Thiersee: Cross-country skiing, Passion Plays and Glemmbach Gorge

Thiersee has a clear cross-border connection in winter: a cross-country skiing route to Bayrischzell. It also offers the Passion Plays, with their long history, and the hike through the Glemmbach Gorge. If you are looking for accommodation, you can plan your stay around a specific reason for visiting: a cultural event, cross-country skiing over the Ursprung Pass or a gorge hike that involves wading across the stream several times. These activities raise different questions for planning your trip—about the event dates, the size of the cross-country ski trail network and the route profile of the hike.

Cross-country skiing route over the Ursprung Pass

The Thiersee–Bayrischzell cross-country skiing route leads over the Ursprung Pass into Bavaria and connects to a 62 km network of cross-country ski trails around Bayrischzell. The 62 km refers to the trail network, not the route itself—an important distinction when comparing the scope and course of the cross-country skiing options. For choosing where to stay, the route answers a specific question: are you looking for a cross-country skiing experience that crosses into Bavaria?

Passion Playhouse and Passion Plays

The present-day Thiersee Passion Playhouse was built near Lake Thiersee in 1926 and has room for 1,000 visitors. The Passion Plays take place every six years; according to historical assessments, their origins date back to around 1695. The dates mark different things: 1926 refers to the present-day building, while around 1695 refers to the historically estimated beginnings of the plays. This distinguishes the long tradition from the construction of the present-day playhouse. The Passion Play Community’s archive is the largest and most significant of its kind in Tyrol. Alongside the building and the performance schedule, the archive’s standing emerges as a distinct part of the Passion Play tradition. If the Passion Plays are the reason for your stay, the six-year cycle provides an initial indication of when to visit. The venue’s capacity and the frequency of the plays answer two different questions: how many visitors it can accommodate and how often the Passion Plays take place.

Hiking through the Glemmbach Gorge

The hike through the Glemmbach Gorge follows a natural gorge without walkways or bridges; the Glemmbach stream must be waded across several times. This means that crossing the water is a repeated part of the route, not just a single crossing. The combination of a natural gorge and repeated wading also describes how the stream forms part of the route. If you are including the hike in your stay, take this route profile into account when choosing your activities. This will help you decide whether a gorge hike involving repeated stream crossings suits your plans for your stay.

Plan your stay around the reason for your visit

First decide what will be the main reason for your trip, then choose a hotel to suit your planned stay. This way, you can base your decision on the specific interests bringing you to Thiersee.

Discover more destinations: Niederau, Rettenschöss, Embach, Ellmau, Angerberg, Brandenberg, Langkampfen, Rattenberg

See the regional travel overview: Kufstein District.