We love small towns and places off the tourist trail, and the town of Mittenwald fits that bill perfectly. Our day in Mittenwald was filled with all our favorite things- museum, bakery, and mountain trails. The day also came with a few misadventures, but we’ll get to that later.
Taking the train from Innsbruck we crossed the border into Germany and arrived in Mittenwald. This town has a long, yet mostly peaceful, history that lends to the serene atmosphere of today. It has actually been listed as one of the most authentic and scenic small towns in Europe.
Mittenwald Old Town
Mittenwald served as an important transit center across the mountain passes. It was the last German town on the rail line. In the late 14th century this area was aquired by the Prince Bishopic of Freising. But when it was secularized in 1802, the area was annexed to Bavaria.
We started the day with a walk through the historic district. Rows of colorful buildings, all carefully painted with scenes and stories. My architecture loving heart could burst in towns like this. The painted houses are so typical of this region.
Even the steeple of the 18th century St. Peter’s Church is beautifully decorated with frescos on the walls. The inside of the church shows a elegant details and vivid paintings along the ceilings.
Mittenwald is a small town, but every view of it is just lovely. As long as you can see the church spire then it is impossible to get lost. We stopped in a local bakery and watched them knead their dough. We looked through the small shops all around the Old Town.
Many of the paintings on the building represent biblical stories or figures. They also have a nods to the region and cultural background. I could have spent most of the day going from one building to another marveling at the beautiful paintings everywhere. That must require a whole different kind of artistic skill.
Violin Museum
We turned down a small street from the church so we could visit the Geigenbaumuseum, the Violin Museum. Mittenwald is famed as ‘the village of a thousand violins’ due its long history of violin making.
It was around 1685 when this legacy of violins began when Mathias Kloz started crafting violins here in his hometown. This skill was passed down to his children and grandchildren. He also had apprentices were we taught not only to create a violin but also to play a violin.
On through the present day, everyone who works at the museum also play the instruments that they share. The museum is really interesting with the skill and detail that go into creating instruments. I played the cello for many years and have a soft spot for string instruments. I love the beautiful sounds they make.
We walked into one room of the museum to be met with walls and cases covered in wooden masks. Along with violins, Mittenwald became one of the prominant crafters for these wooden masks. Masks like these have been a central part of carnival (Fasnacht) traditions around Lent for centuries throughout this region.
Originally believed to have been part of Pagan traditions, later research found that these masks began during medieval Christian period. Documentation about these masks date back to the 14th century. This tradition has carried through to the present day and wood carvers work to preserve the history and cultural importance.
The symbolism of these Fasnacht Masks involve driving away evil spirits. They are also used to tell stories about the historical and mythical. Many of the masks feature devils, witches, and animals. Some are meant as a caricature or satire. While others lean into a more darker aspect of life. It was such an interesting connection between violin and mask carving.
The last area of the museum showed the workshop where thousands of instruments (and masks) have been carved. What makes these instruments so beautiful is that they are not mass produced. They are carefully and beautifully created by hand, one by one. Each piece has been given the time and attention of a true master.
Karwendel Alpine Park
We started to walk away from the Old Town and up into the residential areas on the hillside. We passed the large violin centerpiece of the town, honoring the violin history that made this area what it is.
We kept going up and up, farther away from the main area of town. The path got steeper after the residential area. But with that came some beautiful views of the town and the rising mountains. Mittenwald sits on the side of Karwendel Alpine Park which is one of the largest nature reserves in the Alps.
And what better way to enjoy the mountain, then by seeing it from above. The Kranzberg Chairlift takes visitors up the side of the mountain. The chairs fit only a single rider. Taking the slow easy ride up the mountain gives a perfect opportunity to sit back and take in mountain views.
At the top is a restaurant offering small fares and snacks. You can take the chair lift back down the mountain. Alternatively, you can take one of the dirt carts down the path. The dirt carts looked like a lot of fun! Sadly we missed out as they were all in use at the time.
Hiking to Lautersee Lake
As we walked a little ways down the path we got the full view of the mountains. We could see Lautersee Lake down below us. In place of dirt carts, we set off on foot down the mountain trail to the lake. Just know that the signs indicting distance and time needed I think are greatly underestimated. The sign said about 35 minutes down to the lake, but it took us about an hour and half.
Even with being longer than expected, the trail itself was really lovely. We couldn’t begrudge a little extra time on it since the surroundings were so great.
Reaching the lake, we took the path going around it. There were resorts and small private beaches. Families were setting up picnics or jumping into the lake for a swim. It seemed that all of Mittenwald was here to enjoy a beautiful summer day at the lake. But with enough space for everyone to enjoy as they will, it still felt secluded and peaceful. No wonder this is such a local favorite place to come.
The lake is quite a ways from town. So after walking around the lake, we took the path back down towards town. This time, the distance sign was more in line and it took about 30 minutes. We loved passing the wooden buildings and the shaggy sheep resting in the shade.
As we went back through town towards the train station, I was hit hard with heat exhaustion. I am really prone to heat exhaustion and heat stroke. The last few days I had been pushing it too hard for these summer days. I had to get inside and cool down so we decided to stop in a small grocery store.
There were some chairs in the corner next to the sandwich counter. We got some food and water and sat at the chairs. There was an older couple sitting there next to us and we all started talking. When they learned that we were from Tennessee they got all excited. They told us one of their daughters had come as an exchange student years ago to Nashville. Talk about a small world moment.
We talked and laughed with this couple for over an hour. The places we visit while we travel are incredible, but its moment like this that really make a day special. Thank goodness for heat exhaustion that led to meeting new friends in a grocery store.
But the misadventures were not quite done. Back at the hotel, our daughter went to take a shower. A few minutes later, we heard a panicked yell coming from the bathroom. I walked in and the floor was completely covered in water. A flood had come from the shower. Apparently, when the walk in shower seemed too slippery she had put a towel down to stand on. Not realizing that she had blocked the drain, the water had no where else to go then all over the floor.
We used every towel in our room to clean up the water. Our daughter apologized again and again, but all three of us were laughing too hard about the event to care. We hung the towels up best we could to dry and sheepishly told the front desk about what happened.
These are the moments that make the best stories. Mittenwald gave us not just a great day exploring, it also provided some really great stories to share.
We loved our day in this border town of Germany and Austria. The mountain views were stunning, the buildings were artistic, and the museum was fascinating. What more could you want from a day exploring around.
If you’re like me and can’t get enough of colorful houses, then you may be interested in these places:
Thanks for coming along on this visit to the beautiful mountain town of Mittenwald. May the days misadventures create the best memories.
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