History of the MStM and Sankt Mangs 

History of Sankt Mang

I. Sankt Mang as a name of a town

On May 17. 1818, a political community of four villages, twenty-three hamlets and twenty-nine wasteland areas was set up. In addition, Lenzfried, Leubas, Leupolz, Hafental, Ursulasried, Riederau, Kottern, Schelldorf, Neudorf and forty-seven other localities belonged to this community.

On July I, 1972 this community was linked to the town of Kempten. When, today, we speak of Sankt Mang, we mean the former villages Kottern, Schelldorf and Neudorf as well as the new areas Oberösch, Oberwies, "am Heubach" and Ludwigshöhe.

Their history is as follows:

They didn´t have their own parish church. The people of Schelldorf and Neudorf used to walk to the parish church of Sankt Magnus in Lenzfried. Not until 1922 was the catholic church "Mariae Himmelfahrt" built in Kottern. The Protestant Church in Magnus Street was inaugerated in 1927.

II: Kottern in the Middle Ages

The Allgäuer iron trade reached its height in the High and Late Middle Ages. In the Allgäuer Alps on the south side of the Grünten, mountain ore was conveyed and then manufactured in hammersmiths on the River Iller. Forges were documented in Nitdorf (Neudorf) in 1398.

With the decline of the Allgäuer iron trade the hammersmiths were shut down. These run- down work-shops were known as "Kotterhäuser". We know of the existance of mills and forges in Kottern due to a document dating back to 1494. Paper Mills are mentioned in 1509 and on the eve of the war of the peasants in 1525, the abbot of KE and the bishop of Augsburg exchanged bondsmen in connection with the marriage of a woman from Rettenberg in "Kotern". In the same year the abbot, Johann Rudolf von Raithnau, transferred certain rights of the paper mills and hammersmiths to Mr. Pantaleon Vogt. 1525 was the year of the "big bargain". Kottern was joined to the free town of Kempten. Merely the paper mills owed feudal duty to the abbot. In 1585 there were three in Kottern.

III: Sankt Mang in 19th Century

In the first half 19. Century had the Allgaeuer paper industry before the qualitatively high-quality competition, above all from Wuerttemberg, which delete sails. Swiss entrepreneur Caspar Honegger acquired the three paper mills from 1845 to 1850 and created in you an efficient cotton spinning mill. Kottern experienced thereby a strong inflow of workers from the whole Allgaeu, in addition, from Tirol, Voralberg and Switzerland. If 1845 in Kottern had confessed only three houses, then together ten years lived later already 1000 humans in Kottern, Schelldorf and new village.
The factory was in each regard the lifeline  of  Kottern. Almost all inhabitants Kottern, Neudorf and Schelldorf lived directly or indirectly on it. Although and although Honegger paid locally above average wages to its workers, the industrialization brought and the rapid influx of humans problems with itself. More than it under the factoryowner of that time usually was, unfolded Honegger like that something like social welfare service for its workers: It supported a type social housing construction in Kottern and let for the worker children a school create. Additionally promoted it and its son-in-law and successor Fries the association life, in particular the music life to Kottern.

IV: Sankt Mang in 20. Century

However, the labour movement and communism could get a foothold very rapidly. Even up to the middle of the 20 th Century, people spoke about "red Kottern". The primary school in Sankt Mang is still today named after Gustav Streseman, who was a significant Foreign Minister in the Social- Democratic stamped party of the Weimarer Republic. The Mariae Himmelfahrt church in the Friedrich- Ebert- Straße is named after the social democratic president of the first republic.
In 1932, the people of Kottern prevented the SA marching through the Ludwigstraße by holding aside paving stones which the SA would have required in order to march to Kempten via a different route. During the first few days after they had achieved power, an unknown person wrote "Red Front" in big letters on the tower of the spinning and weaving mill; the letters can still be detected to this day.
The people of Kottern soon acclimatized to the uneasy situation. After all, they didn´t want for anything.
Unlike in Kempten and other parts of Germany, the state of employment in Kottern in the twenties was very stable and by the thirties about 1400 workers were employed in the textile factory. Due to the secure economy, the people were at leisure to do other things than just to earn their daily bread. Club life was at its climax and factory manager, Kremser, promoted sports, paying the debts of the talented gymnasts out if his own pocket. Kempten could not compete with the active Kottern gymnasts. Keeping up the prosperity was of more importance to the people of Kottern than having political martrydom. Opposition did exist but it was rather the exception to the rule in former "Red Kottern".Sankt Mang prospered after the second world war. Kottern, Schelldorf and Neudorf gradually grew together to a united town. New industries got established, new housing estates were opened up. The history of Sankt Mang closes on July 1, 1972. On this day, in appliance with the territory reform, Sankt Mang was joined to the council of Kempten.

