Golden October in the Pfaffenwinkel

The dry, warm Föhn wind makes for a perfect late October day in the Bavarian Alps with temperatures up to 20 degrees and clear views. The golden rays of the low afternoon sun highlight the vibrant colours of the autumn leaves on two venerable oaks, which overlook meadows and forests, rivers and lakes in the Loisach Valley. Behind a landscape shaped by agriculture, the mountains of the Bavarian Alps rise up – Benediktenwand (left), Jochberg, Herzogstand and Heimgarten (right), with the Karwendel Mountains visible in the far background. Nestled between them lie Lake Kochel and Lake Walchen. This area is part of the so-called Bavarian “Pfaffenwinkel”.

The term “Pfaffenwinkel” refers to the region between the Loisach and Lech rivers in southern Bavaria and relates to the incomparably high density of monasteries, e.g. in Benediktbeuern and Schlehdorf. Numerous churches and chapels can be found all over the countryside, often at viewpoints overlooking picturesque landscapes like St John’s in Johannisrain near Penzberg. Based on a Gothic building from the 14th/15th century, its current appearance was created during a renovation in the Baroque era. The view stretches far through the Loisach Valley, framed by the Ester Mountains and Ammergau Alps and dominated by the Zugspitze.