Ramsau: Germany’s first mountaineering village
A mountaineering village in Bavaria
Ramsau’s history has always been influenced by the surrounding mountains, especially by the infamous Watzmann. The famous mountaineer Johann Grill (1835-1917), known as “der Kederbacher”, was the first to scale the Watzmann’s legendary east wall, the highest of the Eastern Alps and also was the initial landlord of the Watzmannhaus. His statue can be found adorning the garden in front of Ramsau’s town hall. Ramsau’s special relationship to the mountains, especially Mount Watzmann and Hochkalter, can still be felt today: The village of Ramsau arguably has the highest number of mountain guides in Bavaria and the whole of Germany. Thus, it is understandable that Ramsau applied for the title “mountaineering village” at the German Alpine Association. The idea of mountaineering villages stems from Austria, where the Austrian Alpine Association already has awarded 20 villages with this quality seal. A mountaineering village fully dedicates itself to soft tourism, the promotion of nature conservation, agriculture and sustainable development, in order to preserve the culture and traditions of the Alpine region. On September 16th 2015, Ramsau achieved its goal and was officially awarded the title of first Bavarian mountaineering village by the German Alpine Association.