Friday, July 18, 2008

GERMANY - Garmisch-Partenkirchen

GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN

GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN
is served by the A95 Autobahn (motorway), and has railway connections to Munich, Innsbruck, Reutte and to the Zugspitze. The views of the majestic peak from the town are especially spectacular and several accessible hiking trails cover both the lower and higher elevations. In 1936 it was the site of the Winter Olympic Games. A variety of Ski World Cup Races are also held here, usually on the Kandahar Track outside town. Garmisch-Partenkirchen is also a favored holiday spot for skiing, snowboarding, and hiking, having some of the best skiing areas in Germany. There is also a civilian run American Armed Forces Recreation Center (Edelweiss Lodge and Resort) in Garmisch that serves U.S. and NATO military and their families. A number of U.S. troops and military civilians are still stationed in the town to provide logistic support to the Marshall Center and Edelweiss Recreation Center.

GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN is Germany's winter sports capital. The town comprises two villages that were merged together for the Winter Olympics of 1936, the older Partenkirchen and the more modern Garmisch.
Garmisch is the ritzier of the two, with plenty of fashionable shops and cafes. Its Kurpark regularly hosts open-air concerts, and the Kurhaus contains a collection of Meissen porcelain and historic toys. Pfarrkirche St. Martin, built in 1733, has a rich baroque interior. Partenkirchen is characterized by traditional painted houses, and one of these, a former merchant's residence at Ludwigstrasse 47, is the only house in the street not to have been devastated by a terrible fire in 1865. The house contains the Werdenfelser Heimatmuseum, which vividly brings the region's distinctive culture to life. You are still likely to see country folk in traditional costumes and cattle being driven from their mountain grazing grounds through the streets here.

The towns straddle the River Partnach, surrounded by mighty mountain massifs. Most impressive is the Zugspitze, the highest mountain in Germany at 2,962m (9,724ft), easily conquered nowadays by rack railway from Garmisch. There's also the option of taking the cable car from Erwald past the imposing West Wall, or the Eibsee cable railway from Grainau at Lake Eibsee.

The Alpspitze: Garmisch-Partenkirchen's famous landmark is the Alpspitze mountain (2,628m) – to "conquer" its peak visitors have the option of a leisurely stroll or a more energetic walk along some of the 100 kilometres of mountain paths and health and fitness tracks. During winter, the snow-covered trails have a special magic of their own.

see Partnach Gorge - Partnachklamm