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Central Bavarian Central Bavarian form a subgroup of Bavarian dialects in large parts of Austria and the German state of Bavaria along the Danube river, on the northern side of the Eastern Alps. They are spoken in the ' Old Bavarian' regions of Upper Bavaria (wi ...
: ''Traunstoa'') is a
town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...
in the south-eastern part of
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 lan ...
,
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
, and is the administrative center of a much larger
district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...
of the same name. The town serves as a local government, retail, health services, transport and educational center for the wider district. The historic market square,
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 lan ...
n hospitality, local breweries, outdoor sports facilities,
Easter Monday Easter Monday refers to the day after Easter Sunday in either the Eastern or Western Christian traditions. It is a public holiday in some countries. It is the second day of Eastertide. In Western Christianity, it marks the second day of the Octa ...
horse parade, and connections with
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereig ...
, contribute to the town's profile as a tourist destination.


Geography

The town is situated at the heart of a region called
Chiemgau Chiemgau () is the common name of a geographic area in Upper Bavaria. It refers to the foothills of the Alps between the rivers Inn and Traun, with the Chiemsee at its center. The political districts that contain the Chiemgau are Rosenheim and T ...
, approximately 11 km east of Lake Chiemsee between
Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...
and
Salzburg Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian) is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872. The town is on the site of the ...
, 15 km north of the
Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...
, and 30 km west of
Salzburg Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian) is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872. The town is on the site of the ...
.


History


Early history

Although as early as 790 the church records list possessions "ad Trun" and some medieval defence constructions are known to have existed in the surroundings since the 10th century, ''Trauwenstein'' itself was first mentioned in a manuscript of the
Baumburg monastery Baumburg Abbey is a former monastery of Augustinian Canons Regular in the northern Traunstein district of Bavaria, Germany. It was founded in 1107–1109 and dissolved in 1803. Today Baumburg is a Catholic deanery that covers the parishes of the ...
in the year 1245. The name means "castle on the Traun", and the domicile of the Lord of "de Truna", surrounded by a little settlement, was probably located there. The
Wittelsbachs The House of Wittelsbach () is a German dynasty, with branches that have ruled over territories including Bavaria, the Palatinate, Holland and Zeeland, Sweden (with Finland), Denmark, Norway, Hungary (with Romania), Bohemia, the Electorate o ...
(a German/Bavarian dynastic and European royal family) were the first to expand and fortify the settlement. In that way they controlled the passage of the important commercial salt route over the Traun, from
Bad Reichenhall Bad Reichenhall (Central Bavarian: ''Reichahoi'') is a spa town, and administrative center of the Berchtesgadener Land district in Upper Bavaria, Germany. It is located near Salzburg in a basin encircled by the Chiemgau Alps (including Mount Staufe ...
to
Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...
at the border of the "Erzstift Salzburg" (the archbishopric of Salzburg). In the year 1120 the lords of "Truna" settled in the current urban area because of its favourable strategic position. They built the castle at the border of the city plateau, which is surrounded by the River Traun as well as its close proximity to the main route of commerce. Traunstein has been part of the state of Bavaria since 1275. It was previously a territory of Salzburg. At the beginning of the 14th century, Traunstein was granted the status of a town. By 1493 the town roads were already cobbled. The Church of St. Oswald was rebuilt in 1501. In 1526 the ''Lindlbrunnen'' (Lindl Fountain) was constructed as a completion of the town's water supply. In the 17th century, salt production, facilitated by the construction of a wooden brine pipeline from
Bad Reichenhall Bad Reichenhall (Central Bavarian: ''Reichahoi'') is a spa town, and administrative center of the Berchtesgadener Land district in Upper Bavaria, Germany. It is located near Salzburg in a basin encircled by the Chiemgau Alps (including Mount Staufe ...
brought new industry and significant wealth to the town. The pipeline was constructed between 1616 and 1619 by the master builder of the court, Hans Reiffenstuel. Traunstein was spared much of the damage experienced by nearby towns during the
Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (80 ...
(1618–1648). eason/s and citation/s needed On 25 and 26 July 1704, Austrian troops occupied the town in the course of the Spanish war of succession. A disastrous fire altered the medieval townscape. Despite the occupation by Austrian troops, it was possible for Traunstein to be reconstructed. The saltworks, finished in 1786/87, assured the survival of salt production in Traunstein.


