Zugspitze – Germany’s highest peak Zugspitze – Germany’s highest peak Top of Germany! So that is what it feels like to have Germany at your feet: At precisely 2,962 metres above sea level, the Zugspitze is the highest mountain in the country and home to three glaciers and Germany’s highest ski resort. The 20 kilometres of pistes enjoy a deep covering of natural snow for skiing and boarding for six months of the year. The Zugspitze is also an attractive destination for non-skiers: Right at the top, an impressive 360° panorama opens up to reveal extensive views over 400 mountain peaks in four countries. The Zugspitze-Exhibition enhances visitors’ awareness of the historical developments of Germany’s most famous mountain. Two toboggan runs, Germany’s highest church, an igloo village and excellent mountain restaurants are reason enough for smiling faces. Only while sunbathing on the inviting deckchairs may you find that your eyelids droop for a well-earned snooze.

Whether winter sports enthusiasts, nature lovers, romantics or sun worshippers: The mountain railways of Bayerische Zugspitzbahn make it possible for everyone to discover the snow covered Zugspitze from their own personal perspective. Zugspitze Round Trip Enjoy the complete mountain experience in comfort: Take the cog wheel train from Zugspitze station Garmisch-Partenkirchen to the idyllic Lake Eibsee. The ascent with the Eibsee cable car offers spectacular views down to the lake, before new horizons open up with a powerful panorama at the Zugspitze Peak. The Zugspitze Glacier at 2,600 metres is then accessed using the glacier lifts, before the rack and pinion railway comfortably transports you through the Zugspitze Tunnel and back to your original starting point. A well rounded trip!

Zugspitzbahn: 8.15 am - 4.30 pm Gletscherbahn: 8.00 am - 4.25 pm Eibsee-Seilbahn: 8.00 am - 4:45 pm Hausbergbahn: 8.30 am - 4.15 pm Alpspitzbahn: 8.30 am - 4.30 pm Kreuzeckbahn 8.30 am - 4.15 pm Wankbahn: 8.30 am - 4.30 pm Mountains in Germany – Germany Tourism and Travel by Everything about Germany Comments Bavarian Forest Mountain Range The Bavarian Forest (German: Bayerischer Wald) is a low mountain range in Bavaria, Germany. It extends along the Czech border and is continued on the Czech side by the Sumava (Bohemian Forest). Geographically the Bavarian Forest and Bohemian Forest are the same mountain range. The highest mountain is the Großer Arber “Great Arber”, 1456 m.

The main river is the Regen, which is formed by the conjunction of White Regen and Black Regen and leaves the mountains toward the city of Regensburg. Part of the Bavarian Forest is occupied by the Bavarian Forest National Park (240 km²). Founded in 1970 and was the first national park in Germany. Black Forest Mountain Range The Black Forest (Schwarzwald) is a wooded mountain range in Baden-Württemberg, southwestern Germany. It is bordered by the Rhine valley to the west and south. The highest peak is the Feldberg with an elevation of 1,493 meters (4,898 feet). The name Black Forest comes from the general dark color of the numerous pine trees that grow in this region. The Black Forest gateau originated from this region. Geography – Geologically, the Black Forest consists of a cover of sandstone on top of a core of gneiss. During the last ice age, the Würm glaciation, the Black Forest was covered by glaciers; several cirques such as the Mummelsee are remains of this period.

Rivers in the Black Forest include Danube, Enz, Kinzig, Murg, Neckar, and Rench. The Black Forest is part of the continental divide between the Atlantic Ocean watershed (drained by the Rhine) and the Black Sea watershed (drained by the Danube). Administratively, the Black Forest belongs to the following counties; in the north: Enz, Pforzheim, Rastatt, and Calw; in the middle: Freudenstadt, Ortenaukreis, and Rottweil; in the south: Emmendingen, Schwarzwald-Baar, Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald, Lörrach, and Waldshut. The forest mostly consists of firs; the main industry is tourism. Dialects spoken are Alemannic and Swabian. This forest has suffered serious damage from acid rain and is only a fraction of the size it used to be; however, the storm Lothar knocked down hundreds of acres of mountaintops in 1999, leaving some of the high peaks and scenic hills bare, with only primary growth shrubs and young fir trees.

Many people say that they call it the black forest mountains because when on the mountain, in the wooded areas, is seems dark from the shadows of all the trees. Quick Fact: The highest mountains are the Feldberg at 4,898 ft., the herzogenhorn at 4,642 ft., the belchen at 4,639 ft., the Schauinsland at 4,212 ft., the Kandel at 4,072 ft., the Blauen at 3,822 ft., and the Hornisgrinde at 3,819 ft. Eastern Alps Eastern Alps is the name given to the eastern half of the Alps, usually defined as the area east of the Splügen Pass in eastern Switzerland. North of the Splügen Pass, the Posterior Rhine forms the border, and south of the pass, the Liro river and Lake Como form the boundary line. The Eastern Alps include parts of Switzerland, most of Austria and of Liechtenstein, as well as parts of southern Germany, northern Italy and of Slovenia.

The eastern border are the Wienerwald (Vienna Woods) and the Viennese basin which is the transition zone to the Carpathian mountains. The Eastern Alps are traditionally divided according to the Alpenvereins-Einteilung (arrangement of the Alpine Club) into several dozen small regions, each assigned to the Northern Calcareous Alps, the Central Eastern Alps or the Southern Calcareous Alps. Fuller details are given on those pages of the regions they contain. The highest mountain in the Eastern Alps is Piz Bernina (4052 m) in Switzerland, followed by the Ortler (3905 m) in Italy/South Tyrol and then Großglockner (3798 m) in Austria. During the Würm glaciation, the Eastern Alps were drier than the Western Alps, with the contiguous ice shield ending in the region of the Niedere Tauern in Austria. This allowed many species to survive the ice age in the Eastern Alps where they could not survive elsewhere. For that reason, many species of plants are endemic to the Eastern Alps.

Elbe Sandstone Mountains The Elbe Sandstone Mountains (German Elbsandsteingebirge, Czech Labské pískovce) is a mountain range. It straddles the border between the states of Saxony (in south eastern Germany) and the Czech Republic. The name derives from the sandstone which was carved by the river Elbe. The holiday region of Elbe Sandstone Mountains (Saxon Switzerland), one of the most unique regions of natural beauty in Germany, is right on Dresden`s doorstep: the wildly romantic rocky landscapes of Elb Sandstone Mountains Roaring streams in craggy gorges, trees perched on promontories of rock jut out from the surrounding forest to form a unique backdrop for tourists and hikers alike. Places of interest include fortress Königstein, Fort Stolpen, Fort Hohnstein, Kuckuckstein Castle, and Weesenstein Castle. There are some 14,000 climbing routes via which mountain climbers can conquer 1100 free-standing peaks. Visitors can experience the spectacular natural scenes on the asphalt Elb cycle path, or on board a steam paddle boat that is part of the oldest fleet of its kind in the world.

