History of Murnau

Murnau am Staffelsee has always been an important market town in the Werdenfelser Land and the Zugspitze region . Its economically and strategically advantageous location between Weilheim and Mittenwald on the Rottstraße was decisive in this. As the only market town in the area of ​​the Ettal monastery court, Murnau formed the economic center of the region at that time.

Murnau was first documented around the year 1150. From the beginning of written records, the market town belonged to the Prince-Bishopric of Augsburg. In the Middle Ages, around 1316, Murnau already boasted more than 15 properties and a castle. Did you know that this castle still stands today? Murnau Castle, which now houses the castle museum , originated from this castle . In 1332, Emperor Louis the Bavarian purchased the market town of Murnau and transferred it, along with all its inhabitants and rights, to Ettal Abbey . Until secularization in 1803, Ettal remained the lord of Murnau, holding the rights of both landowner and feudal overlord.

At that time, people lived from long-distance and passenger transport, local trade, and small-scale agriculture. Reverse glass painting and the production of feather flowers were also key industries in the region. These traditional crafts even became known beyond the borders of the Blue Land.

Like all old Bavarian towns, Murnau a. Staffelsee has not been spared from wars, plagues and fires over the centuries. Between 1619 and 1851 the community almost completely burned down four times. During the Thirty Years' War, Swedish and French troops repeatedly invaded. And the plague also claimed numerous lives.

Murnau a. was established as a tourist destination. By the way, Staffelsee was only discovered in the middle of the 19th century! With the connection to the railway network in 1879, the economic boom came and Murnau developed into a popular health resort. This was also reflected in the appearance of the market town. In particular, the Munich architect Emanuel von Seidl left his signature. It was he who designed the colorful facades in the town center of Murnau and built numerous stately country houses.

At the beginning of the 20th century, Murnau finally gained international recognition. A circle of young artists gathered in the Blue Land and gave birth to Expressionism. The artistic collaboration of Wassily Kandinsky, Franz Marc, Gabriele Münter, Alexej von Jawlensky, and Marianne von Werefkin quickly bore fruit. The Münter House also played a crucial role in the history of the "Blue Rider" group. It became an important meeting place for the avant-garde. In October 1911, the working sessions for the preparation of the almanac "Der Blaue Reiter" (The Blue Rider) took place there.

Murnau changed in the following decade. Two barracks were built and today's Werdenfels barracks served as a prison camp for Polish officers from 1939 until the end of the war. Despite this humanitarian catastrophe, the subsequent inflation and the global economic crisis, there was an economic upswing in Murnau after 1945. A subsequent construction boom gave Murnau numerous new buildings, school buildings, a spa guest house, a fire station and a sewage treatment plant. In 1972 Murnau separated from Weilheim, was assigned to Garmisch-Partenkirchen and received a connection point to the motorway network.

Today Murnau a. Staffelsee is a proud market town with around 12.000 inhabitants, around eight times as many as at the beginning of the 19th century. Now it is important to preserve the legacy of the past, maintain what already exists and create new things.

Numerous legends surround the green lindworm in the coat of arms of Murnau a. Staffelsee as well as the origin of the place name. It is likely that the coat of arms goes back to a legendary interpretation of the place name as "Wurmsau". The dean Franz Sales Gailler offered a nice attempt to explain this in the middle of the 18th century. “Wurmsau was, as they say, the first name of the place, as if they wanted to call it the Au der Worms. Therefore it has a larger winged wyvern or dragon in its coat of arms. But since the name was somewhat crude and difficult to pronounce, the soft-sounding Murnau was created."

The zoologist and dialect poet Max Dingler also dealt with the origin of Murnau's name in his local guide from 1910. In his opinion, the name was made up of “Moor” and “Au”.

It cannot be determined with certainty when the Lindworm first appeared in the Murnau coat of arms. The first undamaged municipal seal dates from 1374. By the way, Murnau is not alone with the Lindworm in its coat of arms. The cities of Klagenfurt and Ljubljana also carry it, as does the Lower Bavarian market Wurmannsquick (Rottal-Inn district).