Lenggries is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

and a village in

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. It is the center of the Isarwinkel, the region along the

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 ...

between

Bad Tölz Bad Tölz (; Bavarian: ''Däiz'') is a town in Bavaria, Germany and the administrative center of the Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen district. History Archaeology has shown continuous occupation of the site of Bad Tölz since the retreat of the gla ...

and Wallgau. The town has about 9,500 inhabitants. By area, it is the largest rural municipality (" Gemeinde") in what was formerly

West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...

, and the 7th-largest overall. (All six currently larger ''Gemeinden'' are in

Brandenburg Brandenburg, officially the State of Brandenburg, is a States of Germany, state in northeastern Germany. Brandenburg borders Poland and the states of Berlin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony. It is the List of Ger ...

Etymology

The name Lenggries is derived from ''Lenngengrieze'' (long Gries), a long rubble field with deposits of debris from the bed of the Isar.

Geography

Lenggries sits on the

River before it transitions into the

Alpine foothills The Alpine foothills, or Prealps (; ; ; ), may refer generally to any foothills at the base of the Alps in Europe. They are the transition zone between the High Alps and the Swiss Plateau and the Bavarian Alpine Foreland in the north, as well as ...

. To the east are the Tegernsee Mountains, to the west lies the home mountain of Lenggries known as the Brauneck with an elevation of over 1,555 meters above sea level. The Brauneck is a well known ski area tied together by lifts. The town of Lenggries sits 700 meters above sea level.

History

The town was established before 1257. For many years, Lenggries was the only settlement on the "long Gries" ruled by the Barons of Hörwarth from the Hofmark castle, the Hohenburg. In 1705, the first resistance against the Austrians was organized in Lenggries. This later led to the killing of many peasants in a battle known as Sendling's Night of Murder. From 1808 to 1818, edicts from the Bavarian municipality formed Lenggries into a politically independent municipality. In 1924, Lenggries was connected to the railroad (known today as the

Bayerische Oberlandbahn The Bayerische Oberlandbahn GmbH (BOB) is a private railway company based in Holzkirchen, Germany, and owned by Transdev Germany (formerly known as ''Veolia Verkehr''). Since June 2020 its services are operated under the brand Bayerische Regi ...

), and tourism first became important to Lenggries' economy. From 1935 until 1939,

Gebirgsjäger ''Gebirgsjäger'' () is a German language, German military term for light infantry trained in mountain warfare. Currently used in the militaries of Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the term includes the word ''Jäger (military), jäger'', anot ...

(mountain infantry) were stationed in Lenggries.

Economy

The economy is mostly dependent on tourism, primarily focused on hiking and with emphasis on the forests of the area.

Transport

The town is the terminus (terminal) of the

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

— Lenggries railway (Green line) operated by

(BOB).

Culture and attractions

* Church of St. James (Italian baroque style, built 1722) * Hohenburg, medieval castle ruin * Calvary hill near Hohenburg (geometric style, as opposed to the one in

) * Schloss Hohenburg, exiled home of Adolf I of Luxembourg, now housing two girls' schools * Protestant Church (built 1952) * The ''Heimatmuseum Lenggries'' (Home museum) exhibits locally related items. * The Brittany Bridge, which is named after a partnership with the region in north-western France.

People

* Claus Bergen (painter) *

Martina Ertl Martina Maria Ertl-Renz (born 12 September 1973) is a German former alpine skiing, alpine skier. She was two times world champion and also won several medals at Olympic Winter Games and World Championships. Biography Martina Ertl is the sister of ...

(Alpine skier) *

Annemarie Gerg Annemarie Gerg (born 14 June 1975) is a German former alpine skier who competed in the 2002 Winter Olympics and 2006 Winter Olympics The 2006 Winter Olympics (), officially the XX Olympic Winter Games () and also known as Torino 2006, were ...

(Alpine skier) * Hilde Gerg (Alpine skier) * Michaela Gerg-Leitner (Alpine skier) * Albert Grünwedel (archeologist)

Panorama

References

External links

official Website
(English) {{Authority control Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen 1250s establishments in the Holy Roman Empire