In Penzberg, art, mining history and landscape come together. Two museums offer different historical perspectives, while the Berghalde and Eitzenberger Weiher reveal different sides of the surrounding area. You can tailor your trip to your interests, whether you are especially drawn to Campendonk, the memory of mining or outdoor paths and places.
Campendonk and Penzberg’s Town History
The Penzberg Museum – Campendonk Collection devotes its permanent exhibition to the history of the Nazi era and the so-called “Penzberg Murder Night.” It also presents the world’s largest exhibition of works by Heinrich Campendonk, including paintings, drawings and luminous reverse-glass paintings. Campendonk was the only artist in the “Blaue Reiter” group to immortalize Penzberg in his paintings.
A reconstructed miners’ apartment from around 1920 adds another perspective on the town’s history to the exhibition. It is located in a listed historic building. Art, contemporary history and the perspective of mining-era housing are thus presented side by side as distinct museum topics.
Mining History on Site
The Penzberg Mining Museum is at Karlstraße 36, in the rear building of the secondary school and in the basement. Access is via the schoolyard. The museum is about a ten-minute walk from Penzberg railway station. Before your visit, check the access arrangements and factor the approximate walking time and current train connections into your travel plans.
Within the broader travel destination of Weilheim-Schongau, the Penzberg Mining Museum preserves the memory of Penzberg’s lignite mining industry, which operated from 1796 to 1966. Another way to explore the mining history is the mining trail, established by the Penzberg Miners’ Association. Thirteen stops show and describe former mine facilities.
Berghalde and Eitzenberger Weiher
The Berghalde was created in 1974 from the mine’s former spoil heaps and transformed into a green oasis in the heart of Penzberg. The plateau has walking and Nordic walking paths, and offers panoramic views across the Loisach-Kochelsee moors to the Alpine chain. Here, the site’s origins in mining meet its present-day character as a green open space.
Eitzenberger Weiher lies in the northwest of Penzberg, a small moorland lake set in gently rolling woodland. Its landscape includes silky water, a permanently moored raft and several bathing jetties. The lake covers a good five hectares and is ten metres deep; next to it is more than 18,000 square metres of well-maintained sunbathing lawn. Unlike the Berghalde, where the focus is on plateau paths and distant views, here the lake and its shore take centre stage.
Getting There and Planning Routes
The town bus network comprises four routes serving individual neighbourhoods. Routes 940 and 941, along with two direct routes, generally start and end in the town centre and at the railway station. Routes and timetables may change, so check the current timetable before travelling.
For tours, the Penzberg cycling and hiking map includes suggested routes around the town and as far as Weilheim, Bernried, Bad Tölz and Kochel am See, as well as long-distance and hiking trails. The map therefore offers a wider choice than the paths on the Berghalde alone. As routes and map editions may change, check the current edition before setting out.
Discover more destinations: Seeshaupt, Altenstadt, Wessobrunn, Huglfing, Rottenbuch, Bernbeuren, Habach, Wielenbach
Back to the broader travel overview: Weilheim-Schongau.
