Eibsee& Partenkirchen

In April 2026, a long-held wish finally came true: to walk around the Eibsee, one of Germany's most famous and beautiful mountain lakes at the foot of Germany's highest mountain, the Zugspitze (2962 meters). We parked the van and followed the entire trail around the lake, a scenic walk of slightly over 8 kilometers. Even Kim completed the full round, while she really had to do her best and was broken at the end. In the meantime we enjoyed the views on the crystal-clear turquoise water, tiny islands, and snow-capped peaks reflected in the lake and I had some energy left to take dive in it though it was still pretty cold in the midst of spring.

View on the Eibsee, 1924. Photo: Kurt Hielscher.

The Eibsee was already a well-known destination during the interwar years when Kurt Hielscher hiked the lake and to the summit of the Zugspitze. It took till 1963 before the Eibsee-Seilbahn would bring visitors to the summit. Kurt Hielscher made also photos from there and went by foot, something I might need to do one day too, because it is quite expensive with the current Seilbahn Zugspitze which is operational only since December 2017, but that's something for a next time.

Kurt Hielscher made his photo somewhere around the first quarter of the round if you go against the clock. Unfortunately, the mountain range of the Zugspitze was not well visible then due to the clouds and I kind of missed it. Nevertheless, here some stunning sceneries that reflect the vibe of the round, better than Kurt Hielscher's photo simply because his photo lacks colour and the lake, to be honest, is about colour. 

In April it still was a bit cold, but we could enjoy a suny day.

Socializing a bit and making a new friend.

Kim was broken.

And I had some energy left to take a swim. 

Maybe a next time, we'll go up to the Zugspitze. With 2962 meters height Germany's highest mountain peak from where Kurt Hielscher also made a photo. The Seilbahn Zugspitze which is operational only since December 2017 is quite expensive so I better work on my condition to go for a hike.

Partenkirchen

From the Eibsee, it was just a 15 minute drive to Partenkirchen, but we stayed on a campsite with the van for the night in between. The morning after we went for a coffee to the historische Ludwigstraße, but not before we found the St. Florian-Brunnen on a walking distance. The fountain was created in 1899, and is situated at the Floriansplatz, one of the oldest parts of Partenkirchen. The sun was shining, the sky was clear and, unusually conveniently, I could park the van really close-by.

The figure on the fountain represents Saint Florian, made by Wilhelm von Miller who also put his own image on other side of the column so not visible from this side. Saint Florian is the patron saint invoked for protection against fire, which was particularly meaningful in a town repeatedly affected by devastating fires for example the fire from September 9th 1863 when 54 houses were lost here. Reconstruction determined the current appearance of this part of Partenkirchen. Behind the fountain rises the 2628 meteres high unmistakable pyramid of the Alpspitze, one of the great landmarks of Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Kurt Hielscher published another photo from Garmisch, but that's something for another visit.

The fountain from the opposite side with the portrait of Wilhelm von Miller.

Here a close-up from Wilhelm von Miller's portrait on the column.

A detail of the Lüftlmalerei on the building next to the fountain. Partenkirchen is famous for its Lüftlmalerei.

Then it was time for our morning coffee with pie at LU53 Café, at Ludwigstraße 53. Sitting there in the April sunshine, surrounded by stunning painted façades was just a perfect way of ending a beautiful morning. Sometimes travelling in the footsteps of Kurt Hielscher is not only about finding the exact place where he once stood. It is also about taking the time to grasp the place a bit and enjoy.

The historic Ludwigstraße, the most characteristic street in the village.

Some more Lüftlmalerei

The making of ....

The next stop would be Innsbruck in Austria, where we were to pick up the children from the train, and then continue and move on  to the south to Venice. Hope I'll be able to come back one day and rephotograph the photo from Garmisch as well. 

Below: View on the Zugspitze from the Eibsee.