Editing Hohenems (section)

==History==
[[File:RathausHohenems.JPG|thumb|left|Town hall, built in 1567 as lordly guesthouse]]
The summit of the ''Schlossberg'' rock, within 45 minutes walk from the town center, is crowned by the ruins of ''Alt-Ems'', a castle dating back to the 9th century CE. From the 12th century it was among the largest fortifications in the south of the [[Kingdom of Germany|German kingdom]].<ref>[http://www.tiscover.at/at/guide/5,en,SCH1/objectId,SIG291261at,curr,EUR,parentId,RGN15at,season,at2,selectedEntry,sights/intern.html Tiscover]: Ruin Alt-Ems</ref> The stronghold was very extensive, with a length of up to 800&nbsp;m (2,625&nbsp;ft) and a width of 85&nbsp;m (280&nbsp;ft). It reached its peak of fame from the 13th to 16th centuries, as a residence of many lords and knights of Hohenems. As they were loyal ''[[ministerialis|ministeriales]]'' of the [[House of Hohenstaufen|Hohenstaufen]] dynasty, the castle served as a prison for notable prisoners like the Norman king [[William III of Sicily]], who probably died there in 1198.

Hohenems was granted municipal rights and liberties (German ''Stadtrecht'') in 1333, but the town did not make use of these rights for 650 years until, in 1983, the government of Vorarlberg granted Hohenems full status as a "municipality".

The [[Burg Neu-Ems]] (also called "Schloss Glopper"), built in 1343, is located on a mountain promontory near Alt-Ems. In 1407 both castles were destroyed during the [[Appenzell Wars]], but rebuilt shortly afterwards. Burg Neu-Ems is still intact today and is the private property of the [[Waldburg-Zeil]] family.

[[File:PalastHohenems2.jpg|thumb|The Renaissance palace in the centre of Hohenems]]
The Renaissance palace stands at the foot of the Schlossberg and dominates the main square of town, the ''Schlossplatz.'' It was built from 1562 to 1567, according to plans by architect [[Martino Longhi the Elder]] at the initiative of Cardinal Marcus Sittich Hohenems (Altemps), architect who also designed the Cardinal’s palace in Rome. Religious wars and a plague decimated the population and devastated the area over the next century, ironically the time of the greatest power of the (Protestant) [[Counts of Hohenems]], when they acquired [[Vaduz Castle]] from what was later to become [[Liechtenstein]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tips.fm/entry.php?1118-Liechtenstein-The-Counts-of-Hohenems-1613-1712|title=Liechtenstein: The Counts of Hohenems 1613-1712 - Blogs - Tips|website=tips.fm|access-date=25 April 2018|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150530182554/http://tips.fm/entry.php?1118-Liechtenstein-The-Counts-of-Hohenems-1613-1712|archive-date=30 May 2015}}</ref> Two manuscripts of the [[Nibelungenlied]] were found in Hohenems, in 1755 and 1779, in the palace's library.<ref>
{{cite book |others=Shumway, Daniel B. (trans.) |title=Nibelungenlied, The |publisher=Houghton–Mifflin |year=1909 |series=eBooks@Adelaide |url=https://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/a/anonymous/nibelungenlied/introduction.html |quote=The honor of discovering the Manuscript C of the "Nibelungenlied" and of restoring it to the world of literature belongs to a young physician by the name of J.H. Obereit, who found the work at the castle of Hohenems on June 29, 1755. |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080822035738/http://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/a/anonymous/nibelungenlied/introduction.html |archive-date=August 22, 2008 }}
</ref>

The first café (1797), bank and printing office (1920) of Vorarlberg were opened in Hohenems.

===Jewish heritage===
The Jewish community in Hohenems had its beginnings with a charter in 1617. Soon thereafter a [[synagogue]], a ritual bath ([[mikvah]]), a school and a poorhouse were built. A cemetery was established on the southern outskirts of town. Jewish economic activity in the town resulted in the first coffee house in 1797, and in 1841, the first bank and insurance company in Vorarlberg. The Hohenems Jewish community celebrated its golden era around 1862, with nearly 600 Jewish citizens, 12% of the population. The Jewish presence in town was terminated in 1942 with the [[deportation]] of the last remaining Jew, Frieda Nagelberg, to Vienna and eventually to [[Izbica]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Die letzte Jüdin in Hohenems: Frau Frieda Nagelberg (1889-1942) |url=http://zeitreisefuehrer-vorarlberg.blogspot.com/2013/01/die-letzte-judin-in-hohenems-frau.html |work=Zeitreisefuehrer – Vorarlberg |date=23 February 2017 |language=de}}</ref> Recently three Jewish people have moved into Hohenems.

[[File:Jüdisches Viertel Hohenems Panorama.jpg|thumb|left|A part of the Jewish quarter with the former synagogue]]
The synagogue survived the [[Kristallnacht]] without damage. It was acquired by the municipality after the war and converted into a fire station. All objects pertaining to its use as a synagogue were removed or destroyed. In 2001 the synagogue was renovated and it now used as a cultural centre.<ref>[http://www.jm-hohenems.at/index.php?id=2040&lang=1 Synagogue] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706093052/http://www.jm-hohenems.at/index.php?id=2040&lang=1 |date=2011-07-06 }} The Jewish Museum Hohenems, official website.</ref> The Jewish quarter, which has had historical preservation status since 1996, includes numerous townhouses and mansions surrounding the synagogue. Along with the former ''Christengasse'' ("Christian Lane"), renamed ''Marktstrasse'' (Market Street), it forms the urban core of Hohenems.

In 1991, the [[Jewish Museum of Hohenems|Jewish Museum Hohenems]] was opened in a mansion in the center of the Jewish quarter. The museum commemorates the history of the Jewish community in Hohenems. The many remaining objects it exhibits bear witness to the former flourishing Jewish community in Hohenems. As part of its remembrance culture, a section of the museum is dedicated to the memory of the darkest chapter in Vorarlberg history – the national socialist period, and its attempts to eliminate all traces of Jewish culture in Vorarlberg and beyond. The Jewish cemetery south of the town dates to the first Jewish settlement in 1617 and is still in use today. It contains more than 500 graves, with 370 surviving gravestones.<ref>[http://www.jm-hohenems.at/index.php?id=2050&lang=1 Jewish cemetery] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706093235/http://www.jm-hohenems.at/index.php?id=2050&lang=1 |date=2011-07-06 }} Jewish Museum Hohenems, official website. Retrieved July 8, 2010</ref>