Germany - Bavaria - Garmisch-Partenkirchen

Garmisch-Partenkirchen (700 - 2964 m)

Multiple scenic views of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, a ski resort town in Bavaria, Germany. They feature various landmarks and natural beauty of the region, including mountains, lakes, and traditional Bavarian architecture.

Sent by Maritta and Gerhard from Salzatal, Germany.

Garmisch-Partenkirchen (German pronunciation: [ˈɡaʁmɪʃ paʁtn̩ˈkɪʁçn̩]; Bavarian: Garmasch-Partakurch) 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 Oberbayern region, which borders Austria. Nearby is Germany's highest mountain, Zugspitze, at 2,962 metres (9,718 ft) above sea level.

The town is known as the site of the 1936 Winter Olympic Games, the first to include alpine skiing, and hosts a variety of winter sports competitions.

Garmisch (in the west) and Partenkirchen (in the east) were separate towns for many centuries, and still maintain quite separate identities (read more).

Germany - Bavaria - Großer Arber

Großer Arber mountain in the Bavarian Forest during winter.

Sent by Maritta and Gerhard from Salzatal, Germany.

The Großer Arber (German pronunciation: [ˈɡʁoːsɐ ˈaʁbɐ]); Czech: Velký Javor, "Great Maple") or Great Arber, is the highest peak of the Bavarian/Bohemian Forest mountain range and in Lower Bavaria, with an elevation of 1,455.5 metres (4,775 ft). As a result, it is known in the Lower Bavarian county of Regen and the Upper Palatine county of Cham as the "King of the Bavarian Forest". Its summit region consists of paragneiss.

In a 1279 document, the mountain bore the name Adwich; Johannes Aventinus called it Hädweg in 1500; and, in 1540, Ätwa. Philipp Apian referred to it as Aetwha m., i.e. Aetwha mons (mons, montis = Lat. mountain/hill); in 1720, it was recorded on a map as Aidweich. According to more recent research, the name is of Celtic origin. In 1740, it is recorded for the first time as Arber (read more).

Germany - Bavaria - Pilgrimage Church Maria Gern

Snow-covered Pilgrimage Church of Maria Gern, Berchtesgadener Land, Bavaria.

Sent by Eric from Freiberg, Germany.

Most famous pilgrimage churches in the Berchtesgadener Land: Maria Gern. Built in 1710, the church, with the imposing Watzmann mountain in the background, is one of the most popular photo motifs in the entire region (read more).

Germany - Bavaria - Allianz Arena

Allianz Arena

Munich

Venue of the football 2006 World Cup, 75,000 spectators.

Architects : Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron,

Dimension : 258 x 227 x 50m.

Extent : 840m.

Superstructured space : 37,600 m2

Total effective surface: 171,000m2

Sent by Tania from Munich, Germany.

Allianz Arena (German: [aˈli̯ants ʔaˌʁeːna]; known as Munich Football Arena for UEFA competitions) is a football stadium in Munich, Bavaria, Germany, with a 70,000 seating capacity for international matches and 75,000 for domestic matches. Widely known for its exterior of inflated ETFE plastic panels, it is the first stadium in the world with a full colour changing exterior. Located at Franz-Beckenbauer-Platz 5 at the northern edge of Munich's Schwabing-Freimann borough on the Fröttmaning Heath, it is the second-largest stadium in Germany behind the Westfalenstadion in Dortmund.

Bayern Munich have played their home games at the Allianz Arena since the start of the 2005–06 season. The club had previously played their home games at the Munich Olympic Stadium since 1972. 1860 Munich previously had a 50 per cent share in the stadium, but, in 2006, sold this to Bayern for €11m to help resolve a serious financial crisis that saw 1860 facing bankruptcy. The arrangement allowed 1860 Munich to play at the stadium while retaining no ownership until 2025. However, in July 2017 Bayern terminated the rental contract with 1860, making themselves the sole tenants of the stadium (read more).

Germany - Bavaria - Augsburg Cathedral

Augsburg Cathedral, a prominent Catholic  cathedral in Augsburg, Bavaria, Germany.

