sentences:  Especially since 2007, the university, being one of the nine German universities most successful in the German Universities Excellence Initiative, has gained considerable reputation as a so-called "elite university".Konstanz was the birthplace of Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin, constructor of the famous Zeppelin airships.In the late 2010s, Konstanz has become a popular destination for "Einkaufstourism", or cross-border shopping by Swiss due to lower prices on basic items in Germany, a favorable exchange rate between the Swiss franc and the euro, and a generous German VAT refund for non-European Union residents.