Am Grünten

(On Grünten)
by Gerhard Baur
43’, Germany, 2009

Grünten, 1738 metres in height, seems like a dwarf when compared to other peaks in the Allgäu mountains. Nonetheless, it is called the “guardian of the Allgäu”. All that can join man with the mountains has left  its traces up here, in the past and in the present. From the underground tunnels to the steep grassy ridges and the peak that soars toward the sky, men have traveled and explored this mountain in every way. Th e Grünten refuge is the oldest in Bavaria and is now managed by a young couple. Another couple, Margit and Brosi, have a hut on the southern slope, where they produce an exquisite cheese. For centuries, alpinists, hikers, and explorers have traveled the paths and slopes of Grünten to enjoy the unequaled panorama. Because of the danger of landslides, the mountain’s ridges have been intensively reforested. On its peak is the antenna of the local Bavarian Television. To equip it with digital technology, engineers-alpinists must work suspended hundreds of metres over the empty space that opens below them.

Gerhard Baur
Born on Lake Bodensee, in Bavaria, in 1968 he began his long and prestigious career as author and director of documentaries and films devoted above all to Alpine feats. In recent years he has favoured subjects connected to the Allgäu, the mountains where he lives. He has produced and directed more than 70 mountain documentaries, and his works have won prizes at the most important international festivals in the world.