Garmisch-Partenkirchen (; Bavarian: ''Garmasch-Partakurch''), nicknamed Ga-Pa, is an Alpine ski town in

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total l ...

, southern

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

. It is the

seat of government The seat of government is (as defined by ''Brewer's Politics'') "the building, complex of buildings or the city from which a government exercises its authority". In most countries, the nation’s capital is also seat of its government, thus tha ...

of the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen (abbreviated ''GAP''), in the

Oberbayern Upper Bavaria (german: Oberbayern, ; ) is one of the seven administrative districts of Bavaria, Germany. Geography Upper Bavaria is located in the southern portion of Bavaria, and is centered on the city of Munich, both state capital and seat ...

region, which borders

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

. Nearby is Germany's highest mountain,

Zugspitze The Zugspitze (), at above sea level, is the highest peak of the Wetterstein Mountains as well as the highest mountain in Germany. It lies south of the town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, and the Austria–Germany border runs over its western su ...

, at above sea level. The town is known as the site of the

1936 Winter Olympic Games The 1936 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IV Olympic Winter Games (german: IV. Olympische Winterspiele) and commonly known as Garmisch-Partenkirchen 1936 ( bar, Garmasch-Partakurch 1936), were a winter multi-sport event held from 6 to 16 ...

, the first to include

alpine skiing Alpine skiing, or downhill skiing, is the pastime of sliding down snow-covered slopes on skis with fixed-heel bindings, unlike other types of skiing ( cross-country, Telemark, or ski jumping), which use skis with free-heel bindings. Whether ...

, and hosts a variety of

winter sports Winter sports or winter activities are competitive sports or non-competitive recreational activities which are played on snow or ice. Most are variations of skiing, ice skating and sledding. Traditionally, such games were only played in cold a ...

competitions.

History

Garmisch (in the west) and Partenkirchen (in the east) were separate towns for many centuries, and still maintain quite separate identities. Partenkirchen originated as the Roman town of ''Partanum'' on the trade route from

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...

Augsburg Augsburg (; bar , Augschburg , links=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swabian_German , label=Swabian German, , ) is a city in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany, around west of Bavarian capital Munich. It is a university town and regional seat of the '' ...

and is first mentioned in the year A.D. 15. Its main street, Ludwigsstrasse, follows the original Roman road. Garmisch was first mentioned some 800 years later as ''Germaneskau'' ("German District"), suggesting that at some point a Teutonic tribe took up settlement in the western end of the valley. During the late 13th century, the valley, as part of the County of Werdenfels, came under the rule of the prince-bishops of Freising and was to remain so until the mediatization of 1803. The area was governed by a prince-bishop's representative known as a ''Pfleger'' (caretaker or warden) from Werdenfels Castle situated on a crag north of Garmisch. The Europeans' discovery of America at the turn of the 15th century led to a boom in shipping and a sharp decline in overland trade, which plunged the region into a centuries-long economic depression. The valley floor was swampy and difficult to farm. Bears, wolves and lynxes were a constant threat to livestock. The population suffered from periodic epidemics, including several serious outbreaks of

bubonic plague Bubonic plague is one of three types of plague caused by the plague bacterium ('' Yersinia pestis''). One to seven days after exposure to the bacteria, flu-like symptoms develop. These symptoms include fever, headaches, and vomiting, as ...

. Adverse fortunes from disease and crop failure occasionally led to a

witch hunt A witch-hunt, or a witch purge, is a search for people who have been labeled witches or a search for evidence of witchcraft. The classical period of witch-hunts in Early Modern Europe and Colonial America took place in the Early Modern per ...

