View source for Zugspitze

{{Short description|Highest peak of the Wetterstein Mountains (Eastern Alps)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}}
{{Infobox mountain
| name             = Zugspitze
| photo            = Zugspitze 2.JPG
| photo_caption    = Zugspitze from Ehrwald, Tyrol, Austria
| elevation_m      = 2962
| elevation_ref    = <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.summitpost.org/zugspitze/150322|title=Zugspitze: Climbing, Hiking & Mountaineering|publisher=SummitPost|access-date=2013-04-22}}</ref>
| prominence_m     = 1746
| prominence_ref   = <ref name=peaklist>{{cite web|author=Aaron Maizlish|url=http://www.peaklist.org/WWlists/ultras/EuroCoreP1500m.html|title=Europe Ultra-Prominences|publisher=peaklist.org|access-date=2013-04-22}}</ref>{{br}}↓ [[Fern Pass]] → [[Parseierspitze]]
| parent_peak      = [[Finsteraarhorn]]{{ref|a|a}} / [[Mont Blanc]]{{ref|b|b}}
| isolation        = 25.8 km<span title="to"> → </span>[[Zwölferkogel (Stubai Alps)|Zwölferkogel]]<ref group="Note" name="Acherkogel Group=Note" />
| isolation_ref    =
| map              = Germany Bavaria#Germany
| map_caption      = Location in Germany on the Austrian border
| map_size         = 300
| label_position   = top
| listing          = [[List of countries by highest point|Country high point]] (Germany){{br}}[[Ultra prominent peak|Ultra]]
| location         = [[Tyrol (state)|Tyrol]], [[Austria]]{{br}}[[Bavaria]], [[Germany]]
| range            = [[Wettersteingebirge]], [[Eastern Alps]]
| coordinates      = {{coord|47|25|16|N|10|59|07|E|type:mountain_scale:100000|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates_ref  = <ref name=peaklist/>
| type             = [[Wetterstein limestone]]<ref>''Geologische Karte von Bayern mit Erläuterungen'' (1:500,000). Bavarian Geological Survey, 1998.</ref>
| age              = [[Triassic]]
| first_ascent     = 27 August 1820 by [[Josef Naus]], Johann Georg Tauschl, and{{br}}survey assistant Maier
| easiest_route    = Reintal Route
}}
The '''Zugspitze''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|z|ʊ|ɡ|ʃ|p|ɪ|t|s|ə}} {{respell|ZUUG|shpit|sə}},<ref>{{Cite LPD|3}}</ref> {{IPA|de|ˈtsuːkˌʃpɪtsə|lang|De-Zugspitze.ogg}}; {{literally|[avalanche] path peak}}), at {{convert|2,962|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} above [[Normalhöhennull|sea level]], is the highest peak of the [[Wetterstein Mountains]] and the highest [[mountain]] in [[Germany]]. It lies south of the town of [[Garmisch-Partenkirchen]] in [[Bavaria]], and the [[Austria–Germany border]] is on its western summit. South of the mountain is the ''Zugspitzplatt'', a high [[karst]] [[plateau]] with numerous caves. On the flanks of the Zugspitze are two glaciers, the largest in Germany: the [[Schneeferner#Northern Schneeferner|Northern Schneeferner]] with an area of 30.7 [[hectare]]s and [[Höllentalferner]] with an area of 24.7 hectares. Shrinking of the [[Schneeferner#Southern Schneeferner|Southern Schneeferner]] led to the loss of glacier status in 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-09-30 |title=Germany's Southern Schneeferner loses glacier status {{!}} Copernicus |url=https://www.copernicus.eu/en/media/image-day-gallery/germanys-southern-schneeferner-loses-glacier-status |access-date=2023-03-05 |website=Copernicus |publisher=European Union, Copernicus Sentinel-2 imagery}}</ref>

The Zugspitze was first climbed on 27 August 1820 by [[Josef Naus]]; his survey assistant, Maier, and [[mountain guide]], Johann Georg Tauschl. Today there are three [[normal route]]s to the summit: one from the [[Höllental (Wetterstein)|Höllental]] valley to the northeast; another out of the [[Reintal (Wetterstein)|Reintal]] valley to the southeast; and the third from the west over the Austrian Cirque (''Österreichische Schneekar''). One of the best known ridge routes in the [[Eastern Alps]] runs along the knife-edged Jubilee Ridge (''[[Jubiläumsgrat]]'') to the summit, linking the Zugspitze, the [[Hochblassen]] and the [[Alpspitze]]. For mountaineers there is plenty of nearby accommodation. On the western summit of the Zugspitze itself is the [[Münchner Haus]] and on the western slopes is the [[Wiener-Neustädter Hut]].

Three [[Aerial lift|cable cars]] run to the top of the Zugspitze. The first, the [[Tyrolean Zugspitze Cable Car]], was built in 1926 by the German company ''Adolf [[Bleichert]] & Co''<ref>[https://www.amazon.com/Bleicherts-Wire-Ropeways-ebook/dp/B00DJZ6QSI/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1373230767&sr=8-6&keywords=bleichert%27s Peter von Bleichert "Bleichert's Wire Ropeways"]</ref> and terminated on an [[arête]] below the summit at 2,805 m.a.s.l, the so-called Kammstation, before the terminus was moved to the actual summit at 2,951 m.a.s.l. in 1991. A [[rack railway]], the [[Bavarian Zugspitze Railway]], runs inside the northern flank of the mountain and ends on the ''Zugspitzplatt'', from where a second cable car runs a short way down to the ''[[Schneefernerhaus]]'', formerly a hotel, but since 1999 an environmental research station; a weather station opened there in 1900. The rack railway and the [[Eibsee Cable Car]], the third cableway, transport an average of 500,000 people to the summit each year. In winter, nine [[ski lift]]s cover the [[ski area]] on the ''Zugspitzplatt''.

==Geography==
The Zugspitze belongs to the [[Wetterstein]] range of the [[Northern Limestone Alps]]. The [[Austria–Germany border]] goes right over the mountain. There used to be a border checkpoint at the summit but, since Germany and Austria are now both part of the [[Schengen zone]], the border crossing is no longer staffed.

The exact height of the Zugspitze was a matter of debate for quite a while. Given figures ranged from {{convert|2690|-|2970|m|ft}}, but it is now generally accepted that the peak is {{convert|2962|m|ft|abbr=on}} above [[sea level]] as a result of a survey carried out by the Bavarian State Survey Office. The lounge at the new café is named "2962" for this reason.

===Location===
[[File:ZugspitzeJubilaeumsgratHoellental.JPG|thumb|View from the [[Alpspitze]] of the Zugspitze summit and the [[Höllentalferner]] glacier in 2007]]
At {{convert|2962|m|ft}} (eastern peak) the Zugspitze is the highest mountain of the Zugspitze massif. This height is referenced to the [[Amsterdam Ordnance Datum|Amsterdam Gauge]] and is given by the [[Bavarian State Office for Survey and Geoinformation]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.zugspitze.de/diebzb/pdf_ulpr/Zugspitze-Hoehe.pdf |title=Zugspitze XXL:Deutschlands höchster Berg zeigt seine wahre Größe |author=Eva-Maria Greimel |publisher=Presseinformation Bayerische Zugspitzbahn Bergbahn AG |access-date=8 August 2009 }}{{Dead link|date=October 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot }}</ref> The same height is recorded against the [[Metres above the Adriatic|Trieste Gauge]] used in Austria, which is 27{{nbs}}cm lower. Originally the Zugspitze had three [[Summit (topography)|peaks]]: the east, middle and west summits (''Ost-'', ''Mittel-'' and ''Westgipfel''). The only one that has remained in its original form is the east summit, which is also the only one that lies entirely on German territory. The middle summit fell victim to one of the cable car summit stations in 1930. In 1938, the west summit was blown up to create a building site for a planned flight control room for the ''[[Wehrmacht]]''. This was never built; however. Originally the height of the west summit was given as {{convert|2964|m|ft|abbr=on}}.<ref>[[#refHiebeler|Hiebeler (1985)]], p.25</ref>

The mountain rises eleven kilometres southwest of [[Garmisch-Partenkirchen]] and just under six kilometres east of [[Ehrwald]]. The border between Germany and Austria runs over the west summit; thus the Zugspitze massif belongs to the German state of [[Bavaria]] and the Austrian state of [[Tyrol (Bundesland)|Tyrol]]. The municipalities responsible for it are [[Grainau]] and [[Ehrwald]]. To the west the Zugspitze massif drops into the valley of the River [[Loisach]], which flows around the massif towards the northeast in a curve whilst, in the east, the streams of ''Hammersbach'' and [[Partnach]] have their source. To the south the ''Gaistal'' valley and its river, the [[Leutascher Ache]], separate the Wetterstein Mountains from the [[Mieming Chain]]. To the north at the foot of the Zugspitze is the lake of [[Eibsee]]. The next highest mountain in the area is the [[Acherkogel]] ({{convert|3008|m|ft|disp=or|abbr=on}}) in the [[Stubai Alps]], which gives the Zugspitze a [[topographic isolation]] value of 24.6{{nbs}}kilometres. The reference point for the [[prominence]] is the [[Parseierspitze]] ({{convert|3036|m|ft|disp=or|abbr=on}}). In order to climb it from the Zugspitze, a descent to the [[Fern Pass]] ({{convert|1216|m|ft|disp=or|abbr=on}}) is required, so that the prominence is {{convert|1746|m|ft|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=10012 |title=Zugspitze |publisher=peakbagger.com |access-date=8 August 2009}}</ref>
{{Panorama|image=File:Zugspitze-Luftbild.JPG|height=600|link=|caption={{Center|360-degree panorama view from Zugspitze computed with [[digital elevation model]] with labelled mountains ↘}}}}

