Weil lies east of Kaufering in the Upper Bavarian district of Landsberg am Lech, on the left bank of the Verlorener Bach and along State Road 2052. The municipality includes, among others, Beuerbach, Geretshausen, Pestenacker, Petzenhausen and Schwabhausen. Weil has Roman origins in both its settlement and its name. In its various districts, you can discover both ecclesiastical architectural and art history and an important archaeological site in Pestenacker.
Churches and Chapels from Different Centuries
The Rupert Chapel dates back to the 9th century and predates today’s parish church of St. Mauritius. St. Mauritius contains life-size statues of the twelve Apostles from the 18th century. Wolfgang Chapel lies on the western edge of Weil. Its masonry Stations of the Cross were created by Lorenz Luidl in 1698.
The districts also offer a chance to discover different periods and styles. In Pestenacker, the lower part of the tower of St. Ulrich dates to around 1400; the tower reached its current height of 21 metres in 1710. The church’s furnishings include Wessobrunn stucco and two processional staffs from the 15th century with Late Gothic figures. In Geretshausen, Baroque furnishings and a twin-towered church with onion domes define the parish church of St. Johann. The Late Gothic St. Leonhard Chapel in Schwabhausen dates to 1478. In Petzenhausen, the Church of Our Lady is one of the few choir-tower churches in the district of Landsberg am Lech. Near Beuerbach, the Maria-Aich wooden chapel adds to the picture: the circular building with a central plan dates from 1686, and the eastern extension from 1824.
Pestenacker: UNESCO Heritage and Stone Age Village
Pestenacker combines archaeological history with vivid examples of Neolithic life. Since 27 June 2011, the prehistoric settlement has been part of the serial UNESCO World Heritage Site “Prehistoric Pile Dwellings around the Alps”. A settlement of the Altheim culture was excavated and archaeologically investigated here.
The Pestenacker Stone Age Village includes a full-size reconstructed Neolithic dwelling house with a stable, which visitors can explore. The visitor pavilion displays replicas of Neolithic pottery, tools, weapons and clothing worn by the settlers; the exhibition also explains archaeological methods. Food production offers another insight: bread is regularly baked in the Stone Age clay oven, and prehistoric beehives illustrate how honey was harvested more than 5,500 years ago. In Pestenacker, the excavated settlement, its archaeological study and the reconstructed examples of Neolithic life can all be experienced side by side.
Landscape and Trails Around Weil
Southeast of Petzenhausen lies Weinberg, the highest point in the municipality at 602 metres. From there, you can enjoy sweeping views of the surrounding landscape and nearby church towers. If you’d like to plan routes nearby as well as visits to historic sites, there are cycling and hiking tours to smaller swimming lakes in the area. Other cycling and hiking trails run through the Westerholz forest to the Naturfreundehaus. Specific routes may vary. The routes mentioned therefore differ mainly in their destinations: smaller swimming lakes on the one hand, and the Naturfreundehaus via the Westerholz forest on the other.
Discover more destinations: Penzing, Windach, Dießen Am Ammersee, Hurlach, Kaufering, Prittriching, Igling, Egling An Der Paar
Return to the main travel guide: Landsberg Am Lech.
