Der Pfaffenwinkel

Region between the Lech and Isar rivers, bordered by the Alps in the south and the Ammer and Starnberg lakes in the north.

The name ‘Pfaffenwinkel’ stands for the many churches and former monasteries. These include well-known names such as Polling (former Augustinian canons' monastery with the Tassilo Cross and the library hall) and Wessobrunn (many important artists of the southern German baroque and rococo periods came from the Wessobrunn school). The Tassilo lime tree still stands there today.

After a detour to Hoher Peißenberg (987 m) with the oldest mountain weather station in the world (since 1781) and the pilgrimage church ‘Mariä Himmelfahrt’ (if desired, visit to the mining museum), the tour continues to Rottenbuch. Visit the former monastery church ‘Mariä Geburt’ with a fresco cycle by Matthäus Günther.

From Rottenbuch it is not far to what is probably the most famous church in the Pfaffenwinkel, the Wies Church. Built in the middle of the 18th century, this rococo gem attracts thousands of visitors and pilgrims from all over the world every year.

After visiting the Wies Church, it is worth making a detour to Steingaden to visit the Welfenmünster, a Romanesque church with magnificent rococo furnishings and a Gothic vestibule containing a genealogical table of the southern German Guelphs. (You can also hike there from the Wies).