Alberta
My European Favourites – One Day In The Bavarian Alps
My European Favourites – One Day In The Bavarian Alps
My favourite area of Germany is Bavaria. It’s the largest state, about one fifth the size of the country, and is located in the south-east of Germany. Bordering the Czech Republic and Austria, the state’s capital Munich is an easy place to fly into, and it is a great city to explore and enjoy, especially during Oktoberfest.
Hotel Wittlesbach and two buildings in Oberammergau with painted frescoes
Oberammergau, Germany
The Bavarian Alps are about an hour drive south from Munich, and one of my favourite places to stay is in the town of Oberammergau. You may have heard of the town as it is well known worldwide for its performance of the “Passion Play,” which is performed in the aptly named, Passion Play Theatre. In 1633, while the plague was rampant in Europe, the villagers promised to perform the play every ten years if no further deaths from the plague occurred in Oberammergau. The play details the suffering, death and resurrection of Christ. Their prayer was answered, and they kept their promise with the first play staged in 1634. The most recent performance was supposed to be in 2020, but due to the covid-19 pandemic, it has been moved to 2022.
Oberammergau is a compact place easily explored on foot. The Bavarian State Woodcarving School is located there, and there are shops where you can purchase everything from wooden toys to elaborate woodcarvings, including those of religious saints and crucifixes. As you walk through the town, you will see many buildings with painted frescoes (Lüftlmalerei) on their exterior walls with scenes from fairy tales, Bavarian folk themes, religious scenes and decorations that imitate architectural elements.
To be able to accomplish our sightseeing today we need to start with an early breakfast at one of the local hotels. One of my favourites is the Hotel Wittlesbach which is located right in the town centre and has been operated and owned by the Ternes family for many years. The hotel is full of the Bavarian charm you would expect, and the breakfast they offer is very good. We have stayed there many times over the years, and our groups love the hotel and location.
King Ludwig II of Bavaria’s Linderhof Palace and Neuschwanstein Castle
Mad King Ludwig II of Bavaria
Linderhof Palace is only a 15-minute drive away from Oberammergau and is the smallest of the three places or castles built by King Ludwig II of Bavaria. The Kingdom of Bavaria existed from 1805 until 1918, and the Ludwig’s Wittelsbach family ruled during the kingdom’s entire existence. In 1864, Ludwig became king at the age of 18. He had little interest in politics and soon began to spend his own wealth on personal projects, like three fairy tale palaces or castles. His spending and accumulating debt became such a concern by Bavaria’s political elite that they had a medical commission declare him insane and
incapable of reigning. A day later, he was on a walk with his psychiatrist, and they were both found dead; presumably drowned and floating in Lake Starnberg. Now that you know some of the story of King Ludwig II, we can talk about two of the three places or castles he built, Linderhof Palace and Neuschwanstein Castle. The third and largest building, the New Herrenchiemsee Palace, which will not be part of our day, was built on an island in Lake Chiemsee and was to be a copy of Versailles in France, but it was never completed.
Linderhof Palace, the Gilt Fountain and the Neptune Fountain
Linderhof Palace
Linderhof is the only palace that King Ludwig II lived to see completed, and it is located near where his father, King Maximilian II, had the royal hunting lodge. Ludwig went there many times as a child and was very familiar with the location in the Graswang Valley near Ettal.
Ludwig idolized the French Sun-King Louis XIV and wanted to emulate his grand palaces in Bavaria. Throughout the Linderhof Palace, you will find sun decorations as an homage to his idol and as a symbol of royal absolute power. Linderhof was initially intended to be Ludwig’s Versailles, but due mainly to an unsuitable sized area, it became a smaller project which was completed in 1886. During his construction of Linderhof, Ludwig purchased the much larger Herrenwörth island on Lake Chiemsee, and it became the new site to build his Versailles as Herrenchiemsee Palace.
The Linderhof Park is fun to explore and has a mixture of different garden designs, cascading waterfalls, fountains, and a large pond with a gilt fountain that jets water 25 meters in the air. As you walk through the park, you will find a swan pond, the Moroccan House, the Terrace gardens, a Temple of Venus, a Neptune fountain, a Royal Lodge, a chapel, a music pavilion, a Moorish kiosk, various parterres (level gardens with symmetrical patterns) and a grotto. The Venus grotto is an artificial grotto and theatre where Ludwig could sit in his small boat as it was gently rocked by a wave machine and watch his favourite operas by Wagner.
