Breitach Gorge

The Breitachklamm near Oberstdorf is considered the deepest rock gorge in Central Europe; the Breitach has cut up to 150 m deep into the rock here. Secured paths lead along the roaring water through the narrow gorge. In winter, impressive ice formations form, and the gorge is passable even then.

Highlights

• Deepest rock gorge in Central Europe (up to 150 m)
• Secured paths along the roaring Breitach
• Winter ice formations
• Passable year-round

Good to know

Practical info

Background & History

The Breitachklamm near Oberstdorf is regarded as one of the deepest rock gorges in Central Europe and is an impressive testimony to the shaping power of water. Over thousands of years the Breitach has cut itself here several hundred metres deep into a hard ridge of rock and created a narrow, wildly rugged gorge, through which the stream shoots roaring between overhanging walls. The name derives from the river itself, which drains the southern Allgäu high mountains and brings down its meltwater from the high peaks.

The gorge was opened up towards the end of the 19th century at the instigation of a priest from Tiefenbach, who drove forward the laborious construction of the paths and walkways through the rock, so that the gorge became passable for visitors from the year 1905. In winter the Breitachklamm transforms into a bizarre world of mighty icicles and frozen waterfalls, which offer a spectacle entirely of their own. Again and again floods, rockfalls and a tremendous ice jam threatened the paths, which were restored anew at great expense after every damage. Thus the gorge tells not only of geological depth but also of the persistent struggle of people to keep this natural wonder accessible over more than a century.