Mittenwald Travel Forum

Hi, We will be in Mittenwald over Easter week and wanted to attend Easter Sunday Service. Is there a church in Mittenwald that we would be able to attend Easter Sunday service? Also will it be german or English spoken?

How can we find out information on this church as far as time of service & so forth.

Thanks so much

There is a church. I highly doubt there's a town in Bavaria without a church, no matter how small.

Here's a pic:
http://www.mittenwald-aktiv.de/Kultur/Kirche/kirche.html

> Also will it be german or English spoken?

Neither, but rather Bavarian.

Service will be at around 10am. Perhaps check if there's an announcement at the door or ask the staff at your hotel/pension.

Ok, Great, thanks so much! Now here's another silly questions...Is Bavarian lanuage diffeent then German? I am not aware of this...I better be doing more homework in learning the culture:)

The Roman Catholic Church of St Peter and St Paul is 18thC baroque and I imagine it will attract a lot of visitors for Easter. I'll leave it to Turtleshell to explain the language question - as difficult for me as trying to expalin to people that Wales is not a part of England!

Should have read -
The beautiful Roman Catholic Church of St Peter and St Paul is 18thC baroque ...

You have just stumbled upon some inner-German teasing...

Bavarian is not a different language but a German dialect. However, People from the rest of the country have a hard time understanding it, and since Bavarians are a bit different from other German tribes in their culture and mentality there are countless jokes and more or less serious tacklings between Bavarians and non-Bavarians...

As for the churches, there is a catholic parish in Mittenwald which has the old baroque church and a protestant parish with a modern church.
10 a.m. is a typical hour for masses and services. At Easter, however, the most impressive services are those during Easter night.
Catholics tend to have a 'midnight' mass very late on Saturday evening, usually something like 10 or 11 p.m.
Most protestant churches do a service at dawn, starting at 5.30 or 6 a.m. in the dark church. Everybody gets a candle. When the big Easter candle is lit, the light is passed round to all those candles people hold. During the service the sun rises and daylight appears. Very symbolic. These night services are my favourites.

I tried to look up the websites of the parishes in Mittenwald but somehow the catholics kicked me out and I could not open the page.
Dates and times of mass/services are on the notice board next to the church doors, you'll also find flyers inside the churches. The tourist information in Mittelwald will know, probably also your hotel.

Ok, you have become victim of one of my tribal jabs.

Bavarian is a German dialect, and on top of that it is one I don't particularely like. Not only am I from northern Germany and speaking "High" or "standard" German, Germans now and then like to start tribal fights: East vs. west, north vs. south, Duesseldorf vs. Cologne ...
In my opinion, the Bavarian dialect sounds pretty harsh and at the same time not very well articulated. It can actually be difficult understanding a Bavarian, even if German is you native language.

Oh well, Kathrin_E came first ...

Just checked the page of the protestant parish - they are indeed having a night service at 5.30 on Easter Sunday. There is also a family service at 10 a.m. with christenings, after the service they will have a search for Easter eggs for the children.
Address of the church: Dreifaltigkeitskirche Mittenwald, Partenkirchner Str. 31
Website: www.mittenwald-evangelisch.de (page in German)

Ok, Thank-you all Katherin E, Ranger & Turtleshall. All was VERY informative.,
I am getting so excited of our trip. Now,,,How does everyone dress going to church? Do you think (especailly since it will be Easter Sunday) that me & daughter need to bring a dress and husband bring a suit & Tie? OR will casual slacks & nice top be fine. We do not want to look out of place! Here back home in USA everyone , sad to say everyone dresses casaul.

Thanks all :)

You will be wearing your coats/jackets inside the church anyway so no one sees what's underneath. Wear something nice and clean, but there is no need to bring any special dressy clothes.
I'd rather not recommend skirts for the ladies but pants, closed shoes and warm socks to avoid cold feet. Churches are heated but they will not be as warm as a living room.

Great,I was hoping you would say that...Did not want to pack a suit! I hope you all don't mind all the questions? What would you reccomend us to do Easter Sunday Afternoon? I know all the shops & Restaurants will be closed.
Can we still get on a train(Buy a Bavarian Ticket) & see some scenery Easter Sunday? Any advise would be greatly appreciated. Do you know is Zugspitz will be open that day for us to ride to the top?

This is a fairly small church so it fills up with just the local township very quickly.

You had better arrive early to get a seat.

It is very easy to find as it is where the 2 main streets, 100 meters each in the main town intersect on a "T" pattern.

Not sure if *all* restaurants will be closed on Easter Sunday. But Mittenwald is quite small, so it *could* indeed be.

Seeing Zugspitze is a possibility provided weather is good enough to provide a clear view. Otherwise it would be too expensive a visit.

I do not see why there shouldn't be any service, but you may want to check this website before you head to Garmisch-Partenkirchen (GP):
http://www.zugspitze.de/main.php

At least "Zahnradbahn" and one of the two "Gletscherbahn" or "Eibseebahn" should show a green dot.
My suggestion would be to take the "Zahnradbahn" all the way up to the platform (terminus) to get a first impression there, and then change for "Gletscherbahn" to see the summit. Later, catch "Eibseebahn" for a steep ride back to Eibsee Station and change for the Zahnradbahn back to GP.
Keep yout tickets until you are back in GP!

What you could do if weather doesn't play nice - I don't know. Visiting Innsbruck on a hazy Sunday probably isn't really an option.

Again, Thank-you so much. Will the train run on Easter Sunday? I think I was told we buy a bavian ticket @ 29 Eros will get my family on the train. Is that correct?

That's correct 28 or 29 Euros if purchased online or through a ticket machine. You'll get a small discount on the fare for the Zugspitzbahn as well. And since it will be Sunday, the ticket will be valid before 9am (from midnight, I believe).

Trains will run, albeit on a Sunday schedule.

Norbert & Katrin - sidetracking from the question a bit. I did know about the Bavarian dialect thing but thought it improper to comment! My German speaking husband explained it when I, with my limited German, commented on the difficulty I had in understanding what was being said. It is similar here - the Welsh spoken in north and in south Wales sounds different, and is I believe written differently too.

Since this topic has drifted off from Easter Sunday in Mittenwald to the Zugspitz, I should comment that the two train stations are next to each other.

BUT, you cannot walk directly from one to the other. You must go out the front of the station in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, turn left and walk to the main street, turn left again and walk under the train track bridge. Once on the other side, turn left again and walk towards the other station.

About 10 minutes or less.

THank-you again!:)

A quick question for Norbert and Kathrin: How much will the Easter holiday affect the trains and businesses in that part of Germany ? When I was stationed near Hanau, the trains didn't run from Friday afternoon until Monday evening, and virtually all the businesses were closed. Will Oberammergau and Mittenwald have widespread closures ? Will Garmisch be a bit more "busy" since it's a resort area ? Gary

Trains run on Sunday/holiday schedule - check on www.bahn.de.

Shops are closed on Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday except those in train stations and airports and souvenir shops in tourist areas.

Update (after settling my internet problems which had to do with the latest Java update): I have in the meantime found the website of the catholic parish in Mittenwald, too. They are not having an Easter night mass - there is Mass in St Peter und Paul on Saturday, 7 p.m. and on Sunday, 9 a.m. and a family service on Sunday, 10:30 a.m.
Website (in German): http://www.st-peter-und-paul-mittenwald.de