In the Elbe Sandstone Mountains you find numerous facilities for cure, rehablitation and the likes. The region has a tradition of many years. E.g. in the year 1730 there were discovered the first ferrous and sulphurous sources in Bad Schandau, what caused a brisk demand for this place as a health resort and let to the build of swimming baths. Sandstone: Sandstone is a bedrock from rounded to sharp-edged grains, whose diameter lies in between 0,063 mm to 2 mm according to the DIN 4022. The term sand thus describes a defined grain size interval. In contrary to most other rocks the sandstone is not defined by a certain mineral constituent. Quartz is generally regarded as the main mineral. The various grains of sand, the components, can also consist of other minerals or rock fragments. A sandstone, whose components consist to more than 90% of quartz grains, is called quartz sand stone. If a sandstone component leads, whose diameter exceeds 2 mm, then it is called conglomerate sandstone (e.g. OLSBRUECKER SANDSTONE).

Sandstones with portions of grain sizes under 0,063 mm or 0,002 mm are called silty and/or clayey sandstones. Genesis: Sandstones are deposit or sedimentary rocks, resulting from the solidification of loose sand, the sediment. After CORRENS sediments are regarded as deposited products of mechanical and chemical decomposition after transport. Means of transport are essentially water, wind and ice. The deposit of the sand takes place due to the force of gravity via mechanical sedimentation. All components of a sandstone set off mechanically after transport are called detritus. Characteristic for all sedimentary rocks is the layering. It results from changes in the sedimentation conditions, e.g. the supply of materially different detritus or the change of the grain size of the depositing substances. The banking which can be observed in sandstone sequences is to be due to repeated sedimentation interruptions. The emergence of sandstones is possible in different deposit areas. The deposit of sand can take place within by streams nerved lowlands, within the muzzle range of rivers (delta levels) as well as within the sea range in direct proximity of the coast or on shallows.

The diversity of the deposit areas mentioned with their specific deposit conditions, which experienced their unmistakable development in the temporal succession of earth-historical procedures, lead to different sandstones, which arrive into the trade with a large sort-variety. Layer sequence in the sandstone Today the sandstone of this region shapes the landscape which was the sea bottom millions of years ago. Large rivers rinsed sand and decomposition debris into the Cretaceous sea. Rough quartz sand, clay and fine marl sank and solidified themselves layer for layer. A compact sandstone plate developed, about 20 x 30 kilometres wide and up to 600 meters thick. 1. Bohemian massif 4. Rhenish massif 5. Prehistoric sea of the Cretaceous period When the sea left approx 80 million years ago, the mountainforming decay began. At first bursts developed. From the north coming the Lusatian granite massif pushed itself gradually onto the sandstone plate. From the south the lifting mountains of the today’s Erzgebirge caused counterpressure – which slanted the brittle sandstone plate and bursted it.

From the nearly right-angled break lines later the typical, cuboid-like fissure of the Elbe sandstone developed. Estergebirge Estergebirge is a small mountain range in Bavaria. It is classified either as part of Bavarian Prealps or larger chain of Northern Limestone Alps. The range stretches for about 15 kilometers, from the west is bordered by valley of river Loisach, from the east by Walchensee lake and valley of river Isar. With highest peak Krottenkopf (2086 m) the highest part of the range just excedes 2000 m level. Prominent peaks are Krottenkopf (2086 m), Bischof (2033 m), Hohe Kisten (1922 m), der Hohe Fricken (1940 m). Standing few kilometer away is Simetsberg (1.836 m). The range is of limestone. Treeline is around 1700 m.

As only the peak Wank (1779 m) is accessible by cable car, and most tourist and mountaineers are attracted to nearby higher ranges Wetterstein, Karwendel and to highest peak of Germany Zugspitze, Estergebirge stays relatively calm, with the exception of Wank. Estergebirge offers various trekking and mountaineering possibilities both in summer and winter. Fichtelgebirge The Fichtelgebirge is a mountain range in northeastern Bavaria, Germany. It extends from the valley of the Red Main River to the Czech border, where it is continued by the much higher Ore Mountains. The highest mountain is the Schneeberg (1051 m). Rivers rising from the Fichtelgebirge are the White Main (German: Weißer Main) , the Saxon Saale, the Ohře (German: Eger) and the Fichtelnaab which later joins the Waldnaab. Cities on the edge of the mountains include Bayreuth and Hof. While the mountains slope gradually away to the north and the south, there is a steep slope to the west, where the Red Main forms the boundary of the mountains.

The Fichtelgebirge attracts many tourists both during summer and winter, mainly for hiking and skiing, but also to see the large rock formations. Frankenwald The Frankenwald is a mid-altitude mountain range in Northern Bavaria, Germany. It is located in the district Oberfranken and forms the geological connection between the Fichtelgebirge and the Thuringian Forest. It is a broad well-wooded plateau, running for about 45 kilometers (30 miles). in a north-westerly direction, descending gently on the north and eastern sides towards the Saale, but more precipitously to the Bavarian plain in the west, and attaining its highest elevation in the Döbraberg near Schwarzenbach am Wald (794 meters). Along the centre lies the watershed between the basins of the Main and the Saale, belonging to the systems of the Rhine and Elbe respectively. Harz The Harz is a mountain range in northern Germany. The northernmost mountain chain of Germany, it straddles the border between the states of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia. The name Harz derives from a Middle High German word meaning “forest”.

The Harz has a length of 95 km (southeast to northwest) and a width of 35 km. It occupies an area of about 2000 km², and reaches its highest point at the Brocken (1141 m), situated in Saxony-Anhalt. The Wurmberg (971 m) is the highest peak in the Lower Saxony part. 600,000 people live in towns and villages of the Harz mountains. The Harz is divided into the Upper Harz (Oberharz) in the northwest and the Lower Harz (Unterharz) in the southeast. The Upper Harz has a higher elevation and features fir forests, while the Lower Harz gradually descends towards the surrounding land and has deciduous forests mingled with meadows. The settlement of the Harz began only 1000 years ago. In ancient times dense forests made the region inaccessible. 968 saw the discovery of silver deposits near the town of Goslar, and mines became established in the following centuries throughout the mountains. The wealth of the region declined after these mines became exhausted in the early 19th century.

