Lechrain

With Lechrain the region between Augsburg and the Alps is known along the river Lech, focusing the area east of the river lies. The defining element of Lech Rains is the coincidence caused by the boundary layer of Bavarian and Swabian influences. A typical feature is the Lech Rainer dialect, which has next to Swabian and Bavarian speech features Middle High German relics.

Geography

The Lechrain extends as up to 20 km wide strip between Friedberg near Augsburg and the Ammer Mountains along the Lech. An exact limit does not exist, the transition to adjacent landscapes is fluid. However, the largest part of the district of Landsberg am Lech, the southern part of the old district Friedberg and parts of the old district Schongau be counted for Lechrain General. The Lechrain is part of the northern foothills of the Alps. It includes young moraine landscape in the south and in the north Altmoränenlandschaft. For Lechrain include parts of the Pfaff angle.

Municipalities of Lechrain:

• Cities: Landsberg, Friedberg, Schongau
• Other municipalities: Old City, Althegnenberg, Apple Village, Denklingen, Egling, Fuchstal, Hofstetten, Hohenfurch, Buy Ring, Kinsau, Kissing, Lech Bruck, Merching, Mering, Peiting, Penzing, Prittriching, Pürgen, Reichling, Rott, Scheuring, Schmiechen, Schwifting, stone village, Steingaden, Thaining, Unterdießen, Vilgertshofen, Weil, Wessobrunn

Conceptual history

Even the name " Lechrain " illustrates the old limit function of this region between Bavaria and Swabia - Rain from OHG purely = border, edge of the forest.

The term " Lechrayner " ( latinized " Lycatii " ) first appeared in 1550 in the cosmography of Sebastian Münster on to refer to the population between Lech, bunting and Amper. Even then, the peculiarity of this border area with regard to language and customs must have been obvious.

1765 brings the Electoral Court and Bergrat Johann Georg von Lori a document collection as a " history of Lech Rains " out, but that includes the entire country at the Lech of feet to the mouth.

The most far-reaching interest as a regional landscape designation was the Lechrain by the ethnographic documentation 1855 published "From the Lech Rain" by Carl Freiherr von Leoprechting. The portrayal of rural customs and folk beliefs is still regarded as a classic work on folklore.

Today, especially the long-established population is carrier of a special " lechrainischen " special consciousness. In addition, lead numerous clubs, but also cultural institutions and firms the Lechrain on their behalf. Despite the gradual withdrawal of the regional peculiarities in language and customs of the Lechrain can therefore still perceived as culturally and historically particular characteristics of the landscape and the surrounding regions (Allgaeu, Upper Country ) are deferred.

Political history

The Lechrain was settled in the early Middle Ages, the end of the Roman province of Raetia, especially of the Alemanni. The affiliation of the majority of the Lech Rains to the Duchy of Bavaria goes back to the Konradihaus niche donation, when the last Staufer Conradin his former ally Duke Ludwig II of Bavaria in 1268 for debt reduction had to pawn most of his tenure as Duke of Swabia. The Wittelsbach judge after the takeover in the 13th century here, the district courts Landsberg, Friedberg, Mering and Schongau one.

This does not affect the Lechrain is, however, up to now almost entirely part of the Swabian Diocese of Augsburg.

As border towns to Swabia towards Landsberg, Friedberg and Schongau enjoy numerous ducal privileges temporarily lead to considerable wealth. On the other side was especially Friedberg been victims of constant clashes between Bavaria and the wealthy imperial city of Augsburg.

With the 1803/1806 were made inclusion of Augsburg and Ostschwabens in the later kingdom of Bavaria, the Lechrain loses its boundary function in political terms - mentally she is still alive today.

After the administrative reforms of the 19th and 20th centuries, most of the Lech Rains is now part of the Upper Bavarian district of Landsberg am Lech. Schongau and the surrounding area are also in the Upper Bavarian district of Weilheim -Schongau. In contrast, the Altlandkreis Friedberg came in 1944 to Swabia, where he came up in 1972 in the new Aichach- Friedberg.