Exploring Germany with Wim Wenders’ road movie trilogy
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Credit: Far Out / Raw Pixel / Wikimedia
The stunning area of The Wank, Germany
It has long been known that the Southern German state of Bavaria is home to some of the most striking vistas in the world, brimming with verdant flora, lakes, and the stunning Bavarian Alps, which are not only stunning to look at but provide almost countless spectacular hiking and skiing locations.
The countryside of Bavaria is a place that everyone should visit at least once in their lifetime, as the tranquillity of the place is so dreamlike that it provides a more-than welcome anecdote to a humdrum life in a major conurbation and the general inertia of everyday existence as humanity seems to be on a rapid crawl into oblivion with political, social and environmental factors all combining to create one Gordian knot of a clusterfuck that’s becoming increasingly difficult to escape from.
However, if you were to put these rather nihilistic prospects aside and venture into the Bavarian countryside, you would be spoilt for the choice of things to do, ranging from the fairytale but manufactured beauty of Neuschwanstein Castle to lakes such as the Forggensee, Tegernsee, or the Schwansee.
Just as these marvellous natural lakes are dotted throughout Bavaria, so are charming towns situated in areas of such beauty that even Hans Christian Andersen could not have dreamt them up. From Marktoberdorf to Bamberg to Füssen, the list of picturesque habitats brimming with their idiosyncracies is so extensive that it is virtually impossible to visit all in one lifetime.
However, out of all of these charming places, one stands out, Garmisch-Partenkirchen. A ski resort town brimming with hotels, it is just like many of its kind in the Alps region, but the most intriguing aspect of the town, aside from that it is nearby Germany’s highest mountain, Zugspitze, is another mountain and area that for English speakers has been the source of amazement for years.
In the Loisach valley, and part of the Ester Mountains range is the legendary mountain named The Wank. There couldn’t have been more of an ironic name for a place of such magnificence. Crowned by a grassy summit, it has stunning views over Garmisch-Partenkirchen and the surrounding region.
A key part of the skiing country, many local businesses have appropriated the name Wank as part of their branding. Towards the top of the mountain is the hut that provides accommodation and traditional Bavarian food to visitors known as the Wank-Haus, a slightly unsettling name for those wanting to catch up on sleep after a long trek.
If not a seasoned hiker, do not fret, as the Wankbahn has you covered. It’s a cable car system that provides not only the views but also laughter, and that’s not even the extent of it. For year-round access to the cable car, it is possible to purchase a Wankpass, which would raise eyebrows in any other setting. It’s a good thing you don’t need one of these to gain access to the Wank-Haus, which I’m sure many travellers have been glad to find out after realising that they are way out in the sticks.
For those weary of all these masturbatory inferences, there are numerous Wankerbanks or benches dotted around for you to catch your breath on and cast your eye onto a much purer, natural environment.