====Zugspitze Massif====
The [[massif]] of the Zugspitze has several other peaks. To the south the ''Zugspitzplatt'' is surrounded in an arc by the ''Zugspitzeck'' ({{convert|2820|m|ft|disp=or|abbr=on}}) and [[Schneefernerkopf]] ({{convert|2874|m|ft|disp=or|abbr=on}}), the [[Wetterspitzen]] ({{convert|2747|m|ft|disp=or|abbr=on}}), the [[Wetterwandeck]] ({{convert|2698|m|ft|disp=or|abbr=on}}), the [[Plattspitzen]] ({{convert|2679|m|ft|disp=or|abbr=on}}) and the ''Gatterlköpfen'' ({{convert|2490|m|ft|disp=or|abbr=on}}). The massif ends in the ''Gatterl'' ({{convert|2024|m|ft|disp=or|abbr=on}}), a [[wind gap (geographical feature)|wind gap]] between it and the [[Hochwanner]]. Running eastwards away from the Zugspitze is the famous Jubilee Ridge or ''Jubiläumsgrat'' over the [[Höllentalspitzen]] towards the [[Alpspitze]] and [[Hochblassen]]. The short crest of the ''Riffelwandkamm'' runs northeast over the summits of the [[Riffelwandspitzen]] ({{convert|2626|m|ft|disp=or|abbr=on}}) and the ''Riffelköpfe'' ({{convert|2459|m|ft|disp=or|abbr=on}}), to the Riffel wind gap (''Riffelscharte'', {{convert|2161|m|ft|disp=or|abbr=on}}). From here the ridge of the ''Waxensteinkamm'' stretches away over the [[Riffelspitzen]] to the [[Waxenstein]].<ref name="Alpenvereinskarte">''[[Alpine Club Map]] 4/2 – Wetterstein und Mieminger Gebirge Mitte'' (1:25,000). 5th edition. Alpenvereinsverlag, Munich, 2007</ref>

====Zugspitzplatt====
[[File:Zugspitze-Wettersteinkamm.jpg|thumb|The ''Zugspitzplatt'' above the [[Reintal (Wetterstein)|Reintal]] valley in 2006]]
The ''Platt'' or ''Zugspitzplatt'' is a [[plateau]] below the summit of the Zugspitze to the south and southeast which lies at a height of between {{convert|2000|and|2650|m|ft|abbr=on}}. It forms the head of the [[Reintal (Wetterstein)|Reintal]] valley and has been shaped by a combination of [[weathering]], [[karst]]ification and [[glaciation]]. The area contains [[roches moutonnée]]s, [[Sinkhole|dolines]] and [[limestone pavement]]s as a consequence of the [[ice age]]s. In addition, [[moraine]]s have been left behind by various [[glacial period]]s. The ''Platt'' was completely covered by a glacier for the last time at the beginning of the 19th century. Today 52 percent of it consists of [[scree]], 32 percent of [[bedrock]] and 16 percent of vegetation-covered soils, especially in the middle and lower areas.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.umweltgeol-he.de/WerdenfelserGeotope.Wetterstein.ZugspitzplattUndPlattumrahmung.htm |title=Zugspitzplatt und Plattumrahmung |author=Engelbrecht, Hubert |access-date=13 August 2009}}</ref>

===Climate===
The climate is [[tundra]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]]: ''ET''),<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=16901&cityname=Zugspitze,+Germany|title=Zugspitze, Germany Köppen Climate Classification (Weatherbase)|website=Weatherbase|access-date=2019-02-07}}</ref> maintaining the only [[glacier]] present in [[Germany]], which has observed its reduction over the years.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thelocal.de/20090603/19673|title=Zugspitze gets protective sun shield blanket for summer|date=2009-06-03|website=www.thelocal.de|language=en-GB|access-date=2019-02-07}}</ref> From a climatic perspective the Zugspitze lies in the [[temperate zone]] and its prevailing winds are [[Westerlies]]. As the first high [[orographic]] obstacle to these Westerlies in the Alps, the Zugspitze is particularly exposed to the weather. It is effectively the north barrier of the Alps (''Nordstau der Alpen''), against which moist air masses pile up and release heavy precipitation. At the same time the Zugspitze acts as a protective barrier for the Alpine ranges to the south. By contrast, [[Föhn]] weather conditions push in the other direction against the massif, affecting the region for about 60 days per year. These warm, dry air masses stream from south to north and can result in unusually high temperatures in winter. Nevertheless, frost dominates the picture on the Zugspitze with an average of 310 days per year.
[[File:Klimadiagramm Zugspitze 1961-1990.PNG|thumb|left|Climatic diagram for the Zugspitze: normal periods 1961–1990]]
For the decades from 1961 to 1990 (designated by the [[World Meteorological Organization]] as the "normal period") the average annual precipitation on the Zugspitze was 2,003.1{{nbs}}[[Precipitation measurement|mm]]; the wettest month being April with 199{{nbs}}mm, and the driest, October with 108.8{{nbs}}mm.<ref name="Mittelwerte">{{cite web |url=http://www.dwd.de/bvbw/appmanager/bvbw/dwdwwwDesktop?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=_dwdwww_klima_umwelt_klimadaten_deutschland&T82002gsbDocumentPath=Navigation%2FOeffentlichkeit%2FKlima__Umwelt%2FKlimadaten%2Fkldaten__kostenfrei%2Fausgabe__mittelwerte__node.html__nnn%3Dtrue |title=Klimadaten: Mittelwerte 1961–1990 |publisher=Deutscher Wetterdienst |format= ZIP/Exel |access-date=9 August 2009 }}</ref> By comparison the values for 2009 were 2,070.8{{nbs}}mm, the wettest month being March with 326.2{{nbs}}mm and the driest, January, with 56.4{{nbs}}mm.<ref name="Monatsdaten">{{cite web |url=http://www.dwd.de/bvbw/appmanager/bvbw/dwdwwwDesktop?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=_dwdwww_klima_umwelt_klimadaten_deutschland&T82002gsbDocumentPath=Navigation%2FOeffentlichkeit%2FKlima__Umwelt%2FKlimadatenzentren%2FNKDZ%2Fkldaten__akt%2Fausgabe__monatswerte__node.html__nnn%3Dtrue |title=Klimadaten: Fortlaufende Monatswerte (Station: 10961 Zugspitze) |publisher=Deutscher Wetterdienst |access-date=9 August 2009}}</ref> The average temperature in the normal period was −4.8°C, with July and August being the warmest at 2.2°C and February the coldest with −11.4°C.<ref name="Mittelwerte"/> By comparison the average temperature in 2009 was −4.2°C, the warmest month was August at 5.3°C and the coldest was February at −13.5°C.<ref name="Monatsdaten"/> The average sunshine during the normal period was 1,846.3{{nbs}}hours per year, the sunniest month being October with 188.8{{nbs}}hours and the darkest being December with 116.1{{nbs}}hours.<ref name="Mittelwerte"/> In 2009 there were 1,836.3{{nbs}}hours of sunshine, the least occurring in February with just 95.4{{nbs}}hours and the most in April with 219{{nbs}}hours.<ref name="Monatsdaten"/> In 2009, according to the weather survey by the [[German Met Office]], the Zugspitze was the coldest place in Germany with a mean annual temperature of −4.2°C.<ref>Mechthild Henneke: ''Wetterextreme in Deutschland 2009''. In: ''[[Südkurier]]'' dated 28 April 2010.</ref>

The lowest measured temperature on the Zugspitze was −35.6°C on 14 February 1940. The highest temperature occurred on 5 July 1957 when the thermometer reached 17.9°C. A [[squall]] on 12 June 1985 registered 335{{nbs}}km/h, the highest measured wind speed on the Zugspitze. In April 1944 meteorologists recorded a snow depth of 8.3{{nbs}}metres.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dwd.de/bvbw/generator/DWDWWW/Content/Oeffentlichkeit/KU/KUPK/Wir__ueber__uns/Praesenz/Wetterwarten/Zugspitze,templateId=raw,property=publicationFile.pdf/Zugspitze.pdf |title=Wetterwarte Zugspitze |publisher=Deutscher Wetterdienst |access-date=4 February 2011}}</ref><ref name="fz75ff">[[#refRitschel|Ritschel & Dauer (2007)]], p. 75ff.</ref>
Nowadays, snow completely melts during summer, but in the past snow might resist the summer months, the last case when the snow failed to melt during the whole summer season was in 2000.

