Roadbook: Leipzig to Zell am See

The 76.5-meter-long structure has spanned the Mardertelle, a gorge that’s 40 meters deep, since 1851. From the bridge and rock formation, we look out over the Elbe. A ferry ripples through the water 190 meters below us. We can appreciate the inspiration that Romantic painter Caspar David Friedrich drew from these panoramas in the early 19th century.

The Panamera in Aventurine Green Metallic glides through the Saxon Switzerland National Park. It takes one corner after another as the spectacular landscapes fly by – the perfect backdrop against which to enjoy the car’s performance.

His father Anton once ran a forge here; these days, it’s a museum. Examples of historical engineering expertise can be explored here at Tanvaldská 38 Friday through Sunday. They document how far the design engineer was ahead of his time. In 1902, for example, he visited his place of birth in a hybrid car he built himself – the Lohner-Porsche Mixte. There is a photo of him driving his father and brother around what was then a small town and now has a population of more than 100,000.

We press on to Karlovy Vary – the famous spa town formerly known as Karlsbad. Undulating country roads take us through little villages. In the front gardens, fruit trees are in full bloom. Hop fields, pastures, and narrow brooks line our way. On an open stretch, we enjoy the Panamera uninterrupted. Dynamism meets comfort. Sports car meets sedan. And innovation meets tradition as we stop in the old part of Karlovy Vary with its mix of Gothic, baroque, and art nouveau buildings.

Goethe’s Lookout at the Three Crosses viewing point offers a good overview. The German poet also appreciated the spa town’s mineral deposits. Water has been gushing into the baths here since the Bronze Age. The minerals released form the crystalline rock aragonite, a popular souvenir. The Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV believed in the powers of the waters and had a castle built here in 1358. People have been bathing in and drinking the waters for health reasons since then. Today, too, we meet tourists sipping the spring water out of colorful cups. The spa town has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2021.

We continue on to Austria, passing Pilsen and České Budějovice as we go. The weather is a real mixed bag – there’s everything from freezing rain, sleet and hail to strong gusts of wind. The Panamera is put off neither by the bad weather, nor by the water on the roads. The sports car doesn’t lose any of its driving stability, and demonstrates its maximum agility. We arrive in Linz in the evening sunshine shortly before the sun sets over the Danube. We enjoy the spectacle from Salonschiff Fräulein Florentine, a permanently moored ship with an upper and lower deck, which is open all year round. It’s worth stopping here at any time of the day, be it for a leisurely breakfast, a coffee and a slice of Linzer torte – a pastry with redcurrant jam – in the afternoon, or a merry evening of music and dancing.

The next morning, we head toward the Mondsee and Attersee lakes. Their turquoise waters glisten, surrounded by steep, lush green banks. Small parking spots along the shore invite you to take a rest. Two neoprene-covered heads suddenly surface in the water. The lakes’ considerable depth makes them popular with divers. At their deepest, the Mondsee and Attersee lakes are 68 meters and an impressive 169 meters respectively. In the midst of this Alpine panorama, we savor a moment of peace before heading south. Wherever you look, the imposing mountain scenery seems almost mystical.

We pass Salzburg, catching a glimpse of the Hochkönig summit on our right, and take one mountain road after the other to reach our next destination after around 200 kilometers: Gmünd in the state of Carinthia. When the company had to relocate from Stuttgart due to the war, the remoteness of this place made it a comparatively safe construction and production site for Ferdinand Porsche and his team from 1944 to 1950. This is where the 356 “No. 1” Roadster was developed under the direction of Ferry Porsche in 1948 – the first sports car to bear the family name.

Hotel Schloss Prielau has space for 22 guests, with the first floor being the centerpiece. The suite there boasts three bedrooms and two bathrooms for maximum exclusivity. Nearby is the Porsche family’s home track: the Großglockner High Alpine Road. The highest surfaced mountain pass road in Austria connects the two Austrian states Salzburg and Carinthia and covers close to 48 kilometers. From early summer to early fall, you can take narrow serpentine roads up to the Fuscher Törl and Hochtor mountain passes at over 2,500 meters. If you wish to enjoy the mountain summits up close, you should inquire in advance as to whether the road is open. We’re not so lucky, but Anette Mayer gives us a tip and sends us up the Mitterberg, which offers a phenomenal view of Lake Zell and the mountains.