imperial city · Germany and Central Europe
Free Imperial City of Buchhorn
Origins
Buchhorn grew on the north shore of Lake Constance as a fishing and market settlement under the counts of Buchhorn and later the Guelphs and Hohenstaufen. After the fall of the Hohenstaufen it was recognised as an imperial city by Rudolf I around 1275.
Rule and society
Buchhorn was one of the smallest imperial cities, with a council of burghers and a tiny territory. It lived from fishing, lake shipping and trade across the lake to Switzerland, and its market served the surrounding countryside. It remained Catholic and depended on alliances with other Swabian cities and on Austrian goodwill.
Decline and legacy
Bavaria annexed Buchhorn in 1802 and passed it to Württemberg in 1810. In 1811 King Frederick I of Württemberg merged it with the neighbouring Hofen priory to create Friedrichshafen, later the home of the Zeppelin airships.
Lineage
On the connections map
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- Free Imperial City of Buchhorn was part of Holy Roman Empire1275 CE – 1802 CE
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Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Free Imperial City of Buchhorn. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/free-imperial-city-of-buchhorn
- MLA
- “Free Imperial City of Buchhorn.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/free-imperial-city-of-buchhorn. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Free Imperial City of Buchhorn.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/free-imperial-city-of-buchhorn.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Free Imperial City of Buchhorn’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/free-imperial-city-of-buchhorn (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