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This nice man here was more than willing to pose for a photograph in
his traditional “Oberlaender• costume. And with that you
already have some idea where you are going today or where you drive
with me, your friendly Munich Airport shuttle – in the so-called
“Oberland•. More precisely to the town Bad Toelz in the Isarwinkel
But let us return to the guy on the photo. He is a “Oberlaender•-marksman
(Oberlaender = Upperlandman or a little bit similar like Highlander)
and back then they were feared. Not a surprise if you look at his caliber.
On his right side he wears a hammer on his belt – either to show
his rival where the hammer hangs or to finish him off if the bullet
was not effective enough. All jokes aside – with the hammer the
stopper is hammered into the gun barrel so that the saluting gun fires
right.
For all those who have never been here, let me introduce myself very
quickly. My name is Joerg W. Lohfink, my clients and friends call me
George. I own a rental car, meaning you can book me as your personal
driver and I either can drive you for example from the airport to Bad
Toelz or you can book me for individual cruising holiday. Today we
are taking a virtual trip, even though I would prefer one in person,
since I have to earn my living.
Don't worry – this is not your car but a picture from a store
in Bad Toelz. But I thought it fitting.
From the airport Franz-Josef-Strauss in Munich to Bad Toelz it's approximately
90 kilometers. We are taking a little shortcut from the airport overland
in the direction of Munich – this way we don't have to use the
autobahn Munich-Nuernburg. On the “Ostring• we are driving
towards Rosenheim, at “Holzkirchen• (many of our tourists
know this place due to traffic jams and the rest area) we are turning
and go straight on to Bad Tölz.
The town is not only known due to special air and relaxing location
but especially because of its healing iodine springs. The town is cut
in half by the Isar. On the one side is the old part “on the Ried•
and the newer part on the other side of the river, in the beginning
called “Krankenheil• (healing the sick) by the locals.
If I am talking about the old part and mention a offer for trips to
Turkey in the middle ages, both things belong together. Bad Toelz is
much older than Munich – when some monks started to build a settlement
there, there “was already a bear dancing here•. That's a
German fun word and means, lot's of business and life in the location.
But now let us turn to the historic marketplace of Bad Toelz.
Uups, wrong time!
I fear I have to call the “doc• from “Back to the future•
to give us a hand – first we end up in 1868 and now in 1936 –
ah, here is the right picture from now.
As you can see, the marketplace is nearly unchanged and it must have
looked almost like that back in 1280. Of course with many people and
goods – pictures like mine are always taken very early in the
morning, so that not every three seconds someone walks in front of
the camera. “Tollenze• - the early name of Bad Toelz was
a meeting place for numerous dealers and craftsmen.
Over the “Achenpass• the merchants came from the south, the
wagoners of the “Rott• (former name of the conveying agency)
and the Isar-rafters from the surrounding areas. The rafters especially
were urbane people, because from the Isar they rafted to the Danube
and on it until the Black Sea.
The people from the “Isarwinkel• were known even in Turkey
and they were able to communicate with everybody – so who's saying
the Bavarians are backwoodsmen?
“Tollenze• was the name of a knight who has built a castle
in the 8th century. 1265 the last of this dynasty died.
There is nothing left of the castle today. The citizens of the town
had some helpers in the so-called “hot clean-up•. Once some
Hungarian hordes came and kindled a bit or one fooled around in the
“Presselhaus•, the last house at the Isar-bridge.
According to documents a fire broke out on the 4th of May 1453, who
destroyed the entire market street up to the city-hall including the
castle as well as the following Thirty Years' War who was “hot•
as well. It was, however, constantly reconstructed in the old style
with the exception of using rocks instead of wood after the worst burning.
Even a palace existed later, which collapsed after a downpour in 1770.
It was neither inhabited, though nor taken care off and the foundation
was not the best either, since it was halfway flushed away.
Today, times have changed. Wherever possible, restoration is going
on. That's the reason why I could not get into the parish church, even
though I would have liked to see it and to show it to you. In it are
some historic sites and each would be worth a story.
Maybe some small advice the memorial for Kaspar Winzerer. Around 1540
he was a well-known warrior and died in a joust with Joerg Frundsberg
the Younger (Mindelheim, History of the lansquenet). But not only stone
or painting, as seen in and on many building in Bad Toelz, have added
to the high profile of the town. Very well known and desired were and
still are the works of the art carpenters and carvers, famous under
the name “Toelzer Kistlerhandwerk•. Furniture and cabinets
in country-style are still achieving high prices if in good condition.
In the past the demand was that high, that Munich craftsmen started
to petition to the monarchs against the competitors.
Already around 1500 the first guilds with strict rules for professionalism
existed in Tölz. The shoemaker trade was only to be performed
by those who possessed a shop and a wife. The rafters of Toelz had
strong conditions as well since their dangerous job required accurate
performance. Some rafts even had heated wooden houses for the long
trips to Vienna.
By the way – downward until the church on the “Kalvarien-Hill•
I don't want to go today. I rather go down the market and enjoy the
view onto the Isar. Nowadays the Isar does not contain as much water
as in the past – the rafters would be out of work. But speaking
of water – I almost forgot the iodine springs.
It is weird, but thinking of iodine I always have to think of the bright
red fluid, which was in the childhood administered to skinned knees
and which burnt like hell. But do not worry, I took a look into the
“Alpamare• - that's how they call the swimming pool –
and into a couple of the health resorts – no “Indians•
there.
The only one with a red face as a man with boxer – dog on a leash
– who apparently was not fast enough for the animal. Otherwise
the bathers looked pretty relaxed and as it is custom, Bad Toelz of
course has a spa garden and a spa hotel. The spa garden by the way
is called “Herder-Park• and honors the publisher Karl Raphael
Herder from Freiburg, who founded the iodine spring bath.
There would be so much more to talk about Bad Toelz. Who is interested
in the Bavarian history should read about the “Jägerwirt•
(hunters-innkeeper), one of the leaders of the Oberland-farmers in
their fight against the Austrian occupying forces of Munich, “assassinated
in the so-called Sendlinger Mordweihnacht• - I'll tell you if
we'll drive together. But of course the splendidly constructed tourist
information of Bad Toelz offers much more information, just take a
look at the website of the town.
with best regards, our George
Script by J.W.Lohfink,
translation help by Mrs. Daniela Higginbotham
- if you need a good translator for English and Spain, please mail to her.
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