{{Weather box|width=auto	
|location = Zugspitze, (elevation {{convert|2965|m|ft|abbr=on}}, 1991−2020 normals, extremes 1900–present)	
|metric first = Y	
|single line = Y
|Jan record high C = 6.1
|Feb record high C = 5.8
|Mar record high C = 5.3
|Apr record high C = 9.3
|May record high C = 14.8
|Jun record high C = 16.8
|Jul record high C = 17.9
|Aug record high C = 16.7
|Sep record high C = 17.2
|Oct record high C = 12.7
|Nov record high C = 7.4
|Dec record high C = 5.2
|year record high C = 17.9
|Jan avg record high C = 0.1
|Feb avg record high C = 0.5
|Mar avg record high C = 1.5
|Apr avg record high C = 4.3
|May avg record high C = 8.4
|Jun avg record high C = 12.5
|Jul avg record high C = 13.6
|Aug avg record high C = 13.8
|Sep avg record high C = 10.1
|Oct avg record high C = 7.8
|Nov avg record high C = 4.6
|Dec avg record high C = 1.1
|year avg record high C = 15.1
|Jan high C = -7.3
|Feb high C = -8.0
|Mar high C = -6.3
|Apr high C = -3.2
|May high C = 0.9
|Jun high C = 4.5
|Jul high C = 6.5
|Aug high C = 6.9
|Sep high C = 3.3
|Oct high C = 0.6
|Nov high C = -3.6
|Dec high C = -6.4
|year high C = -1.0
|Jan mean C = -10.1
|Feb mean C = -10.9
|Mar mean C = -9.0
|Apr mean C = -6.2
|May mean C = -2.0
|Jun mean C = 1.5
|Jul mean C = 3.4
|Aug mean C = 3.8
|Sep mean C = 0.5
|Oct mean C = -2.0
|Nov mean C = -6.3
|Dec mean C = -9.2
|year mean C = -3.9
|Jan low C = -12.7
|Feb low C = -13.5
|Mar low C = -11.6
|Apr low C = -8.7
|May low C = -4.4
|Jun low C = -0.9
|Jul low C = 0.9
|Aug low C = 1.4
|Sep low C = -1.9
|Oct low C = -4.5
|Nov low C = -8.8
|Dec low C = -11.8
|year low C = -6.4
|Jan avg record low C = -21.4
|Feb avg record low C = -22.1
|Mar avg record low C = -20.2
|Apr avg record low C = -16.8
|May avg record low C = -11.3
|Jun avg record low C = -7.2
|Jul avg record low C = -5.0
|Aug avg record low C = -5.6
|Sep avg record low C = -9.2
|Oct avg record low C = -13.2
|Nov avg record low C = -17.4
|Dec avg record low C = -20.6
|year avg record low C = -24.7
|Jan record low C = -34.6
|Feb record low C = -35.6
|Mar record low C = -31.0
|Apr record low C = -24.2
|May record low C = -19.8
|Jun record low C = -12.5
|Jul record low C = -8.7
|Aug record low C = -9.9
|Sep record low C = -14.7
|Oct record low C = -18.3
|Nov record low C = -25.9
|Dec record low C = -31.1
|year record low C = -35.6
|precipitation colour = green	
|Jan precipitation mm = 176.5
|Feb precipitation mm = 157.4
|Mar precipitation mm = 208.1
|Apr precipitation mm = 171.7
|May precipitation mm = 192.7
|Jun precipitation mm = 181.4
|Jul precipitation mm = 184.5
|Aug precipitation mm = 184.6
|Sep precipitation mm = 150.2
|Oct precipitation mm = 127.6
|Nov precipitation mm = 157.4
|Dec precipitation mm = 183.3
|year precipitation mm = 2075.5
|unit precipitation days = 0.1 mm	
|Jan precipitation days = 17.4
|Feb precipitation days = 16.9
|Mar precipitation days = 19.6
|Apr precipitation days = 18.4
|May precipitation days = 20.8
|Jun precipitation days = 21.0
|Jul precipitation days = 20.3
|Aug precipitation days = 19.2
|Sep precipitation days = 16.6
|Oct precipitation days = 14.9
|Nov precipitation days = 16.0
|Dec precipitation days = 18.2
|year precipitation days = 219.3
|Jan snow depth cm = 277.2
|Feb snow depth cm = 324.2
|Mar snow depth cm = 399.1
|Apr snow depth cm = 411.8
|May snow depth cm = 396.5
|Jun snow depth cm = 334.6
|Jul snow depth cm = 195.9
|Aug snow depth cm = 65.0
|Sep snow depth cm = 61.3
|Oct snow depth cm = 81.8
|Nov snow depth cm = 125.5
|Dec snow depth cm = 199.5
|year snow depth cm = 454.1
|unit snow days = 1.0 cm
|Jan snow days = 31.0
|Feb snow days = 28.3
|Mar snow days = 31.0
|Apr snow days = 30.0
|May snow days = 31.0
|Jun snow days = 30.0
|Jul snow days = 27.6
|Aug snow days = 15.2
|Sep snow days = 19.4
|Oct snow days = 27.8
|Nov snow days = 29.8
|Dec snow days = 31.0
|year snow days = 333.0
|Jan sun = 138.3
|Feb sun = 140.0
|Mar sun = 168.0
|Apr sun = 177.3
|May sun = 172.8
|Jun sun = 162.3
|Jul sun = 171.4
|Aug sun = 177.0
|Sep sun = 167.6
|Oct sun = 175.4
|Nov sun = 131.8
|Dec sun = 120.5
|year sun = 1902.6
|humidity colour = green
|Jan humidity = 68.7
|Feb humidity = 71.8
|Mar humidity = 76.3
|Apr humidity = 81.1
|May humidity = 85.8
|Jun humidity = 87.0
|Jul humidity = 86.8
|Aug humidity = 84.8
|Sep humidity = 81.7
|Oct humidity = 73.5
|Nov humidity = 73.8
|Dec humidity = 71.8
|year humidity = 78.6
|source 1 = [[NOAA]]<ref name=NOAA>{{cite web
|url = https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/1.1/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Germany/CSV/Zugspitze_10961.csv
|title = Zugspitze Climate Normals 1991–2020
|publisher = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]]
|access-date = 16 September 2023}}</ref>
|source 2 = [[Deutscher Wetterdienst]] / SKlima.de<ref name=sklima>{{cite web 
|url = http://sklima.de/datenbank_auswertung.php?tab=2
|title = Monatsauswertung 
|website = sklima.de 
|publisher = SKlima 
|language = de 
|access-date = 15 October 2024}}</ref>
}}

{{Weather box
|location = Zugspitze, elevation: {{convert|2965|m|ft|abbr=on}}, 1981-2010 normals
|width = 100%
|collapsed = y
|metric first = y
|single line = y
|Jan high C = -7.5
|Feb high C = -8.2
|Mar high C = -6.9
|Apr high C = -3.8
|May high C = 0.9
|Jun high C = 3.7
|Jul high C = 6.3
|Aug high C = 6.3
|Sep high C = 3.1
|Oct high C = 0.7
|Nov high C = -4.4
|Dec high C = -6.7
|year high C = -1.3
|Jan mean C = -10.3
|Feb mean C = -11.1
|Mar mean C = -9.7
|Apr mean C = -6.9
|May mean C = -2.1
|Jun mean C = 0.7
|Jul mean C = 3.1
|Aug mean C = 3.2
|Sep mean C = 0.4
|Oct mean C = -2.0
|Nov mean C = -7.1
|Dec mean C = -9.6
|year mean C = -4.3
|Jan low C = -13.0
|Feb low C = -13.8
|Mar low C = -12.3
|Apr low C = -9.4
|May low C = -4.6
|Jun low C = -1.8
|Jul low C = 0.6
|Aug low C = 0.8
|Sep low C = -2.0
|Oct low C = -4.5
|Nov low C = -9.6
|Dec low C = -12.2
|year low C = -6.8
|Jan precipitation mm = 172.4
|Feb precipitation mm = 159.8
|Mar precipitation mm = 228.1
|Apr precipitation mm = 178.5
|May precipitation mm = 160.7
|Jun precipitation mm = 185.5
|Jul precipitation mm = 187.6
|Aug precipitation mm = 182.3
|Sep precipitation mm = 144.7
|Oct precipitation mm = 113.7
|Nov precipitation mm = 179.0
|Dec precipitation mm = 187.5
|year precipitation mm = 2084.2
|precipitation colour = green
|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm
|Jan precipitation days = 16.9
|Feb precipitation days = 16.3
|Mar precipitation days = 20.5
|Apr precipitation days = 19.7
|May precipitation days = 20.7
|Jun precipitation days = 21.3
|Jul precipitation days = 19.7
|Aug precipitation days = 19.3
|Sep precipitation days = 16.5
|Oct precipitation days = 14.6
|Nov precipitation days = 16.7
|Dec precipitation days = 18.3
|year precipitation days = 219.8
|humidity colour = green
|Jan humidity = 69.6
|Feb humidity = 73.4
|Mar humidity = 80.1
|Apr humidity = 84.0
|May humidity = 86.7
|Jun humidity = 88.2
|Jul humidity = 86.1
|Aug humidity = 85.2
|Sep humidity = 81.6
|Oct humidity = 73.4
|Nov humidity = 74.9
|Dec humidity = 73.7
|year humidity = 79.7
|Jan sun = 136.4
|Feb sun = 141.2
|Mar sun = 155.5
|Apr sun = 164.5
|May sun = 175.1
|Jun sun = 153.2
|Jul sun = 181.2
|Aug sun = 175.7
|Sep sun = 169.4
|Oct sun = 178.1
|Nov sun = 130.6
|Dec sun = 117.7
|year sun = 1881.5
|source = NOAA<ref>{{cite web
|url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/normals/WMO/1981-2010/RA-VI/Germany/station_wmo_clino_5792_1981-2010.txt
|title = Zugspitze Climate Normals 1981-2010
|publisher = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]]
|access-date = December 6, 2023
|archive-date = 7 December 2023
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20231207180528/https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/normals/WMO/1981-2010/RA-VI/Germany/station_wmo_clino_5792_1981-2010.txt
|url-status = dead
}}</ref>
}}

{{Weather box
|width = 100%
|collapsed = y
|metric first = y
|single line = y
|location = Zugspitze, elevation: {{convert|2965|m|ft|abbr=on}}, 1961-1990 normals
|Jan high C = -8.6
|Feb high C = -8.7
|Mar high C = -7.5
|Apr high C = -4.6
|May high C = 0.0
|Jun high C = 2.8
|Jul high C = 5.1
|Aug high C = 5.1
|Sep high C = 3.2
|Oct high C = 0.4
|Nov high C = -4.6
|Dec high C = -7.1
|year high C = -2.0
|Jan mean C = -11.2
|Feb mean C = -11.4
|Mar mean C = -10.2
|Apr mean C = -7.5
|May mean C = -3.1
|Jun mean C = -0.1
|Jul mean C = 2.2
|Aug mean C = 2.2
|Sep mean C = 0.5
|Oct mean C = -2.1
|Nov mean C = -7.1
|Dec mean C = -9.7
|year mean C = -4.8
|Jan low C = -13.6
|Feb low C = -13.8
|Mar low C = -12.6
|Apr low C = -9.9
|May low C = -5.4
|Jun low C = -2.4
|Jul low C = -0.1
|Aug low C = 0.0
|Sep low C = -1.8
|Oct low C = -4.3
|Nov low C = -9.5
|Dec low C = -12.3
|year low C = -7.1
|Jan precipitation mm = 189
|Feb precipitation mm = 154
|Mar precipitation mm = 186
|Apr precipitation mm = 199
|May precipitation mm = 172
|Jun precipitation mm = 185
|Jul precipitation mm = 183
|Aug precipitation mm = 170
|Sep precipitation mm = 115
|Oct precipitation mm = 109
|Nov precipitation mm = 158
|Dec precipitation mm = 184
|year precipitation mm = 2004
|precipitation colour = green
|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm
|Jan precipitation days = 16
|Feb precipitation days = 14
|Mar precipitation days = 16
|Apr precipitation days = 16
|May precipitation days = 16
|Jun precipitation days = 18
|Jul precipitation days = 17
|Aug precipitation days = 16
|Sep precipitation days = 12
|Oct precipitation days = 10
|Nov precipitation days = 13
|Dec precipitation days = 15
|year precipitation days = 179
|Jan sun = 116.3
|Feb sun = 132.1
|Mar sun = 153.7
|Apr sun = 153.4
|May sun = 164.9
|Jun sun = 153.0
|Jul sun = 174.6
|Aug sun = 178.6
|Sep sun = 181.8
|Oct sun = 188.8
|Nov sun = 133.1
|Dec sun = 116.1
|year sun = 1846.4
|source = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|NOAA]]<ref name = noaa>{{cite web
|url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/normals/WMO/1961-1990/RA-VI/DL/10961.TXT
|title = Zugspitze (10961) – WMO Weather Station
|accessdate = December 6, 2023
|publisher = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|NOAA]]
|archive-date = 7 December 2023
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20231207180609/https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/normals/WMO/1961-1990/RA-VI/DL/10961.TXT
|url-status = dead
}} [https://archive.org/details/@kauan_kubaski Archived] January 28, 2019, at the [[Wayback Machine]]</ref>
}}

