The origin of Schongau is the current Altenstadt (lit.: old town). A large number of the inhabitants moved only a few kilometres into a new settlement founded on the Lech and took the name Schongau with them in the 13th century. The hillside was far better situated to defend it. The town of Schongau is located very close to the former Roman road to Augsburg, Via Claudia Augusta (47 AD) and has its name from the Romans. In the Middle Ages, it was an important hub and an commercial centre on route Verona-Augsburg-Nuremberg and at salt road from Berchtesgadener Land into the Allgäu.