Take a deep breath this weekend and swap city air for country air. This climatic health resort near Munich offers the perfect conditions for this. But it’s not just the fresh air that makes this community near Bad Tölz worth visiting, but also its unique buildings, the castle and castle ruins, and the surrounding nature. With two local mountains and a reservoir, you can choose between sightseeing and a nature excursion – or a combination of both.
Breathtaking landscape
Photo: Rey Emsen/Unsplash
Skiers among you will be familiar with the Brauneck ski area, where you can let off steam in winter. Brauneck is one of Lenggries’ two local mountains, where you will find the valley station of the gondola lift. On the other side of the municipality, the Geierstein peak of the Mangfall Mountains rises up, practically framing the town with mountains. From below , you can look up at an impressive mountain panorama, from above at the picturesque municipality and the surrounding peaks.
Lenggries also includes the Sylvenstein reservoir, located about 12 kilometers south of the town. This elongated reservoir is reminiscent of a fjord and is surrounded by forested mountains. The Sylvensteinsee lake itself has a turquoise color, which gives it an exotic appearance and evokes a holiday feeling. It has even been featured in several films, such as “Da geht noch was” and “Die Geschichte vom Brandner Kaspar.” You can swim in the lake or walk around it. If you decide to do the latter, you should make a detour to the Schürpfen waterfall and enjoy the peace and quiet there. There are several waterfalls around Lenggries that you can visit.
A visit to Lenggries
Photo: Getty Images
But it’s not just the landscape that invites you to take a trip to Lenggries, the municipality itself does too. Hohenburg Lenggries was once the most important center of power in the region, but fell victim to a major fire in 1707. Instead of rebuilding the castle, a baroque palace was constructed, which is still intact today and houses a high school and a secondary school. 300 meters above Hohenburg Palace are the castle ruins, which you can visit.
Also worth seeing is the Baroque parish church of St. Jakob, which is rich in frescoes and relics. The church tower was built from the remains of the Hohenburg fortress. Another special feature in Lenggries is the Calvary, which recreates the stations of the Passion of Christ. It dates back to 1694 and, at more than 330 years old, is the oldest of its kind in the Isar Valley and one of the oldest in Bavaria. Since 1726, there has also been a cross chapel on the Kalvarienberg, inside which there is a staircase modeled on the Scala Santa in Rome.
On the west bank of the Isar, which flows through Lenggries, you will find another special feature. Here is the last free-standing lime kiln on the upper Isar. It was in operation until 1958 and was used to burn limestone. In Lenggries itself, there are numerous old farmhouses and other buildings with gabled roofs, which significantly characterize the townscape. They give the town a special charm and contribute to its rural idyll.