Edelweiss Lodge and Resort
Encyclopedia
Edelweiss Lodge and Resort is a U.S. Department of Defense
owned recreation hotel
in Garmisch-Partenkirchen
, Germany
. Located in the Bavaria
n Alps near the Austria
n border, the facility opened in September 2004 at a cost of $80 million.
Edelweiss Lodge and Resort was built to replace a series of older Armed Forces Recreation Center (AFRC) hotels (such as the now-demolished General Walker Hotel
in Obersalzberg
). The hotel and its facilities are open to U.S. military members, including US military retirees, US National Guardsmen, US military reservists, Department of Defense civilian employees stationed overseas, and foreign military members stationed at U.S. military installations and their family members. The resort also offers special discounts to troops who have served in the wars in Iraq
and Afghanistan
and their family members.
, a number of formerly Nazi hotels and resort complexes were taken over by the United States Army
and put into use as R&R
centers for the benefit of the soldiers stationed there. While these older hotels served this purpose well for many years, they also became expensive to continue to maintain. In the spring of 2000, the U.S. Army and members of the United States Congress
approved plans to construct a modern resort hotel in the Bavaria
n resort town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen
. Upon completion of the new hotel, AFRC-Europe closed AFRC-Chiemsee and the General Patton Hotel in Garmisch, and consolidated the remaining AFRC facilities in Garmisch under the new Edelweiss Lodge and Resort.
The Edelweiss Lodge also operates the Edelweiss Vacation Village and Campground
, located in the southern part of Garmisch on the nearby Artillery Kaserne. These facilities feature rustic cabins, a campground in the Loisach River Valley, and a 9-hole golf course.
On a daily basis the Edelweiss lodge organizes a multitude of excursions, ranging from the Dachau Concentration Camp outside of Munich
to Sterzing
, Italy
.
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
owned recreation hotel
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
in Garmisch-Partenkirchen
Garmisch-Partenkirchen
Garmisch-Partenkirchen is a mountain resort town in Bavaria, southern Germany. It is the administrative centre of the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in the Oberbayern region, and the district is on the border with Austria...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. Located in the Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
n Alps near the Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n border, the facility opened in September 2004 at a cost of $80 million.
Edelweiss Lodge and Resort was built to replace a series of older Armed Forces Recreation Center (AFRC) hotels (such as the now-demolished General Walker Hotel
General Walker Hotel
The General Walker Hotel was a former Third Reich hotel in Obersalzberg, Germany. Following World War II, it became a United States Armed Forces Recreation Center , and was renamed after US Army General Walton Walker, killed in action in the Korean War...
in Obersalzberg
Obersalzberg
Obersalzberg is a mountainside retreat situated above the market town of Berchtesgaden in Bavaria, Germany, located about southeast of Munich, close to the border with Austria...
). The hotel and its facilities are open to U.S. military members, including US military retirees, US National Guardsmen, US military reservists, Department of Defense civilian employees stationed overseas, and foreign military members stationed at U.S. military installations and their family members. The resort also offers special discounts to troops who have served in the wars in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
and Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
and their family members.
History
Following the conclusion of the Second World War in EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, a number of formerly Nazi hotels and resort complexes were taken over by the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
and put into use as R&R
R&R
R&R may refer to:* R&R , a music trade magazine* R&R , acronym for Rest and Recuperation* "R&R" , an episode of the science fiction TV show*R&R , a fictional nightclub in EastEnders...
centers for the benefit of the soldiers stationed there. While these older hotels served this purpose well for many years, they also became expensive to continue to maintain. In the spring of 2000, the U.S. Army and members of the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
approved plans to construct a modern resort hotel in the Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
n resort town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen
Garmisch-Partenkirchen
Garmisch-Partenkirchen is a mountain resort town in Bavaria, southern Germany. It is the administrative centre of the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in the Oberbayern region, and the district is on the border with Austria...
. Upon completion of the new hotel, AFRC-Europe closed AFRC-Chiemsee and the General Patton Hotel in Garmisch, and consolidated the remaining AFRC facilities in Garmisch under the new Edelweiss Lodge and Resort.
Facilities
The hotel features 330 rooms and suites, a conference center, three restaurants with a variety of American and German dishes, and a fitness center including sauna and pool. The Edelweiss Lodge and Resort also owns the Hausberg Lodge, a ski rental facility and ski school located next to the cable car station at the base of the Hausberg mountain.The Edelweiss Lodge also operates the Edelweiss Vacation Village and Campground
Edelweiss Vacation Village and Campground
The Edelweiss Vacation Village and Campground is a U.S. Department of Defense recreational facility that is a part of the Edelweiss Lodge and Resort in Garmisch, Germany. The Vacation Village and Campground consists of a collection of deluxe and rustic wood cabins located on Artillery Kaserne in...
, located in the southern part of Garmisch on the nearby Artillery Kaserne. These facilities feature rustic cabins, a campground in the Loisach River Valley, and a 9-hole golf course.
On a daily basis the Edelweiss lodge organizes a multitude of excursions, ranging from the Dachau Concentration Camp outside of Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
to Sterzing
Sterzing
Sterzing is a comune in South Tyrol in the region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, Italy. It is the main village of the southern Wipptal, and the Eisack River flows through the medieval town.-Origin:...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.