===Geology===
[[File:Zugspitze 1.jpg|thumb|The north face of the Zugspitze seen from the [[Eibsee]] lake]]
The [[geological strata]] composing the mountain are [[sedimentary rock]]s of the [[Mesozoic]] era, that were originally laid down on the seabed. The base of the mountain comprises [[muschelkalk]] beds; its upper layers are made of [[Wetterstein limestone]]. With steep rock walls up to 800{{nbs}}metres high, it is this Wetterstein limestone from the Upper [[Triassic]] that is mainly responsible for the rock faces, arêtes, pinnacles and the summit rocks of the mountain. Due to the frequent occurrence of marine [[coralline alga]]e in the Wetterstein limestone it can be deduced that this rock was at one time formed in a lagoon. The colour of the rock varies between grey-white and light grey to speckled. In several places it contains [[lead]] and [[zinc]] ore. These [[mineral]]s were mined between 1827 and 1918 in the [[Höllental (Wetterstein)|Höllental]] valley. The dark grey, almost horizontal and partly grass-covered layers of muschelkalk run from the foot of the Great Riffelwandspitze to the Ehrwalder Köpfe. From the appearance of the north face of the Zugspitze it can be seen that this massif originally consisted of two mountain ranges that were piled on top of one another.<ref>Stephan Beulke: ''Alpenvereinsführer Wetterstein''. 4th edition. [[Bergverlag Rother]], Munich 1996, p. 20ff, {{ISBN|978-3-7633-1119-4}}.</ref>

===Flora===
[[File:Eibsee & Zugspitze.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Eibsee]] in front of the Zugspitze: woods on the northern shore]]
Since the 16th century [[sheep grazing]] has been practiced on the Zugspitzplatt. Currently there are about 400 sheep maintained on Zugspitzplatt.<ref>{{cite book|editor1=R.B. Singh|editor2=Suraj Mal|editor3=Udo Schickhoff|title=Mountain Landscapes in Transition: Effects of Land Use and Climate Change|publisher=Springer International Publishing|year=2021|page=608|isbn=9783030702380}}</ref>

The shaded and moist northern slopes of the massif like, for example, the [[Naturwaldreservat Wettersteinwald|Wettersteinwald]], are some of the most species-rich environments on the Zugspitze. The [[mountain pine]] grows at elevations of up to 1,800{{nbs}}metres. The woods lower down consist mainly of [[spruce]] and [[fir]], but [[honeysuckle]], [[Galium odoratum|woodruff]], poisonous [[herb paris]], [[meadow-rue]] and [[Veronica (plant)|speedwell]] also occur here. [[Dark columbine]], [[alpine clematis]], blue and yellow [[monkshood]], white [[corn lily]], [[stemless carline thistle]], [[false aster]], [[golden cinquefoil]], [[round-leaved saxifrage]], [[wall hawkweed]], [[alpine calamint]] and [[Myosotis alpestris|alpine forget-me-not]] flower in the less densely wooded places, whilst [[cinquefoil]], [[sticky sage]], [[butterbur]], [[alpenrose]], [[Turk's cap lily]] and [[fly orchid]] thrive on the rocky soils of the mountain forests. [[Lily of the valley]] and [[Daphne (plant)|daphne]] also occur, especially in the Höllental, in Grainau and by the Eibsee.<ref>[[#refPfanzelt|Pfanzelt (1966)]], p.19</ref>

[[Bilberry]], [[cranberry]] and [[cowberry]] are restricted to dry places and [[lady's slipper orchid]] occurs in sheltered spots. Below the [[Waxenstein]] are fields with [[raspberries]] and occasionally [[Fragaria vesca]] too. The [[alpine poppy]] and [[purple mountain saxifrage]] both thrive up to a very great height. On the scree slopes there are [[Thlaspi]] and [[mouse-ear chickweed]] as well as [[Dryas octopetala]], [[alpine toadflax]], [[Lamiaceae]] and ''Saxifraga moschata''. Following snowmelt [[Sedum atratum|dark stonecrop]] and [[snow gentian]] are the first to appear, their seeds beginning to germinate as early as August. Other well-known alpine plants like [[edelweiss]], [[Gentiana|gentian]]s and, more rarely, [[cyclamen]] also flower on the Zugspitze.{{Citation needed|date=December 2020}}

===Fauna===
[[File:Alpen Zugspitze Alpendohle 2.jpg|thumb|[[chough|Alpine chough]]s on the ''Zugspitzeck'']]
The rocks around the Zugspitze are a habitat for [[chamois]], whilst [[Alpine marmot|marmot]]s are widespread on the southern side of the massif. At the summit there are frequently [[alpine chough]]s, drawn there by people feeding them. Somewhat lower down the mountain there are [[mountain hare]] and the [[hazel dormouse]]. Alpine birds occurring on the Zugspitze include the [[golden eagle]], [[rock ptarmigan]], [[snow finch]], [[alpine accentor]] and [[brambling]]. The [[Eurasian crag martin|crag martin]] which has given its name to the ''Schwalbenwand'' ("Swallows' Wall") at Kreuzeck is frequently encountered. The basins of Mittenwald and Seefeld, as well as the Fern Pass are on bird migration routes.{{Citation needed|date=December 2020}}

The [[viviparous lizard]] inhabits rocky terrain, as does the black [[alpine salamander]] known locally as the ''Bergmandl'', which can be seen after rain showers as one is climbing. Butterflies like [[Apollo (butterfly)|Apollo]], [[Thor's fritillary]], [[Lycaenidae|gossamer-winged butterfly]], [[geometer moth]], [[Erebia|ringlet]] and [[Skipper (butterfly)|skipper]] may be seen on the west and south sides of the Zugspitze massif, especially in July and August.<ref>[[#refPfanzelt|Pfanzelt (1966)]], p. 22</ref> The woods around the Zugspitze are home to [[red deer]], [[red squirrel]], [[weasel]], [[capercaillie]], [[hazel grouse]] and [[black grouse]]. On the glaciers live [[glacier flea]]s (''Desoria saltans'') and [[Tardigrade|water bears]].<ref>[[#refSchott|Schott (1987)]], p. 116ff.</ref>

===Glaciers===
Two of Germany's four glaciers are found on the Zugspitze massif: the [[Höllentalferner]] and [[Schneeferner#Northern Schneeferner|Northern Schneeferner]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wissenschaften |first=Bayerische Akademie der |date=2022-09-26 |title=Gletscherschwund: Der Südliche Schneeferner verliert seinen Status als Gletscher |url=https://badw.de/die-akademie/presse/pressemitteilungen/pm-einzelartikel/detail/gletscherschwund-der-suedliche-schneeferner-verliert-seinen-status-als-gletscher.html |access-date=2025-09-17 |website=badw.de |language=de}}</ref>

====Höllentalferner====
[[File:Höllentalferner E.JPG|thumb|The Höllentalferner in 2009]]
The Höllentalferner lies northeast of the Zugspitze in a [[cirque]] below the Jubilee Ridge (''[[Jubiläumsgrat]]'') to the south and the [[Riffelwandspitzen]] peaks to the west and north. It has a northeast [[aspect (geography)|aspect]]. Its accumulation zone is formed by a [[depression (geology)|depression]], in which large quantities of [[avalanche]] snow collect. To the south the ''Jubiläumsgrat'' shields the glacier from direct sunshine. These conditions meant that the glacier only lost a relatively small area between 1981 and 2006.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lrz-muenchen.de/~bayerischegletscher/htf.htm |title=Höllentalferner |author=Wilfried Hagg |publisher=Bayerische Gletscher |access-date=8 August 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100406025231/http://www.lrz-muenchen.de/~bayerischegletscher/htf.htm |archive-date=6 April 2010 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> In recent times the Höllentalferner reached its greatest around 1820 with an area of 47 [[hectares]]. Thereafter its area reduced continually until the period between 1950 and 1981 when it grew again, by 3.1 hectares to 30.2 hectares. Since then the glacier has lost (as at 2006) an area of 5.5 hectares and now has an area of 24.7 hectares. In 2006 the [[glacier head]] was at 2,569 m and its lowest point at 2,203{{nbs}}metres.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lrz-muenchen.de/~bayerischegletscher/htf/htf_topo.htm |title=Fläche und Höhen des Höllentalferners |author=Wilfried Hagg |publisher=Bayerische Gletscher |access-date=8 August 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090913061650/http://www.lrz-muenchen.de/~bayerischegletscher/htf/htf_topo.htm |archive-date=13 September 2009}}</ref>

====Schneeferner====
[[File:Nördlicher Schneeferner.JPG|thumb|The Northern Schneeferner and winter sport infrastructure in 2009]]
Southwest of the Zugspitze, between the ''Zugspitzeck'' and [[Schneefernerkopf]], is the Northern Schneeferner which has an eastern aspect. With an area of 30.7 hectares (2006) it is the largest German glacier. Around 1820 the entire ''Zugspitzplatt'' was glaciated, but of this Platt Glacier (''Plattgletscher'') only the Northern and Southern Schneeferner remain. The reason for the relatively constant area of the Northern Schneeferner in recent years, despite the lack of shade, is the favourable [[terrain]] that results in the glacier tending to grow or shrink in depth rather than area. In the recent past the glacier has also been artificially fed by the ski region operators, using piste tractors to heap large quantities of snow onto the glacier in order to extend the skiing season.{{Citation needed|date=December 2020}}

