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Oberstdorf and the Allgäuer Alps

Posted by (Danville, VT) on

Just because I think this wonderful region of Germany needs to be more widely known (and I'm here now, in the same chalet hotel), I'm going to link my trip report from 2 years ago:

Oberstdorf

This time, I took the cable car above the Alpine level of the Nebelhorn, and continued my hike (with the dog) to the summit. It was a clear day, so I could see the Zugspitze to the east, the Alrberg massif to the south, and I think even the Berner Oberland to the far west.

I also paid a visit to Therme Oberstdorf for the first time today. Not nearly as elaborate as Therme Erding (what is?), but still a rather nice selection of saunas and thermal baths. Especially after a vigorous Alpine hike.

In summary... the Alps consist of a lot more than just the Berner Oberland, Dolomites, and the Chamonix massif. If you're headed in the direction of Switzerland from Munich, consider a stop-over in Oberstdorf. You could even use it as a mid-way compromise, if you'll have a car, between Lindau and the Bodensee to the west and Füssen to the east. You will not be disappointed.

Posted by
12040 posts

Addendum: We often see on this website that people want to visit "WWII sites". As I have noted previously, the legacy of the war in Germany is more in what's missing than what remains. On my visit to Oberstdorf this weekend, I came upon a great example of how the war left it's mark in ways that often aren't immediately apparent to the casual tourist who's only looking for "Nazi stuff".

Next to Oberstdorf's Catholic church (surprisingly, and elaborately Baroque on the inside, whereas the exterior is fairly plain), there's a small chapel. I had noticed this chapel on previous visits, because two relief sculptures of WWII-era German soldiers flank the door. Kind of hard not to notice when you walk by. This time, though, the door was open, so I decided to have a look-see. A large wooden Pieta serves as the altar piece, but what really struck me were the engravings of the names of all the local men (and boys), who were killed in both world wars. I've seen plenty of these sorts of memorials before, but this time I was shocked. For WWI, the list ran about two dozen. About what you would expect. But for WWII, I counted almost 200 names! Now, Oberstdorf isn't a village, but neither is it a particularly large town. The population today is just under 10,000 (for comparison, about 15,000 people live in Füssen). It had to be much smaller when the war began. Think about that. So many men dead in a fairly small town. The war must have nearly wiped out an entire male generation. That Germany should bear the majority of the guilt for the war is not in question. But seeing all the names of the local dead before you in this small chapel makes some of the triumphalism surrounding the way we sometimes remember the war rather distasteful.

Finally, a random observation. This is the second weekend in a row that I've encountered groups of nuns hiking up mountains in the Alps. Not singing like Fräulein Maria, but trudging up the same trails I was walking. Who knew German nuns were so cool?

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