![]() ![]() Although the bobsled track is overgrown, an effort is underway to reclaim the track from years of growth. Other Olympic sites remain, including the Ice Stadium, the natural bobsled track, and Reissersee, upon which the speed-skating and ice hockey events were held. Garmisch-Partenkirchen hosts one of the four jumps in the Four Hills Tournament every year on New Years Day at the Olympic Ski Stadium, and FIS ski races on the Kandahar ski trail. The primary industries of the region are dairy farming and recreation. Every day cattle are driven through town from the pastures to the barns for milking. Garmisch maintains its farming identity, with many cattle barns located close to the center of town. The majority of the tourist facilities are located within the Garmisch city limits, including the ice stadium, ski area, train depot, casino, convention center, spa, and all the United States Army Garrison locations. Many people refer to the town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen as simply Garmisch, and many autobahn directional signs simply say Garmisch-P. During the Olympic and Postwar years, Garmisch received most of the attention, with the Partenkirchen half of the city becoming an afterthought. Even while neighboring Partenkirchen flourished economically, the village of Garmisch maintained its rural feel, although it was granted the status of a market town in 1455. The early 20th century saw an increase in sport and recreational tourism, culminating in the 1936 Winter Olympics and the forced integration with neighboring Garmisch.įirst documented in 802 as Germareskauue, the village of Garmisch was a farming community of the Bajuwaren tribes, who later became the stereotypical Bavarians, and the seat of the local Earl. These were reversed in 1889 when the train line to Munich was completed, and both Garmisch and Partenkirchen received interest from artists and vacationers. When overland commerce declined in the late 15th century the entire area suffered serious economic downturns. During the middle ages, Partenkirchen became a regional center of commerce and craftsmanship, and received the right to hold a market in 1361. The first documentation of the name Partenkirchen dates to 1130 when the city was labeled as Barthinchirchen. When the Romans built a road, the Via Raetia, from Venice to Augsburg through Brenner Pass, they built a waystop about 1 days march north of Mittenwald which eventually became the town of Partenkirchen. ![]() Both are members of the Christian Social Union, the dominant political party in Bavaria.īy 15 BC, the Roman Empire controlled the Loisach river valley. The current co-mayors are Thomas Schmid of Garmisch and Wolfgang Bauer of Partenkirchen. The position of mayor is held jointly by a resident of Garmisch and a resident of Partenkirchen. To this day the residents of Garmisch-Partenkirchen carry on a friendly rivalry, maintaining separate ski clubs, yodel clubs, fire brigades, and festival weeks. In 1294 all of Werdenfelserland came under the control of the Bishop of Freising who ruled until the Bavarian secularization in 1802, when it became part of Bavaria. ![]() After Henry the Lion fell out with the Holy Roman Emperor, Fredrick Barbarossa, the area, now called the Werdenfelserland, passed to Henry's successor, Otto von Wittelsbach. During the early middle ages both towns were part of an area ruled by Henry the Lion, the founder of Munich. Garmisch-Partenkirchen was also slated to host the 5th Winter Olympics in 1940, but these games were cancelled due to World War II. Garmisch and Partenkirchen were two separate towns, separated by the Partnach River, until 1935, when they were joined (against the will of the people) by Adolf Hitler to create a single economy large enough to host the 4th Winter Olympics in 1936. Garmisch-Partenkirchen, commonly known as Garmisch, often to the chagrin of residents of the Partenkirchen half of the city, is well known as a sport and resort town, and a member of the Best of the Alps organization. Following the Loisach river upstream leads to the Ehrwald valley in Austria. The city lies within the Loisach river valley between three mountain ranges, the Wetterstein Alps to the south, the Estergebirge, also known as the Bavarian Pre-Alps in the west, and the Ammergau Alps to the north. Garmisch-Partenkirchen is located in the Bavarian Alps, just below the Zugspitze which at 2962 meters is Germany's highest point. ![]()
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