At the beginning of the 1990s, ski slope operators began to cover the Northern Schneeferner in summer with artificial sheets in order to protect it from sunshine.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lrz-muenchen.de/~bayerischegletscher/nsf.htm |title=Nördlicher Schneeferner |author=Wilfried Hagg |publisher=Bayerische Gletscher |access-date=8 August 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.taz.de/index.php?id=archivseite&dig=2007/05/18/a0139 |title=Pflaster für den Gletscher. |author=Max Hägler |newspaper=Die Tageszeitung: Taz |date=18 May 2007 |page=5 |publisher=taz.de |access-date=8 August 2009}}</ref> The Northern Schneeferner reached its last high point in 1979, when its area grew to 40.9 hectares. By 2006 it had shrunk to 30.7 hectares. The glacier head then lay at 2,789 m and the foot at 2,558{{nbs}}metres.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lrz-muenchen.de/~bayerischegletscher/nsf/nsf_topo.htm |title=Fläche und Höhen des Nördlichen Schneeferners |author=Wilfried Hagg |publisher=Bayerische Gletscher |access-date=8 August 2009 |archive-date=13 September 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090913054654/http://www.lrz-muenchen.de/~bayerischegletscher/nsf/nsf_topo.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The Southern Schneeferner was surrounded by the peaks of the [[Wetterspitzen]] and the [[Wetterwandeck]]. It was also a remnant of the once great ''Platt Glacier''. The Southern Schneeferner was declassified as a glacier in 2022.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://badw.de/die-akademie/presse/pressemitteilungen/pm-einzelartikel/detail/gletscherschwund-der-suedliche-schneeferner-verliert-seinen-status-als-gletscher.html |title=Gletscherschwund: Der Südliche Schneeferner verliert seinen Status als Gletscher |access-date=29 September 2022 }}</ref> The Southern Schneeferner also reached its last high point in 1979, when it covered an area of 31.7 hectares. This had shrunk by 2018 to just 1.7 hectares.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lrz-muenchen.de/~bayerischegletscher/ssf/ssf_topo.htm |title=Fläche und Höhen des Südlichen Schneeferners |author=Wilfried Hagg |publisher=Bayerische Gletscher |access-date=8 August 2009 |archive-date=13 September 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090913054704/http://www.lrz-muenchen.de/~bayerischegletscher/ssf/ssf_topo.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Caves===
Below the ''Zugspitzplatt'' [[chemical weathering]] processes have created a large number of [[cave]]s and [[abîme]]s in the Wetterstein limestone. In the 1930s the number of caves was estimated at 300. By 1955 62 caves were known to exist and by 1960 another 47 had been discovered. The first cave explorations here took place in 1931. Other, largest exploratory expeditions took place in 1935 and 1936 as well as between 1955 and 1968. During one expedition, in 1958, the Finch Shaft (''Finkenschacht'') was discovered. It is 131{{nbs}}metres deep, 260{{nbs}}metres long and has a watercourse. There is a theory that this watercourse could be a link to the [[source (river)|source]] of the River [[Partnach]].<ref group="Note">According to this theory there is a lake underneath the ''Zugspitzplatt'' that feeds the Partnach. Calculations show that the ''Platt'' produces 350 litres of water per second; the source of the Partnach however delivers at least 500 (and possibly up to several thousand litres). The difference is put down to a cave lake that also supplies the Partnach.</ref><ref>[[#refSchott|Schott (1987)]], p. 136ff.</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.lochstein.de/hoehlen/D/bayalpen/all_inn/zugspitze/zugspitze.htm |title=Landschaft und Höhlen des Zugspitzplatts |author=Franz Lindenmayr |access-date=13 August 2009}}</ref>

In 1985, during the construction of the uppermost section of a new railway tunnel to the Zugspitzplatt ski area, massive ice was unexpectedly encountered across the entire tunnel cross-section, extending for a further 19 meters. At the altitude of 2570 meters, the bedrock lays within a permafrost area, the ice temperatures were -1.5°C. The ice was evidently part of an ice-filled cave system within the extensive karst region of the Zugspitze.<ref name="Ulrich&K">{{citation|author=Roland Ulrich, Lorenz King |date=1993 |editor=Proceedings of the Sixth International Permafrost Conference |pages=625-630 |place=Beijing |title=Influence of Permafrost on Construction in the Zugspitze Mountains, Bavarian Alps, Germany}}<!-- auto-translated from German by Module:CS1 translator --></ref>

==Name==
[[File:Schema Umgebung Zugspitze.svg|thumb|Surrounding area]]
From the early 14th century, geographic names from the Wetterstein Mountains began to be recorded in treaties and on maps, and this trend intensified in the 15th century. In 1536 a border treaty dating to 1500 was refined in that its course was specified as running over a ''Schartten'' ("wind gap" or "col").<ref name="Hauslauer">{{cite book |author=Johannes Haslauer |chapter="Nur für sehr geübte Steiger". Voralpinistische Annäherungen an das Wettersteingebirge und die Zugspitze |editor=Walter Theil |title=Alpenvereinsjahrbuch – Berg 2010 |volume=134 |publisher=Alpenvereinsverlag |location=Munich |year=2009 |page=163 |isbn=978-3-937530-50-5}}</ref> In the 17th century the reference to this landmark in the treaty was further clarified as ''"now known as the Zugspüz"'' (''jetzt Zugspüz genant'').<ref name="Hauslauer"/> The landmark referred to was a wind gap on the summit of the Zugspitze and is used time and again in other sources. During the [[Middle Ages]] ''Scharte'' was a common name for the Zugspitze.<ref name="Hauslauer"/>

The Zugspitze was first mentioned by name in 1590. In a description of the border between the [[County of Werdenfels]] and Austria, it states that the same border runs ''"from the Zugspitz and over the Derle"'' (''von dem Zugspitz und über den Derle"'')<ref name="a">{{cite book |author=Fritz Schmitt |year=1979 |title=Alpinmonographie: Wetterstein – Täler, Grate, Wände |publisher=Bergverlag Rother |location=Ottobrunn |page=58}}</ref> and continues to a bridge over the River [[Loisach]]. Another border treaty in 1656 states: ''"The highest Wetterstein or Zugspitz"'' (''"Der höchste Wetterstain oder Zugspitz"'').<ref name="a"/> There is also a map dating to the second half of the 18th century that shows ''"the [[Reintal (Wetterstein)|Reintal]] in the County of Werdenfels"''. It covers the Reintal valley from the Reintaler Hof to the ''Zugspitzplatt'' and shows prominent points in the surrounding area, details of tracks and roads and pasture use. This includes a track over the then much larger Schneeferner glacier to the summit region of the Zugspitze. However the map does not show any obvious route to the summit itself.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Kurt Brunner & Thomas Horst |url=http://retro.seals.ch/openurl?rft.issn=1015-8480&rft.issue=35&rft.date=2007&lPage=3 |title=Eine Karte des Zugspitzgebiets (18. Jh.) und die Wirrnisse um die Erstbesteigung |journal=Cartographica Helvetica |volume=Heft 35 |year=2007 |pages=3–7 |archive-date=11 May 2011 |access-date=9 April 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511021902/http://retro.seals.ch/openurl?rft.issn=1015-8480&rft.issue=35&rft.date=2007&lPage=3 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The name of the Zugspitze is probably derived from its ''Zugbahnen'' or avalanche paths. In winter avalanches sweep down from the upper slopes of the massif into the valley and leave behind characteristic avalanche remnants in the shape of rocks and scree.
Near the [[Eibsee]] lake there are several [[land lot|plots of land]] with the same root: ''Zug'', ''Zuggasse'', ''Zugstick'', ''Zugmösel'' or ''Zugwankel''.<ref name="a"/> Until the 19th century the name ''der Zugspitz'' ([[grammatical gender|male gender]]) was commonplace. It was described as ''die Zugspitze'' ([[grammatical gender|female gender]]) for the first time on a map printed in 1836.<ref>[[#refHiebeler|Hiebeler (1985)]], p. 252.</ref> The spelling ''Zugspitz'' is still used in the [[Bavarian dialect]].

==Summit cross==
[[File:Alpen Zugspitze Gipfelkreuz Bayern.jpg|thumb|Summit cross on the Zugspitze]]
Since 1851 there has been a [[summit cross]] on the top of Zugspitze. The driving force behind the erection of a cross on the summit was the priest [[Christoph Ott]]. He was a keen meteorologist and whilst observing conditions from the [[Hoher Peißenberg]] mountain he saw the Zugspitze in the distance and was exercised by the fact that "the greatest prince of the Bavarian mountains raised its head into the blue air towards heaven, bare and unadorned, waiting for the moment when patriotic fervour and courageous determination would see that his head too was crowned with dignity."<ref>[[#refRitschel|Ritschel & Dauer (2007)]], p.35</ref> 

As a result, he organised an expedition from 11 to 13 August 1851 with the goal of erecting a summit cross on the Zugspitze. Twenty{{nbh}}eight bearers were led through the [[Partnach Gorge]] and the [[Reintal]] valley under the direction of forester, Karl Kiendl, up to the Zugspitze. The undertaking, which cost 610{{nbs}}[[South German gulden|Gulden]] and 37{{nbs}}[[Kreuzer]], was a success. As a result, a 28-piece, 14-foot-high, gilded iron cross now stood on the West Summit. Ott himself did not climb the Zugspitze until 1854.{{Citation needed|date=December 2020}}

