Discover Germany | Special Theme | Discovering Germany
Bad Hindelang, Oberjoch mountain pass.
Allgäu and Upper Bavaria
A panorama tour packed with highlights With the Bavarian Alps as an enchanting backdrop, this one-of-a-kind tour through the south of the state connects Lake Constance with the Eastern Lake Königssee. In order to experience the full plate of cultural and natural highlights, there are two ways to go about the tour. One is by taking the famous German Alpine Road, a winding road of 450 kilometres. The other, aimed at bicycle lovers, is the 418-kilometre-long Lake Constance – Lake Königssee bike path, through the Alpine Foreland. TEXT: THOMAS SCHROERS I PHOTOS: GERMAN ALPINE ROAD/DEUTSCHE ALPENSTRASSE
Early writings about the German Alpine Road originate from an 1879 account of Bavarian King Maximilian II travelling a similar route, like so many people do today. After the initial idea for a fully built road sparked interest in the 1920s, actual construction began in 1932. Finally, in 1960, the road was completed. Since then, the route offers tourists from Germany 60 | Issue 49 | April 2017
and all over the world an opportunity to experience the fun of driving in a stunning Bavarian scenery. The route of the Alpine Road When starting in Lindau, travellers are in for many treats. Take, for example, one of the early milestones, the section between Bad Hindelang and Oberjoch, also
called Oberjoch mountain pass. Here we have with 106 curves and 300 metres in altitudes, the most winding road in all of Germany, which was already an important connection over the alps in the Middle Ages. Routing extremes like these can be found all over the Alpine Road, as it follows a constant up and down in altitudes. While King Maximilian II might have worried about where to go next, modern travellers can make use of the routes GPS data and a gapless signposting to find their inevitable next stops. Staggering environments and cultural highlights Along the Alpine Road, many sights are worth stopping for. Framed by green meadows, the route leads from Pfronten