View from the south.

Sent by Helga from Gelsenkirchen, Germany.

The Cathedral of Augsburg (German: Dom Mariä Heimsuchung) is a Catholic cathedral in Augsburg, Bavaria, Germany, founded in the 11th century in Romanesque style, but with 14th-century Gothic additions. Together with the Basilica of St. Ulrich and Afra, it is one of the city's main attractions. It measures 113 x 40 m, and its towers are 62 m high. It is dedicated to the Visitation of Virgin Mary.

The cathedral is perhaps located on the site of a pre-existing 4th-century building, not necessarily a church, whose foundations have been excavated beneath the current level; the site is included within the ancient Roman walls of Augusta Vindelicorum. The first known church in the place is documented from 822, but dating to the late 8th century reigns of bishops Wikterp and Simpert.

The edifice was damaged by the Magyars and was restored in 923 under bishop Ulrich. Another repairing intervention occurred in 994 when the western apse crumbled down; the restoration was funded by empress Adelaide. The current Romanesque structure was commissioned in 1043 by Bishop Henry III and was completed in 1065. The two towers, which are visible from the whole city, were completed in 1075. From 1331 to 1431 numerous Gothic elements were added, including the eastern choir (read more).

Germany - Bavaria - Bad Tölz

Bad Tölz

UPPER BAVARIA

Old town with historic market street.

Sent by Stefan from Bavaria, Germany.

Bad Tölz (German: [baːt ˈtœlts]; Bavarian: Däiz) is a town in Bavaria, Germany and the administrative center of the Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen district.

Archaeology has shown continuous occupation of the site of Bad Tölz since the retreat of the glaciers at the end of the Ice Age. For example, there are finds from the Hallstatt culture as well as from Roman Raetia, or at least occupation by romanized Celts.

The name "Tölz" (as "Tolnze") appears relatively late in documentation at the end of the 12th century. The name "Reginried" appears as that of a settlement belonging to the monastery at Tegernsee in earlier texts, which is probably the same as Reid in the western part of Mühlfeld (read more).

Germany - Bavaria - Nymphenburg

MUNICH

Nymphenburg Palace and Park

Palace Park. Stone Hall. Cascades.

Mymphenburg Palace. Marstallmuseum.

Amalienburg. Gallery of Beauties

Sent by Nathalie of United Kingdom from her holiday in Munich.

The Nymphenburg Palace (German: Schloss Nymphenburg, Palace of the Nymphs) is a Baroque palace situated in Munich's western district Neuhausen-Nymphenburg, in Bavaria, southern Germany. The Nymphenburg served as the main summer residence for the former rulers of Bavaria of the House of Wittelsbach. Combined with the adjacent Nymphenburg Palace Park it constitutes one of the premier royal palaces of Europe. Its frontal width of 632 m (2,073 ft) (north–south axis) even surpasses Versailles.

The palace was commissioned by the electoral couple Ferdinand Maria and Henriette Adelaide of Savoy to the designs of the Italian architect Agostino Barelli in 1664 after the birth of their son Maximilian II Emanuel. During its construction Barelli was again replaced (1674) by Enrico Zuccalli. The concept for the mythological decorative programme was supplied by the scholar Emanuele Tesauro of Turin; the ceiling paintings were by Antonio Triva and Antonio Zanchi. The central pavilion was completed in 1675. As a building material, it utilised limestone from Kelheim. The palace was gradually expanded and transformed over the years. It then quickly replaced the nearby Blutenburg Castle as major hunting lodge of the court and competed to Schleissheim Palace (read more).

Germany - Bavaria - Nuremberg (4)

Greetings From Nuremberg. 

Sent by Erwin who lives near Nuremberg, Germany.

My three other postcards of Nuremberg are here, here, and here.

Germany - Bavaria - Aschaffenburg

Greetings From Aschaffenburg.

Sent by Sina from Bavaria, Germany.

Aschaffenburg (German pronunciation: [aˈʃafn̩bʊʁk]; Hessian: Aschebersch, pronounced [ˈaʒəˌbɛːʃ]) is a town in northwest Bavaria, Germany. The town of Aschaffenburg, despite being its administrative seat, is not part of the district of Aschaffenburg.

