The best walks and hikes around Altmannstein

A beautiful chapel

A very beautiful chapel

Simply beautiful, go in and take a seat and say a silent prayer.

That's fun

Holy Cross Parish Church The origins of the Holy Cross Church are unknown, but a church building must have existed as early as 1421, when the mass benefice was established. Due to severe damage, the roof and roof trusses were replaced in 1664. The veneration of an old wooden image is recorded from 1699 to 1705. The dilapidated church was rebuilt from 1760 to 1764 under master mason M. Prädl. Due to lack of space, a tower was built over the choir, but it collapsed shortly before completion in 1761, severely damaging the nave. The tower was subsequently relocated to its current location, but was not completed until after the church's consecration in 1763. In 1858, the church was extended by 15 feet to the west. During a comprehensive restoration in 1890, three new altars were added. In 1908, stained-glass windows were finally added, and in 1909, the damaged structure was repaired. The church's reconstruction in 1959, under the direction of architect Friedrich Ferdinand Haindl from Munich, resulted in a generous extension of the nave and extensive renovation of the interior. Only the choir and tower remained in their original state. The nave is shaped like a long rectangular hall. The side walls are rhythmically divided by four high, segmental-arched windows. A window bearing the coat of arms of Bishop M. Buchberger breaks through the west wall above the organ loft, supported by round columns. Figurative and ornamental paintings adorn the flat, coffered wooden ceiling. The slightly raised main choir is divided into five segments by piastres and bases and expansive imposts, and is distinguished by a fresco in the vault. Round-arched windows positioned to the sides of the choir provide illumination for the room. The church's interior is given a sense of unity—despite the different construction periods of the choir and nave—by its attention to the monumental crucifix in the choir, which dominates the entire space. The restrained color scheme and unobtrusive form of the remaining furnishings do not compete with the cross, allowing it to become the focal point. The lighting and the clear, manageable form allow the modern nave to blend in with the Rococo choir and the cross without denying its own period of origin. Source: www.das-altmuehltal.de/altmannstein/kreuz

Large Oak Tree near Ottersdorf Location: Directly at the edge of the forest near a large field, near the Ottersdorf farmstead and chapel. Also called a 1,000-year-old oak. The cylindrical trunk is completely free of branches up to a height of about 5 m. The trunk has no hollow, but does show lightning damage extending from the crown to the ground. The crown is formed by several upright branches and reaches high. There are numerous dead branches in the crown. After the Bavaria beech in Pondorf, which suddenly broke apart, this oak tree is now perhaps the most remarkable tree in the region. Tree species: English oak Age: 600 years and older Circumference: 8.22 m – Date measured: October 2, 2023 Height: 24.0 m Condition: Vital, lightning damage Source: https://www.baumkunde.de/baumregister/1397-grosse_eiche_bei_ottersdorf/

Hexenagger Castle A Dietricus von Haecsenakker is mentioned as early as 928 in a Regensburg document from the St. Emmeram Monastery; further information is scarce. In 1311, Gottfried Hexenacker became Bishop of Freising. He had studied in Bologna and served as dean of the cathedral there for many years. In 1314, he died of an infectious disease while on a tour of inspection in Vienna. In 1485, the castle passed through marriage to the Counts of Helfenstein, who sold the fortress to Duke William of Bavaria in 1528. He gave Hexenagger to the Muggenthal family as a fief. When the castle was destroyed in the Thirty Years' War, the Muggenthal family rebuilt it as a castle. In 1724, the castle was sold to the Bavarian Elector Charles Albert, as the Hexenagger line of the Muggenthal family had died out. In 1731, Elector Karl Albrecht donated the castle to his mistress, Maria Josepha Countess von Morawitzky. Her husband received the castle in 1738, and when he died in 1754, Anton von Kaiserstein became the new owner. Franz Joseph III von Kaiserstein (1792–1893) sold the castle in 1830 and acquired an estate in Sooß (Lower Austria) in exchange. From 1830 to 1951, Hexenagger Castle belonged to the noble family of Weidenbach. Otto Edler von Weidenbach bequeathed it to his niece Ilse von Kalckreuth, who married Wilhelm Leichtfuß, whose son, Eberhard Leichtfuß, owns it today. Hexenagger is a castle between the Renaissance and Baroque periods, built on the foundations of the old castle. In the lower areas and at the corners, ashlars and bossed ashlars, up to several meters high, are still visible on the castle building. The stump of the keep, made of bossed ashlar, is also said to have been preserved, but is not visible from the outside. The defensive character of the complex is best appreciated from the rear, where parts of the curtain wall and wall towers have been preserved. The tall, narrow chapel also still hints at the castle in its form; particularly interesting is the slender, slightly leaning bell tower, which appears to still sit on the older foundations of the medieval chapel tower. The main building itself, with its stepped gable and beautiful garden, presents a romantic sight. The castle is privately owned and not open to the public; the popular Christmas market was relocated to the Wolfgangshof estate near Zirndorf in Middle Franconia in 2023 due to complaints from local residents. Source: www.Burgenseite.de / www.wikipedia.de

Wierl Chapel The Wierl Chapel, actually known as St. Thomas Chapel, is a chapel located between Sandersdorf and Schamhaupten. It was built in 1907 to commemorate the birth of the last Sandersdorf baron, Thomas De Bassus. It remains in the family's possession to this day. An annual procession takes place there, with a mass celebrated there. To mark the chapel's renovation, completed in 2003, the Catholic Women's Association of the Schamhaupten parish organized a star pilgrimage in mid-May, followed by a May devotion. Among other things, the Madonna, which had stood there "for several decades, possibly even since before the Second World War," was restored, and the masonry was cleaned. Source: www.wikipedia.de