The Walchensee region has been experiencing a surge since the Corona loosening. A current photo from Kochler Bahnhof shows which flowers the rush is bearing.
- Bavaria has by no means survived the corona crisis *
- But after the first loosening the people flow again from the city into the mountains.
- A mayor therefore wrote a fire letter to Munich (see update of May 25).
- More on this topic and many other exciting stories can be found in our app or in our weekly region newsletter for Bad Tölz.
Update from June 3: Ulrike W. lives in Kochel on Staffelsee and Walchensee. The rush of visitors from Munich and the surrounding area shocked even hard-boiled cookers on Whit Monday (June 1st) . "It's insane for our village," she writes to our editorial team. And:
Excursionists in Kocher: Photo reveals the extent of the rush
"Everywhere in the restaurants you have to adhere to the distance rules, but it is probably not possible in your free time."
There was a similar picture in all excursion regions in southern Upper Bavaria. For example in Garmisch-Partenkirchen and at Schliersee. Apparently, according to authorities in various regions, the unique beautiful weather on Whit Monday and the longing for fresh air after the long Corona exit restriction came together. In addition, many other leisure options are not yet open.
Update from May 28th: The start of the Pentecost holidays starts on Saturday . The mayors from Jachenau and Kochel am See fear another rush to the Walchensee region . The heads of the affected municipalities, the district of Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen, the state building authority Weilheim, the Bavarian State Forests and the responsible police departments met on Wednesday evening with State Member Martin Bachhuber at State Secretary Gerhard Eck. It was about measures that could improve the situation in the short and medium term.
After Corona loosening: rush to the region on Lake Walchensee - more parking spaces planned
The Bavarian State Forests are planning relief parking spaces at the two entrances to the toll road on the southern bank of the Walchensee. The planning documents for this and for the relocation of the toll stations from Jachenau-Mühle to Niedernach and Einsiedel further towards the toll road could now be submitted, the press release says. However, work can only start in October at the earliest.
The municipality of Jachenau is also checking whether the meadow already used as an “emergency parking lot”, which a farmer has made available, could be available in the longer term and could thus provide additional relief.
Traffic chaos at Lake Walchensee at the start of Pentecost holidays? Bicycle protection strips are checked
Regarding the bike path problem, it was agreed that the State Building Authority, in cooperation with the Accident Commission, is checking the installation of bicycle protection strips in the villages of Kochel and Walchensee. State Secretary Gerhard Eck also agreed to significantly support the planning of a cycle path connection between Urfeld and Walchensee .
In the short term, as in the previous year, the A 95 " Walchensee Region overloaded " signpost will be used on the A 95 motorway . These are triggered by the police in cooperation with the road maintenance department.
"We are now trying to find small solutions quickly, " said District Administrator Josef Niedermaier . “However, the legal framework does not allow general visitor restrictions here, even if we and one or the other might like it in this case. We try to find solutions within the framework in which we can move. ”
Walchensee and Kochelsee: Mayor complains about garbage that has been left behind
Update of May 25: After the rush of visitors to Kochel and Walchensee, a lot of garbage remained there , complains Kochel Mayor Thomas Holz. The employees of the building yard were still busy on Monday to collect the remains of countless picnics. In the landscape protection area on Lake Walchensee, they consciously decided against waste baskets. The rule was: "Please take your stuff home with you." That had worked well in the past few years. But now everything is left over from the snack - from gummy bear bags to sausage packaging.
Local people are welcome at the lakes , emphasizes Holz. He understood that everyone now longed for nature. But: “When a parking lot is full, it is full. It is not possible to stand in private courtyard entrances or in escape routes. “That is irresponsible and ruthless. When the borders to Austria open again, wood fears even more crowds due to the many bathers from the Innsbruck area.
Up to 4,000 cars were counted on beautiful days last year. The citizens of Walchensee therefore took to the streets in a demonstration in October and demanded measures. This year, two rangers should monitor compliance with the rules in the landscape protection area.
Update from May 21: The media rush at Ascension Day was almost as big as the excursion traffic: On Father's Day, ZDF was just as present in the Walchensee region as the BR . After the traffic and parking collapse last Sunday, which had made headlines nationwide , the television stations, accompanied by Kochel's Mayor Thomas Holz, apparently wanted to get an idea of the situation themselves.
Excursionists from Munich: Increased police presence at Lake Walchensee obviously has an effect
They were not disappointed - even if it wasn't as busy as it was last. "It was not as bad as on Sunday," said Holz in a first assessment on Thursday afternoon. "Maybe it really did something that we tried in the media."
Holz thus alludes to the public appeals by him and his Jachenau counterpart Klaus Rauchberger (see original article below). Both had urged the day visitors to adhere to the applicable parking regulations and to be considerate of one another.