Aschaffenburg belonged to the Archbishopric of Mainz for more than 800 years. The town is located at the westernmost border of Lower Franconia and separated from the central and eastern part of the Regierungsbezirk (administrative region) by the Spessart hills, whereas it opens towards the Rhine-Main plain in the west and the north-west. Therefore, the inhabitants speak neither Bavarian nor East Franconian but rather a local version of Rhine Franconian (read more).

Germany - Bavaria - Franconian Switzerland

Greetings From Franconian Switzerland.

Sent by Jonas and Annett from Bavaria, Germany.

Franconian Switzerland (German: Fränkische Schweiz, pronounced [ˈfʁɛŋkɪʃə ˈʃvaɪts]) is an upland in Upper Franconia, Bavaria, Germany and a popular tourist retreat. Located between the River Pegnitz in the east and the south, the River Regnitz in the west and the River Main in the north, its relief, which reaches 600 metres in height, forms the northern part of the Franconian Jura (Frankenjura). Like several other mountainous landscapes in the German-speaking lands, e.g. Holstein Switzerland, Märkische Schweiz, or Pommersche Schweiz, Franconian Switzerland was given its name by Romantic artists and poets in the 19th century who compared the landscape to Switzerland. Franconian Switzerland is famous for its high density of traditional breweries (read more).

Germany - Bavaria - Würzburg Residence with the Court Gardens and Residence Square

Greetings From Würzburg
Cherry blossom in front of the Residenz.

Sent by Tom from Plauen in Saxony, Germany. 

Located in Southern Germany, the sumptuous Würzburg Residence was built and decorated in the 18th century by an international corps of architects, painters, sculptors, and stucco workers under the patronage of two successive Prince-Bishops, Johann Philipp Franz and Friedrich Karl von Schönborn.

The Residence was essentially constructed between 1720 and 1744, decorated on the interior from 1740 to 1770 and landscaped with magnificent gardens from 1765 to 1780. It testifies to the ostentation of the two Prince-Bishops, and as such illustrates the historical situation of one of the most brilliant courts of Europe during the 18th century. The most renowned architects of the period - the Viennese, Lukas von Hildebrandt, and the Parisians Robert de Cotte and Germain Boffrand - drew up the plans. They were supervised by the official architect of the Prince Bishop, Balthasar Neumann, who was assisted by Maximilian von Welsch, the architect of the Elector of Mainz. Sculptors and stucco-workers came from Italy, Flanders, and Munich. The Venetian painter Giovanni Battista Tiepolo frescoed the staircase and the walls of the Imperial Hall.

Germany - Bavaria - Erlangen

Greetings From Erlangen
Evening Market Square

Sent by Claudia from Erlangen, Germany.

Erlangen (German pronunciation: [ˈɛʁlaŋən] ; Mainfränkisch: Erlang, Bavarian: Erlanga) is a Middle Franconian city in Bavaria, Germany. It is the seat of the administrative district Erlangen-Höchstadt (former administrative district Erlangen), and with 119,810 inhabitants (as of 30 September 2024), it is the smallest of the eight major cities (Großstadt) in Bavaria. The number of inhabitants exceeded the threshold of 100,000 in 1974, making Erlangen a major city according to the statistical definition officially used in Germany.

Together with Nuremberg, Fürth, and Schwabach, Erlangen forms one of the three metropolises in Bavaria. With the surrounding area, these cities form the European Metropolitan Region of Nuremberg, one of 11 metropolitan areas in Germany. The cities of Nuremberg, Fürth, and Erlangen also form a triangle on a map, which represents the heartland of the Nuremberg conurbation (read more).

Germany - Bavaria - Town of Bamberg

Bamberg Little Venice.

Sent by Kerstin from Bavaria, Germany.

