Berchtesgaden is a
municipalityMunicipalities are the lowest level of territorial division in Germany. This may be the fourth level of territorial division in Germany, apart from those states which include Regierungsbezirke , where municipalities then become the fifth level.-Overview:With more than 3,400,000 inhabitants, the...
in the
GermanGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Bavarian Alps. It is located in the south district of
Berchtesgadener LandBerchtesgadener Land is a district in Bavaria, Germany. It is bounded by the district of Traunstein and by the state of Austria.- History :The alpine regions of the south were Bavarian territory from the early Middle Ages. The 11th and 12th centuries saw the founding of numerous mountain villages...
in
BavariaBavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
, near the border with
AustriaAustria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, some 30 km south of
Salzburg-Population development:In 1935, the population significantly increased when Salzburg absorbed adjacent municipalities. After World War II, numerous refugees found a new home in the city. New residential space was created for American soldiers of the postwar Occupation, and could be used for...
and 180 km southeast of
MunichMunich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
. To the south of the city the Berchtesgaden National Park stretches along three parallel valleys.
Berchtesgaden is often associated with the Mount
WatzmannThe Watzmann is the third highest mountain in Germany, and the highest peak standing entirely within Germany. Its three main peaks are Hocheck , Mittelspitze and Südspitze .The Watzmann massive also includes the...
, at 2713 m the third-highest mountain in Germany (after
ZugspitzeThe Zugspitze, at 2,962 metres above sea level, is the highest peak of the Wetterstein Mountains as well as the highest mountain in Germany. It lies south of the town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, and the border between Germany and Austria runs over its western summit. South of the mountain is...
and Hochwanner), which is renowned in the rock climbing community for its
Ostwand (East Face), and a deep glacial lake by the name of
KönigsseeThe Königssee is a lake located in the extreme southeast Berchtesgadener Land district of the German state of Bavaria, near the border with Austria...
(5.2 km²). Another notable peak is the
KehlsteinThe Kehlstein is a 1,834 m subpeak of the Hoher Göll, a 2,522 m mountain in the Bavarian Alps above Obersalzberg near Berchtesgaden. It is the location of the famous Kehlsteinhaus ....
mountain (1835 m) with its
KehlsteinhausThe Kehlsteinhaus is a chalet-style structure erected on a subpeak of the Hoher Göll known as the Kehlstein. It was built as an extension of the Obersalzberg complex erected in the mountains above Berchtesgaden...
(
Eagle's Nest), which offers spectacular views to its visitors.
Berchtesgaden's neighbouring towns are
BischofswiesenBischofswiesen is a municipality in the district of Berchtesgadener Land in Bavaria in Germany....
,
MarktschellenbergMarktschellenberg is a municipality in the district of Berchtesgadener Land in Bavaria in Germany....
,
RamsauRamsau is the name of several municipalities and towns in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, as well as the traditional German name of the municipality of Ramzová in the Czech Republic.Municipalities named Ramsau include:*Ramsau bei Berchtesgaden, Germany...
and Schönau am Königssee.
History
First historical note dates back to 1102 and it mentions the area because of its rich salt deposits. Much of Berchtesgaden's wealth has been derived from its salt mines, the first of which started operations in 1517. The town served as independent
FürstpropsteiBerchtesgaden Provostry or the Prince-Provostry of Berchtesgaden was an immediate principality of the Holy Roman Empire, held by a canonry, i.e...
until the
ReichsdeputationshauptschlussThe German Mediatisation was the series of mediatisations and secularisations that occurred in Germany between 1795 and 1814, during the latter part of the era of the French Revolution and then the Napoleonic Era....
in 1803. During the
Napoleonic warsThe Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
, Berchtesgaden changed hands a few times, such as in 1805 under the Treaty of Pressburg, when the area was ceded to Austria.
