stadt adm_139762
Kaufbeuren rural county object_397592 (- 1972-06-30)
Rain Landgericht Magistrates' Court object_285570 (1810-11-01 - 1837-12-31)
Augsburg-Ost, Aichach-Friedberg rural county adm_139771
Ostallgäu rural county adm_139777
Aichach Landgericht Magistrates' Court object_285523 (1817-04-01 - 1837-12-31)
Kempten (Allgäu) kreisfreie Stadt adm_139763
Kempten (Allgäu) rural county object_375720 (- 1972-06-30)
Friedberg district office rural county object_387898 (1944 - 1972-06-30)
Friedberg Landgericht Magistrates' Court object_285526 (1817-04-01 - 1837-12-31)
Augsburg kreisfreie Stadt adm_139761
Augsburg, Augsburg-West, Augsburg district office rural county adm_139772
Neuburg an der Donau district office rural county object_283989 (1862 - 1972-06-30)
Oberallgäu rural county adm_139780





Administrative Districts in the Federal State Bavaria

Mittelfranken (Middle Franconia) | Niederbayern (Lower Bavaria) | Oberbayern (Upper Bavaria) | Oberfranken (Upper Franconia) |
Oberpfalz (Upper Palatinate) | Schwaben (Swabia) | Unterfranken (Lower Franconia) |


Counties and Independent Cities in Administrative District Schwaben (Swabia)

Augsburg (City) | Kaufbeuren (City) | Kempten im Allgäu (City) | Memmingen (City)
Counties: Aichach-Friedberg | Augsburg | Dillingen | Donau-Ries | Günzburg | Lindau (Bodensee) | Neu-Ulm | Oberallgäu | Ostallgäu | Unterallgäu |




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