After 37 years the cross had to be taken down after suffering numerous lightning strikes; its support brackets were also badly damaged. In the winter of 1881/82 it was therefore brought down into the valley and repaired. On 25 August 1882 seven mountain guides and fifteen bearers took the cross back to the top. Because an accommodation shed had been built on the West Summit, the team placed the cross on the East Summit. There it remained for about 111 years, until it was removed again on 18 August 1993. This time the damage was not only caused by the weather, but also by American soldiers who used the cross as target practice in 1945, at the end of [[World War II]]. Because the summit cross could no longer be repaired, a replica was made that was true to the original cross. After two months the rack railway carried the new cross on 12 October to the ''Zugspitzplatt'', from where it was flown to the summit by [[helicopter]]. The new cross has a height of 4.88{{nbs}}metres.<ref>[[#refRitschel|Ritschel & Dauer (2007)]], p. 35ff.</ref> It was renovated and regilded in 2009 for 15,000 euros and, since 22 April 2009, has stood once again on the East Summit.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.br-online.de/bayern/wege-und-ziele/zugspitze-gipfelkreuz-einweihung-ID1239715496338.xml |title=Zugspitze – Das Gipfelkreuz steht wieder |publisher=BR-online |access-date=9 August 2009 |archive-date=25 April 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090425033917/http://www.br-online.de/bayern/wege-und-ziele/zugspitze-gipfelkreuz-einweihung-ID1239715496338.xml |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==History==
[[File:Zugspitze (Luftbild).jpg|thumb|Aerial photograph of the summit]]
The first recorded ascent to the summit was accomplished by a team of land surveyors on 27 August 1820. The team was led by Lieutenant [[Josef Naus]], who was accompanied by two men named Maier and G. Deutschl. However, local people had conquered the peak over 50 years earlier, according to a 1770 map discovered by the Alpenverein.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/international/story/0,,1877123,00.html |title=Locals had climbed peak before it was 'conquered' |work=The Guardian |date=21 September 2006 |location=London |first=Luke |last=Harding |access-date=20 April 2010 }}</ref>

According to one legend, the northern part of the Zugspitze was given to Bavaria as a present by Emperor of Austria and Apostolic King of Hungary Franz Joseph I as a marriage present to his wife Princess Elisabeth ("Sisi") in 1854. This would have made the Zugspitze the highest mountain in Bavaria and later Germany. The Zugspitze however never belonged to Austrian Tirol but rather to the Duchy of Weldenfels, which in turn belonged to the Prince-Bishopric of Freising. That is evidenced by a treaty dated 26 October 1656 between Tirol and Freising. From 26 December 1802, the area, including the Zugspitze, belonged to the house of the Elector Maximilian Joseph of Bavaria, who was from 1806 King of Bavaria.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://geschichte.digitale-sammlungen.de/hab/seite/bsb00007648_00023|title=Historical Atlas of Bavaria |work=Bavarian State Library |date=1 January 1955 |location=Munich |first=Dieter |last=Albrecht |access-date=1 January 2025 }}</ref>

On 7 January 1882 the first successful winter assault on the Zugspitze was accomplished by F. Kilger, H. and J. Zametzer and H. Schwaiger.

Pilot, Frank Hailer, caused a stir on 19 March 1922, when he landed a plane with skids on the Schneeferner glacier. On 29 April 1927 [[Ernst Udet]] succeeded in taking off from the Schneeferner with a [[glider (sailplane)|glider]]; he landed at [[Lermoos]] after a 25-minute flight. The glider had been disassembled into individual parts and transported up the Zugspitze by cable car. In the winter of 1931/32 a post office was set up on the Zugspitze by the German Imperial Post Office or ''[[Reichspost]]''. It still exists today in the ''Sonnalpin'' restaurant and has the postal address: ''82475 Zugspitze''. In 1931, four years after the first glider flight, the first [[balloon (aircraft)|balloon]] took off from the Zugspitze.

In April 1933 the mountain was occupied by 24 [[Sturmabteilung|storm troopers]], who hoisted a [[swastika]] flag on top the tower on the weather station. A month later, SA and [[Schutzstaffel|SS]] deployed on the Schneeferner in the shape of a swastika. On 20 April 1945 the [[United States Air Force|US Air Force]] dropped bombs on the Zugspitze that destroyed the valley station of the Tyrolean Zugspitze Railway and the hotel on the ridge. After the war the Allies seized the railway and Schneefernerhaus.
[[File:DeutschlandÖsterreichGrenzübergangZugspitze1981.jpg|thumb|The border crossing on the Zugspitze as it appeared in 1981: a border marker can be seen in the upper left corner, and signs can be seen welcoming pedestrians to Austria (rectangular), West Germany (oval, nearer the camera) and Bavaria (oval, farther); the booth at centre-right was the West German immigration checkpoint.]]
Shortly after World War II the [[US military]] took over the Schneefernerhaus (as the hotel at the top was then called) for the exclusive use of US military and civilian employees. Room rates, including meals, were US$1 per day. Ski lessons were available, taught by Austrians and Germans, at a cost of US$0.25 per hour.

In 1948 the German Federal Post Office (''[[Deutsche Bundespost]]'') began operating a [[Microwave transmission|microwave radio station]] at the summit. In September of that year, three [[artiste]]s walked a steel tightrope stretched between the East and West Summits. Two members of the Traber family traversed the same route in 1953 on a tightrope on a motorcycle. Since 1953, an annual Gatterl Mass (''Gatterlmesse'') has been held on the ''Gatterl'' mountain to commemorate the four members of the [[Bavarian Border Police]] who died in an avalanche in 1952 as well as all those who have died on the Zugspitze.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.zugspitzbahn.at/zugspitzbahn/de/gatterlmesse.html |title=Gatterlmesse 2009 |work=Tiroler Zugspitzbahn |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150425001015/http://www.zugspitzbahn.at/zugspitzbahn/de/gatterlmesse.html |archive-date=25 April 2015 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

In 1962 a fire destroyed the ridge hotel by the mountain station of the Tyrolean Zugspitze Railway. The [[1976 Friuli earthquake]] was also felt particularly strongly on the Zugspitze: the duty meteorologist feared that the observation tower might collapse.<ref>[[#refSchott|Schott (1987)]], p. 200.</ref> In 1981 a [[chapel]] was founded on the Zugspitze, which was consecrated by the Archbishop of Munich and Freising, [[Benedict XVI|Joseph Ratzinger]], in October on the feast of [[Visitation (Christianity)|Visitation]]. On 25 March an [[automated teller machine]] was installed at the summit station; it has since been removed. In 1995 a 450-square-metre exhibition area was opened at the summit, in which artists present their work for six months, before the exhibition is changed. That same year the border between Germany and Austria at the summit was opened.<ref name="c">[[#refRitschel|Ritschel & Dauer (2007)]], p. 116ff.</ref>

Since 2000, the Zugspitze extreme mountain run has been held annually. In July 2008 there were repercussions in the [[mass media|media]] when, as the result of a sudden drop in temperature, two participants died of exhaustion and hypothermia<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sueddeutsche.de/bayern/450/448184/text/|title=Zwei Tote bei Extrem-Berglauf – Staatsanwaltschaft untersucht Zugspitz-Drama|publisher=sueddeutsche.de|language=de|access-date=14 August 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090722115948/http://www.sueddeutsche.de/bayern/450/448184/text/|archive-date=22 July 2009|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref> At the end of August 2009 the Swiss, Freddy Nock, walked along a cable of the [[Zugspitze Glacier Cable Car]] from the ''Zugspitzplatt'' to the summit. He covered the 995-metre-long, up to 56% steep route, which had a height difference of 348 metres, unsecured in 50 minutes.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.br-online.de/bayerisches-fernsehen/rundschau/zugspitze-nock-hochseilartist-ID1251483620888.xml |title=Nerven wie Drahtseile |work=br-online.de. |language=de |access-date=23 October 2009 }}{{Dead link|date=October 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot }}</ref>

==Alpinism==
===First ascent===
[[File:01 Joseph Naus 1824.jpg|thumb|Josef Naus in 1824 by H. v. Aggenstein]]
There are several theories about the first ascent of the Zugspitze. The chronological table on an 18th-century map describes the route ''"along the path to the Zugspitze"'' (''"ybers blath uf Zugspitze"'')<ref>[[#refRitschel|Ritschel & Dauer (2007)]], p. 9.</ref> and gives a realistic duration of 8.5{{nbs}}hours, so that it is reasonable to deduce that the summit had been climbed before 1820. The historian, Thomas Linder, believes that goatherds or hunters had at the very least penetrated to the area of the summit. It is also conceivable that [[smuggler]]s used routes over the Zugspitze summit.<ref>[[#refRitschel|Ritschel & Dauer (2007)]], p. 10.</ref> As early as 1804 cartographic surveys had taken place in the area for the County of Werdenfels. There is speculation that, in the course of this work, the royal engineer and geographer, Alois von Coulon, had reached the summit. Since Coulon worked for the Topographical Bureau, it is unlikely that his ascent would not have been noted.<ref>[[#refRitschel|Ritschel & Dauer (2007)]], p. 16.</ref>

The first recorded ascent of the Zugspitze was achieved on 27 August 1820 by [[Lieutenant]] [[Josef Naus]] and [[mountain guide]], Johann Georg Tauschl<ref group="Note">Tauschl is often called ''Deuschl''. Ritschel and Dauer have shown this to be an unexplained error. Hiebeler calls the diary entry ''Tauschl'' by Josef Naus a mistake.</ref> together with Naus' survey assistant and [[batman (military)|batman (servant)]], Maier.<ref>{{cite book |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=V1NbPeUU7dsC&pg=PA124 |title=Deutschlands höchste Gipfel: 35 Touren von der Küste bis zu den Alpen |author=Herbert Farr |chapter=Die Zugspitze |pages=124–129 |isbn=978-3-8370-3316-8|year=2009 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Grant Bourne & Sabine Körner-Bourne |year=2007 |title=Walking in the Bavarian Alps |edition=2nd |publisher=[[Cicerone Press]] |location=[[Milnthorpe]] |isbn=978-1-85284-497-4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Oh-g8myiGMUC&pg=PA137}}</ref> As early as 21 July Naus, an officer in the [[Bavarian Army]],<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=eH4gAAAAMAAJ&q=josef+naus+zugspitze+bayerische ''Bosls bayerische Biographie''] by Karl Bosl. Accessed on 9 Apr 2011.</ref> had asked about the route through the Reintal valley to the Northern Schneeferner. The lieutenant was taking part in a survey exercise by the Royal Bavarian Topographic Bureau (''Königlich Bairischen Topographischen Bureau'') for the Atlas of Bavaria (''Atlas von Bayern'') in the [[Werdenfelser Land]]. On 26 August the three of them climbed in a group together with [[Captain (Army)|Captain]] Jetze and Lieutenant Antlischek up to the shepherd's hut of ''Angerhütte''.