People abandoned the towns for a short time, but prosperity eventually returned with tourism. Between 1945 and 1990 an international border ran through the Harz, the west belonging to the FRG and the east to the GDR. Today the Harz forms a popular tourist destination for summer hiking as well as winter sports. The Harz National Park is located in the Harz; it covers the Brocken and surrounding wilderness areas. Hunsrück The Hunsrück is a low mountain range in Rheinland-Pfalz (Rhineland-Palatinate), Germany. It is bounded by the river valleys of the Moselle (north), the Nahe (south) and the Rhine (east). The Hunsrück is continued by the Taunus mountains on the eastern side of the Rhine. In the north behind the Moselle it is continued by the Eifel. To the south of the Nahe, the Pfalz is to be found. Many of the hills are not higher than 400 m.

There are several chains of higher peaks within the Hunsrück, all bearing names on their own: the (Schwarzwälder) Hochwald, the Idarwald, the Soonwald and the Binger Wald. The highest peak is the Erbeskopf (816 m). Notable towns located within the Hunsrück include Simmern, Kirchberg, and Idar-Oberstein, Kastellaun and Morbach. Frankfurt-Hahn Airport, a growing low-fare carrier and cargo airport is also located within the region. The climate in the Hunsrück is characterised by rainy weather. Slate is mined in the mountains. The German TV drama trilogy Heimat, directed by Edgar Reitz, examined the 20th-century life of a small fictional village in the Hunsrück. Lusatian Mountains Lusatian Mountains (Czech: Lužické hory, German: Lausitzer Gebirge), a mountain range of Europe, on the southeastern border of Germany and the Czech Republic, east of the Elbe River, a continuation of the Erzgebirge which is west of the Elbe.

The Lusatians themselves are an extension of the Sudeten Mountains of Bohemia and Moravia, and which join the Carpathian Mountains. The adjacent portion in southeastern Germany is called Lusatia. The highest peak is Luž (Lausche) 793 m. Other notable peaks include Pěnkavčí vrch (Finkenkoppe) 792 m, Jedlová (Tannenberg) 774 m, Klíč (Kleis) 760 m, Hvozd (Hochwald) 750 m and Studenec (Kaltenberg) 736 m. Ore Mountains The Ore Mountains (German Erzgebirge, Czech Krušné hory) are a mountain range in Germany and the Czech Republic. They form the border between both countries for 150 km, extending from the western border of Saxony to the Elbe river. The western portions of the Ore Mountains have the highest peaks. The Klínovec (1244 m) on the Czech side and the Fichtelberg (1214 m) on the German side are the highest mountains of this range.

In the west the Ore Mountains are continued by the much lower Bavarian Fichtelgebirge. In the east the Elbe Sandstone Mountains on both banks of the Elbe river may be regarded as the easternmost extension of the Ore Mountains. East the Elbe, the mountain chain continues as the Lusatian Mountains. The Ore Mountains slope gently away to the north, where the cities of Zwickau and Chemnitz are located on the foothills, but the southern incline is extremely steep. The Ore Mountains were virtually unsettled during the Middle Ages and covered with dense forests. In the 15th century the discovery of silver and tin deposits led to the settlement of the mountains and the foundation of cities. The name is derived from the richness in mineral resources. Segmented Erz-gebirge, the name takes Erz- from the Tuscan city Arezzo, which produced such fine metal that its name became the German word for metal. Gebirge are “mountains.” Today the mountains are also a popular winter sports resort. The Ore Mountains are famous for many Christmas traditions. During the decline of silver and tin deposits, former miners had to look for new ways to feed their families.

Besides lace making and woving, they went into wood carving. Nutcrackers, Smoking Men, Pyramids (carousels with figures of the Christmas story or from mining) and Schwibbogen (wooden arcs with candles in the windows, symbolising the opening of a mine) are just some of many Christmas items of the Ore Mountains. Seiffen in the East Ore Mountains was a centre of the wooden toy industry. Orlické Hory The Orlické Hory (Polish Góry Orlickie, German Adlergebirge) are a mountain range located mainly in northeastern Bohemia, Czech Republic, forming a subgroup of the Sudetes. They follow the border with Poland for 25 miles (40 km). The mountains are mainly composed of crystalline rocks, consistent with the makeup of the northern rim of the highlands of Bohemia. The highest point in the range is Velká Deštná, at 3,658 feet (1,115 m). Rhön Mountains The Rhön Mountains are a group of low mountains in central Germany, located in the states Hesse, Bavaria and Thuringia.

They are the product of ancient volcanic activity and are separated from the Vogelsberg Mountains by the Fulda River and its valley. These mountains are a popular tourist destination. Hikers come for the nearly 6,000 km (3,750 miles) of tracks through the picturesque scenery, and gliding enthusiasts have been drawn to the area since the early Twentieth century. More recently, farmstays are flourishing in the region. Since 1991, UNESCO has declared the Rhön a Biosphere Reserve on account of its unique high-altitude ecosystem.

The peaks of the Rhön include: Wasserkuppe 950 m (3,110 ft), (hessian rhön) Kreuzberg (mountain) 928 m (3,040 ft) (bavarian rhön) Schwabenhimmel 926 m (3,040 ft) (bavarian rhön) Heidelstein 913 m (3,000 ft) (bavarian rhön) Milseburg 835 m (2,740 ft) (hessian rhön) Feuerberg 832 m (2,730 ft) (bavarian rhön) Ellenbogen 814 m (2,670 ft) (thuringian rhön) Spessart The Spessart is a hill chain in northwestern Bavaria and southern Hesse, Germany. On three sides it is bounded by the Main River, which describes a long curve. Two large cities are located at the foot of the Spessart: Aschaffenburg and Würzburg.

Although the Spessart is a roughly circular hill country, the main ridge extends from the southwest to the northeast. It is continued by the Odenwald in the southwest and by the Rhön in the northeast. Its highest peak is the Geiersberg (586 m). Apart from the edges, the region is sparsely populated. Two nature parks called Bavarian Spessart and Hessian Spessart occupy large portions of the hills. Sudetes The Sudetes, also called Sudeten or Sudety is a mountain range in Central Europe. It stretches from eastern Germany to Poland and Czech Republic. The highest mountain is Sněžka-Śnieżka in Krkonoše/Karkonosze Mountains on the Czech-Polish border. It reaches up to 1,602 m. The Sudetes are divided into: 1. Western Sudetes Germany Large Color Map Print this map Geography By size, Germany is the seventh-largest European country and from north to south the topography varies quite dramatically. The North European Plain extends across the northern reaches of the country; this flat, lowland terrain is dissected by numerous bogs, rivers and streams, and is mostly used as farmland.

