Murnau a.Staffelsee offers various ways to explore art, literature and local history. At the Castle Museum, works by Gabriele Münter, art of the Blue Rider movement and insights into the town’s literary life come together. Other highlights include the Münter House, walks through the historic old town and a view of the Murnau Moos in the surrounding area. Visitors exploring the town can choose between a museum visit, a self-guided walk and guided activities.
Art, Literature and Crafts at the Castle Museum
The Murnau Castle Museum displays works by Gabriele Münter and works by artists of the New Artists’ Association of Munich and the Blue Rider movement. The artists represented include Wassily Kandinsky, Marianne von Werefkin, Alexej Jawlensky, Franz Marc and Heinrich Campendonk. Münter’s collection holds a special place: the museum houses the largest publicly displayed collection of her works. The artists and groups mentioned offer different points of reference for art history, which come together in the museum.
Literature is also part of Murnau’s cultural identity. The Castle Museum has an extensive documentation dedicated to playwright Ödön von Horváth. Horváth lived mainly in Murnau from 1924 until his politically forced departure in 1933. There, he wrote the plays “Zur schönen Aussicht” and “Italienische Nacht,” among other works, and began the novel “Jugend ohne Gott.” His life and works bring the town’s literary heritage to life and complement the visual arts with a story of their own.
The Castle Museum also showcases the traditional local crafts of feather-flower making and reverse glass painting. The Dammert International Collection complements these themes with works from Europe and Asia, extending beyond locally made pieces. This places locally rooted crafts alongside an international collection. The museum also explores the art and literary history associated with Murnau during the first third of the 20th century, and presents features of the Alpine foothills as well as local traditions and culture. Visitors interested in the town will therefore find both individual artistic perspectives and a broader introduction to its cultural history.
The Münter House offers insights into the lives of the artists associated with it. It provides another way to explore this subject alongside a museum visit. Together with the exhibitions at the Castle Museum, it offers a range of options, allowing visitors to focus on Münter’s collection, the artists’ groups, literature or local crafts.
Old Town, Walks and Surroundings
Murnau’s historic old town can be explored independently or as part of a guided tour. You can decide whether to plan your own walk or discover the town on a guided tour. An art walk is another activity for visitors to Murnau. These options offer different perspectives: the old town provides the setting for exploring the town, while the art walk focuses on art.
A literary walk through Murnau follows in the footsteps of Ödön von Horváth; advance registration is required to take part. It offers a different perspective on local history from the art-related activities. If you would like to follow the literary trail, be sure to plan for the required registration. This makes it possible to choose between the different themes without treating the guided tour, art walk and literary walk as the same activity.
For a change of scenery, the Murnau Moos lies nearby, south of Murnau. It is the largest contiguous peat bog in Central Europe. This adds a landscape in the surrounding area as a point of interest alongside the town’s cultural attractions. This distinction is useful if you would like to consider culture in Murnau separately from the nearby landscape when planning your trip.
Discover more destinations: Hechendorf, Mittenwald, Riegsee, Ettal, Uffing Am Staffelsee, Ohlstadt, Unterammergau, Saulgrub.
Go to the main travel overview: Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
