Small Town and Village in Bavaria

<p> At the center of this investigation is the great modernization effort of a West German state Bavaria in the 1970s and 1980s by means of a reform of the smaller units of local government. The reforms were meant to abolish all autonomous local governments serving populations of fewer than 3000 thereby reducing the number of local governments in Bavaria from more than 7000 to less than 2000. Based on interviews surveys and statistical research this study chronicles fifteen communities and their challenges developments and social changes from post-1945 up to the present. While this book explores the decline of the iconic village community it also reveals the survival of medieval towns in a contemporary world and despite the modern desire for comprehensive and well-integrated services there remains a seemingly perennial appeal of small town and village life.</p>