Sonthofen

Sonthofen
Sonthofen
Municipality
	Sonthofen
	Coat of arms
	Location of Sonthofen within Oberallgäu district
Country	Germany
State	Bavaria
Admin. region	Schwaben
District	Oberallgäu
Government
• Mayor	Hubert Buhl
Area
• Total	20.982 km2 (8.101 sq mi)
Highest elevation	1,100 m (3,600 ft)
Lowest elevation	750 m (2,460 ft)
Population (2023-12-31)
• Total	22,035
• Density	1,100/km2 (2,700/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes	87527
Dialling codes	08321
Vehicle registration	OA
Website	www.sonthofen.de

Sonthofen is the most southerly town of Germany, located in the Oberallgäu region of the Bavarian Alps. Neighbouring Oberstdorf is situated 14 km farther south but is not classified as a town. Sonthofen is located at 47°30′57″N 10°16′52″E / 47.51583°N 10.28111°E / 47.51583; 10.28111. In 2005, Sonthofen was awarded "Alpenstadt des Jahres" (Alpine city of the year).

In World War II Sonthofen was bombed twice because Adolf Hitler had built the Ordensburg Sonthofen where young boys were trained for service in Nazi Party organizations. The "Ordensburg" was not destroyed in the war and from 1946 to 1948 it was home to the United States Constabulary school and from 1956-2009 the German Bundeswehr located its Military Police (Feldjäger) and Staff Service School there. The German Army's NBC Defence School (ABC-Abwehr- und Selbstschutzschule) is located in another barracks in Sonthofen.

Sonthofen was given town rights on 18 August 1963. Sonthofen has 20,990 inhabitants (as of 31 December 2008). It is widely known for its milk and cheese products and as a tourist destination.

Famous people

"Sepp" *Josef Enzensberger RK DK EK - (1914-1975), Luftwaffe Fighter Ace 1939-1945

Eugen Albrecht - (1872-1908), pathologist
Michael Buthe - artist
Philip Bester - Canadian tennis player, was born in Sonthofen
Michael Endres - pianist
Herbert Knaup - actor, was born in Sonthofen
Hardy Krüger - actor, spent his childhood in Sonthofen
Robert Schraudolph - artist
Sercan Sevinc - researcher, grew up in Sonthofen
W. G. Sebald - writer, lived in Sonthofen from 1948 to 1963 ^[2]

Awards and Associations

Together with other Alpine towns Sonthofen engages in the Alpine Town of the Year 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.