Salzburg-Population development:In 1935, the population significantly increased when Salzburg absorbed adjacent municipalities. After World War II, numerous refugees found a new home in the city. New residential space was created for American soldiers of the postwar Occupation, and could be used for...
was always interested in Berchtesgaden , and
FrenchThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
troops occupied the area a short time. Berchtesgaden came under
BavariaBavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
n rule in 1810 and became instantly popular with the Bavarian royal family, which often visited Königssee and maintained a royal
huntingHunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...
residence in the town itself. Nascent
tourismTourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
started to evolve and a number of
artistAn artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
s came to the area, which reportedly gave rise to "
Malereck" (literally
painter's corner) on the shore of Königssee. The most famous author who lived in Berchtesgaden was
Ludwig GanghoferLudwig Ganghofer was a German writer who became famous for his homeland novels.-Biography:Born in Kaufbeuren, he graduated from a gymnasium in 1873 and subsequently worked as a fitter in Augsburg engine works...
.
Nazis in Berchtesgaden
The area of
ObersalzbergObersalzberg is a mountainside retreat situated above the market town of Berchtesgaden in Bavaria, Germany, located about southeast of Munich, close to the border with Austria...
was purchased by the
NazisNazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
in the
1920sFile:1920s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: Third Tipperary Brigade Flying Column No. 2 under Sean Hogan during the Irish Civil War; Prohibition agents destroying barrels of alcohol in accordance to the 18th amendment, which made alcoholic beverages illegal throughout the entire decade; In...
for their senior leaders to enjoy. Hitler's mountain residence, the
BerghofThe Berghof was Adolf Hitler's home in the Obersalzberg of the Bavarian Alps near Berchtesgaden, Bavaria, Germany. Other than the Wolfsschanze in East Prussia, Hitler spent more time at the Berghof than anywhere else during World War II. It was also one of the most widely known of Hitler's...
, was located here. Berchtesgaden and its environs (
Stanggass) were fitted to serve as an outpost of the German
Reichskanzlei office (Imperial Chancellery), which sealed the area's fate as a strategic objective for
Allied forcesThe Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
in
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Some typical Third
Reich buildings in Berchtesgaden include the railway station, that had a reception area for Hitler and his guests, and the
post officeA post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
next to the railway station. The Berchtesgadener Hof Hotel was a hotel where famous visitors stayed, such as
Eva BraunEva Anna Paula Hitler was the longtime companion of Adolf Hitler and, for less than 40 hours, his wife. Braun met Hitler in Munich, when she was 17 years old, while working as an assistant and model for his personal photographer and began seeing him often about two years later...
,
Erwin RommelErwin Johannes Eugen Rommel , popularly known as the Desert Fox , was a German Field Marshal of World War II. He won the respect of both his own troops and the enemies he fought....
,
Joseph GoebbelsPaul Joseph Goebbels was a German politician and Reich Minister of Propaganda in Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. As one of Adolf Hitler's closest associates and most devout followers, he was known for his zealous oratory and anti-Semitism...
, and
Heinrich HimmlerHeinrich Luitpold Himmler was Reichsführer of the SS, a military commander, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. As Chief of the German Police and the Minister of the Interior from 1943, Himmler oversaw all internal and external police and security forces, including the Gestapo...
, as well as
Neville ChamberlainArthur Neville Chamberlain FRS was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from May 1937 to May 1940. Chamberlain is best known for his appeasement foreign policy, and in particular for his signing of the Munich Agreement in 1938, conceding the...
and
David Lloyd GeorgeDavid Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor OM, PC was a British Liberal politician and statesman...
. The hotel was torn down in 2006. There is a
museumA museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
on the spot now, called
Haus der Berge.
The Obersalzberg
A number of other relics of the Nazi era can still be found in the area, although only few of them are still well preserved. There is the
KehlsteinhausThe Kehlsteinhaus is a chalet-style structure erected on a subpeak of the Hoher Göll known as the Kehlstein. It was built as an extension of the Obersalzberg complex erected in the mountains above Berchtesgaden...