The North Sea coastline is low, marshy wet land, with dikes, mudflats and scattered islands. The Baltic Sea is hillier with some jagged cliffs. Rugen, Germany's largest island, is forested and rather hilly with steep cliffs and sandy beaches. In the northeast, and then stretching to the south of Berlin, Germany's land remains sandy and punctuated by dozens of mostly small lakes formed by retreating glaciers during the last Ice Age. The land then rises into the forested uplands of central Germany. Major landforms here include the volcanic in origin Harz Mountains and the thickly wooded Rothaargebirge Mountains. Further south the rounded hills and mountains of the Eifel and Huynsruck uplands front the Rhine River Valley. Moving eastward through Germany, the Vogelsberg Mountains, Rhon Plateau (or Mts.) and Thuringian Forest are the dominate features. The uplands continue eastward, eventually rising into the Ore Mountains on the Czech Republic border. In the far south the land remains mostly hilly, with heavily forested mountains.

The Bohemian Forest covers a lower mountain range along the Czech Republic border, and along the country's far-southwestern border with the Rhine River and France stands the thick (story-book famous) Black Forest. The Bavarian Alps, the highest mountains in Germany stretch across its southern border with Austria. Snow covered Zugspitze, Germany's highest point is found here. Stretched along the northern coastline, the Frisian Islands, East and North are separated from the mainland by the Waddenmeer. These barrier islands provide a small level of protection from the North Sea. The country is drained by dozens of rivers. The longest river in Germany is the Rhine. Rising in the Alps of Switzerland, it's overall length runs (820 miles) (1,319 km), and along it path numerous tributaries and branches stretch in all directions Another river of note is the Danube, which rises in the Black Forest to then stretch across central Europe all the way to the Black Sea. Additional rivers of size include the Elbe, Ems, Havel, Isr, Lahn, Lech, Main, Moselle, Oder, Spree and Weser.

The largest lakes include Chiemsee and Muritz, and Lake Constance along the Swiss border in the south. Across Germany a large series of man-made canals join navigable rivers, creating thousands of miles of interconnecting inland waterways. They're used for commercial and local traffic, and by large fleets of cruising riverboats and charter barges. Germany Germany Official name : Federal Republic of Germany Area: 357,021 square kilometers (137,847 square miles) Highest point on mainland: Zugspitze (2,963 meters/9,721 feet) Lowest point on land: Freepsum Lake (2 meters/6.6 feet below sea level) Hemispheres: Northern and Eastern P.M.

= noon GMT Longest distances: 853 kilometers (530 miles) from north to south; 650 kilometers (404 miles) from east to west Land boundaries: 3,618 kilometers (2,248 miles) total boundary length; Austria 784 kilometers (487 miles); Belgium 167 kilometers (104 miles); Czech Republic 646 kilometers (401 miles); Denmark 68 kilometers (42 miles); France 451 kilometers (280 miles); Luxembourg 135 kilometers (84 miles); Netherlands 577 kilometers (359 miles); Poland 456 kilometers (302 miles); Switzerland 334 kilometers (208 miles) Coastline: 2,389 kilometers (1,484 miles) Territorial sea limits: 22 kilometers (12 nautical miles) 1 LOCATION AND SIZE Germany is located in central Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea between the countries of Poland and The Netherlands. The country also shares borders with Denmark, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Switzerland, Austria, and the Czech Republic.

With an area of about 357,021 square kilometers (137,847 square miles), the country is slightly smaller than the state of Montana. Germany is divided into sixteen states. 2 TERRITORIES AND DEPENDENCIES Germany has no outside territories or dependencies. 3 CLIMATE Germany has a temperate and marine climate. The Gulf Stream westerly winds from the North Sea moderate temperatures throughout the year. In the lowlands, mid-winter temperatures average more than 1.6°C (35°F), while summer temperatures average between 16° and 18°C (61° and 64°F). In the south, temperatures are somewhat more extreme, averaging about -2°C (28°F) in winter and 19.4°C (67°F) or higher in summer. The yearly mean for the entire country is 9°C (48°F). Rainfall varies from 200 centimeters (79 inches) in the Alps to 40 centimeters (16 inches) in the vicinity of Mainz.

In the maritime region, precipitation varies between 61 and 64 centimeters (24 and 25 inches), close to the national yearly average of between 60 and 80 centimeters (24 and 31.5 inches). 4 TOPOGRAPHIC REGIONS Topographically, Germany is composed of northern lowlands, central uplands, Alpine foothills, and Bavarian Alps. The northern plain covers the upper one-third of the country and contains the coastal area in the far north. Inland, the plain becomes hilly and is crisscrossed by rivers and valleys. These hills open to the Alpine Foreland where north-south ranges interspersed with deep valleys climb to the wooded slopes and craggy peaks of the German-Austrian Alps. Germany lies on the Eurasian Tectonic Plate. 5 OCEANS AND SEAS Seacoast and Undersea Features Germany faces the North Sea to the northwest and Baltic Sea to the northeast. A narrow strip of land on which Germany borders Denmark separates the two seas, both of which are extensions of the Atlantic Ocean. Sea Inlets and Straits On the Baltic Sea, Mecklenburg Bay carves into the German coast.

Islands and Archipelagos In the North Sea, a line of inshore sand dunes became the East Frisian Islands when the shoreline sank during the thirteenth century. These islands have maximum elevations of less than 35 meters (115 feet) and they have been subject to eroding forces that have washed away whole sections of the coast during storms. In 1854, for example, the sea reclaimed the only village on Wangerooge, the easternmost of the main East Frisian Islands. The islands are strung along the coast in a nearly straight line roughly parallel to the coast. The North Frisian Islands are located in the North Sea near the border with Denmark. They are irregularly shaped and haphazardly positioned. At 927 square kilometers (358 square miles) in area, Germany's largest island is Rügen. It lies in the Baltic Sea off Stralsund. Another large island, Fehmarn, is located at the northern edge of Mecklenburg Bay in the Baltic Sea. Coastal Features The North Sea coast has wide expanses of sand, marsh, and mudflats (watten).

On the Baltic side, the northern sections of Schwerin and Neubrandenburg districts, which are also coastal, are dotted with marshes and numerous lakes. On the North Sea side, the coastal mud flats between the Frisian Islands and the shore are exposed at very low tides and are crossed by innumerable channels. The mud and sand are constantly shifting, making navigation treacherous. The Schleswig-Holstein coast on the Baltic Sea differs markedly from that on the North Sea. It is indented by a number of small fjords with steep banks. The deep water and shelter of the fjords provide safe sailing conditions. Fishing villages are common on this coast, which is flat and sandy. Farther east, the coastline is uneven but also generally flat and sandy. The continuous action of wind and waves has created sand dunes and ridges. Sandbars connect the mainland with some of its offshore islands. The Jasmund National Park, along the northeast shore of the Baltic Sea, is characterized by dramatic chalk cliffs. The Königsstuhl is the highest point of this coastline, reaching 117 meters (386 feet).

