Schloss Elmau is a four-story castle and national monument with hipped roof, tower and porch, situated between Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Mittenwald in a sanctuary of the Bavarian Alps, Germany. It lies at the foot of the Wetterstein mountains in a Naturschutzgebiet (nature reserve), belonging to the Krün municipality. It was built by philosopher and theologian Johannes Müller and architect Carl Sattler between 1914 and 1916. [1]
After Germany's defeat in World War II, Müller lost control of Schloss Elmau. From 1947, the premises served as a home for displaced concentration camp survivors, [2] operated by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee.
From 1957, Schloss Elmau became best known for chamber music, with the Amadeus Quartet, Benjamin Britten, Julian Bream, Yehudi Menuhin and Alfred Brendel performing there. [3] Also in 1957, Group 47 chose the castle for one of its semiannual invitation-only retreats. [4]
In the early hours of 7 August 2005 a fire broke out in the Schloss, caused by a faulty electric blanket belonging to the former manager, Ducci Mesirca. The fire destroyed nearly the entire top floor of the main building, without any serious casualties. The hotel has since been rebuilt by architect Christoph Sattler and the Munich-based Architects from DBLB.[ citation needed ]
It later became a five-star hotel featuring 123 rooms and suites, as well as a 300-seat concert hall [5] and several restaurants. The Schloss Elmau Retreat features 47 suites. The hotel is a forum for international conferences and meetings. [6] It is a member of The Leading Hotels of the World.
The hotel is located in the mountain valley between the city of Garmisch-Partenkirchen (a distance is about 15 km) and Mittenwald in Bavaria at the foot of the Wetterstein mountain range near the village of Klais. The hotel can be reached either by a private road from Klais, or on foot through the Partnach Gorge, the entrance to which is located at the Winter Olympic Stadium in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. The Eckbauer Bahn cable car followed by about 4 km on foot can be used to reach the castle. Near the castle is the four-star hotel Kranzbach, formerly Schloss Kranzbach.
Several Booker Prize-winners, including Julian Barnes, Zadie Smith and Ian McEwan, have taken part in literary discussions at Schloss Elmau. [7]
Schloss Elmau was the site of the 41st G7 summit on 7–8 June 2015 [8] [9] and the 48th G7 summit on 26–28 June 2022. [10]
The Wank is a mountain in southern Germany, situated in the Loisach valley close to the Austrian border in the southwestern Ester Mountains range near Garmisch-Partenkirchen. It rises from about 700 metres (2,300 ft) above mean sea level up to 1,780 metres (5,840 ft) at the summit. The mountain is crowned by a grassy summit which has views over Garmisch-Partenkirchen and the surrounding region. The summit can be reached via the eponymous Wankbahn, a cable car system that runs during the summer months, or by a network of footpaths that criss-cross the area. A mountain hut on the summit, the Wank-Haus, provides food and accommodation, and a nearby scientific observatory plays a role in monitoring atmospheric and climatic conditions. The Wank is a destination for hikers, day-trippers from Garmisch-Partenkirchen and paragliders. In June 2024, the Scotland national football team set up their UEFA Euro 2024 training base codenamed "Camp Chug" on the bonnie bonnie banks of Mount Wank.
The Zugspitze, at 2,962 m (9,718 ft) above sea level, is the highest peak of the Wetterstein Mountains and the highest mountain in Germany. It lies south of the town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Bavaria, and the Austria–Germany border is on its western summit. South of the mountain is the Zugspitzplatt, a high karst plateau with numerous caves. On the flanks of the Zugspitze are two glaciers, the largest in Germany: the Northern Schneeferner with an area of 30.7 hectares and Höllentalferner with an area of 24.7 hectares. Shrinking of the Southern Schneeferner led to the loss of glacier status in 2022.
Garmisch-Partenkirchen is an Alpine ski town in Bavaria, southern Germany. It is the seat of government of the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in the Oberbayern region, which borders Austria. Nearby is Germany's highest mountain, Zugspitze, at 2,962 metres (9,718 ft) above sea level.
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 a branch off the main mountain range it is connected to, the Alps. Lake Eibsee in Grainau lies at the foot of the Zugspitze surrounded by forest.
