
Traunstein (; ) is a
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 ...
in the south-eastern part of
Bavaria
Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...
,
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 ...
, 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 county, counties, several municipality, municip ...
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, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...
n hospitality,
local breweries, outdoor sports facilities,
Easter Monday
Easter Monday is the second day of Eastertide and a public holiday in more than 50 predominantly Christian countries. In Western Christianity it marks the second day of the Octave of Easter; in Eastern Christianity it marks the second day of Br ...
horse parade, and connections with
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, 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 ...
, approximately 11 km east of the
Chiemsee
Chiemsee () is a freshwater lake in Bavaria, Germany, near Rosenheim. It is often called "the Bavarian Sea". The rivers Tiroler Achen and Prien (river), Prien flow into the lake from the south, and the river Alz flows out towards the north. The ...
between
Munich
Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
and
Salzburg
Salzburg is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020 its population was 156,852. The city lies on the Salzach, Salzach River, near the border with Germany and at the foot of the Austrian Alps, Alps moun ...
, 15 km north of the
Alps
The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia.
...
, and 30 km west of
Salzburg
Salzburg is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020 its population was 156,852. The city lies on the Salzach, Salzach River, near the border with Germany and at the foot of the Austrian Alps, Alps moun ...
.
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 former Bavarian dynasty, with branches that have ruled over territories including the Electorate of Bavaria, the Electoral Palatinate, the Electorate of Cologne, County of Holland, Holland, County of Zeeland, ...
(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 Stau ...
to
Munich
Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
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 Stau ...
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, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...
(1618–1648).
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 25-26 April 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 or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
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 (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...
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 Tra ...
,
Bavarian People's Party
The Bavarian People's Party (German: ; BVP) was a principally Catholic christian democratic political party in Bavaria during the Weimar Republic. After the collapse of the German Empire in 1918, it split away from the federal Centre Party and ...
representative and the first post-war elected Mayor of Traunstein, was for a period incarcerated in the
Dachau concentration camp
Dachau (, ; , ; ) was one of the first concentration camps built by Nazi Germany and the longest-running one, opening on 22 March 1933. The camp was initially intended to intern Hitler's political opponents, which consisted of communists, s ...
. 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 (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 ...
Traunstein was four times the target of
U.S. Army Air Force aerial bombardment: on 11 November 1944, on 21 January 1945, on 18 April 1945 and finally on 25 April 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 sta ...
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 (; 'beech forest') was a German Nazi concentration camp established on Ettersberg hill near Weimar, Nazi Germany, Germany, in July 1937. It was one of the first and the largest of the concentration camps within the Altreich (pre-1938 ...
arrived; and on 5 May a massacre was carried out, resulting in 60 deaths, and only one survivor. Currently in Surberg lies a memorial commemorating their deaths. On 3 May 1945 the town surrendered without struggle.
During
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 ...
, a subcamp of
Dachau concentration camp
Dachau (, ; , ; ) was one of the first concentration camps built by Nazi Germany and the longest-running one, opening on 22 March 1933. The camp was initially intended to intern Hitler's political opponents, which consisted of communists, s ...
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.
Climate
Transport
* Road: The
Bundesautobahn 8
is an autobahn in southern Germany that runs 497 km (309 mi) from the Luxembourg A13 motorway at Schengen via Neunkirchen, Pirmasens, Karlsruhe, Pforzheim, Stuttgart, Ulm, Augsburg and Munich to the Austrian West Autobahn near S ...
linking
Munich
Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
and
Salzburg
Salzburg is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020 its population was 156,852. The city lies on the Salzach, Salzach River, near the border with Germany and at the foot of the Austrian Alps, Alps moun ...
,
Austria
Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
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 sta ...
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), 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.
