Terrain visibility analysis

Can you see the Zugspitze from Munich?

Short answer: Yes, theoretically, from this exact point near Marienplatz in central Munich. The Zugspitze summit clears the modelled terrain horizon across a 91.1 km sight line.

Can you see the Zugspitze from central Munich near Marienplatz? Sightelo analyses the 91.1 km line to Germany's highest summit.

View the calculation in Sightelo

Key figures

Observation point: Burgstraße near Marienplatz, central Munich, Germany; Latitude, longitude: 48.137131, 11.577011; Eye height: 1.7 m
Point of interest: Zugspitze, Germany
Target elevation: 2,962 m
Straight-line distance: 91.1 km
Direction to the summit: 209.3° (south-southwest)
Modelled summit clearance: +777 m

Terrain profile and line of sight

Detailed profile

Scroll horizontally to explore the full profile on a small screen.

Calculated terrain
Observer–summit sight line
Minimum visibility line
0 m reference (modelled curvature)

Terrain already includes modelled curvature and refraction (k = 0.13). The grey curve is the 0 m reference: subtract it from the terrain curve to read real elevation. Sight lines remain straight; no second curvature correction is applied. Vertical and horizontal scales differ.

At the summit, the target clears the modelled horizon by 776.8 m. No blocking terrain is calculated. The relief forming the horizon is 89.281 km from A.

The calculation models terrain, Earth curvature and standard atmospheric refraction. It does not model buildings, trees, clouds, haze or local atmospheric variations.

Calculated profile values

Distance (km)	91.1 km
Observer eye altitude	528.9 m
Summit altitude	2962.0 m
Minimum visible target altitude	2185.2 m
Target margin above the modelled horizon	+776.8 m
Minimum local sight-line clearance	+13.7 m
Displayed / calculated samples	499 / 912
Excluded around A / B	200 m / 1500 m
Horizon-forming relief	89.2813 km

Audited calculation: 2026-10-13. The interactive calculator can recalculate with currently available elevation data.

What this example helps you study

The line runs south-southwest across the Bavarian foreland to the Wetterstein Alps. The summit stands 777 m above the minimum modelled visible altitude, with no intervening terrain obstruction after the first 200 m. Street-level buildings and atmospheric conditions still determine whether it can actually be seen.

Limits of interpretation

The calculation models terrain, Earth curvature and standard atmospheric refraction. It does not model buildings, trees, clouds, haze or local atmospheric variations.

Technical details

Observation point coordinates: 48.137131, 11.577011
Summit coordinates: 47.421220, 10.986300
Terrain model: Copernicus DEM 90
Eye height: 1.7 m
Refraction used: Standard (k = 0.13)
Sample step: 100 m
Uncertainty threshold: 30 m
Observer exclusion radius: 200 m
Requested summit exclusion radius: 600 m

A positive value means the summit clears the modelled terrain horizon. A negative value means the summit lies below the minimum elevation required to clear that horizon. This value is not the local height of blocking terrain above the sight line.