Town fires

In its history, Traunstein was struck at least twice by significant town fires: In 1704, when Hungarian "Panduren" set the town on fire in the course of the Spanish War of Succession, and in 1851. However, the "first town fire", which is still familiar to all "real" citizens of Traunstein and is still taught in school today, has not been confirmed. Only archaeological excavations can show whether Traunstein had really suffered a fire disaster before 1400. Written documents provide no information about it. They merely report about a fire, which broke out later, in 1851. At any rate, only 10 houses fell victim to the early fire and in no case the whole town. Thereupon, in 1587, a fire arrangement was enacted for the first time in the town history. During the night of April 25 to April 26, 1851, a disastrous fire again destroyed almost the whole town. The reason for it has never been discovered. The great fires spread to almost 100 houses including the Town Hall, the County Court, the Main Salt Office, the Pension Office, the Church, and several gates and towers except the Upper Tower. Just as in 1704, Traunstein was again rebuilt within a few years. It was presumed the fire was an act of revenge by the angry Haslachers. There were feelings of rage because the parochial seat was taken away from Haslach and was given to Traunstein. Later rumours came up that the carelessness of a resident had caused the fire. However, there was no evidence to support that idea and therefore the person could not be sentenced. After the town fire 700 citizens were homeless but help immediately reached Traunstein. King Maximilian II visited Traunstein on 27 April, contributed consolations and gave several thousands of guilders from his cabinet cash. In return for the quick payment of the fire insurance the inhabitants could soon begin to rebuild their town from the ground up. The medieval plan of the town square was preserved to a great extent; merely the façades received a new face in the style of the current time.


1900 to present

Salt production in Traunstein was finally shut down in 1912. In 1914, the former independent community "Au" became part of Traunstein. During the
First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
what had previously been the site of the salt production facilities became a camp for over 1000 civilian prisoners and prisoners of war. After the war, the 1923 hyperinflation crisis as in other towns lead to the use of
token money Token money, or token, is a form of money that has a lesser intrinsic value compared to its face value. Token money is anything that is accepted as money, not due to its intrinsic value but instead because of custom or legal enactment. Token mo ...
denominated in billions. With the seizure of power of the
National Socialists Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Na ...
in 1933 began an active period of persecution for political dissidents and Jewish fellow citizens in Germany. By November 1938 all Jewish residents of the town had been forcibly removed. Open political resistance during the war years was limited; the town priest, Josef Stelze, was placed briefly in custody,
Rupert Berger Rupert Berger (February 10, 1896 - February 9, 1958) was a German politician, representative of the Christian Social Union of Bavaria. In 1946, he was elected to represent the Landtag of Bavaria. Rupert Berger attended the secondary school in Tr ...
,
Bavarian People's Party The Bavarian People's Party (german: Bayerische Volkspartei; BVP) was the 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 ...
representative and the first post-war elected Mayor of Traunstein, was for a period incarcerated in the
Dachau concentration camp , , commandant = List of commandants , known for = , location = Upper Bavaria, Southern Germany , built by = Germany , operated by = ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) , original use = Political prison , construction ...
. In 1939 Traunstein had an estimated population of 11,500. By the end of the war 523 of that number were registered as killed as a direct result of the conflict, a further 73 registered as missing. During the later stages of the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
Traunstein was four times the target of
U.S. Army Air Force The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...
aerial bombardment: on November 11, 1944, on January 21, 1945, on April 18, 1945, and finally on April 25, 1945. In April 1945 the heavy air raids destroyed much of the
Traunstein station Traunstein station is the only station of the large district town of Traunstein in the German state of Bavaria. It has four main line platform tracks and two bay platform tracks and is classified by Deutsche Bahn as a category 4 station. The st ...
area, an event in which over 100 people died. A short time later, a death march with a few SS guards accompanied by 61 prisoners from the already-liberated
Buchenwald concentration camp Buchenwald (; literally 'beech forest') was a Nazi concentration camp established on hill near Weimar, Germany, in July 1937. It was one of the first and the largest of the concentration camps within Germany's 1937 borders. Many actual or su ...
arrived; and on May 5 a massacre was carried out, resulting in 60 deaths, and only one survivor. Currently in Surberg lies a memorial commemorating their deaths. On May 3, 1945, the town surrendered without struggle. During
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, a subcamp of
Dachau concentration camp , , commandant = List of commandants , known for = , location = Upper Bavaria, Southern Germany , built by = Germany , operated by = ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) , original use = Political prison , construction ...
was located here. Whereas Traunstein was a district-free city from 1948–1972, it became capital of the district of the same name in 1972. Areas of Traunstein close to the River Traun have been subject to flooding on numerous occasions, most notably in 1899 and again in 2013.


