Tag Archives: Breitachklamm

Hikes: Breitachklamm Gorge In The Allgäu, Southern Germany (8K)

The Breitachklamm is a gorge created by the river Breitach in the Allgäu region in Southern Germany. It is located at the exit of the Kleinwalsertal near Tiefenbach, a city district of Oberstdorf. It is one of the deepest gorges of the Bavarian Alps and the deepest rocky gorge of Central Europe.

Every year around 300.000 visitors walk the 2.5 km long path through the gorge. The upper entrance of the Breitachklamm is located near the Walserschanz in Austria, with limited parking space, whereas the lower one in Oberstdorf-Tiefenbach offers a visitor center and ample parking. The Breitachklamm was formed only during the last 10,000 years after the Würm ice age. Glaciers had eroded soft rocks, and hard rocks remained. When the glaciers had melted, the Breitach river had to grind its way through the hard rocks, over a distance of 2.5 km and up to 150 metres (490 ft) deep.