The Edelweiss Lodge and Resort is an American military resort built in Garmisch-Partenkirchen in 2000. It sits at the foot of the Bavarian Alps. The concept of having morale-boosting places in Europe began during WWII. The Edelweiss resort was built as a means to consolidate all the European Armed Forces Recreation Centers. The resort offered many tours that we were able to go on with Owen.
First, we went to the Neuschwanstein Castle built by King Ludwig II from 1868 to 1892. During his time, the monarchy had no significant power so Ludwig II spent his time building castles and in doing so spent all of the royal funds. His interior rooms were decorated to go with the various operas of Richard Wagner. The castle was very fascinating to the public and just seven weeks after the death Ludwig II in 1886, the castle was opened to the public. Today Neuschwanstein is one of the most popular of all the palaces and castles in Europe. Every year 1.4 million people visit "the castle of the fairy-tale king" with the summer bringing 6,000 visitors per day. The palace from Disney's Sleeping Beauty was inspired by the Neuschwanstein Castle. The Hohenschwangau Castle across the gorge was built by the father of Ludwig II on the foundations of a 12th century fortress.
The Ammertal wood carving shop was another stop where we were able to look at (and possibly purchase) the intricate wood carvings famous of this area. Germany puts a huge emphasis toward nativity scenes and over the course of many years people will buy the individual pieces to make the full scene.
Next we saw the Wieβkirche pilgrimage church. It is said that in 1738 tears were seen on a dilapidated wooden figure of the Scourged Savior. It was built with the excessively ornate Baroque Rococo style. The Wieβkirche was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1983 and underwent restoration between 1985 and 1991.
We also visited the Benedictine monastery Ettal Abbey that was founded on 28 April 1330. It is currently home to more than 50 monks. It is one of the largest Benedictine houses. The gateway into the chapel is the original Gothic arch that survived the many fires and other damage over the monastery’s history. The current interior is in the Baroque style that is a very intense contrast from the colorless Gothic arch.
The 1936 Winter Olympics Olympic were held in Garmisch-Partenkirchen and we were able to visit the Ski Jump stadium. It was also used in the opening ceremony and since Hitler made attending the main opening ceremony mandatory, there was a huge turnout and it is still on record for having the most spectators.
The Partnach Gorge was another stop that is cut by the Partnach mountain stream in the Reintal valley. The gorge is 2,303 ft long and, in places, over 260 ft deep. A trail was carved into the side of the wall so that we could go up the full gorge. The frozen water on the walls and the blue water was very beautiful.
Our last stop was the Alpspitzbahn cable car that took us up to the very top of the mountain that had an 80 foot X pattern overlook directly over a 3,000 cliff. It was a thrill to see and incredibly windy.
Germany is a beautiful country!
1 comment:
Outstanding!
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