6 INLAND LAKES The northern lowlands contain numerous lakes, particularly in northeastern Germany and around Berlin. Lakes in this region include Lake Müritz, Lake Kummerow, Lake Plau, and Lake Schwerin. In general, these lakes are of little commercial value because of their shallow depth. The Alpine Foothills are speckled with many lakes of clear, clean water and steep, wooded banks. At higher elevations, glacial lakes add to the spectacular charm of the Alpine meadows. Several lakes dot the landscape in this area of southern Germany, including Ammer Lake, Lake Chiem, and Starnberger See. Lake Constance (Bodensee), through which passes the upper Rhine River, is shared with Switzerland and Austria. It is Germany's largest lake, with a surface area of 571.5 square kilometers (220.7 square miles), of which 305 square kilometers (118 square miles) lie within Germany. It is 74 kilometers (46 miles) long and reaches a maximum depth of 252 meters (827 feet).

7 RIVERS AND WATERFALLS The greater part of the country drains into the North Sea via the Rhine, the Ems, the Weser, the Saale, and the Elbe Rivers. A small area north and northeast of Hamburg drains into the Baltic Sea via the Oder River on the Polish border. Germany's two longest rivers are the Rhine and the Danube (Donau). The Rhine is one of the largest and most commercially important rivers in Western Europe. The western part of Germany is called the Rhineland. The Rhine rises in Switzerland, then flows into Lake Constance and to the west, along Germany's southern border with Switzerland, before turning north into Germany. The Rhine receives a steady flow from melting snow in the winter. In the summer, it is fed from the Neckar, the Main, and the Moselle, its three principal tributaries in Germany (the Moselle has its headwaters in France). The Rhine curves west again and branches into a delta shortly after exiting Germany for the Netherlands, after which it flows into the North Sea. DID YOU KNOW?

After Germany was defeated in World War II, the victorious Allies had separated the country into two parts: East Germany, controlled by the Soviet Union, and West Germany, occupied by American, French, and British troops. The East German government constructed the Berlin Wall in 1961 to separate the entire border between East and West Germany. The concrete wall, topped with barbed wire and guarded by armed military personnel, was meant to keep East Germans from emigrating to the West. In 1989, when the Soviet Union abandoned its forced program of Communism for its outside territories, dismantling of the Wall began. In October 1990, East Germany was reunited with West Germany to form the present Federal Republic of Germany. Today, most of the Berlin Wall is gone. Much of the concrete was crushed and recycled for road construction. Some large sections of the Wall were sold, and a few sections still stand today as memorials. In downtown Berlin, the line where the Wall once stood is marked with either a red line or a double row of cobblestones.

The Danube rises in the southwestern part of the country, not far from the Rhine, but the Danube flows northeast until it reaches the Bavarian Forest, where it curves southeast and exits into Austria at Passau. It then follows a winding, generally eastern course through Hungary, Yugoslavia, and Romania before finally emptying into the Black Sea 2,850 kilometers (1,771 miles) from its source. It flows for 647 kilometers (402 miles) within Germany itself. The second-longest river in Europe, the Danube is a vital commercial and transportation route. 8 DESERTS There are no desert regions in Germany. 9 FLAT AND ROLLING TERRAIN Grasslands, pastures, and cultivated areas cover significant portions of the lowland plains, the Bavarian foothills, and the valleys and lower slopes of the Alps. Alpine meadows provide rich summer pastures. Barren moors cover the tops of the Harz Mountains in the Central Uplands. At least a third of the country lies in an area of northern plains known as the central lowlands.

These lowlands are part of a great plain that extends across north-central Europe, broadening from Belgium and the Netherlands until it reaches the Ural Mountains. The terrain is gentle and the landscape is marked by few sharp contrasts. Landform areas merge into one another, so no significant natural boundaries bar communications or distinguish one section of the country from another. Elevation in this region rarely exceeds 150 meters (492 feet). The land slopes imperceptibly toward the sea. Germany's Central Uplands are part of the Central European Uplands extending from the Massif Central in France into Poland and the Czech Republic. The landscape consists of hills, high ridges, and broad, tilted blocks of sedimentary rocks interspersed with deep, trough-like valleys and lowlands. The Central Uplands are bordered on the south by the south German scarplands, a succession of escarpments and intervening valleys stretching across the country from southern Baden-Württemberg to the northeastern corner of Bavaria. Sections of these uplands are formed by the extension of the Jura ranges from France and Switzerland. One of these ranges constitutes the Black Forest and a second chain forms the Swabian Alb and its extension, the Franconian Alb.

In the Black Forest, the Feldberg reaches an elevation of 1,496 meters (4,908 feet). The two albs are about 40 kilometers (25 miles) wide, and in several places peaks exceed altitudes of 900 meters (2,953 feet). They form an arc some 400 kilometers (248 miles) long, extending to the Central Uplands near Bayreuth. Traditional passages into the Central Uplands include the Hessian Corridor, located between Hanover and Frankfurt, which runs through Kassel on the Weser River. The deep incision of the valleys and their spectacular landscapes make the south German scarplands most distinctive. They give way to the gentle Alpine Foothills, which comprise all of Bavaria and the eastern portion of Baden-Württemberg. Most of this region is in the upper Danube River basin and is crossed by the Danube's main Alpine tributaries: the Iller, the Lech, the Isar, and the Inn. Germany is dotted with patches of forest.

A mixture of deciduous and conifer forests is found in the Central Uplands and southern scarplands such as the Thüringer Wald, the Bavarian and Bohemian Forests on the eastern frontiers, and the Black Forest in the southwest. In addition, the upper elevations in the Uplands surrounding the Rhine River are heavily forested, as are the Harz at lower levels. Conifers cover Alpine slopes. Good agricultural land is found at the base of the Thüringer Wald surrounding Erfurt, but soils in the southernmost districts are poor and are not favorable for cultivation. In the southern highlands, the Haardt Mountains stretch into southwestern Germany from France, following the Rhine River. Moving northwest along the Rhine, the elevations gradually diminish, reaching the Taunus Mountains, then finally lowering to the Seven Hills and Rothaar Hills in western Germany. 10 MOUNTAINS AND VOLCANOES The Bavarian Alps, high mountains that extend in a narrow strip along the country's southern boundary, are vital to the country's tourism industry. Three sections range eastward from Lake Constance on the Swiss border to just west of Salzburg on the Austrian border.

