a juxtaposition of architectural elements ranging from those of the early middle ages to those of the late baroque era. The Oberstadtkirche St. Martin ("St Martin's Upper City Church") is one of Wangen's oldest buildings. The church was already present in the 9th century; it was renovated numerous times in the following years. It contains both Romanesque and Gothic architecture. The Ravensburg Gate is the city's prime landmark. It was first mentioned in 1472, but was probably changed to its current appearance in 1608. The building is decorated with Renaissance-era artwork. Similarly aged relics of the old city include the Lindau Gate and the Pfaffenturm tower. The local history museum, Heimatmuseum in der Eselmühle, was opened in 1974 in a former mill acquired by the city in 1969. The museum displays the original mechanisms of the mill in addition to a collections from various spans of the city's history. Population growth ¹ Census Politics Local council The elections in May 2014 showed the following results: SPD = 5 seats CDU = 15 seats FW (Free voters) = 8 seats GOL (Green open list) = 8 seats Total: 36 seats Mayors since 1804 1804–1810: Franz Josef von Bentele 1811–1819: Mathias Tschugg 1819–1826: Rudolf Salis 1826–1829: Martin Schnitzer 1829–1847: Christian Nepomuk Weber 1847–1859: Leopold Wocher 1860–1894: Jacob Trenkle 1894–1922: Rudolf Trenkle 1922–1933: Fritz Geray 1933: Gottlob Pfeiffer (provisional) 1933–1939: Dr Friedrich Wilhelm Erbacher 1939: Heinrich Fischer (provisional) 1939–1942: Carl Speidel (on behalf of Heinrich Fischer) 1942–1945: Max Steinegger (provisional) 1945: Karl Geiger (provisional) 1945: Franz Büchele (provisional) 1945–1946: Josef Max Kraus (provisional) 1945–1968: Wilhelm Uhl 1968–2001: Dr Jörg Leist (born 1935) since 2001: Michael Lang (born 1965) Twin towns – sister cities Wangen im Allgäu is twinned with: La Garenne-Colombes, France Prato, Italy Economics and infrastructure Wangen was once a center of the German textile industry before the decline of German textile manufacturing. Inter-city transport Wangen lies on the A96 Autobahn between Lindau and Memmingen, in addition to federal highways 18 and 32. The town is part of the Aulendorf – Kißlegg – Wangen - Hergatz – Lindau and Ulm – Memmingen – Kißlegg – Wangen – Hergatz – Lindau train lines. It lies on the bus route between Ravensburg and Isny. The city also belongs to the Bodensee–Oberschwaben public transportation association. Education Wangen has a Gymnasium (Rupert-Neß-Gymnasium), a Realschule (Johann-Andreas-Rauch-Realschule), a Hauptschule (Hauptschule Karsee), a Werkrealschule (Anton-von-Gegenbaur-Schule) and a special school