Wolfratshausen is a town of the district of Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen, located in Bavaria, Germany. The town had a population of 19,033 as of 31 December 2019.

History

The first mention of "Wolveradeshusun" appears in documents from the year 1003. About 100 years later, Otto II, the Graf of Deißen-Andechs, built a castle on a hill overlooking the valley. The castle was destroyed on 7 April 1734 when lightning struck the tower where gunpowder was stored. Stones from the ruins were transported to Munich where they were used to build the Residenz. From 1280 the town was designated a market town. In 1286, Conrad Nantwein, a pilgrim from Northern Germany, was arrested and burned at the stake in Wolfratshausen. Pope Boniface VIII canonized Nantwein as St. Nantovinus in 1297. By the 15th century, the Loisach and Isar rivers were used for water transport, especially logging. River travel continued and rafts operated between Wolfratshausen and Munich. During World War II, a forced-labour subcamp of Dachau concentration camp named Föhrenwald was located between Wolfratshausen and Geretsried. Following the war, the labour camp was used as a displaced persons camp by the Allies. In 1957, Föhrenwald was transformed into a suburb of Wolfratshausen and renamed Waldram, to honour the Lord of Münsing who was one of the founders of the Benediktbeuern Abbey. In July 1983, Croatian emigre businessman Stjepan Đureković was assassinated by UDBA agents in Wolfratshausen. Wolfratshausen was formerly the seat of the district government, but this moved to Bad Tölz in 1972.

Geography

Wolfratshausen sits at the confluence of the Isar and Loisach Rivers, at 47.91667°N, 11.41667°W approx. 30 km (19 mls.) southwest of Munich. A canal joins the two rivers to return water diverted for power generation at the Isar Amper Werke to the Isar. The town covers 9.13 square kilometres and is 577 meters above sea level.

Politics

Mayor

The current mayor of Wolfratshausen is Klaus Heilinglechner of the Bürgervereinigung Wolfratshausen (BVW), who was elected in 2014 and re-elected in 2020.

City council

The Wolfratshausen city council (Stadtrat) governs the city alongside the Mayor. The most recent city council election was held on 15 March 2020, and the results were as follows: ! colspan=2| Party ! Lead candidate ! Votes ! % ! +/- ! Seats ! +/- ! colspan=3| Valid votes ! 8,153 ! 97.8 ! ! ! ! colspan=3| Invalid votes ! 188 ! 2.2 ! ! ! ! colspan=3| Total ! 8,341 ! 100.0 ! ! ! ±0 ! colspan=3| Electorate/voter turnout ! 14,873 ! 56.1 ! 2.7 ! !

Town subdivisions

The town of Wolfratshausen is split into the following subdivisions:

Notable people

Culture, sights, and recreation

Buildings of note

Museums

Recreation and travel destinations

Media

A police German TV-series "Hubert ohne Staller" (2011–2018: Hubert und Staller) shows the town.