. Most notable of these were the trials and executions of 1589–1596, in which 63 people — more than 10 percent of the population at the time — were burned at the stake or garroted. Werdenfels Castle, where the accused were held, tried and executed, became an object of superstitious terror and was abandoned in the 17th century. It was largely torn down in the 1750s and its stones used to build the baroque ''Neue Kirche'' (New Church) on Marienplatz, which was completed in 1752. It replaced the nearby Gothic ''Alte Kirche'' (Old Church), parts of which predated Christianity and may originally have been a pagan temple. Used as a storehouse, armory and haybarn for many years, it has since been re-consecrated. Some of its medieval frescoes are still visible. Garmisch and Partenkirchen remained separate until their respective mayors were forced by

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

to combine the two market towns on 1 January 1935 in anticipation of the

. Today, the united town is casually (but incorrectly) referred to as Garmisch, much to the dismay of Partenkirchen's residents. Most visitors will notice the slightly more modern feel of Garmisch while the fresco-filled, cobblestoned streets of Partenkirchen have a generally more historic appearance. Early mornings and late afternoons in pleasant weather often find local traffic stopped while the dairy cows are herded to and from the nearby mountain meadows. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, Garmisch-Partenkirchen was a major hospital center for the German military.

Climate

Garmisch-Partenkirchen leans towards an

oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ...

, and its winters are colder than the rest of Bavaria. Due to its higher

elevation The elevation of a geographic location is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface (see Geodetic datum § ...

, it is very close to the winters associated with continental climates; it has a relatively wet and snowy climate, with high precipitation year-round.

Transport

The town is served by the

B 2 B2, B02, B.II, B.2 or B-2 may refer to: Transportation Aircraft * AEG B.II, a German aircraft during World War I * Albatros B.II, a 1914 unarmed German two-seat reconnaissance biplane * Aviatik B.II, a 1915 German reconnaissance aircraft * Bla ...

as a continuation of the A 95 motorway, which ends at

Eschenlohe Eschenlohe is a German municipality in the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in Bavaria, on the Loisach River. Transport The district has a railway station, , on the Munich–Garmisch-Partenkirchen railway The Munich–Garmisch-Partenkirchen r ...

16 km north of the town. Garmisch-Partenkirchen station is on the Munich–Garmisch-Partenkirchen line and the Mittenwald Railway (Garmisch–

Mittenwald Mittenwald is a German municipality in the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in Bavaria. Geography Mittenwald is located approximately 16 kilometres to the south-east of Garmisch-Partenkirchen. It is situated in the Valley of the River Isar ...

– Innsbruck). Regional services run every hour to

Munich Central Station Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...

(''München Hauptbahnhof'') and Mittenwald and every two hours to Innsbruck Central Station (''Innsbruck Hauptbahnhof'') and Reutte. In addition there are special seasonal long-distance services, including

ICEs ICES (formerly known as the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences) is an independent, non-profit corporation that applies the study of health informatics for health services research and population-wide health outcomes research in Ontario ...

, to

Berlin Berlin is Capital of Germany, the capital and largest city of Germany, both by area and List of cities in Germany by population, by population. Its more than 3.85 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European U ...

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; nds, label=Hamburg German, Low Saxon, Hamborg ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (german: Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg; nds, label=Low Saxon, Friee un Hansestadt Hamborg),. is the List of cities in Germany by popul ...

Dortmund Dortmund (; Westphalian nds, Düörpm ; la, Tremonia) is the third-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne and Düsseldorf, and the eighth-largest city of Germany, with a population of 588,250 inhabitants as of 2021. It is th ...

Bremen Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (german: Stadtgemeinde Bremen, ), is the capital of the Germany, German States of Germany, state Bremen (state), Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (''Freie H ...

and Innsbruck. It is the terminus of the Außerfern Railway to Reutte in Tirol / Kempten im Allgäu and the Bavarian Zugspitze Railway (with sections of

rack railway A rack railway (also rack-and-pinion railway, cog railway, or cogwheel railway) is a steep grade railway with a toothed rack and pinion, rack rail, usually between the running Track (rail transport)#Rail, rails. The trains are fitted with one or ...

