Bergopfer-Gedenkkapelle St. Bernhard, Memorial chapel at Kührointalm in Schönau am Königsee, Germany.
Bergopfer-Gedenkkapelle St. Bernhard is a stone chapel at 1408 meters (4619 feet) elevation with a rectangular main room, apse, and square tower topped with traditional shingles. The small building sits on Kührointalm pasture and serves as a place for contemplation among the mountains.
Three local residents established this chapel in the 1960s to honor mountaineers who died in the region, prompted by a desire to create a fitting memorial. The project grew from recognizing the need to remember those lost to the mountains.
The interior displays brass plaques with names of climbers who died in the Alps, along with hand-carved wooden statues and memorial books that keep their memory alive for visitors.
The chapel is open from May to October, typically during hours when the nearby Kührointhütte mountain hut operates, or you can request a key from border patrol. Reaching this location requires a mountain hike, so proper footwear and preparation are important.
The chapel maintains careful records of over 1000 deaths of hikers and climbers from the Berchtesgaden area dating back to the 19th century. It is particularly known for documenting casualties from the Watzmann East Wall, one of the region's most dangerous climbing routes.
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