{"id":18925,"date":"2026-05-24T22:29:12","date_gmt":"2026-05-24T20:29:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/angiestravelroutes.com\/?p=18925"},"modified":"2026-05-27T22:44:52","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T20:44:52","slug":"the-blue-land-bavaria-things-to-do","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/angiestravelroutes.com\/en\/blaues-land-sehenswuerdigkeiten\/","title":{"rendered":"The Blue Land, Bavaria: Best Things to See, Do and Explore"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Blue Land lies in the Upper Bavarian Alpine foothills, about 60 kilometres south of Munich. Morning and evening, the light bathes the landscape in a soft blue: the moorland, the lakes, the distant mountain ranges of the Estergebirge, the Ammergau Alps and the Wetterstein massif. This is not a seasonal phenomenon \u2013 it simply is that way, at any time of year, day after day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was Franz Marc, the expressionist painter and co-founder of the artists' group Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider)<\/strong>, who gave this landscape its poetic name. Blue was his favorite color - for him it represented longing, depth and the spiritual. Even as a young academy student, Marc regularly moved to the Kochel area to study painting, finally settling in the Bavarian Oberland in 1908 and buying a house in Ried near Kochel am See in 1914. He called the landscape around Kochel his \u201eBlue Land\u201c. Together with Wassily Kandinsky, Gabriele M\u00fcnter, August Macke and others - who settled mainly around Murnau and the Staffelsee - one of the most influential art movements of the modern era took shape here in the early 20th century: Expressionism<\/strong>. The name of their artists' group was coined by Kandinsky and Marc in a garden pavilion in Sindelsdorf: \"Both of us loved blue \u2013 Marc loved horses, I loved riders. So the name came of itself,\" Kandinsky recalled in 1930.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because the art history of the Blue Rider is inseparably linked to both places \u2013 Murnau and Kochel \u2013 this article covers not only the official tourism area around the Staffelsee but also the Kochelsee, Walchensee and the Franz Marc Museum. Three unspoilt lakes, the largest contiguous moorland area in Central Europe, important art museums, a vibrant open-air museum and one of Germany's most renowned stud farms make the Blue Land a destination that appeals equally to art lovers, nature enthusiasts and those simply looking to unwind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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My Highlights for a Week in the Blue Land<\/h4><\/div>
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  • Art history up close<\/strong> at Schlossmuseum Murnau: works by Gabriele M\u00fcnter, Kandinsky and other Expressionists \u2013 plus a magnificent view from the castle over the Murnauer Moos and the Alps. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Exploring the M\u00fcnter House:<\/strong> The charming house with its unusual mansard hip roof and wonderful cottage garden where Kandinsky and M\u00fcnter lived and worked is now a museum and one of the most atmospheric places in the Blue Land. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Hiking the Murnauer Moos:\u00a0<\/strong>The 32 km\u00b2 moorland is a natural wonder set against an Alpine backdrop - best explored on foot along the 12 km Moos circular trail. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • A boat trip on the Staffelsee:<\/strong>The leisurely cruise past the seven islands is one of the most relaxing experiences the region has to offer. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Franz Marc Museum in Kochel am See:\u00a0<\/strong>Indispensable for all those who really want to understand the Blue Rider - with a fantastic view of Kochelsee and Herzogstand.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Cable car ride up to the Herzogstand:\u00a0<\/strong>Ride up comfortably by cable car, then take the short, scenic walk along the panoramic path to the Berggasthaus Herzogstand \u2013 with one of the finest views of the Walchensee and the Alps.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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