imperial city · Germany and Central Europe
Free Imperial City of Kaufbeuren
Origins
Kaufbeuren grew around a royal court on the Wertach under the Guelphs and Hohenstaufen, on the road from Augsburg into the Alps. After the fall of the Hohenstaufen it was recognised as an imperial city by Rudolf I in 1286.
Rule and society
A council of patricians and guilds governed. Linen and fustian weaving were the main trades. The city adopted the Reformation, but after 1648 Catholics and Lutherans shared its offices under the parity rules of the Peace of Westphalia. The Franciscan nun Crescentia of Kaufbeuren, later canonised, lived there in the 18th century.
Decline and legacy
Kaufbeuren lost its freedom in 1802 to Bavaria. After the Second World War German refugees from Gablonz in Bohemia settled its suburb of Neugablonz, bringing their glass and jewellery industry. It remains a town in Bavaria.
Lineage
On the connections map
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- Free Imperial City of Kaufbeuren was part of Holy Roman Empire1286 CE – 1802 CE
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Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Free Imperial City of Kaufbeuren. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/free-imperial-city-of-kaufbeuren
- MLA
- “Free Imperial City of Kaufbeuren.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/free-imperial-city-of-kaufbeuren. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Free Imperial City of Kaufbeuren.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/free-imperial-city-of-kaufbeuren.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Free Imperial City of Kaufbeuren’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/free-imperial-city-of-kaufbeuren (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