Gießenbachklamm

Useful Information

Location:	Thierseestraße 196, 83088 Kiefersfelden. A93 exit 60 Kiefersfelden, in the village towards Thiersee/Austria. (47.6120181, 12.1463993)
Open:	APR to OCT no restrictions. [2023]
Fee:	free. [2023]
Classification:	Gorge
Light:	n/a
Dimension:	L=350 m, St=197.
Guided tours:	self guided, L=2 km, VR=170 m.
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Wanderweg Gießenbachklamm, Thierseestraße 196, 83088 Kiefersfelden. Touristinformation Kiefersfelden, Rathausplatz 5, 83088 Kiefersfelden, Tel: +49-8033-9765–27. E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1857	Andreas Bleier builds Kiefersfelden's first cement mill here.
1997	Water wheel Bleier Sag built by Sebastian Bleier.

Description

The Gießenbachklamm consists of three parts, the Vordere Gießenbachklamm, the Mittlere Gießenbachklamm and the Hintere Gießenbachklamm. The Vordere Gießenbachklamm is accessible on the southern side, about 60 metres above the Gießenbach brook for a length of 350 metres. The path begins with 197 steps and then leads through the gorge high above the water. It is possible to walk up the gorge and back again. Alternatively, you can also do a circular hike through the Gießenbachklamm gorge to the Schopperalm and back along a different path. The Schopperalm is open from May to the beginning of October. The Mittlere and Hintere Gießenbachklamm gorges are not accessible.

The hike begins near Kiefersfelden not far from the German-Austrian border. Right at the beginning is the Bleier Sag, the largest water wheel in Bavaria. A wooden wheel with a diameter of 8 m turns four times a minute, generating 20 kilowatts of electricity. It was built in 1997 by Sebastian Bleier, who uses it to supply his family and 35 other households.

Sebastian Bleier is an enthusiastic fan of water power. He is familiar with the largest water wheel in the world on the British Isle of Man, with the name Lady Isabela and a diameter of 22 metres. In reference to this female name, Sebastian Bleier named the little sister Miss Sophie. A quote from Dinner for One. The engraver apparently didn't know this, and wrote Miss Soffi in Bavarian, and that's how it stayed. And actually Lady Isabela is just the nickname of the Mine Laxey Wheel.

Bleier Sag was built here to harness water power. This has a long tradition, as early as the 15th century water power was used to power a mill. Later it became a sawmill, in Bavarian Sag (Säge, saw), together with the owner's surname resulted in Bleier Sag. In 1857, Andreas Bleier built Kiefersfelden's first cement mill here. Lime marl was extracted from a 150-metre-long tunnel near the house, ground, and burned in the company's own kiln. Bleier delivered the finished cement in barrels as far as Munich and Vienna; a certificate from the railway construction in Rosenheim attests to the high quality. More kilns and mills were built on the Kieferbach. In 1922, Portland-Cement built the Am Neugrund cement plant in Kiefersfelden, which ceased operations in 2003. Next to the road, in front of the house, a millstone reminds us of this time.

From here, walk along the Gießenbach stream for about 550 m to the Giessenbach power station, built in 1910. It is supplied with water through a pipe from the reservoir just above the gorge. Thus, only part of the Gießenbach water flows through the Vordere Gießenbachklamm. The path was created in this context, it is actually the maintenance path for the water pipeline.