) to the

, the highest mountain in Germany. There are several accessible high and low-level hiking trails from the town that have especially good views.

Sports

Garmisch-Partenkirchen is a favoured holiday spot for

skiing Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow. Variations of purpose include basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee ...

, snowboarding, and

hiking Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A His ...

, having some of the best skiing areas ( Garmisch Classic and

) in Germany. It was the site of the

1936 Winter Olympics The 1936 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IV Olympic Winter Games (german: IV. Olympische Winterspiele) and commonly known as Garmisch-Partenkirchen 1936 ( bar, Garmasch-Partakurch 1936), were a winter multi-sport event held from 6 to 16 ...

, the first to feature

. It later replaced Sapporo, Japan as the host of the 1940 Winter Olympics, but were cancelled due to World War II. Including the two cancelled cities in 1940, it is the only host city chosen during the World Wars that did not host a subsequent Olympics. A variety of Nordic and alpine World Cup ski races are held here, usually on the Kandahar Track outside town. Traditionally, a

ski jumping Ski jumping is a winter sport in which competitors aim to achieve the farthest jump after sliding down on their skis from a specially designed curved ramp. Along with jump length, competitor's aerial style and other factors also affect the fin ...

contest is held in Garmisch-Partenkirchen on

New Year's Day New Year's Day is a festival observed in most of the world on 1 January, the first day of the year in the modern Gregorian calendar. 1 January is also New Year's Day on the Julian calendar, but this is not the same day as the Gregorian one. Wh ...

, as a part of the Four Hills Tournament (''Vierschanzen-Tournee''). The World Alpine Ski Championships were held in Garmisch in 1978 and 2011. Garmisch-Partenkirchen was a partner in the city of

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...

's bid for the 2018 Winter Olympics but the IOC vote held on 6 July 2011 awarded the Games to

Pyeongchang Pyeongchang (; in full, ''Pyeongchang-gun'' ; ) is a county in the province of Gangwon-do, South Korea, located in the Taebaek Mountains region. It is home to several Buddhist temples, including Woljeongsa. It is about east southeast of S ...

. The Winter Olympics were last held in the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

-speaking Alps in 1976 in nearby Innsbruck, Austria. In team sports, the professional former 10-time German champion

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two o ...

team SC Riessersee play at the

Garmisch Olympia Stadium Garmisch Olympia Stadium is an arena in Garmisch, Germany. It is primarily used for ice hockey, and is the home arena of the SC Riessersee of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga. Garmisch Olympia Stadium opened in 1935 and holds 6,929 people. It also h ...

. The local

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is t ...

team is 1.FC Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

Event highlights

* 1 January – New Year's Ski Jump * 6 January – "Hornschlittenrennen" * January / February –

FIS Alpine Ski World Cup The FIS Alpine Ski World Cup is the top international circuit of alpine skiing competitions, launched in 1966 by a group of ski racing friends and experts which included French journalist Serge Lang and the alpine ski team directors from France ...

* February – Historic bob-race on the olympic track at Riessersee * 30.04. – "Georgimarkt" Partenkirchen * May–October – "Musik im Park" * 16.06.–18.06. – Zugspitz Ultratrail * June - Richard-Strauss-Festival * The first weekend in July – BMW Motorbike Days * 15.07. - White night * July / August "Festwoche" Festival in Garmisch and Partenkirchen * 04.08.–06.08. – "Alpentestival" * August/September – Straßen.Kunst.Festival (Streetart-Festival) * 12.11. – "Martinimarkt" Garmisch

Public institutions

The

George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies The George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies is a bi-national United States Department of Defense and Federal Ministry of Defence (Germany) security and defense studies institute. When the Marshall Center was founded in 1993, its mi ...

is also located in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. The Marshall Center is an internationally funded and mostly U.S.-staffed learning and conference centre for governments from around the world, but primarily from the former

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

and

Eastern European Eastern Europe is a subregion of the European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic connotations. The vast majority of the region is covered by Russia, whi ...

countries. It was established in June 1993, replacing the U.S. Army Russian Institute. Near the Marshall Center is the American

Armed Forces Recreation Centers Armed Forces Recreation Centers (AFRCs) are a chain of Joint Service Facility resorts hotels owned by the United States Department of Defense to provide rest and relaxation in the form of lodging and outdoor recreation for United States military ...

