The best walks and hikes around Wolfertschwenden

Beautiful Kneipp facility

There are various hiking trails, but the one along the water is especially great for children.

ohh what an imposing building and what splendour - impressive

The "Geological Organs" are conglomerate rocks where carbonic acid seepage water has gradually eroded the limestone over millennia. The resulting stone tubes are up to 15 meters high.

The stroller-friendly hiking trail is easy to walk. A highlight for families with children, as the Motzabach stream runs along the entire length of the trail. Children can play in it or float boats.

Ottobeuren Benedictine Abbey The Benedictine abbey was founded in 764. In 972, Bishop Ulrich of Augsburg obtained from Emperor Otto I the exemption from all imperial burdens and the free election of an abbot. From 1102 to 1145, under Abbot Rupert I, the Hirsau Reform was adopted for Ottobeuren, and a new monastery and church were completed. In 1365, the abbey lost its independence to Augsburg. During the Peasants' War and the Schmalkaldic War in the mid-16th century, the church was severely damaged and subsequently rebuilt in the Renaissance style. From 1630 to 1635, during the Thirty Years' War, the monastery buildings were misused and plundered. In 1710, Abbot Rupert II Neß succeeded in regaining imperial immediacy and began construction in 1711, which was largely completed in 1766. In 1802, the church and monastery became Bavarian state property as part of the secularization process. In 1805, the church became the parish church of Ottobeuren. In 1834/35, the monastery first came under the Augsburg Priory and then became an independent abbey again in 1918. In 1926, Pope Pius IX declared the church a minor basilica. Today, the complex is a monastery with a school (grammar school and secondary school) and serves as an educational institution. In 1964, the complex was stylishly renovated for the 1200th anniversary celebrations. Text / Source: https://dcsy.de/B_Ottobeuren/ott_klostergeschichte.htm#:~:text=In%20year%20764%20%20the%20Benedictine abbey%20was founded.%20972, and%20a%20new building%20of%20monastery%20and%20church%20was completed.

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/

Beautiful, late baroque basilica. Take your time. There are thousands of pictures and figures to discover. 😍🥰👍