Alpenvorland - Natur vor der Haustür

Fog has rolled in, and the first rays of sunlight bathe the landscape in a yellow-orange glow. The outline of the Benediktenwand is reflected in the small Eichsee lake in the Loisach-Kochelsee Moor. A scene reminiscent of Canada, Alaska, or Norway—yet it unfolds just a few kilometers south of the metropolis of Munich. From Munich to the Bavarian Alps in the south stretches a very special region: the Bavarian Alpine Foothills. Pfaffenwinkel, Isarwinkel, Fünf-Seen-Land, Blaues Land, and Werdenfelser Land are strung together here like pearls on a string.
For over 20 years, Bernd Römmelt has been photographing his homeland—the Bavarian Alpine foothills and the Bavarian Alps. He wanted the region south of Munich to appear as wild as Canada or Scandinavia. No photo location was allowed to be more than an hour’s drive from his hometown of Munich. Only in this way was he able to react quickly to specific lighting conditions. This live photo essay is Römmelt’s tribute to his Upper Bavarian homeland—a personal reflection on a sense of home, love for one’s homeland, nature, light, and, above all, photography.