( Edelweiss Lodge and Resort) in Garmisch that serves U.S. and

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

military and their families. A number of U.S. troops and civilians are stationed in the town to provide logistical support to the Marshall Center and Edelweiss Recreation Center. The German Centre for Pediatric and Adolescent Rheumatology, the largest specialized centre for the treatment of children and adolescents with rheumatic diseases in Europe, has been active in Garmisch-Partenkirchen since 1952.

Twin towns – sister cities

Garmisch-Partenkirchen is

twinned Twinning (making a twin of) may refer to: * In biology and agriculture, producing two offspring (i.e., twins) at a time, or having a tendency to do so; * Twin towns and sister cities, towns and cities involved in town twinning * Twinning inst ...

with: *

Aspen Aspen is a common name for certain tree species; some, but not all, are classified by botanists in the section ''Populus'', of the ''Populus'' genus. Species These species are called aspens: *'' Populus adenopoda'' – Chinese aspen (Chin ...

, United States * Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, France *

Lahti Lahti (; sv, Lahtis) is a city and municipality in Finland. It is the capital of the region of Päijänne Tavastia (Päijät-Häme) and its growing region is one of the main economic hubs of Finland. Lahti is situated on a bay at the southern ...

, Finland

Notable people

* Hermann Levi (1839–1900), Jewish orchestral conductor *

Richard Strauss Richard Georg Strauss (; 11 June 1864 – 8 September 1949) was a German composer, conductor, pianist, and violinist. Considered a leading composer of the late Romantic music, Romantic and early Modernism (music), modern eras, he has been descr ...

(1864–1949), leading German composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras. * Ludwig Thoma (1867–1921), author, publisher and editor, who gained popularity through his partially exaggerated description of everyday Bavarian life * Alfred Gerstenberg (1893–1959), Luftwaffe general * Sir Karl Popper CH FBA FRS (1902–1994), Austrian-British philosopher and professor, regarded as one of the greatest philosophers of science of the 20th century * Franz Klarwein (1914–1991), operatic tenor, husband of Sári Barabás * Christoph Hermann Probst (1918–1943), student of medicine and member of the White Rose (Weiße Rose) resistance group *

Michael Ende Michael Andreas Helmuth Ende (12 November 1929 – 28 August 1995) was a German writer of fantasy and children's fiction. He is known for his epic fantasy '' The Neverending Story'' (with its 1980s film adaptation and a 1995 animated televisio ...

(1929–1995), writer of fantasy and children's fiction, best known for The Neverending Story * Hank Smith (1934–2002), Canadian country music singer * Wolfgang Seiler (born 1940), biogeochemist and climatologist; after he retired, he was environmental officer (voluntary) for the town * Ulla Mitzdorf (1944–2013), scientist, substantially contributed to diverse areas including physics, chemistry, psychology, physiology, medicine and gender studies * Robert Rosner (born 1947), astrophysicist and founding director of the Energy Policy Institute at the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chic ...

* Hans Peter Blochwitz (born 1949), lyric tenor, sings parts in Mozart operas * Michaela Steiger (born 1964), actress for theatre, film, television * Marina Anna Eich (born 1976), film actress and producerIMDb Database
retrieved December 2017

Notable people in sports

Thaddäus Robl Thaddäus "Thaddy" Robl (22 October 1877 – 18 June 1910) was a German professional cyclist who was active between 1894 and 1910, initially in road racing, later predominantly in motor-paced racing. From 1895 to 1898 he obtained several podium ...

