Murnau am Staffelsee: Art, Literature and Landscape
Accommodation in Murnau am Staffelsee
Murnau am Staffelsee offers art and literary history at the Castle Museum, an artists’ house and a historic old town. If you’re choosing your stay based on cultural interests, the works of Gabriele Münter and Ödön von Horváth’s connection to the town take centre stage. Registration is required for a literary walk; the Murnau Moos to the south offers a distinctive landscape focus.
The Murnauer Moos forms a broad marsh landscape south of Murnau at the edge of the Bavarian Alps.
Photo: Richard Bartz , Munich aka Makro Freak Image:MFB.jpg via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.5
Art and Literature at the Castle Museum
The Castle Museum displays works by Gabriele Münter, as well as works by artists from the Neue Künstlervereinigung München and the Blue Rider. The artists represented include Wassily Kandinsky, Marianne von Werefkin, Alexej Jawlensky, Franz Marc and Heinrich Campendonk. The museum houses the largest collection of Gabriele Münter’s works on public display. It also presents the art and literary history associated with Murnau during the first third of the 20th century, and explores the special features of the Alpine foothills, as well as local traditions and culture.
A separate focus is devoted to the playwright Ödön von Horváth. He lived mainly in Murnau from 1924 until his politically forced departure in 1933. There, among other works, he wrote the plays “Zur schönen Aussicht” and “Italienische Nacht” and began the novel “Jugend ohne Gott.” The Castle Museum has an extensive documentary exhibition dedicated to him. The connections between his works and the places where he lived give the literary history a clear link to Murnau.
Local crafts are also part of a museum visit: exhibits include feather flower making and reverse-glass painting. The international Dammert Collection complements this perspective with works from Europe and Asia that go beyond local products. At the MĂĽnter House, you can learn about the lives of the artists associated with it. Together, these stops offer different ways to discover art, craft traditions and the people connected with Murnau.
Old Town, Walks and Landscape
You can explore Murnau’s historic old town on your own or as part of a guided town tour. An art walk offers another activity for visitors; the literary walk through Murnau follows in the footsteps of Ödön von Horváth. Advance registration is required for this walk. If you are particularly interested in the writer, it links the Castle Museum’s literary focus with a tour of the town.
The Murnau Moos, an extensive moorland area, lies to the south of Murnau. It adds a distinctive natural setting to the cultural attractions. A visit to the collections, a walk through the old town and views of the moorland each offer a very different focus, without requiring you to limit these themes to a single activity.
Garmisch-Partenkirchen as a Separate Regional Context
The wider destination of Garmisch-Partenkirchen offers further cultural and natural attractions. The Partnach Gorge was declared a natural monument and opened to visitors in 1912; its sheer rock walls and rushing water define the visitor experience there. The Richard Strauss Institute is located in the historic Villa Christina in Partenkirchen’s spa gardens and houses a permanent exhibition on Strauss’s life and work. At 1,780 metres, Mount Wank, Partenkirchen’s local mountain, is ideal for leisurely hikes with far-reaching views. These attractions belong to Garmisch-Partenkirchen and form a distinct regional context.
For more information about places to help plan your trip, visit the pages for Hechendorf, Wallgau, Unterammergau, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Oberau, Mittenwald, Bad Kohlgrub, Seehausen am Staffelsee.
For the wider travel overview: Garmisch-Partenkirchen District.
