The best walks and hikes around Pleystein

Parish Church of St. Sigismund The parish of Pleystein was founded on December 14, 1395, through the division of the parish of Miesbrunn. The first parish church was built in 1396, but was repeatedly destroyed during the Hussite Wars. Over the centuries, the church underwent many constructions, expansions, alterations, and restorations. The building, dating from the second half of the 18th century, fell victim to the fire of 1901. The current church and rectory were designed by the Regensburg architect Heinrich Haubenrisser; it is one of his most outstanding buildings and is a listed building. Also noteworthy is the interior, which reflects the Neo-Gothic style in every detail. Traditional figures blend harmoniously into the overall complex. The choir contains the carved winged altar. On the left side, it depicts the Last Supper, on the right, the image of Pentecost, and on the two wings, scenes from the life of the church's patron saint, St. Sigismund, are depicted. At the top of the altar is God the Father holding a globe. Above the wings, in the center, is a statue of Saint Sigismund, to his right is Saint Florian, and to his left is Saint George the Knight. The windows behind the winged altar depict the Annunciation of the Archangel Gabriel to Mary on the left, and the Nativity of Jesus and the Adoration of the Shepherds on the right. The window to the right of the high altar depicts the dove with the olive branch that Noah sent out after the Flood. The princes of the apostles Peter and Paul can be seen in the niches at the window to the left of the altar. The right side altar features a Sacred Heart altarpiece. Alongside this depiction are figures of Saint Joseph and Saint Aloysius, and in the excerpt is a crucifixion group with Mary and John. The left side altar is a Marian altarpiece. It depicts the young Madonna with the Child Jesus, handing a rosary to Saint Dominic. The two wings depict the Visitation and Coronation of Mary, and the excerpt features statues of Saint Barbara and Saint Catherine on the sides and Mary with the Christ Child in the center. Source: Excerpts from the church guide "Pleystein, its Kreuzberg and the Parish Church" / www.wikipedia.de

Madonna of Peace On the east gable of the pilgrimage church stands a copper-chased and gilded statue. Its gaze is directed toward the border that divided Europe into two worlds until 1990. In the spring of 2003, it threatened to collapse because its support had become damaged over the decades – it was consecrated by Archbishop Buchberger on October 13, 1956. It was removed, restored, and returned to its original position at the beginning of the pilgrimage year. A memorial plaque commemorates the Madonna's donors. Source: Fahrenberg Church Guide

Trinity Chapel The chapel is a simple, rectangular room with no transition from the nave to the choir and a small porch. The altar has a beautiful structure, with two twisted columns entwined with vines and ornaments, a work from the time the chapel was built. On the sides are wooden figures of St. James and another unknown pilgrim. In the upper part of the chapel, a wooden figure of the "Salvator Mundi" (Savior of the World) can be seen. The chapel was formerly equipped with a Baroque turret with a bell. The bell is now mounted in the tower of the Lennesrieth mortuary. The chapel was built in 1715. The chapel's founders were Andreas Pomer, Chamberlain Weinzierl, and the pilgrimage to the Fahrenberg. Andreas Pomer was a burgher's son from Waldthurn, who, like many of his contemporaries, was drawn to foreign lands. In Vienna, he amassed a small fortune as a bodyguard to the Empress. He never forgot his homeland, especially Fahrenberg, and in addition to the chapel, he also founded a Holy Mass to be celebrated there on Trinity Sunday. Source: Excerpts from the Fahrenberg Church Guide

Pilgrimage Church of the Visitation of Mary As early as the 12th century, a castle stood on the Fahrenberg, which passed to the Knights Templar around 1200. According to oral tradition, a member of this order brought a statue of the Virgin Mary from the Holy Land in 1204. A chapel was built at the castle and the image of Mary was placed there for veneration. This marked the beginning of the pilgrimage. The existing pilgrimage church of the Visitation of Mary was built between 1775 and 1778/79 after the previous building of 1706 was destroyed by a lightning strike. The tower at the northwest corner of the choir, with its 19th-century pointed spire, towers 12 meters above the 44-meter-long, 17-meter-wide, and 23-meter-high church. Upon entering the church through the ornately carved doors, one is immediately struck by the spaciousness of the light-filled interior. A late Rococo building – completed in 1779 – the church presents itself with simple, solidity. The high altar, created in 1796, is a masterpiece by the sculptor Wolf Kurzwort and the cabinetmaker Wenzl Wickl, both from Waldthurn. Above the tabernacle sits the miraculous image of "Our Lady" from Fahrenberg, with the Infant Jesus on her right arm. The Child and Mother wear crowns and are wrapped in medieval textiles. This 1.03-meter-tall late Gothic group of figures, created around 1480/90, is no longer the original image. The gunshot wound to the neck of the Virgin, still clearly visible today, was probably inflicted by a Calvinist in 1562. The image is framed by Mary's parents, Joachim and Anne. The two side altars are similar in structure to the high altar and date from the same period. The left side altarpiece depicts the encounter between Mary and Elizabeth; according to the inscription, it was painted in 1842. The massive pulpit is also a work by the masters of the high altar. It features a beautiful Rococo motif and is crowned by the figure of St. Michael the Archangel. The pews and confessionals, some of which were recarved, are late Rococo in style. The magnificent coat of arms of the Lobkowitz family is attached to the choir arch. On the walls of the nave and the sanctuary, six larger-than-life figures stand on pedestals. They are massive and almost somewhat bulky: Abraham and his son Isaac, Moses, David, the priest-king Melchizedek, Joseph, and John the Baptist. Source: Excerpts from www.Pfarrei-waldthurn.de

The figure of Christ was carved from a root.

From this point, Pleystein offers an impressive silhouette!

Kreuzberg is rightly considered one of the 100 most beautiful geotopes in Bavaria. What a sight!

The Big Stone got a facelift after being thinned out a bit