Sonthofen is a city in the Bavarian part in allgäu.

Sonthofen is a s small city with 21,000 citizens which was elected Alpine City 2005 .

Sonthofen is an excellent base for the further exploration of the Oberallgäu. Prices are lower than in Oberstdorf or Bad Hindelang which are located closer to the Alps, but can be reached within 30 minutes by train or car.

Get in

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Train
From München there is a train every hour which takes about two hours to reach Sonthofen. Price is 23,30 EUR (Spring 2006).

From Stuttgart there is a train every hour which takes about 2:30 hours to reach Sonthofen. Price is 28,20 EUR (Spring 2006).

From Lindau there is a train every hour which takes about 1:30 hours to reach Sonthofen. Price is 11,700 EUR (Spring 2006).

Car
From north you take the Autobahn until Kempten and then take the B19 until you reach Sonthofen. During peak season there is often traffic jams on the B19.

From west you take the B308 to Sonthofen. This road passes the Paradies (Lookout Point) and you might need snow chains after heavy snowfall during winter (announced in traffic radio).
See

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Museum of carriges at Hinterstein

Museum of local history

Klausentreiben every year from 4. to 6.12.

Grubenbesichtigung in Burgberg

Egga-Spiel - performed every third year (zuletzt im Jahr 2006) around the end of carnival (late February/early March)

Drink

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Kiwi Lounge - Tasty beer and cocktails

Das Amt - Pub; Rathausplatz 1; open daily 9.00 until 1.00; on weekend until 3.00.

Endstation - Rockcafe; Eichendorfstraße 1, close to the trainstation.

Kraftwerk - Disco; Stadionweg 12; Tu 21-4 Uhr; F,Sa 22.00 - 5.00 clock.

Club Sonneck - Insiderclub; Music is maily Independent/Alternativ Rock. F,Sa 20.00 - 1.00.

Barfly - Independent/Alternative Rock; Marktstrasse 4, basement; 12.00-1.00; Fr & Sa until 3.00;

Barino - Cocktailbar; Freibadstraße 14; Su-Th 11 AM until 3 PM; Fr-Sa 11AM-4PM.

Faith - Hard and Heavy Bar; Grüntenstraße 39; M-Th 20.00 - 3.00; Sa,Su 20.00 - 5.00.

Orange - Pilsbar; Schnitzerstraße 1

Sudhaus - Cocktailbar; Hirschstraße 2; Th-Sa 21.00 - 4.00.

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 . 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. Nowadays it is used by the German Bundeswehr for the Bundeswehr's Military Police (Feldjäger) and Staff Service School. The German Army's NBC Defence School (ABC-Abwehr- und Selbstschutzschule) is also located in another barracks in Sonthofen.

Sonthofen was given town rights on 18 August 1963.
Sonthofen has 21,303 inhabitants (as of 31 March, 2004).
It is widely known for its milk and cheese products and as a tourist destination.

Famous People

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Michael Buthe - artist

Michael Endres - pianist

Hardy Krüger - actor, spent his childhood in Sonthofen

W. G. Sebald - writer, lived in Sonthofen from 1948 to 1963

External links

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Sonthofen.de - official Sonthofen website, partly English

- history of Sonthofen post with many historic images

- alpine city of the year

- Sonthofen based artist Ingrid Kamerbeek, founder of worldwide Webism Art Movement