Königssee & Berchtesgaden, Germany

I’d visited the Berchtesgaden area in southeast Bavaria back in 2015. But it was cool and rainy that day and the Alps were obscured by clouds. I gave it another try today and man, did the weather come through.

A special electric boat glided me across the Königssee this morning. Because the lake was so deep and flanked by steep mountains (almost like a fjord), there was no way to reach red onion-domed St. Bartholomä pilgrimage church except by boat.

The water was extremely clean and clear. No motor boats have been allowed on the lake since 1909. The decision back then wasn’t made for environmental reasons. They didn’t want to scare off the animals hunted around the lake with the noise. Clean water was just a happy by-product.

I got off the boat at St. Bartholomä and hiked around the church. The surrounding trees were just beginning to show fall colors. A scoop of Apfelstrudel ice cream went well with the walk.

I climbed back on the boat and we headed to the end of the lake. The water was shallower here and crystal clear. You could see big fish below. Again they let us off and I hiked further along the shore enjoying the views.

The Königssee does freeze over in harsh winters. One of the German boat workers told me that a man tried to drive on the ice to the church back in 1964. They didn’t find his Volkswagen until 1997 in 330 feet of water. The family requested that the authorities not bring the car up so it’s still there, deep in the bottom of the lake. I thought about it as we sailed back.

The weather warmed up in the afternoon so I explored the town of Berchtesgaden. If you know history, you know Berchtesgaden was an important area for Hitler and Nazi party leaders. Compare a photo I took today (on the left) versus what it looked like back in the 1940s:

There’s an entire website called Third Reich in Ruins with full details.

Walking through town, I was impressed by the decorative elements on the buildings in the Altstadt. They could have just left these as plain windows but see how the surrounding artwork expanded the architectural impact?

I took my time and looked in plenty of shop windows. Check out the wooden toys and the rack of Lederhosen (on sale!). Reminders of Berchtesgaden’s conflicted history were also present if you paid attention.

After an enjoyable afternoon in Berchtesgaden, I decided to drive to the village of Ramsau and picturesque St. Sebastian church. Again, it was raining back in 2015 when I first visited so this was a much better view.

I finished the evening back in my home base of Bad Reichenhall. It was an early-evening dinner but the Biergarten was already beginning to fill up.

Salzburger bratwurst was this evening’s special. Guten Appetit!

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