Transport

* Road: The Bundesautobahn 8 linking
Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...
and
Salzburg Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian) is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872. The town is on the site of the ...
,
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 ...
crosses to the south of the town. * Rail: The rail link between Munich and Salzburg was established in 1860.
Traunstein station Traunstein station is the only station of the large district town of Traunstein in the German state of Bavaria. It has four main line platform tracks and two bay platform tracks and is classified by Deutsche Bahn as a category 4 station. The st ...
remains a major rail intersection with long-distance intercity and local trains connecting to the
Ruhpolding Ruhpolding is the municipality with the biggest area of the Traunstein district in southeastern Bavaria, Germany. It is situated in the south of the Chiemgau region in the Alps and next to the Austrian border. Ruhpolding has a biathlon track. ...
branch line A branch line is a phrase used in railway terminology to denote a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line. Industrial spur An industri ...
making frequent stops. The station is served by
Deutsche Bahn The (; abbreviated as DB or DB AG) is the national railway company of Germany. Headquartered in the Bahntower in Berlin, it is a joint-stock company ( AG). The Federal Republic of Germany is its single shareholder. describes itself as the se ...
's
Intercity InterCity (commonly abbreviated ''IC'' on timetables and tickets) is the classification applied to certain long-distance passenger train services in Europe. Such trains (in contrast to regional, local, or commuter trains) generally call at m ...
and
EuroCity EuroCity, abbreviated as EC, is a cross-border train category within the European inter-city rail network. In contrast to trains allocated to the lower-level "IC" (InterCity) category, EC trains are international services that meet 20 criteri ...
trains and
Austrian Federal Railways Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...
's
Railjet Railjet is a high-speed rail service in Europe operated by Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) and Czech Railways (ČD). Branded as ''Railjet Express (RJX)'' for the fastest services and as ''Railjet (RJ)'' for services with additional stops, it w ...
trains. * Aircraft: International airports are located in
Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...
(120 km, 74 mi) and
Salzburg Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian) is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872. The town is on the site of the ...
(35 km, 21 mi). A regional aerodrome 21 km north consists of Traunstein in Schönberg.


Notable people

*
Franz Seraph von Kohlbrenner Johann Franz Seraph von Kohlbrenner (17 October 1728 – 6 June 1783) was a German polymath, promoting the Enlightenment in Bavaria. While working as a civil servant for the Bavarian court, he published a hymnal which contained a complete German ...
(1728–1783), polymath, propagated the Enlightenment in Bavaria *
Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
(1889–1945), was a guard at a nearby camp for Russian prisoners of war after
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
*
Rudolf Sellner Rudolf Sellner, born Gustav Rudolf Sellner (25 May 1905 – 8 May 1990) was a German actor, dramaturge, stage director, and intendant.Hugo Thielen: ''Sellner, Gustav Rudolf'', in: ''Hannoversches Biographisches Lexikon'', p. 332 He represented i ...
(1905−1990), actor, dramaturge, director, intendant *
Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereign ...
(born 1927), spent much of his early childhood and teenage years living in Traunstein and with his brother Georg attended the St. Michael Seminary in the town * Emeran Mayer (born 1950), gastroenterologist, neuroscientist and author


Twin towns – sister cities

Traunstein is twinned with: * Gap, France *
Haywards Heath Haywards Heath is a town in West Sussex, England, south of London, north of Brighton, south of Gatwick Airport and northeast of the county town, Chichester. Nearby towns include Burgess Hill to the southwest, Horsham to the northwest, Crawl ...
, England, United Kingdom *
Pinerolo Pinerolo (; pms, Pinareul ; french: Pignerol; oc, Pineròl) is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Turin, Piedmont, northwestern Italy, southwest of Turin on the river Chisone. The Lemina torrent has its source at the boundary be ...
, Italy *
Wesseling Wesseling () is an industrial German city on the Rhine bordering Cologne city on the south. With three chemical plants and a petroleum refinery within its city limits, it has an important place in the international petrochemical industry. Histor ...
, Germany *
Kinross Kinross (, gd, Ceann Rois) is a burgh in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, around south of Perth and around northwest of Edinburgh. It is the traditional county town of the historic county of Kinross-shire. History Kinross's origins are connect ...
, Scotland


Popular culture

Traunstein is the setting for the Austrian-German television crime drama series
Der Pass ''Der Pass'' (English: ''The Pass'') or ''Pagan Peak'' is an Austrian-German television crime drama series which premiered on Sky Deutschland on 25 January 2019. It was inspired by season 1 of the Danish-Swedish series, '' Broen Bron'' (English ...
.


References


External links

*
Traunstein Sword Dance
{{Authority control Traunstein (district) Holocaust locations in Germany