A ticket is required to tour the palace with a guide, but there are really only four rooms that served a specific purpose. The first room is the “Hall of Mirrors” which served as the main living room. Then there is Ludwig’s bed chamber, the dining room with a disappearing dumb-waiter, and the small audience chamber which was used by Ludwig as a study and not a room where he would see people. There are two “Tapestry Chambers” which serve no real purpose, and there are no real tapestries on the walls, but instead, there are canvas paintings made to imitate tapestries.
A visit to Linderhof is enjoyable mainly for the gardens and palace exterior, but you might as well see the palace interior if you are there. Near the parking area, there are shops where you can purchase your ticket to tour the palace, buy a souvenir or a snack. The Schloss Linderhof Hotel is there as well, but I would rather stay in Oberammergau.
Fussen Arena, Fussen’s colorful old town, plus the Abbey and Castle
Fussen
After spending the morning at Linderhof, we travel west for about an hour through winding mountain roads to the town of Fussen just north of the Austria border. Our hockey tours often go to Fussen to play at the BLZ Arena or Bundesleistungszentrum, which ever you prefer. The main arena is a fabulous structure with windows installed above the seating area offering natural light into the building and onto the ice surface. The hometown team, EV Fussen, nicknamed the Leopards, play in the U20 Deutsche Nachwuchsliga II. The BLZ complex also has a second arena, and surprisingly, a curling rink.
Fussen is at one end of the Romantic Road which is a 350 km tourist route with interesting towns, villages and sights. Wurzburg, in wine country, is at the other end and the medieval walled town of Rothenburg, just south of Wurzburg, is one the must stops on the road.
We will stop in Fussen for a couple of hours to explore the old town and have time for lunch. Fussen is an underappreciated town with medieval walls, baroque churches, a former Benedictine Abbey (St. Mang’s) and a museum with historical music instruments including violins and lutes. The interesting Fussen Castle has the unfortunate luck of being located on a few kilometers from one of the most famous castles in the world and gets no respect. With just a couple of hours in Fussen I’m walking directly to the old town’s pedestrian friendly cobblestone streets to find a nice place to have lunch. I don’t have a big sweet tooth, but I will try to make time to slip over to the Hotel Schlosskrone’s Konditorei Kurcafe for a nice dessert. The hard part at the pastry shop is deciding which one to have.
Hohenschwangau Castle and the scenic Bavarian Alps
Hohenschwangau Castle
Just a few kilometers from Fussen, you will find one of Germany’s top attractions- the Neuschawanstein Castle. When you arrive to the parking place, you will immediately see a mustard colored castle that is not as famous, named Hohenschwangau. King Maximillian II of Bavaria, Ludwig’s father, rebuilt this 19th century castle on the ruins of a previous castle which had been partially destroyed in various wars. The castle was restored to its original plans and became the summer residence of the royal family and a young Ludwig. The castle, which is now often overlooked by the larger Neuschwanstein Castle, can be toured along with the Museum of the Bavarian Kings. Unfortunately, our schedule does not allow time for it.
Mary’s Bridge, Neuschwanstein Castle entrance, lower courtyard and tower
Neuschwanstein Castle
Our goal today is to see the Neuschwanstein Castle before it closes. It’s a good idea to reserve your time online prior to arriving, especially in the busy season from May to September. After getting your ticket and tour time at the ticket office, you must get up to the castle courtyard on your own in time to join your tour. There are three ways to get up to the castle from the town; a walking path up to the castle that can take 20-30 minutes, horse carriages that take you most of the way up to the castle, and a shuttle bus that takes you up to the Mary’s Bridge (Marien Brucke). We will take the shuttle bus which costs a couple of Euros to the Mary’s Bridge drop off. The Mary’s Bridge offers a fantastic panoramic view of the castle and the valley below. Tourists flock here prior to or after touring the castle to take their most prized photo of the day.
After taking our photo, we still have to walk from the Mary’s Bridge on a paved path to the castle courtyard to join our English tour which takes about 35 minutes and ends, as most tours do, in a souvenir shop.