The Allgäuer portion extends from Lake Constance to the Lech River and contains attractions such as Neuschwanstein, site of King Ludwig's whimsical mountain castle at Königsee. The central Bavarian Alps, between the Lech and the Inn Rivers, contain the highest point in Germany, the Zugspitze (2,963 meters/9,721 feet). From the Inn to the Salzburg Alps lies the third and easternmost section, which includes the Berchtesgaden resort, home of Hitler's infamous retreat, the Eagle's Nest. There are several other peaks which top 2,500 meters (8,202 feet); these include Watzmann, at 2,713 meters (8,901 feet); Hochfrottspitze, at 2,649 meters (8,691 feet); and Madelgabel, at 2,645 meters (8,678 feet). These summits rise majestically over the Bavarian Alps. In the center of Germany are the Rhon Mountains, whose highest point is Mount Grosser Beer at 982 meters (3,221 feet).

Just north and slightly to the east of this range are the Kyffhäuser Mountains. The Harz range forms the northwest section and its highest point, Brocken Peak, reaches a height of 1,141 meters (3,743 feet). To the southeast along the Czech border are the Ore Mountains, with elevations reaching 1,213 meters (3,980 feet) at Fichtelberg. Many major industrial centers are situated along the base of the Ores. 11 CANYONS AND CAVES The Schlossberg caves near Hamburg are Europe's largest sandstone caves. Long corridors connect their vast, multi-tiered, and multicolored sandstone rooms; visitors may explore about 1,000 meters (3,000 feet) of these tunnels. Part of a fortress that was destroyed in 1714, the caves were not rediscovered until around 1930. The Messel Pit Fossil Site, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has produced the largest known collection of fossils from the Eocene Age, which occurred between 36 million and 57 million years ago. Mammals began to evolve during the Eocene Age.

Besides skeleton fossils, researchers also have found well-preserved organ fossils, such as animal stomachs and their contents. 12 PLATEAUS AND MONOLITHS The Central German Uplands consist of a massive rectangular block of slate and shale covered by a gently rolling plateau averaging 400 meters (1,312 feet) in elevation, with peaks from 800 to 900 meters (2,625 to 2,952 feet). The plateau extends from the Rheinish Uplands on the French border to the Ore Mountains, part of the Bohemian Massif, on the Czech border. The plateau contains several river valleys: the Rhine and the Moselle in the west, the Weser in the center, and the Elbe on the east. The southern edge is demarcated by the Main River, which flows westerly to the Rhine. 13 MAN-MADE FEATURES Germany has an extensive system of canals that effectively link all of its major rivers together.

A series of canals runs across the middle of the country, including the Dortmund-Ems Canal, connecting the Rhine with the Ems; the Mittelland Canal, connecting the Ems with the Wesser and the Elbe; as well as other shorter canals. The Main-Danube Canal crosses through the Franconian Alb to connect those two rivers. In northern Germany, the Nord-Ostsee Canal (Kiel Canal) connects the estuary of the Elbe River on the North Sea with the Baltic Sea at Kiel. It is one of the world's busiest canals. 14 FURTHER READING Berendes, Mary. Germany . Chanhassen, MN: Child's World, 2000. Hargrove, J. Germany . Chicago: Children's Press, 1991. Jones, Alun. The New Germany: A Human Geography . New York: John Wiley and Sons, 1994. Mellor, Roy E.H. The Two Germanies: A Modern Geography . London: Harper and Row, 1978.

Web Sites Geography of Germany - Physical Setting, Topography, Drainage Geography of Germany World Facts Index > Germany > Geography Map of Germany Physical Setting Germany has an area of 356,959 square kilometers. Extending 853 kilometers from its northern border with Denmark to the Alps in the south, it is the sixth largest country in Europe. At its widest, Germany measures approximately 650 kilometers from the Belgian-German border in the west to the Polish frontier in the east. The territory of the former East Germany (divided into five new L�nder in 1990) accounts for almost one-third of united Germany's territory and one-fifth of its population. After a close vote, in 1993 the Bundestag, the lower house of Germany's parliament, voted to transfer the capital from Bonn in the west to Berlin, a city-state in the east surrounded by the Land of Brandenburg. The relocation process is expected to be concluded by about the year 2000, following the transfer of the Bundestag, the Bundesrat, the Chancellory, and ten of the eighteen federal ministries.

Topography With its irregular, elongated shape, Germany provides an excellent example of a recurring sequence of landforms found the world over. A plain dotted with lakes, moors, marshes, and heaths retreats from the sea and reaches inland, where it becomes a landscape of hills crisscrossed by streams, rivers, and valleys. These hills lead upward, gradually forming high plateaus and woodlands and eventually climaxing in spectacular mountain ranges. As of the mid-1990s, about 37 percent of the country's area was arable; 17 percent consisted of meadows and pastures; 30 percent was forests and woodlands; and 16 percent was devoted to other uses. Geographers often divide Germany into four distinct topographic regions: the North German Lowland; the Central German Uplands; Southern Germany; and the Alpine Foreland and the Alps. North German Lowland The North German Lowland is a part of the Great European Plain that sweeps across Europe from the Pyrenees in France to the Ural Mountains in Russia.

All of the L�nder of Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg, Bremen, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Brandenburg, Berlin, most of Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt, and parts of Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia are located in this region. Hills in the lowland only rarely reach 200 meters in height, and most of the region is well under 100 meters above sea level. The lowlands slope almost imperceptibly toward the sea. The North Sea portion of the coastline is devoid of cliffs and has wide expanses of sand, marsh, and mud flats (Watten ). The mud flats between the Elbe estuary and the Netherlands border are believed to have been above sea level during Roman history and to have been inundated when the shoreline sank during the thirteenth century. In the western area, the former line of inshore sand dunes became the East Frisian Islands. The mud flats between the islands and the shore are exposed at very low tides and are crossed by innumerable channels varying in size from those cut by small creeks to those serving as the estuaries of the Elbe and Weser rivers.

The mud and sand are constantly shifting, and all harbor and shipping channels require continuing maintenance. The offshore islands have maximum elevations of fewer than thirty-five meters and have been subject to eroding forces that have washed away whole sections during severe storms. Shorelines most subject to eroding tides were stabilized during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Although the East Frisian Islands are strung along the coast in a nearly straight line, the North Frisian Islands are irregularly shaped and are haphazardly positioned. They were also once a part of the mainland, and a large portion of the mud flats between the islands and the coast is exposed during low tides. The Baltic Sea coast of Schleswig-Holstein differs markedly from its North Sea coast. It is indented by a number of small, deep fjords with steep banks, which were carved by rivers when the land was covered with glacial ice. Farther to the east, the Baltic shore is flat and sandy. R�gen, Germany's largest island, lies just offshore of Stralsund. Wherever the region's terrain is rolling and drainage is satisfactory, the land is highly productive.