(nicknamed "Eagle's Nest" by a
FrenchThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
diplomat), which was built as a present for Hitler's 50th birthday in 1939. The remnants of homes of former Nazi leaders—such as
Adolf HitlerAdolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
,
Hermann GöringHermann Wilhelm Göring, was a German politician, military leader, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. He was a veteran of World War I as an ace fighter pilot, and a recipient of the coveted Pour le Mérite, also known as "The Blue Max"...
, and
Martin BormannMartin Ludwig Bormann was a prominent Nazi official. He became head of the Party Chancellery and private secretary to Adolf Hitler...
—were all demolished in the early postwar years.
The
Platterhof was retained and served as a holiday, recreation, and vacation retreat (
Armed Forces Recreation CentersAFRCs exist to provide rest and relaxation in the form of lodging and outdoor recreation for United States military service members, Department of Defense civilian employees, US military retirees, and their families....
) for the American military. It was known as the
General Walker HotelThe General Walker Hotel was a former Third Reich hotel in Obersalzberg, Germany. Following World War II, it became a United States Armed Forces Recreation Center , and was renamed after US Army General Walton Walker, killed in action in the Korean War...
. It was demolished in 2000. The only remaining fully intact buildings are the former SS
HQHeadquarters denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the top of a corporation taking full responsibility managing all business activities...
at Hotel Zum Türken, Albert Speer's house and the
Kehlsteinhaus. A small part of the
Platterhof is also still there. The information centre on the mountain is the former guesthouse Höher Göll. It has an entrance to the Obersalzberg bunker system.
Post war era
After the war, Obersalzberg became a military zone and most of its buildings were requisitioned by the
US ArmyThe United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
.
Hotel Platterhof was rebuilt and renamed the
General Walker HotelThe General Walker Hotel was a former Third Reich hotel in Obersalzberg, Germany. Following World War II, it became a United States Armed Forces Recreation Center , and was renamed after US Army General Walton Walker, killed in action in the Korean War...
http://www.thirdreichruins.com/platterhof.htm in 1952. It served as an integral part of the US Armed Forces Recreation Centers
(AFRC) for the duration of the
Cold WarThe Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
and beyond. The
Berghof was demolished in 1953.
In 1995, 50 years after the end of World War II and five years after
German reunificationGerman reunification was the process in 1990 in which the German Democratic Republic joined the Federal Republic of Germany , and when Berlin reunited into a single city, as provided by its then Grundgesetz constitution Article 23. The start of this process is commonly referred by Germans as die...
, the AFRC Berchtesgaden was turned over to Bavarian authorities to facilitate military spending reductions mandated within the
Base Realignment and ClosureBase Realignment and Closure is a process of the United States federal government directed at the administration and operation of the Armed Forces, used by the United States Department of Defense and Congress to close excess military installations and realign the total asset inventory to reduce...
programme by the
United States CongressThe United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
and
the PentagonThe United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
during the administration of
US PresidentThe President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Bill ClintonWilliam Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
. The General Walker Hotel was demolished shortly thereafter. Its ruins, along with the remnants of the
Berghof, were removed in 1996 to make room for a new
bus stationA bus station is a structure where city or intercity buses stop to pick up and drop off passengers. It is larger than a bus stop, which is usually simply a place on the roadside, where buses can stop...
serving the bus line to the
Kehlsteinhaus and a for the new InterContinental Hotel Resort. The former guest house "Hoher Goell" now serves a new documentation centre. It is the first German museum of its kind to chronicle the entire span of World War II in one spot.
