Attractions and Places To See around Ottobeuren - Top 20

Beautiful suspension bridge over the Iller with a viewing tower offering a magnificent view. It swings quite a bit in strong winds.

The suspension bridge and the approximately 20-meter-high observation tower invite visitors to explore. From the tower, you can enjoy a magnificent view of the weir and the idyllic floodplains of the Iller River. A pebble beach is also located nearby, right on the riverbank, perfect for dipping your feet in the cool water.

The blue suspension bridge spans the river near Rotkreuz and offers an exciting crossing with a gentle sway – a popular photo spot and stop for hikers. Directly next to it is a freely accessible observation tower, from which you can enjoy magnificent views of the Iller and the surrounding landscape. Both locations are easily integrated into a circular hike and offer a beautiful combination of nature experience and views.

Suspension bridge construction & observation tower

Basilica of St. Alexander and St. Theodore, Ottobeuren The magnificent basilica, dedicated to the two Roman martyrs Alexander (162) and Theodore (306), is certainly one of the most beautiful Baroque churches in southern Germany. With its two 82-meter-high onion domes, it stands on a gently rising ridge west of the market square, visible from afar above the valley of the western Günz River. Due to its dominant, free position within the entire building complex, the basilica plays an undeniable presiding role. This concept of placing the church in front of the monastery was not, however, an Ottobeuren invention. Rather, it can be traced back to the famous Swabian architectural theorist Joseph Furtenbach, who published it in 1628 in his work "Architectura Civilis" as the ideal form for a women's monastery. Other monasteries were also built according to this pattern: Kempten in 1651, Seedorf/CH in 1682, Obermarchtal in 1686, Holzen in 1696, Klosterwald in 1714, Sießen in 1716, and Fiecht/Tyrol in 1707. The foundation stone was laid on September 27, 1737, at the present main portal. During the reigns of Abbots Rupert Neß and Anselm Erb, it was built as a monastery church from 1737 to 1766 by Simpert Kraemer (until 1748) and Johann Michael Fischer. The very rich late-Bavarian furnishings include dome and ceiling frescoes and altarpieces by Johann Jakob and Franz Anton Zeiller from Tyrol, stucco figures by Johann Joseph Christian, and stucco work by Johann Michael Feuchtmayer the Younger. It boasts two widely renowned Baroque choir organs by Karl Joseph Riepp: the four-manual Trinity Organ with 47 stops and the two-manual Holy Spirit Organ with 27 stops, both with a French sound. The choir stalls are by Martin Hermann (carpentry) and Johann Joseph Christian (reliefs). The focal point of the church is the Romanesque crucifix (ca. 1220). The church's unusual north-south orientation is due to its location within the overall complex, whose floor plan is in the shape of a cross. In 1926, the monastery church was elevated to a Papal Basilica/Basilica Minor by Pope Pius XI. Text / Source: Benedictine Abbey of Ottobeuren, Sebastian-Kneipp-Str. 1, Ottobeuren https://www.abtei-ottobeuren.de/content/klosteranlage/die-basilika/

Ottobeuren Market Square / Market Chronicle Probably none of the visitors who stay in Ottobeuren today, for a shorter or longer period of time, can imagine how this approximately 1,500-year-old, historic town was founded. When visitors arrive in Ottobeuren from all directions by private car, taxi, or bus, their first gaze is usually drawn to the mighty basilica with its monastery buildings. No one considers that the very ground they have just set foot on was once impassable terrain, moorland, swamp, and densely wooded area. Nevertheless, a man had dared to gain a foothold here, clear the forest, and establish a human settlement. What Stone Age hunters and fishers had failed to achieve much earlier—namely, to settle here—had become the life's work of a man named Uot. At the site where the market square stands today, the first giant trees soon collapsed under the axe blows of the Uot farmers. Huts were built from rough beams, livestock was raised, and fields were cultivated. Only a few huts in the middle of the forest housed the Uot clan. Uot, the Swabian, founded Ottobeuren in the 5th century. Text / Source: Ottobeuren Tourist Office, Marktplatz 14, Ottobeuren https://www.ottobeuren.de/de/marktgemeinde/rathaus/markt-chronik.php

Ottobeuren Market Square / Market Chronicle Probably none of the visitors who stay in Ottobeuren today, for a shorter or longer period of time, can imagine how this approximately 1,500-year-old, historic town was founded. When visitors arrive in Ottobeuren from all directions by private car, taxi, or bus, their first gaze is usually drawn to the mighty basilica with its monastery buildings. No one considers that the very ground they have just set foot on was once impassable terrain, moorland, swamp, and densely wooded area. Nevertheless, a man had dared to gain a foothold here, clear the forest, and establish a human settlement. What Stone Age hunters and fishers had failed to achieve much earlier—namely, to settle here—had become the life's work of a man named Uot. At the site where the market square stands today, the first giant trees soon collapsed under the axe blows of the Uot farmers. Huts were built from rough beams, livestock was raised, and fields were cultivated. Only a few huts in the middle of the forest housed the Uot clan. Uot, the Swabian, founded Ottobeuren in the 5th century. Text / Source: Ottobeuren Tourist Office, Marktplatz 14, Ottobeuren https://www.ottobeuren.de/de/marktgemeinde/rathaus/markt-chronik.php

Basilica of St. Alexander and St. Theodore, Ottobeuren The magnificent basilica, dedicated to the two Roman martyrs Alexander (162) and Theodore (306), is certainly one of the most beautiful Baroque churches in southern Germany. With its two 82-meter-high onion domes, it stands on a gently rising ridge west of the market square, visible from afar above the valley of the western Günz River. Due to its dominant, free position within the entire building complex, the basilica plays an undeniable presiding role. This concept of placing the church in front of the monastery was not, however, an Ottobeuren invention. Rather, it can be traced back to the famous Swabian architectural theorist Joseph Furtenbach, who published it in 1628 in his work "Architectura Civilis" as the ideal form for a women's monastery. Other monasteries were also built according to this pattern: Kempten in 1651, Seedorf/CH in 1682, Obermarchtal in 1686, Holzen in 1696, Klosterwald in 1714, Sießen in 1716, and Fiecht/Tyrol in 1707. The foundation stone was laid on September 27, 1737, at the present main portal. During the reigns of Abbots Rupert Neß and Anselm Erb, it was built as a monastery church from 1737 to 1766 by Simpert Kraemer (until 1748) and Johann Michael Fischer. The very rich late-Bavarian furnishings include dome and ceiling frescoes and altarpieces by Johann Jakob and Franz Anton Zeiller from Tyrol, stucco figures by Johann Joseph Christian, and stucco work by Johann Michael Feuchtmayer the Younger. It boasts two widely renowned Baroque choir organs by Karl Joseph Riepp: the four-manual Trinity Organ with 47 stops and the two-manual Holy Spirit Organ with 27 stops, both with a French sound. The choir stalls are by Martin Hermann (carpentry) and Johann Joseph Christian (reliefs). The focal point of the church is the Romanesque crucifix (ca. 1220). The church's unusual north-south orientation is due to its location within the overall complex, whose floor plan is in the shape of a cross. In 1926, the monastery church was elevated to a Papal Basilica/Basilica Minor by Pope Pius XI. Text / Source: Benedictine Abbey of Ottobeuren, Sebastian-Kneipp-Str. 1, Ottobeuren https://www.abtei-ottobeuren.de/content/klosteranlage/die-basilika/