The place
The Perlacher Forst is a vast forested area of about 13 km² located southeast of Munich, Bavaria (Germany). It is part of the southern green belt of the metropolitan area and is managed by the Bavarian State Forests (Bayerische Staatsforsten), constituting one of the main areas for relaxation and walking in the Munich region. Its name derives from the former village of Perlach, documented as early as 784 in the form "Peralohc" ("forest of bears"), and the area served as a royal hunting forest from the 12th century. Long exploited for conifer plantations, especially for spruces, it remains an important space for outdoor recreation and environmental education. It also houses the Perlacher Forst cemetery (Friedhof am Perlacher Forst), where victims of Nazism and members of the White Rose resistance movement are notably interred.
Films shot here
The Great Escape (1963)
Directed by John STURGES