In 1882, a wire strung on poles between Miesbach and Munich carried electricity over a distance of fifty-seven kilometres, one of the first long-distance power transmissions in history, a demonstration organised by the engineer Oskar von Miller and the French physicist Marcel Deprez. It powered a small pump driving an artificial waterfall at an exhibition in Munich. The achievement helped launch the age of electricity, and Oskar von Miller went on to found the Deutsches Museum.
Miesbach is a pleasant market town in the Bavarian Oberland, between the Tegernsee and the Schliersee, with an old centre, a church and a lively market. The surrounding landscape is the Alpine foreland at its most beautiful, with green hills, meadows, forests and farms, and the mountains rising to the south. The Miesbach breed of cattle and the local cheeses are part of the region's pride, and the traditional costume, the Tracht, is still worn on festive occasions.
The roads roll over the hills and wind through the valleys, with gentle curves, good surfaces and views of the mountains. The roads to the Tegernsee and the Schliersee are popular and can be busy on weekends, but the quieter roads through the hills offer more relaxed riding. The Taubenberg, a hill north of the town, has an inn with a view over the Alps. Watch for agricultural vehicles, cyclists and cows.
In Miesbach you will find fuel and food within a few hundred metres of each other. A coffee in the town square, followed by a short walk through the old centre, is a pleasant break. The Sudelfeld Pass lies to the south, through the Schliersee and Bayrischzell.