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A Visit to the Bavarian
Province in Germany |
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I have a passion
for churches and cathedrals. Perhaps because they breathe something
out of this world, something heavenly, totally different from what
we experience in our day-to-day life; perhaps it is due to the
romanticism attached to it; perhaps because they convey something
pertaining to common humanity; surely also because they are visible
manifestations of what man is capable of through his intellect, mind
and spirit: comforting spaces and majestic, overwhelming structures.
I’ve seen different churches and castles all over Europe, but
nowhere have I found such splendid examples in one region as in
Bavaria, the Southern province of Germany. There may be bigger
churches and cathedrals, castles just as interesting, but none
surpassing the beauty and grandeur of those in this beautiful
region. I speak of three churches and three castles: the churches of
Ettal, Oberammergau and the Wieskirche, and the castles of King
Ludwig II, namely Hohenschwangau, Linderhof and Neuschwanstein - all
within two hours drive by car from one another.
There are different routes one can take. The one that my wife
and I found the most rewarding, was from Innsbruck in Austria, via
the beautiful and one of the most important passes through the Alps
at Mittenwald. Entering Bavaria from here, you will be able to see
the Zugspitze, the highest peak in that region, as well as beautiful
vistas of forests and valleys. Exiting the pass you will come across
the towns called Garmisch-Partenkirchen to the left, and Ettal about
12 km to the right. And here you will find the first of the
churches!
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Ettal church
owes its endowment and foundation in April 1330 to the Duke of
Bavaria, also at that time the Roman Emperor of Germany. The
basic form of the church is a twelve-sided Gothic structure,
with flying buttresses. In the early 17th century
there were interior innovations with baroque decorations and
furnishings. Due to the light coming in through the large
windows into the white and golden interior, one’s first glance
goes upwards to the walls and stucco merging into the
marvelously painted “heaven” in the dome, with the effect of
having no ceiling. Reality thus blends with the unreal, with the
baroque intention to let the heavenly break into earthly
reality.
From Ettal it is about 30 km. to Oberammergau - the town where
the famous Passion Play is performed every 10 years (The next
will be in 2010). The town itself is something to experience,
with beautiful panoramas painted on the walls of almost every
building . You will be able to buy exquisite woodwork items
here, as well as handmade linen at Käthe Wohlfahrt’s shop! |
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The church isn’t
overwhelmingly large, but the interior decorated in white and gold
is breathtaking. A finely crafted chandelier is suspended from the
dome high above, whilst at the back of the church you will see a
panoramic portrayal of the crucifixion of Christ.
From here we
drove to Füssen, with the view of visiting the three castles the
next day. But on the way we turned of to the Wieskirche (Wies
Church), which I regard as one of the most stunning of all churches
that I’ve seen in Europe. The “Wies” is not situated in a town, but
on the open meadows in a broad valley. This is a pilgrimage church,
built in honour of a wooden figure of the “Scourged Saviour”, which
was kept at the farm “Wieshof”. In 1738 a miracle reputedly took
place: it was noticed that some drops were formed on the face of the
likeness, taken to be tears. This was the beginning of a rapidly
increasing pilgrimage movement to the “Wies”.
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This
pilgrimage has remained alive up till today and has become a
centre of a pilgrimage of European dimension. Among the more
than one million yearly visitors from all over the world, you
will also find people in silent prayer. Even now, new
pilgrimages arise, such as that of young people in the vicinity,
that yearly brings about 2000 young people to Wies.
In the Wieskirche the art of rococo has reached a high point of
excellence. A few years ago this masterpiece was included in the
UNESCO’s list of Cultural Heritage Buildings, thus receiving
international recognition. With all its apparent lightness and
grace this church is characterized by a profound spirituality
and defined by the greatness of the theological themes depicted
inside. |
- Manie Wolvaardt
Sure Etnique
Travel recently acquired the services of Dr Manie Wolvaardt, former
Director of International Relations at CUT, as specialist consultant
on destinations abroad. Together with Etnique’s existing expertise
on international travel destinations, Manie will add more depth with
his broad travel experience.
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