Facade of Remembrance (Lüftlmalerei)

More about Facade of Remembrance (Lüftlmalerei)

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Influences: Giovanni Battista Tiepolo and Andrea Pozzo

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The sky a deep, clear blue, the Zugspitze, 2,962 meters (9,718 ft) high, sharply outlined… a piece of pie and a cappuccino on a terrace, and an explosion of vivid colors on the facades around me. Everything floods my senses to the deepest level.

Walls, entire facades, full of stories and Trompe-l’œil paintings, bearing witness to a culture where religion has long been deeply rooted.

Lüftlmalerei literally means “air painting” in German. It’s a style of mural painted high up on the facades of houses or buildings, so the artwork seems to float above the street. It emerged mainly in the late 17th and 18th centuries during the Baroque and Rococo periods in southern Germany and the Bavarian Alps.

These murals usually depict religious scenes, Biblical stories, or local legends, often carrying a moral or spiritual message for the community. Many include Trompe-l’œil elements, like painted window frames, balconies, or stonework, creating the illusion of architectural depth. Famous places to see Lüftlmalerei include Oberammergau, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, and Mittenwald, where the paintings remain an integral part of the architecture and the character of the towns.

With love, © Aífe