Bregenz

   A Roman garrison since 15 BCE, Bregenz, the capital of the Vorarlberg, was named a Roman municipality (Brigantium) in 50 CE. The Alemanic German invaders who destroyed the settlement in 259–260 reinhabited it by around 450. Saints Gallus and Columban, missionaries from Ireland, proselytized in the area between 610 and 612. The Udalrichs, a local dynasty who called themselves the counts of Bregenz, made the area their residence after 917 until their line died out in 1170. The town was formally founded in 1249 by the Swabian Count of Montfort, Hugo I. The Habsburgs acquired Bregenz between 1451 and 1523 through purchase. During the Napoleonic Wars, Bregenz was governed by Bonaparte’s Bavarian allies. From the 18th century on, Bregenz played an increasingly important role in the administration of the Vorarlberg. In 1786, it became a regional administrative center, in 1861, the seat of the provincial parliament. These developments were in part attributable to the city’s growth as a transportation hub on Lake Constance. In 1884, railroads could cross the Arlberg, a mountain, and steamboats could dock in its harbor.