Pfronten ( Swabian: ''Pfronte'') is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality ...

in the district of Ostallgäu in

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total l ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

Geography

Pfronten is one of a total of 45 towns, markets and municipalities in the district of Ostallgäu. Pfronten is located on the northern edge of the Allgäu Alps. The Vils flows through the municipal territory. It is situated at an altitude of 853 m above sea level. NN at the foot of Edelsberg, Kienberg, Breitenberg and Falkenstein. The highest point of the municipality is the summit of the Aggenstein (1986 m above sea level) on the Tyrolean border, which belongs to the Tannheim Mountains. On the German side, neighbouring communities of Pfronten are the city of Füssen, the municipality of

Eisenberg Eisenberg is a German name in geography and a surname. Literally translated it means ″iron mountain″. ''Eisenberg'' may refer to: Mountains * Eisenberg (Knüll), a mountain in Hesse * Eisenberg (Korbach), a mountain in Hesse * Eisenberg (Ore ...

and the market of Nesselwang. In

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

, the small town of Vils and the Tannheim valley with the communities of Grän, Tannheim, Schattwald, Zöblen, Nesselwängle and Jungholz are located nearby. The municipal territory consists of the districts of Bergpfronten and Steinachpfronten. The settlements Berg, Dorf, Halden, Heitler, Kappel, Kreuzegg, Meilingen, Ösch, Rehbichel, Ried, Röfleuten, Steinach and Weißbach belong to the municipality of Pfronten. Since the late

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

, all these places have surely formed a single parish. This is why we speak of the 13-village community of Pfronten. Pfronten - Berg v N 080814.JPG, Pfronten-Berg Pfronten_-_Breitenberg_-_Ruine_Falkenstein_230912_(retuschiert).jpg, Mountain ''Falkenstein'' (1270 m) with ruins of Falkenstein Castle DSCI0104 Kienberg über Pfronten von Burgruine Falkenstein gesehen, aus Richtung Osten.jpg, Mountain ''Kienberg'' above the roofs of Pfronten, seen from ''Falkenstein'' Pfronten_-_Engetal_-_Aggenstein_v_NW,_Winter_(retuschiert).jpg, Engetal with Aggenstein Pfronten - Vilstal - Schochersäge - Vils Ri O.jpg, Valley of river Vils

History

A Roman supply road led through Pfronten from the south to Cambodunum (today's Kempten).Richard Knussert, Das Füssener Land in früher Zeit, p. 40 However, a Roman settlement of the

valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams over ...

is not secured. With the Christian provincial Romans, who remained in the Ostallgäu, pagan

Alamanni The Alemanni or Alamanni, were a confederation of Germanic tribes * * * on the Upper Rhine River. First mentioned by Cassius Dio in the context of the campaign of Caracalla of 213, the Alemanni captured the in 260, and later expanded into pr ...

gradually settled in. Around the year 800, the "Roman" language in the area was extinguished. In the Franconian-Carolingian region, the population was united with

German language German ( ) is a West Germanic language mainly spoken in Central Europe. It is the most widely spoken and official or co-official language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and the Italian province of South Tyrol. It is als ...

and

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesu ...

. From the early 14th century onwards, all of Pfronten belonged to the Augsburg Monastery, the secular territory of the Augsburg bishops. During the secularization of the monastery, Pfronten came to Bavaria in 1803. In 1818 the municipality was formed.

Transport

The town is served by the Ausserfern Railway.

Famous people of Pfronten

Johann Baptist Babel Johann Baptist Babel (25 June 1716 – 9 February 1799) was the preeminent sculptor of Baroque era Switzerland.Beyer: "die hervorragendste Bildhauerpersönlichkeit des schweizerischen Barock". Active mainly in Central Switzerland, he enjoyed an un ...

(1716–1799), sculptor * Syrius Eberle (1844–1903), sculptor

Nearby

The Falkenstein Castle ruin, located at , is the highest castle ruin in Germany. A planned reconstruction project of King Ludwig II failed because of his early death.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Ostallgäu