The park has always been an oasis of peace for locals and visitors. “But with Laura’s name it gets a depth and a direction,” said Mayor Elisabeth Koch (CSU). It should not be a place of loss, but rather “of encounters and of quiet gratitude.”

Friends, family, politicians from the region, locals as well as numerous members of the Partenkirchen ski club and the mountain rescue service, for which Dahlmeier worked on a voluntary basis, came. There weren’t enough seats on the specially set up benches – hundreds of people watched the event, which was expressly not intended to be a memorial service – but rather “a celebration for Laura Dahlmeier,” as moderator Taufig Khalil said.

At the end, the visitors placed candles in a piece of cross-country ski trail made of snow that had been specially carted in by helpers – a glowing trail in the night.

The two-time biathlon Olympic champion and seven-time world champion Dahlmeier died in July 2025 at the age of 31 while mountaineering in Pakistan’s Karakoram Mountains.

Leaving a big gap

Michael Maurer, president of the ski club that was Dahlmeier’s sporting home and is based right next to the park, said Laura will be missed everywhere she left her footprint with her natural, open and down-to-earth nature. “She leaves a big gap.”

Maurer also recalled Dahlmeier’s sporting successes, especially the 2017 Biathlon World Championships in Hochfilzen, Austria – where, according to the advice of her supervisors, she was ultimately not supposed to start again for health reasons. She competed anyway – and won her fifth gold of this World Cup. In 2019 she ended her biathlon career and turned more to mountaineering.

“Quiet reminder in everyday life”

In the park, a photo and a plaque attached to a rock commemorated the athlete. At the same time, there were considerations as to how dignified remembrance could be created in the area.

“A stadium would have been obvious. A sports facility might be logical,” said Koch. But Dahlmeier was never just an athlete. Koch said she preferred being outside and moving – especially on the mountain. “She was looking for space and peace – certainly not the stage.” The park is not a place of competition, but rather a “quiet reminder in everyday life”.

“I consider it a great honor that the market town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen is now practically dedicating the park to Laura. That is an incredibly beautiful gesture,” said the athlete’s mother, Susi Dahlmeier. Father Andreas Dahlmeier said that this is how Laura will be remembered in the future.