Today, a special leg awaits us on the Jerusalem Way; we leave Austria and reach another country on the long road to Jerusalem: The Federal Republic of Germany!

So today we leave Austria, as we cross a tip of Bavaria that extends deep into the Alpine Republic from the north, the so-called Small German Corner. And as an absolute highlight on the over 7,000 km long route, we will even cross TWO borders on one pilgrimage day! We will only encounter a similar situation much later, in the tri-border area of Hungary – Croatia – Serbia, where we also cross two borders in one day. But until then, many kilometers still lie ahead.

To our right, in the south, we see the Berchtesgaden Alps, across which the border to Austria runs. We can thank the Saalach river for carving a path through the Alpine massif for us over time, which can be traversed even without alpine training and equipment. It is almost self-evident that this “Small German Corner” has an extensive military-strategic and customs history, but that would go beyond the scope of this route documentation. Along the Saalach, we cross the Alpine chain and then reach a reservoir in flatter terrain, fed by the Saalach. Afterwards, we arrive in Bad Reichenhall, whose prosperity is based on salt trade (white gold). When King Max II spent his summer retreat in Bad Reichenhall in 1848, its reputation and fame as an elegant spa town were established in high society. The Old Salt Works or the magnificent Kurhaus are reminders of the city’s eventful history. Among the numerous large and small churches are the Minster St. Zeno, the largest basilica in Southern Bavaria, St. Nicholas Church with frescoes by Moritz von Schwind, and the Carmelite Church of St. Aegidius, the oldest church in the city. The stage destination Marzoll is located directly on the border with Austria, in the state of Salzburg. A scenic and historically interesting stage comes to an end.

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