Partnach Gorge

For 2,297 ft, the Partnach cuts through thick layers of rock at the foot of the Wetterstein range, between walls that reach 282 ft, according to the Bavarian Environment Agency (Landesamt für Umwelt). The entrance is reached on foot from the Olympia-Skistadion car park in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, about 25 minutes away, and the far end opens into the Reintal.

Timber drives, a rockfall in 1991 and a 354 ft tunnel

Before the visitors, the gorge carried wood. Its history, from the operator and German-language Wikipedia:

1. 1910 to 1912: the gorge is opened up for tourism, in very hard conditions and at great cost.
2. 1912: it is declared a natural monument (Naturdenkmal).
3. 1930: it becomes walkable in winter too.
4. Until the early 1960s: timber is floated down the gorge (Triften), dangerous work in which woodcutters died.
5. 1 June 1991: 5,000 m³ of rock fall and a small lake forms behind them.
6. 1992: a 354 ft tunnel, blasted into the rock and lit by windows, takes the path past the rockfall and the lake.
7. 2002: the gorge, geotope 180R002, receives the official label of one of Bavaria’s most beautiful geotopes.

The operator puts attendance at more than 200,000 visitors a year, without giving a year.

• A narrow point of the path, once 67 cm wide, has been widened to 4 ft and 5 ft since 2020.

Sensors, lights and call points in the rock

The safety plan of the gorge has grown over the years. The operator lists:

• Fewer visitors at once, emergency lighting and intercoms, under the safety concept of the gorge.
• Extra lighting and call columns, added since 2020.
• Motion sensors on eight sensitive rock areas since 2023, installed with the Technical University of Munich.
• A defibrillator at the entrance.

Short closures for safety are sometimes unavoidable, and German-language Wikipedia records several events:

• Storms on 12 and 13 June 2018 closed the gorge until 4 August.
• Floods damaged it in July 2021.
• During the spring snowmelt it can close for a short time.

Beyond the gorge: the Reintal and the way to the Zugspitze

The Partnach is the start of the classic route up the Zugspitze, the one Josef Naus took on the first ascent in 1820. Walks from the gorge, as described by the operator:

• The mountain walk to Schloss Schachen by the Kälbersteig and the King Ludwig II path, more demanding.
• Outside the opening hours of the gorge, the Reintal is reached by the Hoher Weg, the Partnachalm and the Bockhütte.
• In winter, guided torchlight walks, booked with local providers.