Gauting is a municipality in the district of Starnberg, in Bavaria, Germany with a population of approximately 20,000. It is situated on the river Würm, southwest of Munich and is a part of the Munich metropolitan area. Geography Stockdorf, Grubmühl, Buchendorf, Königswiesen, Hausen, Unterbrunn and Oberbrunn are included under the administration of Gauting. The municipality itself is surrounded by the Forstenrieder Park in the east, Mühltal in the south, Kreuzlinger Forst in the west and Grubmühl in the north. History Although the name, Gauting, is first mentioned in 753, settlements in the Gauting area traces back to early Bronze Age and is thus amongst the earliest in upper Bavaria. Cairns in Stockdorf and a large Celtic entrenchment offer evidence of the prehistoric dwellings. Under the Roman Empire the settlement, then called Bratananium, marked a major crossroad of Via Julia, which connected the provincial capital Augusta Vindelicorum (Augsburg) with Juvavum (Salzburg) and Lake Constance. Many artifacts from that time have been discovered. A persistent local belief is that Charlemagne was born at the Reismühle, situated at the south edge of Gauting, thus the imperial crown appears in Gauting's coat of arms. For many years, Gauting existed as a small rural village nestled in the Würm valley. A dramatic rise in population started with the opening of the Munich-Starnberg railroad in 1854. Gauting became popular as a weekend and holiday resort for wealthy citizens of the Bavarian capital, and since then it has become one of the most popular suburban communities adjoining Munich. Gauting during the Third Reich The abolition of the German Communist Party, immediately following the enabling act that gave the Nazi Party dictatorial powers, was one of the first administrative acts to be executed in Gauting in 1933. Soon each member of the communal council had to become a member of the NSDAP. Adolf Hitler and Adolf Wagner, the Gauleiter (district governor) of Upper Bavaria, who lived at Gauting, became honorary citizens. Hermann Nafziger was installed as Nazi-mayor. During the last days of World War II, the 8,000 surviving inmates of the Dachau concentration camp were sent on a so-called death march. Such marches were organized by order of Heinrich Himmler to prevent the inmates from being freed by the approaching allied troops. Many of the hostages died on the way through Gauting to their destination in Bad Tölz. The peaceful invasion of the US forces was possible due