42 – (GER 42) – Rottenbuch – Oberammergau

Place of Departure	ROTTENBUCH
Place of Arrival	OBERAMMERGAU
Length – KM	24
Nation of the route	Germany
Region	Bavaria
Uphill Gap	355 mt.
Downhill Gap	270 mt.
CAI (Diff. Escurs.)	E
Praticability
File (.KMZ)	File .kmz
Open Street Map on Outdooractive	Open Site 1 Open Site 2

Rottenbuch is a small town (1800 inhabitants) it grew next to the abbey of the Agustinian Canons by the will of the Duke Welf IV von Bayern. Through the centuries the abbey has played an important religious role, undergoing several stylistic restorations, from the Romanesque to the Gothic. The present Rococo style of the church is due to works carried out by Joseph and Xavier Schmuzer and Matthäus Günther. Pay attention to the frescoes realized by the latter and dedicated to St Augustine. We resume our walk leaving behind the marvellous Klosterof, the religious and administrative centre of the small municipality. Having passed the southern gate, to get to the car park, from the car park we move on and proceed toward road 23 which we follow for about 3 km up to the Echelsbacher bridge, dedicated to St Christopher. After the bridge we leave road 23 and take a secondary road on the right, and in sequence we reach, climbing up, the localities of Echelsbach, Gschwendt and finally Bad Bayersoien. We enter the small municipality turning left, we walk along the Ludwigstrasse, we turn right on the Dorfstrasse which we leave after 200 m to turn left on the Brandstatt, and continue to go uphill on the Kirmersauer Strasse which in its turn we leave after 500 m to turn right on a footpath leading to the lake; we turn left, around the lake and we go back on our path which continues to rise among meadows and woods to reach 900 m of altitude and taking us, in 4 km, to Saulgrub. Having passed through this small municipality, we arrive on road 23, which we follow for 350 m, where we turn right on the Achelestrasse which in 4 km more downhill, among fields and forest takes to Altenau. We cross this small locality from North to South up to the Echweg which we follow downhill towards the river which we get to and follow (for a further 4 km) on a beautiful gravel road up to Unterammergau. We may enter the town turning right on the 23 and then the Dorfstrasse which crosses it in all its length, to the parish church where we turn left, we cross the 23, then the railway and we begin to tackle the last stretch of the stage which ends along the left bank of the Ammer, on a gravel road or by crossing the 23 and continuing along the right bank, at any rate we shall arrive, at Oberammergau.

G.Caselli e Th.Dahms   Via Romea Stade-Mittenwald Pilgerfuher Duetschland  Ostfalia