Swabia, Administrative division in southern Germany
Swabia is a regional district in Bavaria that covers large parts of the western state and extends more than six hundred miles from north to south. This administrative unit runs from the Nördlinger Ries through Allgäu down to the foothills of the Alps near the Austrian border.
The territory originates from the medieval Duchy of Swabia, which fragmented in the thirteenth century and later split into different territories. The current district formed after the Napoleonic wars as a Bavarian administrative unit.
The name comes from the Suebi, a Germanic tribe that settled here in the third century. Local people still speak Swabian, an Alemannic dialect you can recognize by its soft pronunciation and distinct expressions.
Larger towns like Augsburg and Kempten sit along main transport routes and are reachable by regional train or bus. In the countryside, gentle hills and river valleys alternate, which are best explored by bicycle.
In several towns during the Middle Ages, Swabian Leagues formed as alliances of citizens and knights to protect common interests. Their statutes and seals can still be seen today in city archives.
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