Region

Mountain Nature from Piano to Forte – The Violin Making Community of Mittenwald

• In the Highest Climatic Resort of the Bavarian Alps

In the beautiful town of Mittenwald, located 900 m above sea level in the foothills of the Karwendel mountains, violin makers have been hanging their instruments to dry in the fresh mountain air for more than 330 years. The admission to the violin making courses of the local school is much sought after on an international level, and not only because Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart played a violin from Mittenwald. Music had been extremely important in the region of the Alpenwelt Karwendel even before. Nowadays it is possible to experience it on many occasions such as evenings devoted to tradition, live traditional music in local inns, masses and concerts.

Nowadays, also hikers and bikers „give the note“ in the highest climatic resort on the Bavarian Alps. Mittenwald is located in the most popular German hiking region and – according to the influential Bike Magazine – in one of the best Alpine regions for bikes and mountain bikes. Mittenwald welcomes hikers, bikers and families about 100 km south of Munich, near the spring of the Isar River, as they were „first violins“ for a concert of gorgeous natural beauties… from piano to fortissimo. >>More information

•  Tremolo

One can get really high up with the Karwendelbahn cable car: in the height of 2,244 m even grown-ups will get goose bumps when they visit Germany’s highest placed nature information centre. It focusses on the Karwendel mountains and is housed into a giant telescope that juts more than 7 m over the precipice. The view into the Isar valley 1,300 m below creates a tremolo in the stomach. It is a good idea to take a walk from here to the impressive panorama of the Alpine peaks. Just after sunrise, adept mountaineers will start their climb in the Mittenwalder Klettersteig, which is the fortissimo of cultivated hiking trails.

• Andante

Down in the valley, the 300 km-long Isar shows its wildest and most natural side in the Alpenwelt Karwendel. The perfectly cultivated bike trail along the turquoise andante-gurgling river winds itself from Mittenwald through Munich right until it meets the Danube and opens a „goldmine“ of fossils and plutonic rocks. Many of these treasures can be admired on the geological nature trail on the lake Lautersee.

•  Forte

Passionate mountain bikers know Mittenwald as the starting point of the Bike-Transalp to Lake Garda. Here, they find their favourite tours with elevation profile as GPS downloads… and also emotions that are quite forte. Also trail runners appreciate the Alpenwelt Karwendel as a wonderful setting for challenging mountain runs. Classic races are e.g. the Zugspitz-Ultratrail that stops off in Mittenwald.