Mittenwald, Germany
If someone asked me to recommend just one Bavarian Alpine village, this would be the one. Mittenwald is the final stop in Germany before your train heads south over the border into Austria. This is a stop you should make.
Mittenwald is small, easy to walk and friendly. It’s in a valley bordered by the towering Alps on virtually every side. There’s a beautiful old town (the Altstadt) with a clear Alpine stream running through the middle, plus cable car rides up into the Karwendel mountains, a crystal-clear Alpine lake within hiking distance and even a small gorge.
The architecture is similar to Oberammergau and Garmisch-Partenkirchen with murals painted on the buildings. Mittenwald is famous in Germany for creating violins. There are motifs to the stringed instrument all over town.
A quick word on German windows. Can you see in the photo above how the window tilts in a little? All the windows here seem to have the same function. The handle inside rotates: down is locked, sideways allows the window to swing open from the side and up allows the window to tilt inward from the top. Ingenious.
Of course there are no screens — somehow there aren’t any flies in Germany. You can sit and eat outside without a problem (every restaurant has an outdoor cafe or Biergarten).
The small church in Mittenwald has the typical rounded onion dome like all the churches seem to sport in Bavaria. Inside, this one had the same rococo theme as in Oberammergau. I especially liked how the parishioners each had their seats marked with small unique plaques (including house number).
Outside the main church, there was a grassy side courtyard and small chapel. When I went over to look inside, it was dark but a few candles glimmered. I realized it was a quiet memorial to those lost in the war. It was a bit jarring to see the soldiers in uniform.
As I was exiting the courtyard, I came a across a small fountain. I thought the spout sculpture looked like a catfish-pekingese smoking a cigar:
Once I finished exploring the Altstadt, I had to ride the cable car to the top of the Karwendel mountain range. The gondola swayed a few times in the wind but otherwise it was a smooth and silent ride to the top.
Once at 2,244 meters, it’s windy and cold. I layered so I stayed warm but I broke my sunglasses my very first day here (could have used those). The clouds came and went — thankfully I had a bit of sun while I was on top.
There’s the mountain station above. Inside the giant telescope-looking building are nature displays and a view out over the edge of the cliff. Literally, it hangs way out there. Shivers go down your spine as you stand on the very edge and look down at tiny Mittenwald way below.
There’s a trail that runs the perimeter of the peak. This range actually forms a natural border between Germany and Austria so you cross over the Grenze (border) a few times. The signs indicate whether you’re in the free state of Bayern or in the state of Tirol in Austria (Österreich in German).
You’re already peering off of sheer cliffs down into deep valleys. The various memorials to hikers lost were not reassuring:
Basically, don’t pick the Edelweiss and stay on the trail!
I looked over the hiking map and decided to take a trail marked “Medium” back down the mountain. It was actually “D” in the photo below:
To begin your descent on the trail, you had to walk through a loooong, dark tunnel blasted through the mountain. Water dripped from the rock ceiling and it was silent. Had the lights gone out, I would have been crying.
Finally you emerged back into daylight and began the trail down. You’re above the vegetation line so it was mostly like walking down a pile of gravel. Lots of loose steps and a little sliding to make things more interesting.
You see crosses at the top of all the mountain peaks and memorials along the way like this one:
Eventually, (provided you hadn’t slid over the edge) you made it down far enough in elevation to begin seeing some greenery. Then the tall German pines started to take over again. It was a miracle to be back down among the trees. I may still walk at an incline for a few more days!
Nearly four hours later, I finally made it back down into town. If that was a “Medium” level hike, I’d hate to see a “Hard”. My legs were aching and I needed a tall Hefeweizen. Don’t worry, I’ll get a good night’s sleep and be ready to head to Berchtesgaden in the morning. Grüß Gott!
