The County of Werdenfels (German: ''Grafschaft Werdenfels'') in the present-day

Werdenfelser Land The Werdenfelser Land is a region of Upper Bavaria that extends from Mittenwald in the south to Farchant. It includes parts of the Bavarian Alps. From the Middle Ages until the Thirty Years' War, the Werdenfelser Land was subject to the Prin ...

in South Germany was a county that enjoyed

imperial immediacy Imperial immediacy (german: Reichsfreiheit or ') was a privileged constitutional and political status rooted in German feudal law under which the Imperial estates of the Holy Roman Empire such as Imperial cities, prince-bishoprics and secular prin ...

that belonged to the

Bishopric of Freising The Prince-Bishopric of Freising (German: ''Hochstift Freising'') was an ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire from 1294 until its secularisation in the early years of the 19th century. The Prince-Bishopric of Freising should ...

from the late 13th century until the

secularisation In sociology, secularization (or secularisation) is the transformation of a society from close identification with religious values and institutions toward non-religious values and secular institutions. The ''secularization thesis'' expresses the ...

of the Bishopric in 1803. HRR 1789-Grafschaft-Werdenfels

The county was administered from

Werdenfels Castle The ruins of Werdenfels Castle (german: Burg Werdenfels) stand about 80 metres above the Loisach valley between Garmisch and Farchant in the county of Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Upper Bavaria. The spur castle was used until 1632 as the administr ...

. In 1294 Count Perchthold of Eschenloh sold his land to Bishop Emicho of Freising. The county was divided into three administrative areas:

Garmisch Garmisch-Partenkirchen (; Bavarian: ''Garmasch-Partakurch''), nicknamed Ga-Pa, is an Alpine ski town in Bavaria, southern Germany. It is the seat of government of the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen (abbreviated ''GAP''), in the ...

, Partenkirchen and

Mittenwald Mittenwald is a German municipality in the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in Bavaria. Geography Mittenwald is located approximately 16 kilometres to the south-east of Garmisch-Partenkirchen. It is situated in the Valley of the River Isar, b ...

. The senior judge (''Pfleger'') had his seat in Garmisch, where he held his hearings (''Gerichtstage''). Court sessions initially took place at the castle, but in 1632 they were moved to Schwaigwang. The county had considerable ore and silver deposits. Of even greater economic importance was its control of the trading routes to Italy at the beginning of the

Modern Era The term modern period or modern era (sometimes also called modern history or modern times) is the period of history that succeeds the Middle Ages (which ended approximately 1500 AD). This terminology is a historical periodization that is applie ...

. Goods that came from the south (spices, fruit, incense, wine) had to be deposited in Mittenwald for a fee while goods coming from the north (copper, brass, cloth, jewellery, metal goods) had likewise to be stored in Partenkirchen for a fee. Only one Werdenfels wagoner guild had the right to transport goods within the county. From 1487 to 1679, the

Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia, ...

held its own market in Mittenwald. As a result the region became quite prosperous and was referred to as the "golden land". Due to its wealth, the county was coveted by nearby

Tyrol Tyrol (; historically the Tyrole; de-AT, Tirol ; it, Tirolo) is a historical region in the Alps - in Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Em ...

and

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...

and in 1530, Duke

William IV William IV (William Henry; 21 August 1765 – 20 June 1837) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death in 1837. The third son of George III, William succeeded ...

of Bavaria offered to the Prince-Bishop to exchange Bavarian territories between the

Isar The Isar is a river in Tyrol, Austria, and Bavaria, Germany, which is not navigable for watercraft above raft size. Its source is in the Karwendel range of the Alps in Tyrol; it enters Germany near Mittenwald and flows through Bad Tölz, Muni ...

and

Amper The Amper, called the Ammer upstream of the Ammersee, through which it runs, is the largest tributary of the Isar in southern Bavaria, Germany. It flows generally north-eastward, reaching the Isar in Moosburg, about from its source in the Ammer ...

rivers for Werdenfels but the exchange did not materialize. After the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an es ...

the region gradually lost its importance as a transshipment point.

Violin making Making an instrument of the violin family, also called lutherie, may be done in different ways, many of which have changed very little in nearly 500 years since the first violins were made. Some violins, called "bench-made" instruments, are made ...

, founded by Matthias Klotz, brought a certain boom in Mittenwald. With the secularisation of the Prince-Bishopric of Freising in 1803, Werdenfels went to Bavaria.

Sources

*Albrecht, Dieter: ''Die Grafschaft Werdenfels''. in: ''Unbekanntes Bayern. Entdeckungen und Wanderungen'', München, Süddeutscher Verlag, 1955, * Josef Ostler/Michael Henker/Susanne Bäumler: '' Grafschaft Werdenfels 1294 - 1802''. Katalogbuch zur Ausstellung im Kurhaus Garmisch. Mohr×Löwe×Raute. Beitrage zur Geschichte des Landkreises Garmisch-Partenkirchen Band 2, hrsg. v. Verein für Geschichte, Kunst und Kulturgeschichte im Landkreis e.V., Garmisch-Partenkirchen. 1994. * Johannes Haslauer: ''Errichtet um allen Nachbarn Verdruss zu machen''. Die Rolle der Bayerischen Akademie der Wissenschaften im politischen Streit um die Grafschaft Werdenfels (1765-1768), in: Zeitschrift für bayerische Landesgeschichte 72 (2009), S. 399-459. *Prechtl, Johann Baptist: ''Chronik der ehemals bischöflich freisingischen Grafschaft Werdenfels in Oberbayern mit ihren drei Untergerichten und Pfarreien Garmisch, Partenkirchen und Mittenwald''. Zusammengestellt Augsburg 1850. Garmisch, Ostler, 1931 *Wüst, Wolfgang: ''Umbruch im Goldenen Landl vor 200 Jahren. Der Markt Partenkirchen und die Grafschaft Werdenfels im Säkularisationstrauma'', in: Mohr – Löwe – Raute. Beiträge zur Geschichte des Landkreises Garmisch-Partenkirchen 11, hrsg. v. Verein für Geschichte, Kunst und Kulturgeschichte im Landkreis e.V., Garmisch-Partenkirchen 2006, S. 141-162. {{coord, 47, 31, 10, N, 11, 05, 51, E, region:DE-BY_type:landmark_source:kolossus-dewiki, display=title Werdenfels Werdenfels