On 27 August around four in the morning, Naus, Tauschl and Maier set off for the ''Zugspitzplatt'' and Zugspitze summit. From the Schneeferner glacier they attempted to reach the West Summit along the west ridge. Their first attempt failed, but a second was successful and they finally reached the West Summit around 11:45 am, where they left behind a ''[[bergstock]]'' and cloth to mark their success. A thunderstorm and snowfall forced them to climb down again quickly. On 28 August they returned to the shepherd's hut at about three in the morning. The mountain guide, Tauschl, was given payment of two gulden and 42 kreuzer.<ref>[[#refRitschel|Ritschel & Dauer (2007)]], p. 9ff.</ref>

===Subsequent ascents===
[[File:Max Wolfinger Zug-Spitz am Eib-See 1864.jpg|thumb|The Zugspitze in 1864 (oil by Max Wolfinger)]]
In 1823 Simon Resch and the sheep ''Toni'' became the first to reach the East Summit. Simon Resch was also led the second ascent of the East Summit on 18 September 1834 with his son, Johann, and the mountain guide, Johann Barth. Because Resch's first ascent had been doubted, this time a fire was lit on the summit. On the 27th the summit was climbed for a third time by royal forester's assistants, Franz Oberst and Schwepfinger, along with Johann Barth. Oberst erected a flagpole on the summit with a Bavarian flag that was visible from the valley. The first ascent from Austria took place in August 1837. The surveyors, Joseph Feuerstein and Joseph Sonnweber, climbed to the West Summit from Ehrwald and left behind a signal pole with their initials on it. The West Summit was conquered for the third time on 10 September 1843 by the shepherd Peter Pfeifer. He was asked about the route by a group of eight climbers who later reached the summit at the behest of Bavaria's [[Marie of Prussia|Crown Princess Marie]]. She had the route checked in preparation for her own ascent of the Zugspitze. On 22 September 1853 Karoline Pitzner became the first woman on the Zugspitze.

The first crossing from the West to the East Summit was achieved in 1857 by Dr. Härtringer from Munich and mountain guide, Joseph Ostler. The Irish brother, Trench, and Englishman, Cluster, succeeded in climbing the West Summit on 8 July 1871 through the Austrian Cirque (''Österreichische Schneekar'') under the guidance of brothers, Joseph and Joseph Sonnweber. The route through the Höllental valley to the Zugspitze was first used on 26 September 1876 by Franz Tillmetz and Franz Johannes with guides, Johann and Joseph Dengg. The first winter ascent of the West Summit took place on 7 January 1882; the climbers being Ferdinand Kilger, Heinrich Schwaiger, Josef and Heinrich Zametzer and Alois Zott. The Jubilee Arête (''Jubiläumsgrat'') was first crossed in its entirety on 2 September 1897 by Ferdinand Henning. The number of climbers on the Zugspitze rose sharply year on year. If the summit had been climbed 22 times in 1854, by 1899 it had received 1,600 ascents. Before the construction of a cable car in 1926 there had already been over 10,000 ascents.<ref>[[#refRitschel|Ritschel & Dauer (2007)]], p. 16ff.</ref>

===Normal routes===
====Zugspitzplatt via the Reintal or Gatterl====
[[File:Reintal vom Gatterl HQ.jpg|thumb|View from the ''Gatterl'' into the Reintal]]
The easiest of the normal routes runs through the [[Reintal (Wetterstein)|Reintal]] valley and is that followed during the first ascent. At the same time it is also the longest climb. Its start point is the ski stadium ({{convert|730|m|ft|disp=or|abbr=on}}) at [[Garmisch-Partenkirchen]]. The route runs through the gorge of the [[Partnachklamm]] and along the Partnach river to the Bock Hut ({{convert|1052|m|ft|disp=or|abbr=on}}), where the Reintal begins. Above the Partnach, which has meanwhile sunk underground, the route runs up to the [[Reintalanger Hut]] ({{convert|1370|m|ft|disp=or|abbr=on}}). From there the climb is relatively gentle to start with, but then becomes steeper. From the hut the track runs through the ''Brunntal'' up to the [[Knorr Hut]] ({{convert|2057|m|ft|disp=or|abbr=on}}), which stands on the eastern rim of the ''Zugspitzplatt''. Here it meets the alternative route from Ehrwald via the Gaistal and the ''Gatterl'' at the Reintal Way. The route now runs over the ''Zugspitzplatt'' towards the Northern Schneeferner. The protected section of the climb to the Zugspitze summit begins above the ''Sonn-Alpin'' restaurant at ''Point 2815''. The route climbs through a height of 2,232{{nbs}}metres and the true duration is between eight and ten hours.<ref name="Alpenvereinskarte"/><ref>[[#refRitschel|Ritschel & Dauer (2007)]], p.113</ref>

====Höllental====
[[File:Hoellentalangerhuette Richtung Zugspitze.jpg|thumb|View from the Höllentalanger Hut towards the Zugspitze]]
The ascent starts in [[Hammersbach (Grainau)|Hammersbach]] ({{convert|758|m|ft|disp=or|abbr=on}}) through the [[Höllental (Wetterstein)|Höllental]] along the ''Hammersbach'' stream. The path runs through the Höllental Gorge (''Höllentalklamm'') and was built from 1902 to 1905. Twelve tunnels were driven in the rock of the 1,026-metre-long gorge with a total length of 288{{nbs}}metres. Another 569{{nbs}}metres of path was dynamited into the rock in the shape of a half profile, whilst 120{{nbs}}metres was led over [[footbridge]]s and 49{{nbs}}metres over scree. The construction costs came to a total of 57,000 [[gold mark]]s. Each year around 60,000 people pass through the gorge.<ref>{{cite book |author=Peter Schwarz |chapter=Der Bau des Höllentalklammweges 1902 bis 1905 |editor=Walter Theil |title=Alpenvereinsjahrbuch – Berg 2009 |volume=133 |publisher=Alpenvereinsverlag |location=Munich |year=2008 |page=252ff |isbn=978-3-937530-29-1}}</ref> The gorge can also be circumnavigated over the ''Stangensteig'' path. After the gorge the route heads for the [[Höllentalanger Hut]] ({{convert|1381|m|ft|disp=or|abbr=on}}), after which it crosses the ''Höllentalanger'' stream. Above that the ''Brett'' is crossed on steel pins fixed to a rock face. Crossing the ''Grünen Buckel'' the trail runs up to the Höllentalferner glacier. The glacier is mostly snow-free in summer so that crampons are required to cross it. Even more difficult is the [[randkluft]] because the ice retreats further and further from the rock as it melts. After the glacier there is a ''[[klettersteig]]'' to the summit of the Zugspitze. This route climbs through a height of {{convert|2204|m|ft|abbr=on}}, for which between seven and eight hours are needed. There is also the option of getting to the Höllental route on the ''Riffelsteig'' path from Eibsee. This path crosses the ''Riffelscharte'' wind gap and meets the route before the ''Brett''.<ref name="Alpenvereinskarte"/><ref>[[#refRitschel|Ritschel & Dauer (2007)]], p.113</ref>

====Austrian Cirque====
A third ascent runs across the Austrian Cirque or ''Österreichische Schneekar''. Starting point for this are the lake of Eibsee ({{convert|950|m|ft|disp=or|abbr=on}}) or the village of Ehrwald ({{convert|1000|m|ft|disp=or|abbr=on}}). The two trails merge above the cirque of ''Gamskar''. Thereafter the route continues to the [[Wiener-Neustädter Hut]] ({{convert|2209|m|ft|disp=or|abbr=on}}) and through the ''Österreichische Schneekar'', at the end of which a ''klettersteig'' begins. During this section the route climbs through the ''Stopselzieher'', a natural drainage cave. The route then joins the secured sections of the Reintal route. This ascent takes at least eight hours and climbs {{convert|2012|m|ft|abbr=on}} in height.<ref name="Alpenvereinskarte"/><ref>[[#refRitschel|Ritschel & Dauer (2007)]], p.114</ref>

===Jubilee Ridge (''Jubiläumsgrat'')===
[[File:Jubiläumsgrat West HQ.jpg|thumb|Western section of the arête: view from the Middle Höllentalspitze to the Zugspitze]]
One of the best-known ridge routes in the Eastern Alps is the [[Jubilee Ridge]], which runs eastwards from the Zugspitze to the [[Hochblassen]] ({{convert|2707|m|ft|disp=or|abbr=on}}) and crosses the Inner ({{convert|2737|m|ft|disp=or|abbr=on}}), Middle ({{convert|2740|m|ft|disp=or|abbr=on}}) and Outer [[Höllentalspitzen|Höllentalspitze]] ({{convert|2716|m|ft|disp=or|abbr=on}}) as well as the [[Vollkarspitze]] ({{convert|2630|m|ft|disp=or|abbr=on}}). Along the way the route branches off towards ''Grießkarscharte'' ({{convert|2463|m|ft|disp=or|abbr=on}}) and to the Alpspitze ({{convert|2628|m|ft|disp=or|abbr=on}}). Between 1909 and 1915 the ridge was partially secured with wire cables by the German Alpine Club section at Munich. Originally the route was called the Jubilee Way (''Jubiläumsweg''), but after a tragic rescue attempt in 1979 the rather erroneous and misleading term, which suggested it was just a normal trail, was replaced by the name ''Jubiläumsgrat'', a ''Grat'' being a sharp ridge.<ref>[[#refSchott|Schott (1987)]], p. 188.</ref>

During the crossing, which is not a pure ''klettersteig'', several unprotected sections have to be negotiated that roughly correspond to [[climbing grade]] III. The most difficult climbing section is a smooth gully (III-). In the area of the Vollkarspitze peak is a climbing section of difficulty ([[Klettersteig|D]]). The difficulty of the roughly eight kilometre long climbing route is around I and II as well as B. Normally it can be crossed in one day during the summer. Between the Middle and Outer Höllentalspitze is the ''Höllengrat Hut'' ({{convert|2684|m|ft|disp=or|abbr=on}}), a [[bothy]] where climbers can take refuge for the night. It is mainly used during winter crossing, when the tour is split into two stages. The approach route to the tour is also possible from the Knorr Hut via the ''Brunntalgrat'' ridge and joins the route in the area of the Inner Höllentalspitze.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bergsteigen.at/de/touren.aspx?ID=1496 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060819073802/http://www.bergsteigen.at/de/touren.aspx?ID=1496 |url-status=dead |archive-date=19 August 2006 |title=Tourenbuch: Jubiläumsgrat Zugspitze |publisher=bergsteigen.at |access-date=9 August 2009 }}</ref>

===Accommodation===
[[File:WienerNeustaedterHuette.JPG|thumb|The Wiener-Neustädter Hut in 2006]]
There are numerous [[mountain hut]]s in the area of the Zugspitze. One base is the [[Höllentalanger Hut]] ({{convert|1381|m|ft|disp=or|abbr=on}}) in the Höllental valley with 88 [[Matratzenlager|mattress spaces]]. Accommodation in the Reintal is provided by the [[Reintalanger Hut]] ({{convert|1370|m|ft|disp=or|abbr=on}}) with 90 bedspaces and on the edge of the ''Zugspitzplatt'' by the [[Knorr Hut]] ({{convert|2051|m|ft|disp=or|abbr=on}}) with 108 bedspaces. The Knorr Hut was the first hut in the entire Wetterstein Mountains when it was built in 1855. All the huts are open from May to October depending on the weather. On the top of the Zugspitze are three more huts: the [[Wiener-Neustädter Hut]], the [[Münchner Haus]] and the [[Schneefernerhaus]].

