Burghausen & Landshut, Germany
I drove north this morning following the Salzach River from Bad Reichenhall to the German border town of Burghausen. Just across the water was Austria.
Surprisingly, I quickly found an open parking place in the Marktplatz. Although the clouds were rolling in, from time to time the sun would break through and illuminate the pastel colors of the Altstadt (old town).
I walked across the Salzach River bridge and looked back at Burghausen and Germany from the Austrian side. You could see the old town reflected in the river and the castle complex in the background along the ridge.
Burghausen has the longest castle complex in the world. It stretches more than half a mile. Of course I hiked up and walked the length of it. There were beautiful views looking down on the town and river.
I always seem to alternate between finding wide-open views and then noticing some little detail and focusing in. This stone carving fascinated me. I knew it was very old but something about the design of the man holding up two shields seemed modern to me. Such craftsmanship!
Burghausen was full of details like this. I enjoyed wandering slowly through all the courtyards and climbing the walls. The door handle with the castle motif at the top was striking. I remembered seeing that the town of Burghausen had adopted this castle design for its official crest.
Just a bit further down the road was the interesting little village of Altötting (pronounced something like al-tutting). According to legend, in 1489, a 3-year-old local boy drowned in the river. He was revived when his grieving mother placed him in front of a wooden statue of the Virgin Mary.
For 500 years, the chapel has been the scene of religious pilgrimages by Catholics (including visits from two Popes). It has the green roof in the photo below. The larger church behind it was the Gothic parish church of St. Phillipus and James.
Inside the larger church I examined a memorial to local men who died in the Second World War. Photos of the fallen in their various German uniforms lined the wall. I focused in on individuals and wondered what happened to them. Many of the soldiers looked very young.
Another memorial was just around the corner, this one from World War I. It listed names of the fallen with a poignant painting of a soldier, headed to the front, parting with his family. Even his loyal dog looked up sadly.
Further inside the church, in a small side chapel, I came across a tiny pipe organ. I’d never seen one quite like this.
My final destination was the city of Landshut. As English speakers, we’d want to say land-shut but in German, it’s actually pronounced lawnds-hoot.
Walking near a parking lot, I spotted an early 1980s BMW 5-series. You don’t see many older cars here in Germany. I believe pollution regulations and taxes discourage people from keeping them. If you do see an older car, they’re usually in pristine condition (something I appreciate).
I talked with this man and he told me he bought it new and maintained it. I told him it was in perfect condition. He beamed (just not for the camera).
Aunt Patty and Uncle Roger: look here, Spiegel alley. The sign below means one-way street. Here’s your homework: this is actually the second “Spiegel” in my photos in this blog post. Find the other and figure out what it meant.
……….
Thanks for coming along on the trip. If you have questions or suggestions, tweet @JasonRMatheson. Missed an entry? Click here.