Krün is a municipality in the Upper Bavarian district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen. It belongs with Garmisch-Partenkirchen as district capital and cultural center as well as other municipalities to the region Werdenfelser Land. A few kilometers south runs the German-Austrian border.
The Krottenkopf, 2,086 metres/6,844 ft, is a peak in the Ester Mountains and the highest mountain in the Bavarian Prealps. It lies within the Bavarian district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
Leutasch is a municipality in the northern part of the district Innsbruck-Land in the Austrian state of Tyrol about 30 km northwest of Innsbruck and 10 km northwest of Seefeld in Tirol
The King's House on Schachen is a small villa (Schlösschen) at Schachen, Wetterstein Formation, about 10 km south of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Bavaria, Germany, built by Ludwig II of Bavaria. The house was constructed between 1869 and 1872.
The Wetterstein mountains, colloquially called Wetterstein, is a mountain group in the Northern Limestone Alps within the Eastern Alps, crossing the Austria–Germany border. It is a comparatively compact range located between Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Mittenwald, Seefeld in Tirol and Ehrwald along the border between Germany (Bavaria) and Austria (Tyrol). Zugspitze, the highest peak is at the same time the highest mountain in Germany.
The Bavarian Prealps are a mountain range within the Northern Limestone Alps along the Austria–Germany border. They include the Bavarian Prealp region between the river Loisach to the west and the river Inn to the east; the range is about 80 kilometres (50 mi) long and 20–30 kilometres (12–19 mi) wide. The term is not defined politically, but alpine-geographically because, although the range is mostly located in Bavaria, southeast Germany, small areas of the Bavarian Prealps lie in the state of Tyrol, Austria.
The Dreitorspitze is a large and very prominent, multi-peak mountain massif in the eastern part of the Wetterstein Mountains in southern Germany. It is divided into Partenkirchen Dreitorspitze at 2,633 metres (8,638 ft) and Leutasch Dreitorspitze at 2,682 metres (8,799 ft); each of which has several peaks. The main peak of the fourth highest mountain massif in Germany is the Leutasch Dreitorspitze, which is also known as the Karlspitze. The Dreitorspitze marks the spot where the main chain of the Wetterstein mountains changes direction from its primary east–west orientation to run northwards for a short distance, before turning back again onto its main axis. East of the Dreitorspitze lies the karst plateau of the Leutasch Platt, comparable to the Zugspitzplatt at the foot of the Zugspitze.
The Ammergau Alps are a mountain range in the Northern Limestone Alps in the states of Bavaria (Germany) and Tyrol (Austria). They cover an area of about 30 x 30 km and begin at the outer edge of the Alps. The highest summit is the Daniel which has a height of 2,340 metres (7,680 ft).
The Munich–Garmisch-Partenkirchen railway is a single track, electrified main line railway in the southern part of the German state of Bavaria. It runs from Munich via Starnberg and Murnau to Garmisch-Partenkirchen. The first part of it was opened in 1854 and is one of the oldest lines in Germany.
The County of Werdenfels in the present-day Werdenfelser Land in South Germany was a county that enjoyed imperial immediacy that belonged to the Bishopric of Freising from the late 13th century until the secularisation of the Bishopric in 1803.
The Werdenfelser Land is a region of Upper Bavaria that extends from Mittenwald in the south to Farchant. It includes parts of the Bavarian Alps. From the Middle Ages until the Thirty Years' War, the Werdenfelser Land was subject to the Prince-Bishop of Freising, not the Duke of Bavaria.
Hammersbach is a village in the municipality of Grainau at the foot of the Wetterstein Mountains in South Germany. It is located at the southwestern end of the market town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen and is an important base for tours by mountaineers and hikers.
The Mittenwald Railway, popularly known as the Karwendelbahn, is a railway line in the Alps in Austria and Germany. It connects Innsbruck via Seefeld and Mittenwald to Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
The Seefeld Saddle is a saddle and mountain pass, 1,185 m (AA), in the Northern Limestone Alps in the Austrian federal state of Tyrol. Two major transport routes run over it: the Seefelder Straße (B 177) and the Mittenwald Railway. On the Seefeld Plateau north of the saddle lies the village and ski resort of Seefeld in Tirol.
Johannes Müller was an unconventional German Protestant theologian.