Leavenworth

Leavenworth is a city in Chelan County, Washington, situated at 357 meters elevation in the Cascade Mountains. The buildings in the center display half-timbering, painted wooden facades, and pointed gables reminiscent of villages in the Bavarian Alps.

A railway company established the settlement in 1885, and it served as a hub for timber transport for several decades. Starting in 1962, business owners redesigned the buildings in Bavarian style to attract tourists and revive the local economy.

Shop windows often display hand-painted figurines and cuckoo clocks, while many restaurants offer dishes such as bratwurst or schnitzel on their menus. Residents sometimes wear dirndls or lederhosen during local festivals, reinforcing the alpine atmosphere.

US Route 2 connects the city with larger centers to the east and west, and public buses run through the valley. Most shops and restaurants line the main street in the center, where everything is reachable on foot.

A museum at the edge of the center preserves over 7,000 nutcrackers from different eras and regions. Before settlers arrived, indigenous groups gathered bulb plants at the mouth of Icicle Creek where it meets the Wenatchee River.

Location: Chelan County

Inception: 1885

Elevation above the sea: 357 m

Website: http://cityofleavenworth.com

GPS coordinates: 47.59640,-120.66500

Latest update: December 12, 2025 21:53