The economy ...
branch line
A branch line is 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. Branch lines may serve one or more industries, or a city or town not located ...
making frequent stops. The station is served by
Deutsche Bahn
(, ; abbreviated as DB or DB AG ) is the national railway company of Germany, and a state-owned enterprise under the control of the German government. Headquartered in the Bahntower in Berlin, it is a joint-stock company ( AG).
DB was fou ...
's
Intercity
InterCity (commonly abbreviated ''IC'' on timetables and tickets) is the train categories in Europe, classification applied to certain long-distance passenger train services in Europe. Such trains (in contrast to InterRegio, regional train, r ...
and
EuroCity
EuroCity (EC) is an international Train categories in Europe, train category and brand for European inter-city rail, inter-city trains that cross international borders and meet criteria covering comfort, speed, food service, and cleanliness. E ...
trains and
Austrian Federal Railways
The Austrian Federal Railways ( , formally or () and formerly the or ''BBÖ'' ), now commonly known as ÖBB (), is the national railway company of Austria, and the administrator of Liechtenstein's railways. The ÖBB group i ...
'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 category) for the fastest services and as ''Railjet'' (RJ) for services with additional s ...
trains.
* Aircraft: International airports are located in
Munich
Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
(120 km, 74 mi) and
Salzburg
Salzburg is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020 its population was 156,852. The city lies on the Salzach, Salzach River, near the border with Germany and at the foot of the Austrian Alps, Alps moun ...
(35 km, 21 mi). A regional aerodrome 21 km north consists of Traunstein in
Schönberg Schönberg () may refer to:
Places Austria
*Schönberg im Stubaital, a municipality in the district of Innsbruck-Land, Tyrol
*Schönberg am Kamp, a town in the district of Krems-Land, Lower Austria
Belgium
*Schönberg (Sankt-Vith), a part o ...
.
Notable people

*
Franz Seraph von Kohlbrenner (1728–1783), polymath, propagated the
Enlightenment
Enlightenment or enlighten may refer to:
Age of Enlightenment
* Age of Enlightenment, period in Western intellectual history from the late 17th to late 18th century, centered in France but also encompassing (alphabetically by country or culture): ...
in Bavaria
*
August Schneidhuber
Ludwig Ernst August Schneidhuber (8 May 1887 – 30 June 1934) was a German military officer and an SA-''Obergruppenführer'' in the ''Sturmabteilung'' (SA), the Nazi Party's paramilitary organization. He held several high-level SA commands and ...
(1887–1934), SA-''
Obergruppenführer
(, ) was a paramilitary rank in Nazi Germany that was first created in 1932 as a rank of the ''Sturmabteilung'' (SA) and adopted by the ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) one year later. Until April 1942, it was the highest commissioned SS rank after ...
'' and
Munich
Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
Police President, murdered in the
Night of the Long Knives
The Night of the Long Knives (, ), also called the Röhm purge or Operation Hummingbird (), was a purge that took place in Nazi Germany from 30 June to 2 July 1934. Chancellor Adolf Hitler, urged on by Hermann Göring and Heinrich Himmler, ord ...
*
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 ...
(1889–1945), was a guard at a nearby camp for
Russian prisoners of war
Russian(s) may refer to:
*Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*A citizen of Russia
*Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages
*''The Russians'', a b ...
after
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
*
Rudolf Sellner (1905−1990), actor, dramaturge, director, intendant
*
Pope Benedict XVI
Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...
(1927-2022), 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, ...
, England, United Kingdom
*
Pinerolo
Pinerolo (; ; ; ) 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 between Pinerolo and San Pietro Val di Lemi ...
, 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.
Histo ...
, Germany
*
Kinross
Kinross (, ) is a burgh in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, around south of Perth, Scotland, Perth and around northwest of Edinburgh. It is the traditional county town of the Counties of Scotland, historic county of Kinross-shire.
History
Kinro ...
, 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, ''The Bridge (2011 TV seri ...
''.
References
External links
*
Traunstein Sword Dance
{{Authority control
Traunstein (district)
Holocaust locations in Germany