Today, Sankt Mang is a Kempten district of it´s own.

Stephan Thomae

History of the Music Society, Sankt Mang

Due to the complicated history of Sankt Mang, one has to trace back to each village that made up Sankt Mang, in order to find information about predecessors of the Sankt Mang Music Society. As Lenzfried has its own traditional music band, the history of the Lenzfried music has not been included. Not only Lenzfried claims its own music band. The villages Kottern, Schelldorf and Neudorf can, too.

Three previous bands

Josef Seele, born in 1823, was probably the founder of the so-called "Seele-Musik" in Kottern, which was the germ-cell of the music band, Kottern. It has not yet been proven when this "Seele-Musik" was founded. Josef Seele´s son, Bonifaz, took over the job of conductor. Date is unknown. An advertisement in the Allgäuer Zeitung in 1889 reports on the existence of the Music Band, Neudorf when they performed together with the Music Band, Durach.
The earliest mention of the Music Band, Kottern goes back to 1892. In the years between 1890 + 1893 Josef Heinzle conducted the band because Bonifaz Seele, son of the founder, had to do his military service. Then from 1893 until 1914 Bonifaz Seele was in charge of the music band.
There are two documents dated 1895. One is commemorative newspaper article about the second great Music Festival in Obergünzburg. (See picture above) The Kottern band is mentioned among 29 other bands.

The second document of this year is a photograph, mounted on cardboard, which depicts the Sedan party in Kottern in 1895. (See photo, left). An anecdote stems from this time about, a certain Josef Haibel from Leiterberg, Betzigau. In order to be able to take part in rehearsals and perform in concerts, he used to go on foot all the way to Kottern in rain, thunderstorms and snow.

A photo dated 1898 (below) depicts twelve musicians, with instruments, wearing the uniform of the "Society of Relief for the Sick, Kottern". The Kottern music band functioned as their club band.

back row from left: A. Heinzle, G. Heinzle, Rick, Heiligensetzer, Aschauer, ?

middle row from left: B. Seele, F. Huber, ?

front row from left: Haibel, A. Prestel, Spann, J. Heinzle


In the year 1900, the music band Schelldorf was founded by the conductor Jakob Gehring and secondary school teacher, Fürst from Sankt Mang. With regard to Sankt Mang, together with Kottern and Neudorf- you have the extremely unusual case of a child having three parents.

Co-operation and Coalition after the First World War

During World War I many man had been drafted so the "Seele- Musik", Kottern and the Gehring band united in order to keep the band functioning. This co-operation was kept up in the twenties until the musicians finally decided to unite under the name of "Music Band, Kottern". From 1920 until 1925 Jakob Gehring was the conductor, after that it was Ludwig Gebele. This music band, Kottern took part in various musical festivals in the Allgäu in the twenties, including Altusried (1925), Wiggensbach and Immenstadt.
During the national socialist rule, private societies were viewed suspiciously. They were prevented from being independant and music bands were dissolved. Instead of a band in each village there was just the SA Band Kempten under the conductor from Betzigau, Erich Schneider.In this manner the SA Band remained mainly the concern of Betzigau and most bands played as incoherent associations, as with the Music Band, Kottern, which was conduced by the secondary school teacher, Hitzler. In this manner, the brass band tradition was secure, inspite of drawbacks: In the archives at the music society there are undated march books which certainly point to a national socialistic tendency. The books bear a stamp with the inscription "Orchestra Society, Kottern, founded 1920".

Re-establishment after the Second World War

The American occupying power didn´t allow any activity among German clubs/societies. However the bands practised secretly until they finally decided to establish a new club in 1950. The first two decades were hard and the bands went through many "highs" and "lows" whereby the "highs" were short-lived, the "lows" lasted longer. It was the president, Ludwig Engstler, elected in 1966 and who stayed president for a quarter of a century, that managed to stabilise the club. Anton Steiger, conductor from 1968 until 1985 gradually raised the standard of music. The actual building-up phase of the music club, Sankt Mang, was the era Steiger/Engstler. In 1969 they performed during the Consecration of the Colours to mark the 70th Jubilee.Partnerships with the bands of the towns of Eberholzen (Niedersachsen) and Luttach (South Tyrol) were tied in the seventies. In 1989/90 the musicans renovated the former Sankt Mang station, "Theodorplatz", which they acquired from Kempten, to a home for musicans. On 3 March 1990 the Mayor of Kempten at the time, Dr. Josef Höß, handed the key over in a celebration. Thus the music society, Sankt Mang, must be the only club with its own siding. Anton Steiger wasn´t able to witness this happening. He died at the age of 38 in 1987. His successor was Franz Hefele who took over the position in 1985.

