Martin’s Tower, the historic landmark of the City of Bregenz, owes its impressive appeal to its magnificent Baroque onion dome. The originally preserved former living quarters of the tower watchman provide interesting insights into the architectural history of the tower. The medieval frescoes in the adjacent Martin’s Chapel are of particular art-historical significance. The permanent exhibition covering the history of Bregenz emphasizes municipal developments throughout the ages, from the Bronze Age up into the 21st century.
In Roman times Bregenz was a transportation and communication hub of supra-regional importance. At that time the Lake of Constance was named after the city – “Lacus Brigantinus” – the Bregenz Lake. The history of modern Bregenz began with the new founding of the upper town on a plateau overlooking the lake. Growing slowly but surely, the originally agricultural settlement developed to become a significant hub of the grain trade in the region, and the later industrialization and construction of railway connections helped Bregenz become the modern industrial and tourist city which it is.
