Murnau and Staffelsee
The town where Kandinsky and Münter worked toward abstraction, beside a lake with seven small islands.
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Gabriele Münter bought a house in Murnau in 1909 and she and Wassily Kandinsky worked there through the years when his painting moved toward abstraction; Franz Marc, August Macke and Alexei Jawlensky also worked in the area, and the Blue Rider group formed out of these connections. Münter kept a large number of Kandinsky's works hidden through the Nazi years and gave them to Munich in 1957, which is why the Lenbachhaus holds the collection it does. Her house is a museum. The Staffelsee beside the town has seven islands, one with a chapel, and is shallow enough to warm quickly in summer.
What you actually see
- The Münter House - the painted furniture and rooms she and Kandinsky used.
- The Murnau museum - Blue Rider works and local painting.
- The Staffelsee islands - seven islets, one carrying a small chapel.
- The moor landscape - the wetland between town and mountains they painted.
When to go
May to October; the lake is a swimming and boating lake in summer. Museums close Mondays. The moor paths are best in spring and autumn.
Honest expectations
The Münter House is small with timed entry in busy periods. Most of the major paintings are in Munich, not Murnau. The lake islands need a boat.
Nearby
The Ammergau Alps rise south; Oberammergau is beyond them.
What to pack for Murnau and Staffelsee
Chosen from what this place is for. Tap a kit for the full checklist.
Opening times, ticket prices and seasonal closures change - check the official source before you go: official site.