Foreign relations

From the seventies onwards the Sankt Mang Music Society has led a most lively existence:
In 1971 the City of Oxford Youth Band were guests here. The Sankt Mang Music Society (SMMS) visited the Luttach (South Tyrol) orchestra in 1972 and 1973, return visit followed in 1972 and 1974. In 1977 the SMMS visited the music club Eberholzen (Lower Saxony); return visits followed in 1978, 1985 on the occasion of the 6th Bavarian Regional Music Festival in Kempten and in 1995 on the occasion of the 100th Jubilee of the SMMS. The Sankt Mang musicians undertook a second journey to the Eberholzen club on the occasion of their 100th Jubilee. In 1991, 1993 and 1995 the Youth Brass Band of Sopron (Hungary) visited the SMMS. In 1994 and 1997 the Youth Brass Band, Sopron stayed the night in Sankt Mang whilst in transit. And in these few hours they celebrated and performed together. In 1992 and 1994 the Sankt Mang musicians visited Hungary in return. In 1994 the supporting members took part in the trip and in that way were able to get to know one of the four twin cities of the town of Kempten. In 1995 Sankt Mang made contact with the Mutlangen band (Baden Württemberg). Visit and a return visit took place in 1996.
In addtition, the Sankt Mang music club had commitments away from the Allgäu, such as 1969 in Kloten Airport, Zürich and with friends of the Altach band (Voralberg), 1970 in Klosteretal, 1974 in Schwäbisch Hall, 1976 in Esslingen, 1976 in Reutlingen, 1991 in Hamm (Westerwald), 1995 and 1996 in Breitenthal (Günzburg), 1996 in Grafelde, near Hannover, 1998 in Byk (Ungarn), 2001 in Quiberon (F), 2002 in Öflingen (Black Forest), 2003 in Eberholzen (Niedersachsen) und Losser (Nl), 2004 in Mutlangen, 2005 in Stockheim.

Community concerts and guest concerts strengthen the contacts to other musicians:

1964: Guest concert of the band Reutte in Sankt Mang
1970: Community concert with the band Dietmannsried in in Sankt Mang
1971: Guest concert of the town center of Oxford Youth tape in Sankt Mang
1971: Community concert with the band Heiligkreuz in Sankt Mang
1971: Community concert with the music association Graben-Schwabmuenchen in Sankt Mang
1973: Community concert with the music association Lenzfried in Sankt Mang
1974: Community concert with the band Luttach (South Tyrol) in Sankt Mang
1981: Community concert with the band Probstried in Sankt Mang
1989: Community concert with the band Schwarzenberg in Oy
1993: Community concert with the youth brass orchestra Sopron in Kempten
1994: Community concert with the youth brass band Sonthofen in Kempten
1995: Gala konzert of the Stadtkapelle Marktoberdorf in Kempten
1996: Community concert with the harmony music Welden (Augsburg) in Kempten
1997: Community concert with the harmony music Welden (Augsburg)in Welden
1997: Community concert with the music association Maierhoefen (Westallgäu) in Kempten
1998: Community concert with the youth brass orchestra Sopron in Sopron
1999: Community concert with the youth brass orchestra Sopron in Kempten
2000: Community concert with the band Vöran from South Tyrol in Kempten
2001: Community concert with the band Memmingerberg
2001: Community concert with the band Wildpoldsried
2002: Community concert with the band Excelsior Losser (NL)
2003: Community concert with the band Öflingen (Black Forest) and Losser (NL)
2004: Community concert with the band Kiebingen (Rottenburg)
2005: Community concert with the band Waltenhofen
          Concertprograms

High Society

Appearances were made by the Federal Chancellor Willy Brandt, Federal Minister Ignaz Kiechle, the Baden Württemberg Federal Minister Lothar Späth, the Bavarian Minister Presidents Alfons Goppel, Franz Josef Strauß and Max Streibl as well as the Social Democratic Chairman, Hans Joachim Vogel and the SMMS provided the musical setting.

Allgäu-Schwäbischer Musikbund

Kempten and Sankt Mang have played an important role in the Allgäu- Swabian music alliance on various occasions (ASM):
The ASM, to which the SMMS belongs, was founded in Kempten in 1926. Although the Dachverband of the bands of Swabia has its headquarters in Krumbach, the ASMA is registered in the Club Register, Kempten. In 1979 Karl Kling was voted President of the ASMA at the "Stiefel" restaurant in Sankt Mang. The 6th Bavarian Regional Music Festival took place in Kempten in 1985.

Stephan Thomae
Wolfgang Fiedler

Executive boards and conductors
of the music association Sankt Mang

Previous bands up until the First World War

Music association Kottern
in the period between the two world wars

Music association Kottern, music association Sankt Mang
after the Second World War

Results of Raxings of
Music association Sankt Mang

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