Zugspitze

At 2,962 m, the Zugspitze is the highest mountain peak in Germany and the Wetterstein mountain range in the Eastern Alps. The Zugspitzmassiv is located south-west of Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Bavaria and in North Tirol. The border between Germany and Austria runs through its western peak. South of the mountain is the Zugspitzplatt, a karst plateau with numerous caves. On the flanks of the Zugspitze are three glaciers, including the two largest ones in Germany: the Nördliche Schneeferner, the Höllentalferner and the Südliche Schneeferner.

The Zugspitze was climbed for the first time on 27th August 1820 by Josef Naus, his assistant Maier and mountain guide Johann Georg Tauschl.
Today, there are three ways to reach the summit: from the north east coming from the Höllental,
from the south east from the Reintal and from the west via the Austrian Schneekar. The Jubiläumsgrat or Jubilee Way, which combines the Zugspitze with the Hochblassen and the Alpspitze mountains, is one of the most famous ridge routes in the Eastern Alps for reaching the Zugspitze. There are many accommodation options for mountain climbers in the immediate vicinity.

Three cable cars go up to the Zugspitze peak. The first, the Tirol Zugspitzbahn, was built in 1926 and ended on a ridge below the peak until the terminal was created on the summit in 1991. A rack railway and the Bavarian Zugspitzbahn with the Eibsee Cable Car runs through the inside of the northern flank and ends on the Zugspitzplatt, from where another cable car takes you up to the peak.

In winter, nine ski lifts serve a ski resort on the Zugspitzplatt.