This is especially true of the areas that contain a very fertile siltlike loess soil, better than most German soils. Such areas, called B�rden (sing., B�rde ), are located along the southern edge of the North German Lowland beginning west of the Rhine near the Ruhr Valley and extending eastward and into the Leipzig Basin. The Magdeburg B�rde is the best known of these areas. Other B�rden are located near Frankfurt am Main, northern Baden-W�rttemberg, and in an area to the north of Ulm and Munich. Because the areas with loess soil also have a moderate continental climate with a long growing season, they are considered Germany's breadbasket. Central German Uplands The Central German Uplands are Germany's portion of the Central European Uplands; they extend from the Massif Central in France to Poland and the Czech Republic. Germany's uplands are generally moderate in height and seldom reach elevations above 1,100 meters.

The region encompasses all of the Saarland, Hesse, and Thuringia; the north of Rhineland-Palatinate; substantial southern portions of North Rhine-Westphalia, Lower Saxony, and Saxony-Anhalt; and western parts of Saxony. In the west, the Central German Uplands begin with the Rheinish Uplands, a massive rectangular block of slate and shale with a gently rolling plateau of about 400 meters in elevation and peaks of about 800 to 900 meters. The Rheinish Uplands are divided by two deep and dramatic river valleys--the Moselle and the Rhine. The high hilly area to the south of the Moselle is the Hunsr�ck; the one to its north is the Eifel. The Rhine separates these areas from their extensions to the east, the Taunus, and, to the north, the Westerwald.

To the north and east of the Westerwald are further distinct areas of the Rheinish Uplands, most notably the small range of hills known as the Siebengebirge, across the Rhine from Bonn, and the larger hilly regions--the Siegerland, Bergishes Land, Sauerland, and the Rothaargebirge. The higher elevations of the Rheinish Uplands are heavily forested; lower-lying areas are well suited for the growing of grain, fruit, and early potatoes. Because of the low elevations of its valleys (200 to 350 meters), the Uplands of Hesse provide an easily traveled passageway through the Central German Uplands. Although not as dramatic as the Rhine Valley, for hundreds of years this passageway--the so-called Hessian Corridor--has been an important route between the south and the north, with Frankfurt am Main at one end and Hanover at the other, and Kassel on the Weser River in its center. The headwaters of the Weser have created a number of narrow but fertile valleys. The highlands of the Uplands of Hesse are volcanic in origin.

The most notable of these volcanic highlands are the Rh�n (950 meters) and the Vogelsburg (774 meters). To the north of the Uplands of Hesse lie two low ranges, the Teutoburger Wald and the Wiehengebirge, which are the northernmost fringes of the Central German Uplands. It is at the Porta Westfalica near Minden that the Weser River breaks through the latter range to reach the North German Lowland. One of the highest points in the Central German Uplands is at Brocken (1,142 meters) in the Harz Mountains. This range is situated about forty kilometers to the northeast of G�ttingen and forms the northwestern boundary of the Leipzig Basin, an extension of the North German Lowland. The Harz are still largely forested at lower levels; barren moors cover higher elevations. An important center for tourism in the 1990s, the range was once an important source for many minerals. The Th�ringer Wald, located in southwestern Thuringia, is a narrow range about 100 kilometers long, with its highest point just under 1,000 meters.

Running in a northwesterly direction, it links the Central German Uplands with the Bohemian Massif of the Czech Republic and forms the southwestern boundary of the Leipzig Basin. The basin's southeastern boundary is formed by the Erzgebirge range, which extends to the northeast at a right angle to the Th�ringer Wald. Part of the Bohemian Massif, the Erzgebirge range reaches 1,214 meters at its highest point. The southeasternmost portion of the Central German Uplands consists of the Bohemian Forest and the much smaller Bavarian Forest. Both ranges belong to the Bohemian Massif. The Bohemian Forest, with heights up to 1,450 meters, forms a natural boundary between Germany and the Czech Republic. Southern Germany Between the Central German Uplands and the Alpine Foreland and the Alps lies the geographical region of Southern Germany, which includes most of Baden-W�rttemberg, much of northern Bavaria, and portions of Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate. The Main River runs through the northern portion of this region.

The Upper Rhine River Valley, nearly 300 kilometers long and about fifty kilometers wide, serves as its western boundary. The Rhine's wide river valley here is in sharp contrast to its high narrow valley in the Rheinish Uplands. The southern boundaries of the region of Southern Germany are formed by extensions of the Jura Mountains of France and Switzerland. These ranges are separate from those of the Central German Uplands. One of these Jura ranges forms the Black Forest, whose highest peak is the Feldberg at 1,493 meters, and, continuing north, the less elevated Odenwald and Spessart hills. Another Jura range forms the Swabian Alb (see Glossary) and its continuation, the Franconian Alb. Up to 1,000 meters in height and approximately forty kilometers wide, the two albs form a long arc--400 kilometers long--from the southern end of the Black Forest to near Bayreuth and the hills of the Frankenwald region, which is part of the Central German Uplands. The Hardt Mountains in Rhineland-Palatinate, located to the west of the Rhine, are also an offshoot of the Jura Mountains.

The landscape of the Southern Germany region is often that of scarp and vale, with the eroded sandstone and limestone scarps facing to the northwest. The lowland terraces of the Rhine, Main, and Neckar river valleys, with their dry and warm climate, are suitable for agriculture and are highly productive. The loess and loam soils of the Rhine-Main Plain are cultivated extensively, and orchards and vineyards flourish. The Rhine-Main Plain is densely populated, and Frankfurt am Main, at its center, serves both as Germany's financial capital and as a major European transportation hub. Alpine Foreland and the Alps The Alpine Foreland makes up most of Bavaria and a good part of Baden-W�rttemberg. The foreland is roughly triangular in shape, about 400 kilometers long from west to east with a maximum width of about 150 kilometers north to south, and is bounded by Lake Constance and the Alps to the south, the Swabian and Franconian albs to the north, and the Bavarian Forest to the east.

Elevation within the foreland rises gently from about 400 meters near the Danube, which flows along its north, to about 750 meters at the beginning of the Alpine foothills. With the exception of Munich and the small cities of Augsburg, Ingolstadt, and Ulm, the foreland is primarily rural. Soils are generally poor, with the exception of some areas with loess soil, and much of the region is pasture or is sown to hardy crops. Germany's portion of the Alps accounts for a very small part of the country's area and consists only of a narrow fringe of mountains that runs along the country's border with Switzerland and Austria from Lake Constance in the west to Salzburg, Austria, in the east. The western section of the German Alps are the Alg�uer Alps, located between Lake Constance and the Lech River. The Bavarian Alps, the central section, lie between the Lech and Inn rivers and contain Germany's highest peak, the Zugspitze (2,963 meters). The Salzburg Alps, which begin at the Inn River and encircle Berchtesgaden, make up the easternmost section of Germany's Alps.

