The earliest reference to Rain is in a document of the monastery at Niederschönenfeld dated 4 July 1257, wherein it is described as a civitas nostra or ducal town. It is most probable that Rain was founded during the reign of Otto II Wittelsbach, Duke of Bavaria (1248–1253) or at the latest in the reign of Louis II, Duke of Bavaria (1253–1294) before 1257.
Rain was founded for economic and strategic reasons. The town protected Bavaria from the northwest and collected customs from its bridge over the river Lech.
In 1914 a monument commemorating Tilly was erected in front of Rain's Rococo town hall. Rain's architectural heritage also includes the Roman Catholic parish church of St John the Baptist, which features late Gothic frescoes dating from about 1480. There is also the Swabian Gate, the historic Spital with its All Saints' chapel and the former castle.
Rain has three museums: the Lachner Brothers Museum, Homeland Museum and Jean-Duprai-Museum. The four Lachner brothers, Theodor, Franz, Ignaz and Vinzenz, were nineteenth-century German composers, all of whom were born in the town.
Rain is the headquarters of the Dehner chain of garden centres, which employs 1,100 people in the town. Rain's other industries include a sugar refinery employing 240–280 people. Recently, Sunstar Group built Sunstar Engineering Germany, an adhesives and sealants factory, in Rain.[3]
