Kampenwand

At 1,669 m, the Kampenwand above Aschau in the Chiemgau is a popular viewpoint mountain with a wide view over the Chiemsee and the Alpine chain. A cable car opens up the mountain, from which scenic high trails and via ferratas start. The area is also popular with paragliders.

Highlights

• Wide view over the Chiemsee and Alps
• Kampenwand cable car from Aschau
• High trails and via ferrata
• Popular paragliding area

Good to know

Practical info

Background & History

The Kampenwand rises above the village of Aschau in the Chiemgau and, with its jagged ridge, is considered one of the most distinctive landmarks of this pre-alpine region. Its rocky crest, built of limestone, drops steeply to the north towards the alpine foreland and from its heights opens up the view over the wide Chiemsee, which is called the Bavarian Sea because of its size, out to the hilly land of lakes and moors. This forward position on the edge of the Alps makes the Kampenwand a popular viewpoint mountain from which both lowland and high mountains can be surveyed at once.

At the foot of the mountain lies Aschau with its baroque parish church and Hohenaschau Castle enthroned high above the village, a castle complex from the 12th century whose medieval walls were magnificently decorated in the baroque period and in which birds of prey today recall the old art of falconry. For centuries the people here lived from agriculture and alpine pasture farming, before tourism opened up the slopes. A cable car today leads up to the height of the Kampenwand and connects the tranquil valley with the rocky, wind-swept world of the summit ridge, which is equally popular with hikers and climbers. On the alpine pastures below the rocks cattle are still summered today, and the rustic mountain huts are part of the firm picture of this landscape shaped by Bavarian lifestyle.