Delving between the River Lech and the Black Forest, this guide ventures through the ?kingdom of Swabia.? The German region history is explored, describing how it has produced such names of renown as Emperor Barbarossa, who ruled the land as King Friedrich III, and his grandson Friedrich II, the ?child of Apulia.?The city of Ulm is celebrated as a former leader, heading a Swabian League of proud, free imperial cities, while Augsburg is revered as the previous hub of world trade, powered by the economic endeavors of the Fugger and Welser families. This glorious past is revealed to be visible in the present day, still manifested in the former duchy many castles and palaces and in the area churches and monasteries. Showcasing a spectacular landscape characterized by the wildly romantic valleys of the Neckar and Danube rivers and the giddy heights of the Swabian Alb, this guide also comments on the region culinary delights, thinkers and writers, and baroque architecture.