Despite its medieval look, Neuschwanstein was built in the 19th century and served no defensive purpose. It was built for one man, King Ludwig II of Bavaria, but unfortunately, he only spent eleven nights there. The original castle name was New Hohenschwangau Castle but was changed to Neuschwanstein Castle after Ludwig’s death. Neuschwanstein literally means “New Swan Castle” and was named after a character in one of Wagner’s operas, the Swan Knight.
In addition to being a big admirer of the French King Louis XIV, Ludwig was a big fan of the renowned composer Richard Wagner and was his patron. Many rooms in the castle were inspired by other characters in his operas, but sadly, Wagner never got a chance to see the castle as he died before its completion. The singer’s hall which occupies the entire third floor is adorned with characters from Wagner’s operas. The amazing woodwork in Ludwig’s bedroom took fourteen carpenters four years to complete. You will find that there is no throne room in the castle for Ludwig as the Throne Hall had not been completed by the time of his death. Although the fairy tale castle is one of the most photographed buildings in the world, tourists are not allowed to take photos inside the castle.
After our tour, we can slowly make our way down to the parking area and make our 45-minute drive back to Oberammergau where we can have dinner and enjoy the evening at an outdoor patio. Maybe tonight we will go to the Ammergauer Maxbräu in the Hotel Maximillian where they brew their own beer. That concludes a great day in the Bavarian Alps.
Explore Europe With Us
Azorcan Global Sport, School and Sightseeing Tours have taken thousands to Europe on their custom group tours since 1994. Visit azorcan.net to see all our custom tour possibilities for your group of 26 or more. Individuals can join our “open” signature sport, sightseeing and sport fan tours including our popular Canada hockey fan tours to the World Juniors. At azorcan.net/media you can read our newsletters and listen to our podcasts.
Images compliments of Paul Almeida and Azorcan Tours.
Minister of Jobs, Economy, Trade and Immigration Joseph Schow issued the following statement on Ottawa’s loss of control over immigration:
“The federal government has lost control of sustainable immigration in Canada. Despite promises from Prime Minister Mark Carney to restore sustainable levels, Canada is on pace to receive more than one million new temporary and permanent immigrants this year, not including the almost three million temporary residents already in the country.
“Each year, the federal government sets immigration targets while provincial governments are responsible for the majority of supports including health care, housing and education. Unfortunately, the decisions regarding immigration targets are often made without proper consideration of provincial needs or priorities. When it comes to immigration, Albertans simply want transparency, honesty and sustainability, all of which have been lost under this federal government.
“At the same time, it is estimated that there are up to 500,000 illegal immigrants currently spread across Canada, all of whom are benefiting from taxpayer-funded services. As the federal government determines immigration targets for next year, these illegal migrants are not being accounted for. This means that the numbers being reported to Canadians are inaccurate. These illegal migrants must be taken into account, as every province is feeling the pressure of Ottawa’s mismanagement of the immigration system.
“Alberta has led the country in population growth rates, increasing by 4.36 per cent last year, ahead of Ontario at 3.21 per cent and B.C. at 3.02 per cent. Most of that growth has come from international migration, along with the highest levels of interprovincial migration in Canada. Employment, housing, health care and other public services are under pressure due to Canada’s open border policy, and the strain will only get worse if immigration is not brought under control.
“As Prime Minister Carney admitted in April, ‘the system isn’t working.’ He must keep his promise to cap immigration and fix the system. Nowhere is the strain more obvious than in Alberta, where record population growth is being felt in communities provincewide. It is time to regain control of our borders, protect the services Canadians rely on, and restore trust in our immigration system.”
Quick facts
- Alberta’s population growth in 2023-2024 led the country for the second year in a row at a rate of 4.36 per cent.
- Net international migration was the primary contributor to population growth in 2023-24, accounting for 71.2 per cent of the provincial absolute growth.
In 2023-24, Alberta was among the only provinces to see growth through interprovincial migration.
- 43,750 people moved to Alberta from other provinces in 2023-24.
- The only other provinces to see growth through interprovincial migration in 2023-24 were New Brunswick (2,803) and Nova Scotia (2,252).
- All other provinces saw decreases in interprovincial migration.
- Between July 1, 2023 and June 30, 2024, Alberta’s population grew by 145,395 people through international migration.
- This is an increase from the prior year’s growth of 119,699 people through international migration.
