Maria Heimsuchung, Catholic church at Zugspitzplatt, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany.
Mariä Heimsuchung is a small Marian chapel on the Zugspitzplatt am Schneeferner at 2,600 m above sea level, making it Germany's highest place of worship. It stands near the mountain station of the Zugspitzbahn and belongs to the Partenkirchen-Farchant-Oberau parish association. The altarpiece shows Mary's meeting with Elizabeth, a painting on the right wall depicts Jesus' death and resurrection, and a mural on the left shows his baptism by John in a mountain landscape.
In 1930, at the opening of the Bavarian Zugspitzbahn, Cardinal Michael von Faulhaber promised services would be held at the terminus on Sundays and holidays. A donation by Fritz and Maria Kittsteiner of Garmisch-Partenkirchen enabled the chapel; its foundation stone was laid in 1980, the railway's 50th year. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, then Archbishop of Munich and Freising, consecrated it on 11 October 1981.
The church is dedicated to the Visitation of Mary, a biblical event describing Mary's encounter with her cousin Elizabeth. This dedication shapes the identity of the place and connects the community to this religious tradition.
The chapel stands at 2,600 m on the Zugspitzplatt near the mountain station and is open daily. In summer, with good weather, a Protestant service is held Tuesdays at noon and a Catholic one Sundays at noon. It also serves as a wedding chapel.
The chapel stands at 2,600 m on the Zugspitzplatt, making it Germany's highest place of worship. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, then Archbishop of Munich and Freising, consecrated it on 11 October 1981. It is also used for weddings.
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