The Leutasch Gorge ( or ''Leutascher Geisterklamm'') is a

gorge A canyon (; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), gorge or chasm, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosion, erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tend ...

near

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, ...

and Unterleutasch in the Bavarian-Tyrolean border area through which the Leutascher Ache river flows. It is very steep-sided and was not opened to tourists until 2006. To do this a 1.4 million euro, EU-supported, Austro-German project was undertaken to build steel walkways and bridges over a distance of 970 metres. With a total length of 1,650 metres it is the longest accessible gorge in the Eastern Limestone Alps. The gorge was opened on 24 May 2006.

Marketing

As a tourist project the gorge was marketed as the so-called ''Geisterklamm'' ("Spirit Gorge"), in conjunction with the ''Koboldpfad'' ("Kobold Path") as a family-friendly leisure paradise. There are 40 boards with information on

myth Myth is a genre of folklore consisting primarily of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society. For scholars, this is very different from the vernacular usage of the term "myth" that refers to a belief that is not true. Instead, the ...

geology Geology (). is a branch of natural science concerned with the Earth and other astronomical objects, the rocks of which they are composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Earth ...

flora Flora (: floras or florae) is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous (ecology), indigenous) native plant, native plants. The corresponding term for animals is ''fauna'', and for f ...

and

fauna Fauna (: faunae or faunas) is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding terms for plants and fungi are ''flora'' and '' funga'', respectively. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively ...

in the surround area, as well as a spirit with winking eyes and coloured, sound-oriented games. The walkways are horizontal wherever possible and are built so that they can be negotiated without climbing equipment. Any anxiety caused by due height difference of more than 50 metres in places between the walkway the floor of the gorge is supposed to be counteracted by the solid design of the walkway. In addition there is a short path to a waterfall in the gorge. The Leutasch Gorge is basically open all year round except when there are heavy snowfalls when it is closed. The walk through the gorge is free; only the path to the waterfall has a charge. File:Leutaschklamm 1900.jpg, The Leutasch Gorge around 1900 File:Leutaschklamm 2 1900.jpg, The Leutasch Gorge around 1900 File:Leutaschklamm03a.jpg, Panorama Bridge over the Leutasch Gorge File:Leutasch Geisterklamm 01.jpg, near the entrance to the Leutasch File:Leutaschklamm (Marius Hoch) 10.JPG File:Leutaschklamm02.jpg File:Leutaschklamm (Marius Hoch) 21.JPG File:2016-08-Leutasch-Wasserfall.jpg, Waterfall at the end of the gorge

Accidents

On 7 July 2007 more than several hundred kilogrammes of rock above the walk suddenly crashed onto the steel walkway and partly destroyed it. No-one was injured, but the gorge was closed for two weeks for repair.

Ederkanzel

The ''Ederkanzel'' restaurant (1184 m) on a mountain ridge west of and above the Leutasch Gorge is a geographical and political curiosity. Whilst the dining room and toilets are in

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 ...

, the terrace of the restaurant lies on

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

n soil. The official

boundary stone A boundary marker, border marker, boundary stone, or border stone is a robust physical marker that identifies the start of a land boundary or the change in a boundary, especially a change in direction of a boundary. There are several other t ...

, which marks the border between the two countries is by the door to the terrace on the outer wall of the building. The drinks and food served on the terrace are, however, sold under German

tax A tax is a mandatory financial charge or levy imposed on an individual or legal entity by a governmental organization to support government spending and public expenditures collectively or to regulate and reduce negative externalities. Tax co ...

regulations by agreement between the two finance departments responsible in

Garmisch-Partenkirchen Garmisch-Partenkirchen (; ) is an Northern Limestone Alps, Alpine mountain resort, ski town in Bavaria, southern Germany. It is the seat of government of the Garmisch-Partenkirchen (district), district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen (abbreviated ...

and

Innsbruck Innsbruck (; ) is the capital of Tyrol (federal state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the Wipptal, Wipp Valley, which provides access to the ...

Other nearby gorges

Other notable gorges within the county of

are the Partnach Gorge near the

Zugspitze The Zugspitze ( , ; ), at above Normalhöhennull, sea level, is the highest peak of the Wetterstein Mountains and the highest mountain in Germany. It lies south of the town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Bavaria, and the Austria–Germany border ...

and the Höllental Gorge near

Grainau Grainau (Southern Bavarian: ''Groana'') is a municipality in the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen (district), Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in southern Bavaria, Germany. It is located at the foot of the Zugspitze mountain, the tallest mountain in Germ ...

Hammersbach Hammersbach is a municipality in the district of Main-Kinzig-Kreis, in Hesse, Germany. Location Hammersbach is located near Frankfurt am Main. Since 2007 Hammersbach has an official connection to the motorway A45 that has been planned for a long ...

External links

Leutaschklamm new
description of "Geisterklamm"

{{Coord, 47.428245, N, 11.246424, E, type:landmark_region:DE-BY/AT-7 Canyons and gorges of Austria Canyons and gorges of Germany Landforms of Bavaria Landforms of Tyrol (federal state) Northern Limestone Alps Wetterstein Garmisch-Partenkirchen (district)