Berchtesgaden today
In 1972, local government reform united the then independent municipalities of Salzberg, Maria Gern and Au (consisting of
OberauOberau is a municipality in the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in Bavaria, Germany....
and Unterau) under the administration of the town of Berchtesgaden. Another suggested reform uniting all remaining five municipalities in the Berchtesgaden valley (Bischofswiesen, Ramsau,
MarktschellenbergMarktschellenberg is a municipality in the district of Berchtesgadener Land in Bavaria in Germany....
and
Schönau- People :* Horst Schönau* Elizabeth of Schönau, a Benedictine nun at Schönau Abbey of Nassau and a friend of Hildegarde of Bingen- Places :Germany:* Schönau , a town in Baden-Württemberg** Schönau Abbey, in this town...
) failed to gain enough popular support; it passed in Berchtesgaden but failed everywhere else.
The Berchtesgaden National Park was established in 1978 and has gradually become one of Berchtesgaden's largest draws. Mass tourism is confined to a few popular spots, which gives alternative, nature-seeking tourists plenty of space to find peace and quiet in the park. Major tourist draws are the Königssee, the
salt mineA salt mine is a mining operation involved in the extraction of rock salt or halite from evaporite deposits.-Occurrence:Areas known for their salt mines include Kilroot near Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland ; Khewra and Warcha in Pakistan; Tuzla in Bosnia; Wieliczka and Bochnia in Poland A salt mine...
(with a sound and light show inaugurated in 2007), the
Kehlsteinhaus and the new
Dokumentationszentrum ObersalzbergDokumentationszentrum Obersalzberg is a museum, erected on the groundwork of the former Nazi guesthouse in order to supply historical information concerning the use of the Obersalzberg region by Nazi leaders during the period.-Historic Site:Obersalzberg is located near Berchtesgaden, Bavaria,...
.
Recreational and competitive sports have grown in importance. Although Berchtesgaden's ski slopes are not among the largest in the
AlpsThe Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
, they can easily accommodate everyone; from beginners to very competitive skiers and boarders. The
Königssee bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton trackThe Königssee bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track is a venue for bobsleigh, luge and skeleton located in Schönau am Königsee, Germany. It is located near Königssee...
has hosted ski-running and a number of international
bobsleighBobsleigh or bobsled is a winter sport in which teams of two or four make timed runs down narrow, twisting, banked, iced tracks in a gravity-powered sled that are combined to calculate the final score....
,
lugeA Luge is a small one- or two-person sled on which one sleds supine and feet-first. Steering is done by flexing the sled's runners with the calf of each leg or exerting opposite shoulder pressure to the seat. Racing sleds weigh 21-25 kilograms for singles and 25-30 kilograms for doubles. Luge...
, and
skeletonSkeleton is a fast winter sliding sport in which an individual person rides a small sled down a frozen track while lying face down, during which athletes experience forces up to 5g. It originated in St. Moritz, Switzerland as a spin-off from the popular British sport of Cresta Sledding...
events and competitions. Berchtesgaden's most famous sports personality is
Georg HacklGeorg Hackl is a German former luger who was three time Olympic and World Champion. He is known affectionately as Hackl-Schorsch or as the Speeding Weißwurst a reference to what he looks like in his white bodysuit coming down the luge at fast speeds.Hackl was born in Berchtesgaden, Bavaria.He won...
, a multiple
OlympicThe Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
medal winner. The city is home to the International Luge Federation (FIL).
Unlike the northern part of Berchtesgadener Land and the Salzburg area, Berchtesgaden has virtually no manufacturing industry.
There is a connection to the Munich-Salzburg railway at
FreilassingFreilassing is a municipality of some 16,000 inhabitants situated in the southeastern corner of Bavaria, Germany. It belongs to the "Regierungsbezirk" Oberbayern and the "Landkreis" of Berchtesgadener Land...
.
Notable people
- Wolfgang Bartels
Wolfgang Bartels was a German alpine skier who competed for the Unified Team of Germany in the 1964 Winter Olympics.He was born in Bischofswiesen and died in Ramsau bei Berchtesgaden....
