Sonthofen
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Sonthofen is the southernmost
town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...
of
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
, located in the
Oberallgäu Oberallgäu is a Districts of Germany, ''Landkreis'' (district) in Swabia (Bavaria), Swabia, Bavaria, Germany. It is bounded by (from the north and clockwise) the districts of Unterallgäu and Ostallgäu, the Austrian states State of Tyrol, Tyrol a ...
region of the
Bavarian Alps The Bavarian Alps (, ) is a collective name for several mountain ranges of the Northern Limestone Alps within the German state of Bavaria. Geography The term in its wider sense refers to that part of the Eastern Alps that lies on Bavarian state ...
. Neighbouring
Oberstdorf Oberstdorf (Low Alemannic German, Low Alemannic: ''Oberschdorf'') is a Municipalities of Germany, municipality and skiing and hiking town in Germany, located in the Allgäu region of the Bavarian Alps. It is the southernmost settlement in German ...
is situated 14 km farther south but is classified as a
market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rura ...
. In 2005, Sonthofen was awarded "Alpenstadt des Jahres" (Alpine town of the year). The town has 21,300 inhabitants (as of 31 December 2015). Sonthofen is widely known for its
milk Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of lactating mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfeeding, breastfed human infants) before they are able to digestion, digest solid food. ...
and
cheese Cheese is a type of dairy product produced in a range of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk (usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats or sheep). During prod ...
products and as a tourist destination.


History

Findings show that the Sonthofen area was already inhabited from the Stone Age to the Roman Empire. In the 6th/7th century, Germanic
Alamans The Alemanni or Alamanni were a confederation of Germanic tribes * * * on the Upper Rhine River during the first millennium. First mentioned by Cassius Dio in the context of the campaign of Roman emperor Caracalla of 213 CE, the Alemanni ca ...
settled in the area. Sonthofen was first mentioned in a document in 1145. It had held the market right with important proprietary rights since 1429. In 1803, when the
Prince-Bishopric of Augsburg The Prince-Bishopric of Augsburg () was one of the Prince-bishoprics of the Holy Roman Empire, and belonged to the Swabian Circle. It should not be confused with the larger diocese of Augsburg, over which the prince-bishop exercised only spirit ...
was mediatised, Sonthofen came to Bavaria. In 1804 Sonthof Castle becomes the seat of a Bavarian Landgericht (regional court) responsible for justice and administration. In 1963 the previous market town of Sonthofen is given the town charter. In 1972 Sonthofen becomes the county seat of the newly formed district of
Oberallgäu Oberallgäu is a Districts of Germany, ''Landkreis'' (district) in Swabia (Bavaria), Swabia, Bavaria, Germany. It is bounded by (from the north and clockwise) the districts of Unterallgäu and Ostallgäu, the Austrian states State of Tyrol, Tyrol a ...
. In
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
Sonthofen was bombed twice because
Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...
had built the '' Ordensburg Sonthofen'', where young boys were trained for service in Nazi Party organizations. The "''Ordensburg''" was not destroyed in the war. From 1946 to 1948 it was home to the
United States Constabulary The United States Constabulary was a United States Army military gendarmerie force. From 1946 to 1952, in the aftermath of World War II, it acted as an occupation and security force in the Allied Occupation Zones in Germany, U.S. Occupation Zone ...
school, from May 1951 through February 1952, was used by the United States Air Force in Europe as a basic training center, and from 1956-2009 the German ''
Bundeswehr The (, ''Federal Defence'') are the armed forces of the Germany, Federal Republic of Germany. The is divided into a military part (armed forces or ''Streitkräfte'') and a civil part, the military part consists of the four armed forces: Germ ...
'' located its Military Police ''(
Feldjäger The ''Feldjäger'' () are Germany's military police. The term ''Feldjäger'', literally meaning field huntsmen or field Jäger, has a long tradition and dates back to the mid-17th century. History The first modern ''Feldjäger'' ...
)'' and Staff Service School there. The German Army's NBC Defence School (''ABC-Abwehr- und Selbstschutzschule'') is located in another barracks in Sonthofen.


Main sights

;Green areas * Ökokurpark (ecological spa park): Next to the Kalvarienberg is the ecological spa park on a steep terrain. It houses a wetland
biotope A biotope is an area of uniform environmental conditions providing a living place for a specific assemblage of flora (plants), plants and fauna (animals), animals. ''Biotope'' is almost synonymous with the term habitat (ecology), "habitat", which ...
, native plants and information boards on flora and fauna. * Another park is located in the so-called G'hau an der Iller, where there is also a
miniature golf Miniature golf (also known as minigolf, putt-putt, crazy golf, and by #Nomenclature, several other names) is an offshoot of the sport of golf focusing solely on the putting aspect of its parent game. The aim of the game is to score the lowest ...
course and a playground. ;Buildings * Burgruine Fluhenstein (castle ruin), 1361 and around 1500/01 * The Catholic church St. Beaz is located below the Kalvarienberg. Predecessor buildings probably already existed in the 9th century. * The Old School was turned into a town hall by the prince-bishop Sunny of
Augsburg Augsburg ( , ; ; ) is a city in the Bavaria, Bavarian part of Swabia, Germany, around west of the Bavarian capital Munich. It is a College town, university town and the regional seat of the Swabia (administrative region), Swabia with a well ...
in 1472. Today it is used as a music school and public library. ;Natural monuments * The Starzlachklamm (a gorge) near the district Winkel, since 1932 accessible for hikers ;Museum * Heimathaus Sonthofen: history and culture of the region


Gallery

SonthofenKurpark.jpg, Ökokurpark Burg Fluhenstein 2.jpg, Burgruine Fluhenstein SonthofenKircheVonOben.jpg, Catholic church St. Michael SonthofenAlteSchule.jpg, The Old School Die Starzlachklamm.jpg, The Starzachklamm Sonthofen Heimathaus (29).jpg, Heimathaus Sonthofen


Notable people

* Eugen Albrecht (1872–1908), pathologist *
Philip Bester Philip Bester (born October 6, 1988) is a Canadian former professional tennis player from North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Bester was a finalist at the 2006 junior French Open. In doing so he became the first Canadian male to reach ...
, Canadian tennis player, born in Sonthofen * Michael Buthe, artist * Michael Endres, pianist * Josef Enzensberger, (1914–1975), Luftwaffe Fighter Ace 1939–1945, born in Sonthofen * Herbert Knaup, actor, born in Sonthofen *
Hardy Krüger Hardy Krüger (; born Eberhard August Franz Ewald Krüger; 12 April 1928 – 19 January 2022) was a German actor and author who appeared in more than 60 films from 1944 onwards. After becoming a film star in Germany in the 1950s, Krüger increas ...
, actor, spent his childhood in Sonthofen * W.G. Sebald, writer, lived in Sonthofen from 1948 to 1963


Awards and associations

With other Alpine towns, Sonthofen engages in the
Alpine Town of the Year The Alpine Town of the Year award is given to towns which have made exceptional efforts for the realization of the Alpine Convention and for sustainable development. The ''Alpine Towns of the Year'' are members of the international association of ...
Association for the implementation of the Alpine Convention to achieve sustainable development in the Alpine Arc. Sonthofen was awarded Alpine Town of the Year 2005.


References


External links

* *
Official Sonthofen websitePostal History of Sonthofen

History of Sonthofen, in GermanAlpine city of the year, Sonthofen, 2005
{{Authority control Ski areas and resorts in Germany Oberallgäu