;Wiener-Neustädter Hut
The first hut on the Zugspitze was the [[Wiener-Neustädter Hut]] (''Wiener-Neustädter-Hütte'', {{convert|2209|m|ft|disp=or|abbr=on}}) built in 1884. It acts as a base for the ''klettersteig'' through the ''Österreichische Schneekar'' that was opened as far back as 1879. The hut is located on the western rim of the cirque and stand below the Tyrolean Zugspitze Cable Car. It is operated by the [[Austrian Tourist Club]] and offers overnighting for up to 34 mountaineers in the period from July to October. The [[winter room]] is designed to take 14 people and has no cooking or heating facilities.

;Münchner Haus
{{Main|Münchner Haus}}
[[File:Münchner Haus.JPG|thumb|Münchner Haus in 2005]]
There has been an accommodation hut just underneath the west summit since 1883. At that time the [[Alpine Club section]] at Munich built a wooden hut with places for twelve people. Although further development of the summit for tourism was criticised, more and more members supported the construction of a larger hut. This eventually resulted in the building of the [[Münchner Haus]] ({{convert|2959|m|ft|disp=or|abbr=on}}). First, in 1896, a 200-square-metre site was dynamited out of the rock. The new mountain hut was completed on 19 September 1897 at a cost of 36,615 gold marks. It was equipped with a 21-kilometre-long telephone cable and a 5.5-kilometre-long [[lightning conductor]]. In the years 1911 to 1914 the hut was extended and given its present appearance. It offer 30 beds for overnight stays and is open from May to October. An average of 2,000 people stay there each year, in addition to day visitors.<ref>[[#refRitschel|Ritschel & Dauer (2007)]], p. 89ff.</ref>

;Schneefernerhaus
The [[Schneefernerhaus]] ({{convert|2656|m|ft|disp=or|abbr=on}}) was built in 1930 as the station of the [[Bavarian Zugspitze Railway]]. In June 1931 the attached [[hotel]] was opened. After the war, US Forces commandeered the house as a "recreation facility". It was not released until 1952 and was then renovated, opening in December that same year. On 15 May 1965 it was hit by a serious avalanche. The avalanche had been triggered above the house and swept over the sun terrace. Ten people died and 21 were seriously injured. At the end of the 1980s the station was moved and, in January 1992, the hotel and restaurant closed. Between 1993 and 1997 it was extensively converted into a research station, that opened in 1996. During the building work there was a fire in 1994 that completely destroyed the fifth floor and the roof space.<ref>[[#refRitschel|Ritschel & Dauer (2007)]], p. 69ff.</ref>

==Tourism==
===Winter sports===
[[File:Zugspitze Airview 01.jpg|thumb|Aerial photograph]]
For those wishing to reach the summit under their own power, various hiking and ski trails can be followed to the top. Hiking to the top from the base takes between one and two days, or a few hours for the very fit.{{clarify|date=February 2016}} Food and lodging is available on some trails. In winter the Zugspitze is a popular [[skiing]] and [[snowboarding]] destination, with several slopes on both sides. The Zugspitzplatt is Germany's highest ski resort, and thus normally has sufficient snow throughout the winter.

===Climbing===
At the Zugspitze's summit is the ''Münchner Haus'', a [[mountain hut]] (''Alpenhütte''), a facility built by the [[German Alpine Club]] (''Deutscher Alpenverein''). For more than a hundred years, the summit has also had a weather station, which nowadays also gathers data for the [[Global Atmosphere Watch]].
[[File:Viewfromzugspitze.jpg|thumb|left|View from the Zugspitze platform looking toward [[Austria]]]]
Climbing up the Zugspitze can involve several routes. The large difference in elevation between Garmisch-Partenkirchen and the summit is {{convert|2200|m|ft|abbr=on}}, making the climb a challenge even for trained [[mountaineer]]s.
On the [[Germany|German]] side, from [[Garmisch-Partenkirchen]], climbers go either through the [[Hölle Valley (Wetterstein)|Höllental]] ("Valley of Hell") or the Reintal. The way through the Reintal is the easiest, but also the longest and takes 8 to 10 hours. This path goes through the Partnachklamm, a scenic [[gorge]], then through the Reintal up to the Zugspitzplatt, a barren plateau. from there up to the summit. Climbers can stay for the night at two alpine huts, the "Reintalangerhütte" or the "Knorrhütte".

The more popular, but harder route is through the Höllental. It starts at Hammersbach near Garmisch, goes through the Höllentalklamm, a similar gorge up to the "Höllentalangerhütte", where one can take a meal or stay for the night. It then crosses the [[Höllentalferner]], the remnants of a small glacier. After that it traverses a wall with the help of iron ladders and steps. ''[[Klettersteig]]'' equipment is recommended for that part. Over the Irmerscharte (a gap) it reaches the summit. This path will take seven to eight hours.

From the Austrian village of [[Ehrwald]], there are also two variants. One goes straight through the Western Flank, which is the shortest route overall, but rather hard. It includes a ''via ferrata'', and there is a hut called "Wiener Neustädter Hütte" by the Austrian Alpine Club. An easier path leads via the Ehrwalder Alm, across a small pass called "Gatterl", joining the Reintal path at the Knorrhütte.
[[File:Zugspitze panorama2.jpg|thumb|View from the Zugspitze platform looking north toward [[Germany]]. Notice the lake [[Eibsee]] in the middle and the town of [[Grainau]] to the right.]]
[[File:Zugspitze panorama1.jpg|thumb|View from the Zugspitze platform looking south toward Zugspitzplatt (Germany). The gold summit cross (on the left) marks the highest point in Germany.]]
[[File:Zugspitze Panorama - Höllental.jpg|thumb|View of the Zugspitze from the Höllental]]

==Notes==
:a.{{note|a}}<small>[[Parent peak|prominence parent]]</small>
:b.{{note|b}}<small>[[Parent peak|island parent]]</small>

==Footnotes==
<ref Group=Note name="Acherkogel Group=Note">The reference point of [[Acherkogel]] often mentioned in the literature lies a few metres further away.</ref>
{{Reflist|group=Note}}
<references group="Note"/>

==References==
;Citations
{{Reflist|24em}}

;Bibliography
{{Refbegin}}
*{{cite book |author=Toni Hiebeler |year=1985 |title=Zugspitze – Von der Erstbesteigung bis heute |publisher=Mosaik |location=Munich |isbn=978-3-88199-216-9 |ref=refHiebeler}}
*{{cite book |author=Helmut Pfanzelt |year=1966 |title=Alpenvereinsführer Wetterstein |publisher=Bergverlag Rudolf Rother |location=Munich |isbn=3-7633-1113-0 |ref=refPfanzelt}}
*{{cite book |author=Bernd Ritschel & Tom Dauer |year=2007 |title=Faszinierende Zugspitze |publisher=Bruckmann |location=Munich |isbn=978-3-7654-4550-7 |language=de |trans-title=Fascinating Zugspitze |ref=refRitschel}}
*{{cite book |author=Heinrich Schott |year=1987 |title=Die Zugspitze – Gipfel der Technik, Triumphe und Tragödien |publisher=Süddeutscher Verlag |location=Munich |isbn=978-3-7991-6338-5 |ref=refSchott}}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*[http://distantpeak.com/web/mountains/europe/zugspitze Zugspitze on Distantpeak.com]
*[[:de:Zugspitze|More comprehensive article about the Zugspitze in German Wikipedia]]
*Computer generated summit panoramas [http://www.viewfinderpanoramas.org/panoramas/EUR/Zugspitze-N.gif North] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130510102134/http://www.viewfinderpanoramas.org/panoramas/EUR/ZUGSPITZE-N.gif |date=10 May 2013 }} [http://www.viewfinderpanoramas.org/panoramas/EUR/Zugspitze-S.gif South] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120509230938/http://www.viewfinderpanoramas.org/panoramas/EUR/ZUGSPITZE-S.gif |date=9 May 2012 }} [https://www.viewfinderpanoramas.org/panoramas.html Index]
*[https://www.zugspitze.de/ Bayerische Zugspitzbahn Bergbahn AG – Transportation to the mountain top and local webcams]
*[https://zugspitze360.com ZUGSPITZE 360°], climbing the Zugspitze via 360 panorama photos.

{{Highest points of the German states}}
{{Ultras of Europe}}
{{Highest points of Europe}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Mountains of Bavaria]]
[[Category:Mountains of Tyrol (federal state)]]
[[Category:Mountains of the Alps]]
[[Category:International mountains of Europe]]
[[Category:Austria–Germany border]]
[[Category:Two-thousanders of Austria]]
[[Category:Wetterstein]]
[[Category:Garmisch-Partenkirchen]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Bavaria]]
[[Category:Two-thousanders of Germany]]
[[Category:Highest points of countries]]
[[Category:Wind gaps]]
[[Category:Ultra-prominent peaks of Europe]]