From the 10th century onwards, this town became an important link with the Slav peoples, especially those of Poland and Pomerania. During its period of greatest prosperity, from the 12th century onwards, the architecture of Bamberg strongly influenced northern Germany and Hungary. In the late 18th century it was the centre of the Enlightenment in southern Germany, with eminent philosophers and writers such as Hegel and Hoffmann living there (read more).

Germany - Bavaria - Nuremberg (3)

Nuremberg - city view with Imperial Castle.

Sent by Heidi from Nuremberg, Germany

My other two postcards of Nurember are here, and here.

Nuremberg Castle (German: Nürnberger Burg) is a group of medieval fortified buildings on a sandstone ridge dominating the historical center of Nuremberg in Bavaria, Germany.

The castle, together with the city walls, is considered to be one of Europe's most formidable medieval fortifications. It represented the power and importance of the Holy Roman Empire and the outstanding role of the Imperial City of Nuremberg (read more).

Germany - Neuschwanstein Castle (3)

Royal Castle Neuschwanstein, Germany.

Built 1869-1886 under King Ludwig II of Bavaria.

Sent by Kurt from South Bavaria, Germany.

My other two postcards of Neuschwanstein Castle are here, and here.

Germany - Augsburg

Views of Augsburg City Center.

Sent by Ute from Augsburg, Germany.

Augsburg (UK: /ˈaʊɡzbɜːrɡ/ OWGZ-burg, also US: /ˈɔːɡz-/ AWGZ-; German: [ˈaʊksbʊʁk]  Swabian German: Ougschburg) is a city in the Bavarian part of Swabia, Germany, around 50 kilometres (31 mi) west of the Bavarian capital Munich. It is a university town and the regional seat of the Regierungsbezirk Swabia with a well preserved Altstadt (historical city centre). Augsburg is an urban district and home to the institutions of the Landkreis Augsburg. It is the third-largest city in Bavaria (after Munich and Nuremberg), with a population of 304,000 and 885,000 in its metropolitan area (read more).

Germany - Bavaria - Munich - Oktoberfest

Munich
View of Oktoberfest

Sent by Birgit from Munich, Germany.

Octoberfest is the world's largest fair held annually in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. It is a 16-day festival running from late September to the first weekend in October with more than 6 million people from around the world attending the event every year. To the locals, it is often simply called "Wiesn", after the colloquial name of the fairgrounds (Theresienwiese) themselves. The Oktoberfest is an important part of Bavarian culture, having been held since 1810. Other cities across the world also hold Oktoberfest celebrations, modeled after the original Munich event. (read further)

Germany - Bavaria - Burglengenfeld

Burglengenfeld

Sent by Ingrid, a WiP partner from Burglengenfeld, Germany.

Burglengenfeld is a town in the district of Schwandorf, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated on the river Naab, 22 km north of Regensburg. (read further)

Germany - Upper Bavaria

Multiviews of Upper Bavaria.

Sent by Stefan, a postcrosser from Germany.

Upper Bavaria (German: Oberbayern) is one of the seven administrative regions of Bavaria, Germany.
Upper Bavaria is located in the southern portion of Bavaria, and is centered around the city of Munich. It is subdivided into four regions (Planungsverband): Ingolstadt, Munich, Bayerisches Oberland (Bavarian Highland), and Südostoberbayern (South East Upper Bavaria). It is named 'Upper Bavaria' because the land is higher above sea level than the rest of Bavaria, not because it is farther north. (Source)

Germany - Prehistoric Pile dwellings around the Alps

Prehistoric Pile dwellings around the Alps, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

Sent by Michaela, a postcrosser from Germany.

This serial property of 111 small individual sites encompasses the remains of prehistoric pile-dwelling (or stilt house) settlements in and around the Alps built from around 5000 to 500 B.C. on the edges of lakes, rivers or wetlands. Excavations, only conducted in some of the sites, have yielded evidence that provides insight into life in prehistoric times during the Neolithic and Bronze Age in Alpine Europe and the way communities interacted with their environment. Fifty-six of the sites are located in Switzerland. The settlements are a unique group of exceptionally well-preserved and culturally rich archaeological sites, which constitute one of the most important sources for the study of early agrarian societies in the region. (Source)