Kaufbeuren, a town in the kingdom of Bavaria, on the Wertach, 55 m. S.W. of Munich by rail. Pop. (1905), 8955. Kaufbeuren is still surrounded by its medieval walls and presents a picturesque appearance. It has a handsome town hall with fine paintings, an old tower (the Hexenturm, or witches’ tower), a museum and various educational institutions. The most interesting of the ecclesiastical buildings is the chapel of St Blasius, which was restored in 1896. The chief industries are cotton spinning, weaving, bleaching, dyeing, printing, machine building and lithography, and there is an active trade in wine, beer and cheese. Kaufbeuren is said to have been founded in 842, and is first mentioned in chronicles of the year 1126. It appears to have become a free imperial city about 1288, retaining the dignity until 1803, when it passed to Bavaria. It was formerly a resort of pilgrims, and Roman coins have been found in the vicinity.
See F. Stieve, Die Reichsstadt Kaufbeuren und die bayrische Restaurationspolitik (Munich, 1870); and Schröder, Geschichte der Stadt und Katholischen Pfarrei Kaufbeuren (Augsburg, 1903).
