Mountains in flames
Post Lermoos celebrates the annual summer highlight in the Tiroler Zugspitz Arena
Spectacular fire pictures, chains of flames along the mountain ridges and a breathtaking view – every year, the Ehrwald-Lermoos-Biberwier valley basin is brightly illuminated around the third Saturday in June at the summer solstice, this year on June 22, 2024. The box seat location of the four-star superior Hotel Post Lermoos with its unobstructed view of the Zugspitze massif is ideal for this unique spectacle, which has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2010.
Seven different groups organize the summer solstice bonfires and could hardly be more diverse: from children’s and youth groups to participants who have been active since 1978 as the so-called “Bergfuirer” and adhere to the medieval tradition of celebrating the longest day of the year. Another meaning goes back to the early 19th century. In addition to welcoming the summer, the bonfires also commemorate the fights for freedom against Napoleon in North and South Tyrol and the unity of the Tyroleans.
This special event is planned several months in advance, when the motifs are determined and then kept top secret. Following a precise plan drawing, the images are adapted to the slope. The approximately 10,000 fireplaces are usually sacks of sawdust filled with rapeseed oil, which are only distributed on the slopes by the group members with climbing experience from the evening before. The motifs presented vary greatly from group to group and range from ecclesiastical symbols to cartoon characters.
Guests of the four-star superior Hotel Post Lermoos can witness this special evening in comfort. After an exquisite evening menu from the three-toque kitchen in the cozy parlors of the restaurant, a breathtaking view of the Zugspitze and the surrounding mountains opens up from shortly before ten o’clock from the terrace,
but also from almost everywhere in the hotel, as the motifs slowly take shape in the gathering darkness.