Murnau am Staffelsee is a market town in the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in the region called Oberbayern in Bavaria, Germany. The market originated from the 12th century around the castle Murnau. Murnau is situated on the edge of the Bavarian alps, approx. 70 km south of Munich. Directly to its west is the Staffelsee lake and to the south are the summits and burrs of the Ammergauer Alps beginning with the Hörnle up to the Ettaler Manndl which is located in the southwest of the Wettersteingebirge. This mountain range is formed by the Zugspitze and the Alpspitze in the south as well as the Estergebirge with its striking Kistenkar and the Walchensee mountains including Heimgarten and Herzogstand in the southeast. During the last ice age (Würmeiszeit) Murnau was covered by an almost 600 m thick icecap. The Staffelsee borders directly on the western edge of the town.