The panoramic mountain on Lake Tegernsee
Welcome to the Wallberg
The panoramic mountain on Lake Tegernsee
Welcome to the Wallberg
Thanks to its unique location, the 1,722-metre-high Wallberg is one of the most visited peaks in the Mangfallgebirge and one of the most popular excursion destinations in Bavaria. And rightly so: the Tegernsee valley lies at the foot of the Wallberg. The magnificent view extends not only into the Bavarian Alps, but above all into the Tegernsee Valley, where mountain, air and water merge into a postcard idyll like in hardly any other place. Where sailing boats and yachts cavort in summer, a glittering white blanket covers the mountains and the valley in winter.
The Wallbergbahn cable car takes you quickly, safely and comfortably from Rottach-Egern to the Wallberg plateau at 1,620m. It is only a few hundred meters to the Wallberg-Kircherl, the century-old landmark of the popular excursion mountain.
About the Wallbergbahn
The Wallbergbahn is an important attraction for the Tegernsee vacation region and appeals to locals, guests from the surrounding area and tourists alike: Day trippers and families with children, as well as hikers with mountain experience, nature lovers and paragliders.
The Wallbergbahn transports around 200,000 passengers a year.
Hikers and excursionists relax on the sun terrace or in the light-flooded rooms of the panorama restaurant and enjoy the view. Paragliders and hang-gliders do the same as the local golden eagles and take advantage of the usually excellent thermals to fly long distances. With a bit of luck, the majestic birds of prey can even be observed.
In winter, the Wallberg boasts one of the longest natural toboggan runs in Germany. The sporty descent is more than six kilometers long and leads tobogganers down into the valley, whooping with joy.
How it all began
The history of the Wallbergbahn
How it all began
The history of the Wallbergbahn
The Wallbergbahn has transported more than 15 million passengers since it first opened in 1951. Take a look back at the history of the Wallbergbahnhere:
"It's a fantastically beautiful, safe float that surprises with unique views of the Tegernsee valley, the wreath of surrounding mountains and the ever-revealing peaks of the high mountain world. The conversation falls silent, the mouth shuts, eyes and hearts open."
With these enthusiastic words, the local poet Quirin Hagn described an institution in the Tegernsee valley in 1954.
Over 100 years ago... First plans in the 20s
The history of the cable car up the Wallberg does not begin with its construction in 1950 and 1951. As early as the 1920s, a group led by inn owner Max Bachmair tried to find investors for the construction of a passenger cable car. However, despite the promise of a return of almost eight percent, it was not possible to raise the capital required for the construction. The project failed.
Foundation of Wallbergbahn AG on June 10, 1950
So it was left to a group of far-sighted men around engineer Kurt Becker, local treasurer Sebastian Daimer and lawyer Dr. Karl Schnell to take up the plans to build a railroad up the Wallberg again and found a Wallbergbahn Aktiengesellschaft on June 10, 1950 under the leadership of Bayerische Hypotheken- und Wechselbank, which began building the railroad just a few days later.
Building the railroad ... in just nine months
When the railroad was built, it followed the route that had already been planned twenty years earlier. This led over a length of 2,130 meters on the western side of the Brunnentalgraben to the 1,624 meter high plateau between the Wallbergkircherl and the actual summit ascent.
The construction company
The construction work was carried out by a consortium consisting of the Munich companies Held & Francke and Josef Riepl, with the greatest possible involvement of local construction companies and craftsmen. For the lift itself, a two-cable circulating cabin lift from the Cologne-based company J. Pohlig AG with 42 small cabins for four people each was chosen.
A special day ... for the Tegernsee Valley
Although the winter of 1950 set in early and brought heavy snowfall, construction of the cable car with the mountain and valley stations was completed on schedule after just nine months. The Wallbergbahn was officially opened on April 20, 1951.
The Wallbergbahn was not only a tourist attraction for the Tegernsee valley and an important economic factor for the municipality of Rottach-Egern. The cable car up the "Walwer" blends into the magnificent landscape as if it had always been part of it.
Hospitality... on the Wallberg
Just a few weeks after the inauguration of the cable car, an inn was built next to the mountain station, which could accommodate 200 people both inside and on the terrace.
The hotel built next to the inn in 1953 had eleven rooms with 23 beds and offered rest and relaxation to numerous celebrities from the film and music scene as well as from sport and politics.
Finally, from the beginning of the 1960s, the Alpenwildpark café at the valley station was also part of the Wallbergbahn's offering.
Winter sports region of superlatives
Once known and loved for its fast toboggan run, the Wallberg - and with it the lift - gained great importance as a winter sports area in the 1950s.
The standard downhill run created back in 1934/35, which led quickly and variedly down the Erlen and Glasl slopes to the dreaded Kanonenrohr, was supplemented by a second downhill run in the winter of 1951/52.
The "Golden Shield of the Wallberg" donated by Wallbergbahn AG attracted attention far beyond the Tegernsee valley. The race, which was organized by the Rottach-Egern Ski Club between 1951 and 1959, was even held as an official downhill race of the Fédération Internationale de Ski (FIS). The course record is still held today by Toni Sailer with a best time of 2:22.7 minutes from 1954.
The Wallberg today! ...full throttle into the future!
In April 1982, the Munich building contractor Josef Schörghuber acquired the shares of Bayerische Hypotheken- und Wechselbank in Wallbergbahn AG. In the years and decades that followed, the lift was renovated and technically modernized. In 1995, for example, the 44 old cabins were replaced by 50 new ones. In 1998, Wallbergbahn GmbH set another important course for the future with the construction of the panorama restaurant at the top station of the cable car.
In December 2001, the company finally returned to the roots of winter sports on the Wallberg with the opening of the 6.5 km long natural toboggan run. The former standard run down the Glaslhang has since been designated as a ski route and is extremely popular with individualists and deep snow fans.