Excursion rush at Walchensee: Hiking parking lots already full at 6 a.m.
Nevertheless, yesterday, for example, the cars stood close to each other on the south bank of Lake Walchensee . "But we were able to prevent the streets and escape routes from being blocked," said police chief Johannes Kufner from Tölz. This was one of the main goals.
At the urging of wood, the two local services had received reinforcements from the motorcycle control group and a riot police unit. Holz was satisfied with the increased police presence - especially since the Koch police had “not had a minute to deal with the Walchensee issue until 3 pm”. The officials were used elsewhere.
The rush of excursionists at Tegernsee and Schliersee also brought traffic to a standstill.
In a meeting at the Ministry of the Interior next week, Holz wants to continue to support local departments on weekends and public holidays. The increased police presence had "made a powerful impression, even among the locals". Holz was surprised to find that the hikers' parking lots at the pass were in part almost full before 6 a.m. An acquaintance told him that she was there at 5.15 a.m. According to the Tölz police chief Kufner, the opening of a meadow in Jachenau provided relaxation shortly before entering the town. "There were definitely 300 vehicles there."
Farmer in Jachenau provides meadow as parking space
Mayor Rauchberger's thanks go to farmer Josef Orterer, who made the meadow available to a car dealer. "But that is not a permanent solution." Overall, Rauchberger was satisfied. "It worked quite well, even if the rush was huge." The city hall boss suspects that there was even more going on than last Sunday. However, it was still too early for a final balance in the late Sunday afternoon because the return travel had not yet started. Police chief Kufner expected massive traffic disruptions, because experience has shown that everyone wants to drive home at once.
All parking spaces occupied: So it was on Sunday at Lake Walchensee.
© Lotti Rosengarten / private
Original report from May 19: Kochel / Aschau - Sunday morning in the shadow of the Kampenwand - the hiking car park Hintergschwendt is bursting at the seams. Day trippers park on the narrow access roads. Even meadows and fields of the farmer are not spared - Corona virus, was there something there?
The weather on Sunday attracted locals, but also many from Munich and the surrounding area to the mountains. For example, the police in Brannenburg reported a "steady influx of vehicles". Especially in the area of Bad Feilnbach and the Samerberg there were traffic jams due to the crowded parking lots. Around 10 a.m., the hiking parking lots were overcrowded. In Prien am Chiemsee , those seeking relaxation stormed the lake shore.
Similar pictures were depicted from the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen , where there were also a multitude of motorcyclists on the parked Kesselberg between Kochel and Walchensee . Police chief Johannes Kufner from Tölz speaks of "brutal excursion traffic". A patrol on the B 13 from Lenggries to Tölz counted almost 90 motorcycles in one direction in twelve minutes. The descriptions of the traffic situation range from "crazy" to "catastrophe" to "hell".
Corona in Bavaria: Chaos on the mountains - Mayor sends brand letter to Munich
Hans Schandl is a citizen of the small community of Jachenau . He was also annoyed by the chaos of the excursion on Sunday and wrote an email to District Administrator Josef Niedermaier. "Here politicians are urgently required to take short-term measures to prevent a traffic attack - not only for us, but also in the many other destinations." Schandl even considers " tickets " to the local recreation areas to be useful.
The latter may be an individual opinion. But the mayor of Thomas Kochel is also alarmed by the rush of day trippers, mainly from the greater Munich area . Everything was parked on the Kesselberg . "Up the hill and down the hill" there was a constant backlog. He has "never experienced such a traffic situation as on Sunday," says the mayor of Jachenau, Klaus Rauchberger. Hiking parking lots, for example at the "Schützenhaus" in Jachenau, were already full at 9 a.m. Meadows were also used as a parking lot, and the grass ready for mowing was trampled on. Rauchberger hopes that it will not always be that bad in the course of the summer - when the border with Austria is open again, day-to-day tourism could spread better.
Corona in Bavaria: Munich's cause chaos in the mountains
Kochel’s Mayor Thomas Holz yesterday wrote to the Bavarian Ministry of the Interior asking for more personnel for the Kochel police station or for reinforcements by the riot police. "You can't cover that with just one patrol," he says. He also hopes that traffic violations will be dealt with more easily and consistently - this is where the special purpose association for municipal traffic monitoring is required.
Local resident Hans Schandl is meanwhile annoyed by the double standards of some wildlife parkers. “Although people sign at home against bee death and go on the streets on Fridays for environmental protection . But as soon as it comes to personal freedom, everything is forgotten and it is only about your own selfishness. "
* merkur.de is part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital network
Are thousands of holidaymakers pushing motorhomes into the Upper Isar Valley at the start of Pentecost holidays? The holiday village Krün worries about this view. The community is making arrangements. The many day trippers from Munich also cause problems in Ohlstadt. A resident is horrified by the “absolute arrogance” of some.
