Sightseeing in Garmisch-Partenkirchen - what to see. Complete travel guide

Garmisch is an old town in Germany located on the Loisach River. In 1935 the town was merged with Partenkirchen town and the new settlement was named Garmisch-Partenkirchen – a city that is now known as an administrative center of the Bavaria country. This is also a fairy trade center and a ski resort. Two parts of Garmisch-Partenkirchen are divided by railway and connected through a system of tunnels (for automobiles and pedestrians). Garmisch-Partenkirchen doesn’t formally have a status of the city. The population of this place reached only 26 thousand of people in 2005.

The town is located in a valley surrounded by the Bavarian Alps. Zugspitze Mountain is located nearby the town. By the way, this mountain is the highest spot of Germany. You can easily reach Munich and Austrian Tirol by railway from Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Moreover, there is a road to Munich in mountains.

The main industry of this place is tourism. In the city and surrounding territories work large number of hotels and restaurants built primarily to serve tourists. When winter comes to the town, alpine ski routes start working here. During warm weather seasons are popular walks on mountains or hiking. Especially for this purpose special cable roads and funiculars are built here. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

In the city you can visit a musical theater or attend a festival of Strauss. The city’s main park often becomes the place for performances of the Grainau orchestra with musicians wearing traditional Bavarian costumes.

However, the main sight of the city is, without a doubt, mountains. Travellers also often visit Zugspitzbahn railway that leads to Zugspitze Mountain, Partnachklamm gorge cleaned by water falling down from a mountain spring and also the town itself. Its architecture is represented by medieval houses decorated with pictures showing stories from the Bible.

One of the most attractive places for walking around the city is Ludwigstrasse, where historical buildings of various periods and styles are preserved. Here is one of the oldest parish churches in the city, which was partially destroyed during a violent fire in 1865. Immediately after the fire, the Gothic church in the Neo-Gothic style was completely restored and continues to please locals and tourists with its spectacular views to this day. In many historic houses today, there are attractive restaurants and souvenir shops. Also, there are several prestigious hotels on the historic street.

In the city, religious monuments worthy of attention, including the Chapel of St. Sebastian were preserved. It is located near the Lower Market. This chapel was built in 1637. The miniature church with a turret is a very unusual design. Its facade depicts figures of saints, which local artists maintain in perfect shape. In summer, the chapel is surrounded by dense thickets of trees.

In the immediate vicinity of the city, there are several ancient castles. The most interesting is the Ellmau Castle, built in the early 20th century. Today, a prestigious luxury hotel is located in the restored castle. Everyone can spend a few days in this historic building and enjoy its luxury. The castle has preserved a beautiful concert hall, in which, since 1957 till now, concerts of chamber music are regularly held.

Garmisch is noted for its abundance of natural attractions. At any time of the year, you can admire the magnificent landscapes here. Ekbauer Mountain, whose height is 1,238 meters, is of great interest. On its slopes is a popular ski resort, focused on beginners and holidaymakers with children. In summer, in mountainous regions, interesting excursions take place. During these excursions, you can see rare plants, wild animals and birds, for which this mountainous region has become a home.

While walking through the city you can see many unusual monuments, a remarkable site is the monument – locomotive. The old locomotive of 1930, painted in blue, was installed next to the City Hall building. In the first half of the 20th century, it was used to lift trains to the top of the Zugspitze Mountain, where already the most popular ski resort was located.