Oldest cities in Germany

Then after augsburg Bonn Kempten (Allgäu) Koblenz Cologne Mainz Neuss Speyer trier Worms Xanten

Roman founding of cities in Germany

The question of the oldest city in Germany has not been finally clarified. The different views have to do with local patriotism on the one hand and the criteria used on the other . The terms settlement and city are often not clearly separated from one another.

Definition of the "city"

The first cities in Germany are associated with Roman times . In general, a city ( Old High German burg "Burg, Stadt", Middle High German , burc or stat "location, place") is understood to mean a larger civil settlement that has the following additional features:

• centralization
• Delimitation from the surrounding area
• own administrative and supply structures
• Water supply
• Location in the center of major traffic routes

Almost every city is preceded by a period of settlement, which is why it is crucial when a settlement became a city. It is problematic, however, if the focus is solely on formal aspects, above all on the legal situation at the time or the express granting of city ​​rights . This inevitably leads to a dependency on temporal and regional coincidences, which makes the development of a uniform - not limited to Germany - understanding of the term difficult. If, however, a settlement in the then border area to Colonia ("colony") was raised in Roman times , this is still a strong indication of the city's character today; because with it she received the highest level of the Roman town charter.

However, pre-Roman settlements also had a city-like character (cf. the Celtic Oppida ). However, in these cases there is usually no evidence of a continuous history of settlements or it only exists through Roman settlements built in close proximity.

Official confirmation

There is no officially confirmed "oldest city in Germany". Nonetheless, Andernach , Trier , Neuss , Kempten (Allgäu) , Worms and Augsburg are repeatedly brought up for discussion in this context. The city of Trier claims to have the longest history as a (Roman) recognized city - in contrast to a settlement or an army camp  . In an official status to Worms appeals, the German member of the 1994 Most Ancient European Towns Network ( english , working group of the oldest cities in Europe ') and was named to a pre-Roman, Celtic appoints founding history. There is the earliest written document of a (Celtic) polis , i.e. a city, in Germany about Kempten .

In the German-speaking area, however, there are other cities that claim at least a similar age, see also the articles Oldest City in Austria as well as Sitten and Chur .

history

Roman foundations

After Roman troops under Julius Caesar during the Gallic War in 55 BC. After reaching the Rhine , Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa and later Drusus and Tiberius secured the left bank of the Rhine. With the campaigns in the time of Emperor Augustus from 13/12 BC The areas on the left bank of the Rhine came under Roman control.

In the course of securing these areas, the Romans built military camps from which cities emerged over time. These places include a .: Andernach ( Antunnacum ), Bonn (Bonna), Koblenz ( Confluentes ), Cologne ( Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium ), Mainz ( Mogontiacum ), Neuss ( Novaesium ), Speyer (Noviomagus) , Trier ( Augusta Treverorum ), Worms ( Borbetomagus ) and Xanten ( Colonia Ulpia Traiana ).

Since 25 BC In addition, the northern border of the former province of Gallia cisalpina in northern Italy was moved from the Alps to the Danube and the province of Raetia was founded. From the military camps established there, cities such as Augsburg ( Augusta Vindelicorum ) and Kempten ( Cambodunum , a pre-Roman Celtic settlement, capital of the Estions ) emerged.

See also : History of the Romans in Germania

Most Ancient European Towns Network

1994 was Most Ancient European Towns Network ( english founded), the working group of the oldest cities in Europe . The working group, which, according to its English name, saw itself as a network , consisted of the following ten cities, whose representatives should take turns in the chairmanship every year :
Argos ( Greece ), Béziers ( France ), Cádiz ( Spain ), Colchester ( Great Britain ), Cork ( Ireland ), Évora ( Portugal ), Maastricht ( Netherlands ), Roskilde ( Denmark ), Tongeren ( Belgium ), Worms ( Germany )

The initiative to form the working group came from the Greek city of Argos. The first official meeting of the heads of the participating cities took place there from June 22nd to 26th, 1994; the only thing missing was the representative of Cadiz. The objectives were decided after the deed of incorporation was signed. The working group is a spontaneous, non-official form of cooperation. It is uncertain whether and how long the working group continued to exist and whether it ever developed activities. Original documents that still existed in 2006 have now disappeared from the WWW .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} Florian Flex: Central function rooms . TU Dortmund , Dortmund 2016 (dissertation).
2. ↑ ^{a b c} The oldest city in Germany - Worms is officially the oldest German city. Working group of the oldest cities in Europe. In: www.worms.de . Worms city ​​administration , accessed on September 18, 2017 . 
3. ↑ Strabon 4,206: Kandobounon ; probably a spelling mistake in the Florentine manuscript: Wolfgang Czysz , Hans Dietrich, Gerhard Weber: Kempten und das Allgäu (= guide to archaeological monuments in Germany. Volume 30). Theiss, Stuttgart 1995, ISBN 3-8062-1150-7 , p. 109.
4. ^ In 1975 the Belgian Prime Minister Leo Tindemans drew υρ a report concerning the European unity ( Memento of October 22, 2005 in the Internet Archive ). Originally in: www.argos.gr ( Memento of the original from December 4, 2018 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Municipality of Argos-Mycenae (English). 
5. ↑ Transfrontier and interterritorial co-operation for the protection and promotion of the cultural heritage (= Transfrontier co-operation in Europe . No. 9). Study prepared by The Select Committee of Experts on Transfrontier Co-operation, Directorate of Co-operation for Local and Regional Democracy, DG I - Legal Affairs of the Council of Europe. Council of Europe Publishing, Strasbourg (France) July 2000, p. 8 (English; online ( Memento of November 22, 2008 in the Internet Archive ), PDF document, 283.13 KiB, p. 12 of the PDF document, originally online in: www.coe.int , Council of Europe ).
6. ↑ Internet search . www.google.de, accessed on April 23, 2017 .