Waltenhofen

Waltenhofen
Municipality
View of the parish church in Waltenhofen
View of the parish church in Waltenhofen
Coat of arms of Waltenhofen
Coat of arms
Location of Waltenhofen within Oberallgäu district
AustriaBaden-WürttembergLindau (district)Kempten (Allgäu)UnterallgäuOstallgäuKempter WaldWildpoldsriedWertachWeitnauWaltenhofenSonthofenOfterschwangOberstdorfOberstaufenOy-MittelbergImmenstadtBad HindelangFischenBlaichachBalderschwangAltusried
Location of Waltenhofen
Waltenhofen is located in Germany
Waltenhofen
Waltenhofen
Waltenhofen is located in Bavaria
Waltenhofen
Waltenhofen
Coordinates: 47°40′23″N 10°18′22″E / 47.67306°N 10.30611°E / 47.67306; 10.30611
CountryGermany
StateBavaria
Admin. regionSchwaben
DistrictOberallgäu
Government
 • Mayor (2024–30) Stefan Sommer[1] (CSU)
Area
 • Total
59.75 km2 (23.07 sq mi)
Elevation
722 m (2,369 ft)
Population
 (2024-12-31)[2]
 • Total
9,901
 • Density165.7/km2 (429.2/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes
87448
Dialling codes08303
Vehicle registrationOA
Websitewww.waltenhofen.de

Waltenhofen is a municipality in the district of Oberallgäu, in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 September 2025, it had 9,827 inhabitants.[3] The municipality lies in the Allgäu between Kempten and Immenstadt.[4]

Geography

Waltenhofen extends between Kempten to the north and Immenstadt to the south, and also borders the municipalities of Durach and Sulzberg to the east and Buchenberg and Weitnau to the west.[4] The municipality ranges in elevation from 720 to 1,063 metres above sea level; the Stoffelberg is the highest point in the municipal area.[4][5]

The municipality's better-known districts are Waltenhofen, Hegge, Lanzen, Martinszell, Memhölz, Niedersonthofen, Oberdorf and Rauns.[5] The municipal website and BayernPortal describe Martinszell, Memhölz and Niedersonthofen together as part of the recreational area around the Niedersonthofener See.[5][3] BayernPortal lists many additional officially named Ortsteile (localities), including hamlets and isolated farmsteads.[6]

The present municipality also consists of four cadastral districts (Gemarkungen): Waltenhofen, Memhölz, Niedersonthofen and Martinszell i.Allgäu.[7]

History

The historical place-name database Geschichte Bayerns records early forms of the name including Waltinhovin (around 1200), Waltenhouen (1274–1275), and Waltenhofen (1419).[8]

According to the Haus der Bayerischen Geschichte, Waltenhofen later came into the possession of the lords of Rauns and, by inheritance in 1464, passed to the family of Werdenstein, which also held the patronage of the churches in Rauns and Waltenhofen.[9]

The district of Hegge was first mentioned in 1543 in connection with a paper mill. Because of its favourable location near Kempten, it later experienced strong industrial growth; after the Second World War, further population growth helped lead to the construction of a new parish church there.[10]

Municipal reform

During the municipal reform in Bavaria, Waltenhofen was enlarged by the incorporation of Memhölz on 1 January 1972, Niedersonthofen on 1 January 1976, and Martinszell im Allgäu on 1 April 1976.[11]

Demographics

Official Bavarian statistics record the population of Waltenhofen at 3,148 in 1840, 7,969 in 1987, 8,847 in 2011 and 9,759 in 2021.[12]

Economy and infrastructure

Land use in Waltenhofen remains strongly shaped by agriculture, woodland and water surfaces. At the end of 2021, 59.6% of the municipal area was agricultural land, 20.7% was forest and 4.9% consisted of water surfaces.[13]

At 30 June 2021, official statistics recorded 2,565 employees subject to social insurance contributions working in the municipality and 4,101 such employees resident in Waltenhofen.[14]

Tourism also plays a role in the local economy. In 2021, Waltenhofen had 21 accommodation establishments with ten or more guest beds, offering 450 beds; these establishments recorded 11,910 guest arrivals and 57,205 overnight stays.[15]

Education

The municipality lists three school sites: the combined primary and middle school in Waltenhofen, the primary school in Hegge, and the primary school in Oberdorf/Martinszell.[16] Official school statistics for 2021/22 record four public primary and lower-secondary schools in the municipality, with 26 teachers and 440 pupils.[17]