, Olympic alpine skierAlpine skiing is the sport of sliding down snow-covered hills on skis with fixed-heel bindings. Alpine skiing can be contrasted with skiing using free-heel bindings: Ski mountaineering and nordic skiing – such as cross-country; ski jumping; and Telemark. In competitive alpine skiing races four...
bronze medalist
- Karl Bartos
Karl Bartos was, between 1975 and 1990, along with Wolfgang Flür, an electronic percussionist in the electronic-music group Kraftwerk. He was originally recruited to play on its US "Autobahn" tour...
, electronic percussionist in the band KraftwerkKraftwerk is an influential electronic music band from Düsseldorf, Germany. The group was formed by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider in 1970, and was fronted by them until Schneider's departure in 2008...
- Franz Graßl
Franz Graßl is a German ski mountaineer.Graßl was born in Berchtesgaden. He is member of the Deutscher Alpenverein -Berchtesgaden section and the Bergwacht. He was member of the German skimountaineering team until the end of 2006. He is married to the ski mountaineer Judith Graßl with two children...
, ski mountaineerSki mountaineering is form of ski touring that variously combines the sports of Telemark, Alpine, and backcountry skiing with that of mountaineering...
- Judith Graßl
Judith Graßl is a German ski mountaineer.Graßl was born in Berchtesgaden. She is married to the ski mountaineer Franz Graßl with two children...
, ski mountaineerSki mountaineering is form of ski touring that variously combines the sports of Telemark, Alpine, and backcountry skiing with that of mountaineering...
- Georg Hackl
Georg Hackl is a German former luger who was three time Olympic and World Champion. He is known affectionately as Hackl-Schorsch or as the Speeding Weißwurst a reference to what he looks like in his white bodysuit coming down the luge at fast speeds.Hackl was born in Berchtesgaden, Bavaria.He won...
, first Winter Olympics competitor to win five consecutive medals with consecutively two silver and three gold medals in the men's single lugeA Luge is a small one- or two-person sled on which one sleds supine and feet-first. Steering is done by flexing the sled's runners with the calf of each leg or exerting opposite shoulder pressure to the seat. Racing sleds weigh 21-25 kilograms for singles and 25-30 kilograms for doubles. Luge...
event
- Kathrin Hölzl
Kathrin Hölzl is a German alpine ski racer, the gold medalist in the giant slalom at the 2009 World Championships....
, alpine ski racerAlpine skiing is the sport of sliding down snow-covered hills on skis with fixed-heel bindings. Alpine skiing can be contrasted with skiing using free-heel bindings: Ski mountaineering and nordic skiing – such as cross-country; ski jumping; and Telemark. In competitive alpine skiing races four...
and gold medalist in the giant slalomComplete results for Women's Giant Slalom competition at the 2009 World Championships. It was run on February 12, the seventh race of the championships....
at the 2009 World Championships
- Princess Irmingard of Bavaria
Princess Irmingard of Bavaria was the daughter of Rupprecht, Crown Prince of Bavaria and his second wife, Princess Antonia of Luxembourg. She was a half-sister of Albrecht, Duke of Bavaria.-Early life:...
, Nazi resister and survivor of Oranienburg-SachsenhausenSachsenhausen or Sachsenhausen-Oranienburg was a Nazi concentration camp in Oranienburg, Germany, used primarily for political prisoners from 1936 to the end of the Third Reich in May, 1945. After World War II, when Oranienburg was in the Soviet Occupation Zone, the structure was used as an NKVD...
, FlossenbürgKonzentrationslager Flossenbürg was a Nazi concentration camp built in May 1938 by the Schutzstaffel Economic-Administrative Main Office at Flossenbürg, in the Oberpfalz region of Bavaria, Germany, near the border with Czechoslovakia. Until its liberation in April 1945, more than 96,000 prisoners...
and Dachau concentration camps
- Jutta Kleinschmidt
Jutta Kleinschmidt is a competitor of offroad automotive racing events. She is known for her numerous showings in the Paris Dakar Rally, and notably for having won the event in 2001, becoming the first woman to win the race....