Related information
From the Fraser Institute
By Tegan Hill and Nathaniel Li
As the Alberta Next Panel—tasked with advising the Smith government on how the province can better protect its interests and defend its economy—prepares to reconvene on August 14, one thing is clear: many Albertans feel they’re treated unfairly in the federation. But if the rest of Canada understands and respond to Albertans’ concerns, it could lead to a stronger Canada for everyone.
Under the current system of fiscal federalism, Ottawa collects taxes then redistributes money to the provinces and/or individual Canadians through programs including equalization, the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) and employment insurance (EI). Albertans make outsized contributions to these programs because the province has a relatively young population, fewer retirees, higher incomes and higher employment rates.
For perspective, from 2007 to 2022, Albertans’ net contribution to federal finances (total federal taxes paid by Albertans minus federal money spent or transferred to Albertans) was $244.6 billion—more than five times the net contribution from British Columbians or Ontarians (the only other two net contributors).
Consider Alberta’s role in the equalization program, which redistributes money to theoretically ensure each province can provide comparable levels of public services at comparable tax levels. In 2023, the federal government spent $24.0 billion including an estimated $3.3 billion from Alberta, which has not received equalization payments since 1964/65.
Albertans’ also disproportionately contribute to the CPP. From 1981 to 2022, the amount Albertans paid into the program—over and above what retirees in Alberta received in CPP payments—was $53.6 billion. That’s approximately six times greater than the net contribution of B.C., the only other net contributing province. Put differently, residents in seven out of the nine provinces that participate in the CPP (Quebec has its own plan) receive more in benefits than they contribute to the program.
And from 1981 to 2023, Alberta workers contributed $23.9 billion more to Canada’s EI program than Albertans received back in EI benefits. (Ontario was the only province to make a larger net contributor to the program.)
In their current form, both the CPP and EI rely heavily on contributions from Albertans. Alberta’s withdrawal would necessitate fundamental changes to these programs including higher contribution rates (i.e. taxes) and potentially reduced benefits for Canadians in other provinces.
Clearly, Albertans make an outsized contribution to the federation—but that, in itself, isn’t the issue. Here’s the problem—at the same time, federal policies disproportionately and negatively impact the province including Bill C-69 (the “no pipelines act,” which imposes onerous review requirements on major energy projects including pipelines), an oil tanker ban limiting energy exports to Asian markets off B.C.’s northern coast, an arbitrary cap on oil and gas emissions that will require production cuts while most of our international peers ramp up production, numerous “net-zero” policies, and so on.
These policies prevent Alberta from reaching its full economic potential. According to estimates from a 2024 Deloitte report commissioned by the Alberta government, due to the federal emissions cap, Alberta’s economy (GDP, inflation-adjusted) will be $191 billion smaller from 2030 to 2040, and result in lower wages, job losses and a decline in tax revenue. Ironically, this also means less revenues for Ottawa. The same report estimates the emissions cap will shrink Canada’s economy by more than $280 billion over the same 10-year period. In other words, these federal policies have consequences for not only Albertans but all Canadians.
The Alberta Next Panel presents an opportunity. If Canadians outside Alberta can better understand the province’s important role in the federation, it could lead to undoing the damaging federal policies that limit Alberta’s energy sector, which would ultimately benefit Canadians across the country.
Tegan Hill
Director, Alberta Policy, Fraser Institute
Nathaniel Li
A misinformation bubble in action—Egale Canada v. Alberta
Elon Musk’s X tops Canadian news apps, outperforming CBC, CTV
Energy investors see less opportunity in Canada compared to the United States
Time is running out, Mr. Carney…
-
ESG2 days agoNew Brunswick warned to lift ban on low-risk activities, such as walking, hiking, and fishing, on Crown land
-
Freedom Convoy2 days agoThree years after TD Bank froze his bank accounts, peaceful protestor Evan Blackman faces retrial
-
Daily Caller2 days agoMexico Hands Over Notorious Cartel Leaders To Trump Admin
-
International2 days agoTrump speaks with Zelenskyy, European leaders ahead of Putin meeting in Alaska
-
Business2 days agoToronto taxpayers should demand better of city’s homelessness services
-
Daily Caller23 hours agoOffshore Wind’s Mask Finally Comes Off
-
Economy2 days agoOil markets stumble as sanctions, tariffs and oversupply collide
-
Business1 day agoCanada’s Future Is On The Line If We Cozy Up To China