The Benediktenwand (formerly the ''Kirchstein'') is a mountain ridge in the

Bavarian Prealps The Bavarian Prealps () are a mountain range within the Northern Limestone Alps along the Austria–Germany border. They include the Bavarian Prealp region between the river Loisach to the west and the river Inn River, Inn to the east; the range is ...

between the rivers

Loisach The Loisach is a river that flows through Tyrol, Austria and Bavaria, Germany. The Loisach runs through the great moors and The Loisach is a left tributary to the Isar whose source is near Ehrwald in Austria. It flows past Garmisch-Partenkirc ...

and

Isar The Isar () is a river in Austria and in Bavaria, Germany. Its source is in the Karwendel mountain range of the Alps. The Isar river enters Germany near Mittenwald and flows through Krün, Wallgau, Bad Tölz, Munich, and Landshut before reaching ...

and the Jachenau in the south and Benediktbeuern Abbey, from which it derives its name, in the north. Immediately below the North Face of the Benediktenwand is the Tutzinger Hut (1,327 m). During the

Würm glaciation The Würm glaciation or Würm stage ( or ''Würm-Glazial'', colloquially often also ''Würmeiszeit'' or ''Würmzeit''; cf. ice age), usually referred to in the literature as the Würm (often spelled "Wurm"), was the last glacial period in the ...

, the summit of the Benediktenwand towered about 600 metres above the ice stream of the Walchensee and Isar Glaciers (branches of the

Inn Valley Glacier The Inn Glacier (), also called the Inn Valley Glacier (''Inntal-Gletscher''). was the ice age glacier of the Alpine river, the Inn. Originating in the Swiss Upper and Lower Engadine (in the present canton of Graubünden), it flowed through the ...

Peaks

The following peaks belong to the Benediktenwand Group, from west to east: '' Rabenkopf'' (1,555.5 m), ''Glaswand'' (1,496 m), ''Benediktenwand'' (1,800 m), ''Hennenkopf'' (1,614 m), ''Probstenwand'' (1589 m), ''Achselköpfe'' (1,600–1,710 m), ''Latschenkopf'' (1,712 m), ''Hinterer Kirchstein'' (1,667 m), ''Vorderer Kirchstein'' (1670 m) and ''Schrödelstein'' (1,548 m). To the east the Brauneck (1,555 m) borders on the mountain group. The normal climb to the Benediktenwand runs from

Benediktbeuern Benediktbeuern (; Central Bavarian: ''Benediktbeiern'') is a municipality in the district of Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen in Bavaria, Germany, 2 kilometers, or 1.25 miles from Bichl. The village has 3,602 residents as of 31 December 2019. The medie ...

via the Tutzinger Hut to the top. Climbs also run from the Jachenau via the ''Glaswandscharte'' or via the ''Bichler Alm'' and the ''Altweibersteig'' and from Isarwinkel. Other routes run through the Längental valley vai the ''Probstalm'' (1,376 m;

Alpine Club hut Alpine club huts () or simply club huts (''Clubhütten'') form the majority of the over 1,300 mountain huts in the Alps and are maintained by branches, or sections, of the various Alpine clubs. Although the usual English translation of ''Hütte'' i ...

not open to the public) as well as up the cable car to the Brauneck and then to the Benediktenwand.

Climbing routes

Numerous climbing routes run up the North Face, which is visible from a long way off, to the summit of the Benediktenwand. They range from

grades Grade most commonly refers to: * Grading in education, a measurement of a student's performance by educational assessment (e.g. A, pass, etc.) * A designation for students, classes and curricula indicating the number of the year a student has reach ...

II to VIII. Several climbing routes also ascend the South Face.

Alpine ibex

Since September 1959, Alpine ibex, members of the goat family, have lived on the northern and southern flanks of the Benediktenwand. At that time a big, non-native ibex was seen for the first time by mountain walkers in and reported to the forestry office at Jachenau. Following the introduction of 2 billy goats and two nanny goats from Switzerland in June 1967, a colony of more than 100 animals (1998) was established within 30 years, so that in recent times more and more have had to be made available for hunting. In order to keep sickness and malnourishment at bay, the ibex colony is kept at around 80 animals. The ibex family is one of the four populations of Alpine ibex in Germany. It forms groups and, as a result of the numbers of tourists, show little fear of man. The animals spend the summer mostly on the shaded northern side of the Benediktenwand; winter tends to be spent more on the less snow-bound southern side. In summer 2004 a bronze tablet was inaugurated on the southern side of the Benediktenwand on the large rocks at the start of the "Old Wives Climb" (''Altweibersteiges'') above the Bichler Alm. The tablet briefly outlines the history of the ibex colony and mentions their sponsors and supporters,

Alfons Goppel Alfons Goppel (1 October 1905 – 24 December 1991) was a German politician of the CSU party and Prime Minister of Bavaria (1962–1978). Biography Alfons Goppel was born in Reinhausen (now Regensburg), one of the nine children of the bake ...

, August Moralt,

Franz Burda Franz Burda (24 February 1903 – 30 September 1986) was a German publisher. He inherited his father's publishing business, which he developed into what is now the Hubert Burda Media conglomerate. Early life and family Burda was born in Phil ...

, Matthias Müller from Jachenau and Josef Schmidt from Benediktbeuern. The design of the tablet comes from Josef Oswald, known as ''ErbhoferSepp'', of Jachenau.Jost Gudelius: ''Die Jachenau''. Jachenau 2008, , p. 205

Legends

According to a folk story recorded by Johann Nepomuk Sepp, the Benediktenwand rests "on four golden columns, and conceals countless treasures within it." According to the legend, a boy from Wackersberg lost his way and discovered a bubbling golden spring. A similar story is told about the Probstenwand in the local dialect: "Back in the mists of time golden icicles were seen hanging in a crevice in the Probstenwand, and the people came from Munich; they came across glittering stones on the ground."Johann Nepomuk Sepp: Altbayrischer Sagenschatz. Munich, 1867, p. 1-2.

Gallery

File:Benediktenwand.JPG, The Benediktenwand seen from Gaißach File:Benediktenwand.jpg, The Benediktenwand seen from the motorway to Garmisch (taken south of Penzberg) File:Steinbock Benediktenwand 001.jpg, Alpine ibex in the area of the Benediktenwand File:Steinbocktafel.jpg, Bronze plate on the history of the ibex family on the Benediktenwand

References

External links

Detailed descriptions of the various routes

{{Authority control Mountains of Bavaria Bavarian Prealps Mountains of the Alps One-thousanders of Germany Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen