Mittenwald

Mittenwald (German pronunciation: [ˈmɪtn̩ˌvalt] ) is a German municipality in the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in Bavaria.

Geography

Mittenwald is located approximately 16 kilometres to the south-east of Garmisch-Partenkirchen. It is situated in the Valley of the river Isar, by the northern foothills of the Alps, on the route between the old banking and commercial centre of Augsburg, to the north, and Innsbruck to the south-east, beyond which is the Brenner Pass and the route to Lombardy, another region with a rich commercial past and present.

History

Mittenwald, along with Garmisch-Partenkirchen to the west, was acquired by the Prince-Bishopric of Freising in the late 14th century and the "crowned Aethiopian" head that is part of Mittenwald's coat of arms recalls that 400-year association that ended when the Prince-Bishopric was secularized in 1802-03 and its territory annexed to Bavaria.

Mittenwald's location as an important transit centre on a relatively low and predictable Mountain pass has been a defining feature of the area for at least two thousand years.

Violin makers

Mittenwald is famous for the manufacture of violins, violas and cellos which began in the mid-17th century by the Klotz workshop. Matthias I Klotz founded the Mittenwald school of violin making. Aegidius Klotz is believed to have crafted the personal violin of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Eduard Melkus played on an unaltered violin by Aegidius Klotz.

Notable places

The most significant landmark in the village is the pink colored Roman Catholic church of Saints Peter and Paul, which is typical of the region.