Garmisch-Partenkirchen
Garmisch-Partenkirchen (29,875 inhabitants; 01-01-2004) is a market town, and the administrative centre of the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in the Oberbayern region of Bavaria, Germany, near the border with Austria. The town is served by an Autobahn (motorway), and has railway connections to Munich, Innsbruck, Reutte and to the Zugspitze, the highest mountain in Germany, which is nearby and 2962 m high. In 1936 it was the site of the Winter Olympic Games. Traditionally, a ski jumping contest is held in Garmisch-Partenkirchen on New Year's Day, as a part of the Four Hills Tournament (Vierschanzen-Tournee). A variety of Ski Worldcup Races is also being carried out here on a regular basis, usually on the Kandahar Track outside town. Garmisch Partenkirchen is also a favoured holiday spot for skiing, snowboarding and hiking, having some of the best skiing areas in Germany. The Marshall Centre for International Security Studies is also loacated in Garmisch Partenkirchen, a internationally funded and mostly US staffed learning and conference centre for Governments from around the world. A small number of US troops is still stationed in the city and also runs a small community on the outskirts of Garmisch. Furthermore was Garmisch Partenkirchen the birthplace of Michael Ende, the author of the "Neverending Story" and has also been home to Richard Strauss, the composer.
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