Drainage The greater part of the country drains into the North Sea via the Rhine, Ems, Weser, and Elbe rivers, which flow in a north-northwest direction. In the east, the Oder River and its tributary, the Neisse River, flow northward into the Baltic Sea and mark the border with Poland. With the exception of the Lahn River, which flows southward before joining the Rhine, most of the tributaries of these rivers flow in a west-to-east or east-to-west direction. In an exception to the south-north pattern of major rivers, the Danube River rises in the Black Forest and flows in a southeasterly direction, traversing Bavaria before crossing into Austria at Passau on the long journey to the Black Sea. The Iller, Lech, Isar, and Inn rivers flow from the south into the Danube and drain the Alpine Foreland. The Rhine, Germany's longest and most important river, originates in Switzerland, from where it flows into Lake Constance (actually a river basin).

At the lake's west end, it begins a long course (800 kilometers) to the Netherlands, at first marking the boundary between Germany and Switzerland and later that between Germany and France. Of the Rhine's three most important tributaries, the Moselle River drains parts of the Rheinish Uplands, the Main drains areas between the Central German Uplands and the Franconian Alb, and the Neckar River drains the area between the Black Forest and the Swabian Alb. Because these rivers keep the Rhine high during the winter and because melting snow in the Alps keeps it high during the spring and summer, the river generally has a high steady flow, which accounts for its being the busiest waterway in Europe. SOURCES: Library of Congress Country Studies/Area Handbook Germany’s highest mountain experience Germany’s highest mountain experience Welcome to the peak of happiness! Alternativen abseits der Skipisten Die Zugspitze. Das Gebiet Garmisch-Classic. Und der Panoramaberg Wank: Keine andere Region Deutschlands bietet so viele hochalpine Erlebnisse wie die verschneite Bergwelt rund um Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

Kein anderer Punkt im Bundesgebiet überragt die 2.962 Meter hohe Zugspitze. Und kein anderer Ausblick hält mit dem 360°-Panorama auf ihrem Gipfel mit. Wo sonst hat man schon 400 Bergspitzen in vier Ländern vor Augen? Weit über den Wolken und fernab des Alltags genießen Besucher flotte Skiabfahrten am Zugspitzgletscher, Rodelspaß auf Naturschneebahnen, polare Romantik im Iglu-Dorf und vieles mehr. Berge voll Naturerlebnisse finden Winterfans auch im Gebiet Garmisch-Classic und auf dem Wank. Auf der nahezu 1.000 Meter über den Abgrund ragenden Aussichtsplattform AlpspiX steigt das Adrenalin mit Sicherheit. Und auch am Fuße der Alpspitze, dem „Juwel des Werdenfelser Landes“, wecken einladende Skipisten und Winter-Wanderrouten Hochgefühle.

Wankbahn Wer kein aktiver Skifahrer oder Snowboarder ist, dem bieten sich in den Weihnachtsferien zahlreiche Alternativen in Weiß.Vom 1.780 Meter hohen Gipfel vis-à-vis der Zugspitze öffnet sich ein sagenhafter Rundblick auf das Esterberg-, Ammer-, Karwendel- und Wettersteingebirge, hinunter auf Garmisch-Partenkirchen und hinaus ins Loisachtal bis an die Grenzen von München. Auf den vorwiegend flachen Wegen rund um die Bergstation kann man gemütlich durch den Schnee stapfen und einzigartige Naturerlebnisse abseits des quirligen Pistenbetriebs in den gegenüberliegenden Skigebieten genießen. Auf der Sonnenterrasse der Sonnenalm können Ausflügler das winterliche Alpenpanorama bei einer Tasse Heißer Schokolade besonders hervorragend auf sich wirken lassen. Wankbahn Während der Feiertage vom 25. Dezember 2016 bis 8.

Januar 2017 täglich von 9:00 bis 16:30 Uhr in Betrieb. Wankbahn ¼ Ente inkl. Blaukraut und Knödel für 9,90 Euro Garmisch-Classic Von klassischen Winterfreuden wie Rodeln, Schneeschuhwandern und Wandern bis zu innovativen Bergerlebnissen wie die Aussichtsplattform AlpspiX: Das Gebiet Garmisch-Classic offeriert eine optimale Infrastruktur für berührende Naturerlebnisse. Und das auch für Nicht-Wintersportler, denn für alle Bergbahnen im Gebiet sind auch Fußgänger-Tickets erhältlich. Einheimische wie Gäste schätzen den mit der Bayerischen Zugspitzbahn zugänglichen Landstrich zwischen Alpspitze, Kreuzeck und Hausberg als abwechslungsreiches Wintersport- und Erholungsgebiet. Im Herzen des Skigebietes Garmisch-Classic liegt die Drehmöser 9, die nicht nur für aktive Wintersportler ideal erreichbar ist.

Mit der Hausbergbahn geht es auch für Ausflügler bequem zu der gemütlichen Hütte am Hausberg. Egal ob Mittags- oder Kaffeepause, auf der Terrasse der D9 lässt es sich bei Sonnenschein besonders entspannt über den Dächern Garmisch-Partenkirchens relaxen. Rundfahrt mit Alpspitz-, Hochalm- und Kreuzeckbahn Erwachsene: € 26,00 Dinkelpizza aus dem Steinofen je €11,50 Zugspitze Das Erlebnis, einmal auf der verschneiten Zugspitze zu stehen, bleibt zum Glück nicht nur erfahrenen Alpinisten vorbehalten. Mit den Bergbahnen der Bayerischen Zugspitzbahn fahren Zugspitzbesucher auch im Winter bequem bis auf das Dach Deutschlands. Oben angekommen warten eine satte Portion Schnee, Sonne und frische Bergluft.

Zum „Pflichtprogramm“ gehören der Besuch der Gipfelterrasse mit Vierländerblick auf über 400 Alpengipfel, eine rasante Rodelpartie auf dem Rodelhang Schneefernerkopf oder dem Anfängerhang am Zugspitzplatt sowie eine Pause auf der sonnenverwöhnten Terrasse des Gletscherrestaurants Sonnalpin. Oder wie wäre es mit einer Stärkung im Suppenkar am Zugspitzplatt? Das Angebot des erst neu eröffneten Restaurants reicht von traditionellen Eintöpfen bis hin zu exotischen Suppengerichten, sowohl in vegetarischen als auch veganen Varianten. Suppenkar-Angebot

Question: Located near the Austrian border, what is the name of Germany's highest mountain?
Answer: ZUGSPITZE