In 2022, Waltenhofen had six childcare facilities with 509 approved places and 464 children in care.[18]

Transport

The municipality is served by Martinszell (Allgäu) station in the Oberdorf district.[4][19] Waltenhofen also has road connections to the Bundesstraße 19 and the Bundesautobahn 980.[4]

Notable buildings

The main Roman Catholic parish church in Waltenhofen is St. Martin, described by the municipality as a late-Baroque church of 1770.[20]

Other notable churches in the municipality include:

  • St. Alexander and George in Niedersonthofen, described by the municipality as one of the district's most important late-Gothic churches;[21]
  • St. Cosmas and Damian in Rauns, a church with Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque elements dating in its present form to the 14th century;[22]
  • Maria, Queen of the Apostles in Hegge, consecrated in 1951.[10]

References

  1. ^ Liste der ersten Bürgermeister/Oberbürgermeister in kreisangehörigen Gemeinden, Bayerisches Landesamt für Statistik. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
  2. ^ "Gemeinden, Kreise und Regierungsbezirke in Bayern, Einwohnerzahlen am 31. Dezember 2024; Basis Zensus 2022" [Municipalities, counties, and administrative districts in Bavaria; Based on the 2022 Census] (CSV) (in German). Bayerisches Landesamt für Statistik.
  3. ^ a b "Gemeinde Waltenhofen, Landkreis Oberallgäu". BayernPortal (in German). Free State of Bavaria. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Gemeinden im Landkreis: Waltenhofen". Landratsamt Oberallgäu (in German). Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  5. ^ a b c "Gemeinde Waltenhofen". Municipality of Waltenhofen (in German). Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  6. ^ "Ortsteile - Gemeinde Waltenhofen, Landkreis Oberallgäu". BayernPortal (in German). Free State of Bavaria. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  7. ^ "Liste der Gemarkungsnummern und Wuchsgebiete in Bayern" (PDF). Grundsteuer Bayern (in German). Free State of Bavaria. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  8. ^ "Waltenhofen". Geschichte Bayerns. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  9. ^ "Gemeinde Waltenhofen". Haus der Bayerischen Geschichte (in German). Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  10. ^ a b "Kirche "Maria Königin der Apostel" Hegge". Municipality of Waltenhofen (in German). Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  11. ^ Statistisches Bundesamt, ed. (1983). Historisches Gemeindeverzeichnis für die Bundesrepublik Deutschland: Namens-, Grenz- und Schlüsselnummernänderungen bei Gemeinden, Kreisen und Regierungsbezirken vom 27.5.1970 bis 31.12.1982 (in German). Stuttgart/Mainz: W. Kohlhammer. p. 795. ISBN 3-17-003263-1.
  12. ^ Statistik kommunal 2022: Gemeinde Waltenhofen 09 780 143 (PDF) (Report) (in German). Bayerisches Landesamt für Statistik. 2023. pp. 6–8. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  13. ^ Statistik kommunal 2022: Gemeinde Waltenhofen 09 780 143 (PDF) (Report) (in German). Bayerisches Landesamt für Statistik. 2023. p. 13. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  14. ^ Statistik kommunal 2022: Gemeinde Waltenhofen 09 780 143 (PDF) (Report) (in German). Bayerisches Landesamt für Statistik. 2023. p. 8. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  15. ^ Statistik kommunal 2022: Gemeinde Waltenhofen 09 780 143 (PDF) (Report) (in German). Bayerisches Landesamt für Statistik. 2023. p. 16. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  16. ^ "Schulen in Waltenhofen". Municipality of Waltenhofen (in German). Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  17. ^ Statistik kommunal 2022: Gemeinde Waltenhofen 09 780 143 (PDF) (Report) (in German). Bayerisches Landesamt für Statistik. 2023. p. 17. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  18. ^ Statistik kommunal 2022: Gemeinde Waltenhofen 09 780 143 (PDF) (Report) (in German). Bayerisches Landesamt für Statistik. 2023. p. 16. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  19. ^ "Martinszell (Allgäu)". DB Bahnhof. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  20. ^ "St. Martin Waltenhofen – Barockkirche im Allgäu". Municipality of Waltenhofen (in German). Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  21. ^ "St. Alexander & Georg Niedersonthofen – Kirche". Municipality of Waltenhofen (in German). Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  22. ^ "St. Cosmas & Damian Rauns – Historische Kirche". Municipality of Waltenhofen (in German). Retrieved 6 April 2026.
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