(1877–1910), cyclist * Hanns Kilian (1905–1981), bobsledder *

Matthias Wörndle Matthias Wörndle (7 December 1909 – 15 October 1942) was a German cross-country skier. Wörndle was born in Partenkirchen, where he was member of the ''Skiclub Partenkirchen'' (SCP) He was member of the Bronze teams at the first and second e ...

(1909–1942), cross-country skier * Roman Wörndle (1913–1942), alpine skier * Käthe Grasegger (1917–2001), alpine skier * Michael Pössinger (1919–2003), bobsledder * Pepi Bader (born 1941), bobsledder *

Stefan Gaisreiter Stefan Gaisreiter (born 10 December 1947 in Murnau am Staffelsee) is a West German bobsledder who competed from the late 1960s to the late 1970s. He won a bronze medal in the four-man event at the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo. G ...

(born 1947), bobsledder * Reinhard E. Ketterer (born 1948), figure skater * Christian Neureuther (born 1949), alpine ski racer * Rosi Mittermaier (born 1950), alpine ski racer, double Olympic gold medalist * Hans-Joachim Stuck (born 1951), racing driver * Armin Bittner (born 1964), alpine skier * Andrea Schöpp (born 1965), curler * Monika Wagner (born 1965), curler *

Martina Beck Martina "Molly" Beck (born Martina Glagow; 21 September 1979 in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, West Germany) is a retired German biathlete. She now lives in Mittenwald in Bavaria. She was most successful in the 2002&ndash ...

(née Glagow) (born 1979), biathlete * Maria Höfl-Riesch (born 1984), alpine skier * Felix Neureuther (born 1984), alpine skier *

Susanne Riesch Susanne Riesch (born 8 December 1987, in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Bavaria, West Germany) is a former alpine ski racer. She is the sister of Maria Höfl-Riesch, overall World Cup Champion for season 2010/2011. She is also the niece of Wolfgang ...

(born 1987), alpine skier * Magdalena Neuner (born 1987), six-time

biathlon The biathlon is a winter sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. It is treated as a race, with contestants skiing through a cross-country trail whose distance is divided into shooting rounds. The shooting rounds are not ti ...

world champion, Olympic champion,

Biathlon World Cup The Biathlon World Cup is a top-level biathlon season-long competition series. It has been held since the winter seasons of 1977–78 for men and 1982–83 for women. The women's seasons until 1986–87 season were called the European Cup, alt ...

winner * Miriam Gössner (born 1990), biathlete * Laura Dahlmeier (born 1993), biathlete, double Olympic gold medalist

Points of interest

South of Partenkirchen is the

Partnach Gorge The Partnach Gorge (german: Partnachklamm) is a deep gorge that has been incised by a mountain stream, the Partnach, in the Reintal valley near the south German town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen. The gorge is long and, in places, over deep. It ...

, where the Partnach river surges spectacularly through a narrow, gap between high limestone cliffs. The

(local name "Zugspitz") is south of Garmisch near the village of

Grainau Grainau is a municipality in the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in southern Bavaria, Germany. It is located at the foot of the Zugspitze mountain, the tallest mountain in Germany in the sub-mountain range of the Wetterstein Alps which is ...

. The highest mountain in Germany, it actually straddles the border with

. Also overlooking Garmisch-Partenkirchen is Germany's fourth-highest mountain, the Leutasch Dreitorspitze ("Three-Gate Peak", a name derived from its triple summit). The King's House on Schachen, a small castle built for Ludwig II of Bavaria, is also located in the mountains south of Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Its grounds contain the Alpengarten auf dem Schachen, an alpine

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...

References

External links

Official website

Richard-Strauss-Institut

Richard-Strauss-Festival

{{Authority control 1940 Winter Olympics 1935 establishments in Germany American diaspora in Europe Garmisch-Partenkirchen (district) Populated places established in 1935 Ski areas and resorts in Germany