, offroad automotive racingOff-road racing is a format of racing where various classes of specially modified vehicles compete in races through off-road environments.-North America:...
competitor
- Patric Leitner
Patric-Fritz Leitner is a German luger who competed from 1998 to 2010. Together with Alexander Resch he won the men's doubles event at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, United States. They also competed at the 2006 Winter Olympics, finishing sixth...
, five-time winner of lugeA Luge is a small one- or two-person sled on which one sleds supine and feet-first. Steering is done by flexing the sled's runners with the calf of each leg or exerting opposite shoulder pressure to the seat. Racing sleds weigh 21-25 kilograms for singles and 25-30 kilograms for doubles. Luge...
World Cup and four-time World Championship titles (in men's doubles with Alexander ReschAlexander Resch is a German luger who competed from 1998 to 2010. Together with Patric Leitner, he won the men's doubles event at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, United States. They also competed at the 2006 Winter Olympics, finishing sixth...
)
- Felix Loch
Felix Loch is a German luger and Olympic champion. He has been competing since 1995 and has been on the German national team since 2006. He won five medals at the FIL World Luge Championships with four golds and one silver...
, four-time lugeA Luge is a small one- or two-person sled on which one sleds supine and feet-first. Steering is done by flexing the sled's runners with the calf of each leg or exerting opposite shoulder pressure to the seat. Racing sleds weigh 21-25 kilograms for singles and 25-30 kilograms for doubles. Luge...
gold medalist (two in singles and two in mixed team FIL World Luge Championships
- Peter Öttl
Peter Öttl was a German Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. In 1989, he won two Grand Prix races and finished the year in third place in the 80cc world championship behind Manuel Herreros and Stefan Dörflinger. Öttl won five Grand Prix races during his career.He was involved in a serious accident in...
, Grand PrixRoad Racing World Championship Grand Prix is the premier championship of motorcycle road racing currently divided into three distinct classes: 125cc, Moto2 and MotoGP. The 125cc class uses a two-stroke engine while Moto2 and MotoGP use four-stroke engines. In 2010 the 250cc two-stroke was replaced...
motorcycleA motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
road racerRoad racing is a general term for most forms of motor racing held on paved, purpose-built race tracks , as opposed to oval tracks and off-road racing...
- Hans Plenk
Hans Plenk was a West German luger who competed during the 1960s.He was born in Berchtesgaden.He won the bronze medal in the men's singles event at the 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck....
, Olympic bronze-medalist in the men's single lugeA Luge is a small one- or two-person sled on which one sleds supine and feet-first. Steering is done by flexing the sled's runners with the calf of each leg or exerting opposite shoulder pressure to the seat. Racing sleds weigh 21-25 kilograms for singles and 25-30 kilograms for doubles. Luge...
event
- Silvia Treimer
Silvia Treimer is a German ski mountaineer.Treimer was born in Berchtesgaden and lives in Rosenheim. She is married to the mountain guide Christian Treimer with one daughter named Anna, and works as judicial officer in Rosenheim....
, ski mountaineerSki mountaineering is form of ski touring that variously combines the sports of Telemark, Alpine, and backcountry skiing with that of mountaineering...
- Hermann von Barth
Hermann von Barth was a famous German mountaineer.Hermann von Barth was born on 5 June 1845 at Eurasburg Castle. He initially studied law in Munich, where he was affiliated to the Corps Franconia. As a junior lawyer he began in 1868 in Berchtesgaden to explore the still largely unconquered...
, 19th century mountaineer-Sports:*Mountaineering, the sport, hobby or profession of walking, hiking, trekking and climbing up mountains, also known as alpinism-University athletic teams and mascots:*Appalachian State Mountaineers, the athletic teams of Appalachian State University...
External links