Discover Penzberg: Mining History, Art and Green Paths

Penzberg reveals its distinctive character in several clearly distinguishable facets: art and local history, traces of mining, and paths through a green landscape. This means you can shape your visit in different ways, from a museum visit to a viewpoint or pond.

Art and Remembrance

The Penzberg Museum – Campendonk Collection presents the world’s largest exhibition of works by Heinrich Campendonk. On display are paintings, drawings and luminous reverse-glass works. Campendonk was the only artist in the “Blue Rider” association to immortalize Penzberg in his paintings. A permanent exhibition also focuses on the history of the Nazi era and the so-called “Penzberg Murder Night.” The museum thus brings together art and a significant part of the town’s history.

A reconstruction brings another side of the past to life: the museum displays a replica of a miner’s apartment from around 1920 in a listed historic building. The focus is therefore not only on works and events, but also on a specific form of housing from that period.

Mining History at the Museum and Beyond

The Penzberg Mining Museum preserves the memory of lignite mining. It is located at Karlstraße 36, in the basement of the secondary school’s rear building, and can be accessed via the schoolyard. The museum is about a ten-minute walk from Penzberg railway station. Check access arrangements before setting out. This will help you plan your museum visit without assuming a particular opening time.

If you would like to explore the subject outdoors as well, Penzberg has a mining circular trail. It was established by the Penzberg Miners’ Association; its 13 stops show and describe former mining facilities. The Penzberg cycling and hiking map also includes suggested tours around Penzberg as far as Weilheim, Bernried, Bad Tölz and Kochel am See, as well as long-distance and hiking trails. When planning, check the current edition of the map and the route, as both may change.

Berghalde and Eitzenberger Weiher

The Berghalde was created in 1974 from the former mine spoil heaps and is now a green oasis in the middle of Penzberg. There are walking and Nordic walking paths on the plateau, which offers panoramic views of the Loisach-Kochelsee moorland and the Alpine range. This place therefore combines a visible trace of the mining past with paths and expansive views across the landscape.

The Eitzenberger Weiher lies in northwestern Penzberg, amid gently rolling woodland and hills. The small moorland lake has silky water, a firmly anchored raft and several bathing jetties. It covers a good five hectares and is ten metres deep; there is also more than 18,000 square metres of well-maintained sunbathing lawn. In contrast to the view from the Berghalde, the water and shoreline shape the scenery here. The two places offer different ways to enjoy time outdoors.

Getting Around

The town bus network comprises four routes serving individual districts. Routes 940 and 941, along with two direct routes, generally start and end in the town centre and at the railway station. For a visit to the Mining Museum, the approximate walking time from the station is another useful point of reference; actual planning also depends on current connections and access arrangements.

Discover more destinations: Rottenbuch, Habach, Steingaden, Pähl, Polling, Seeshaupt, Weilheim in Oberbayern, Wessobrunn.

Go to the regional travel overview: Weilheim-Schongau.