Bernbeuren combines hiking opportunities with the cultural history of the Auerberg. You can plan your visit around different highlights: a circular hike, an adventure trail or St. George’s Church and its history. This lets you shape your days according to whether hiking or the Auerberg itself is your main focus.
Hiking trails around Bernbeuren
There are about 60 kilometres of circular hiking trails around Bernbeuren. One specific route is VIA DAMASIA, which is about four kilometres long. It passes through the Feuersteinschlucht gorge and follows the Jägersteig trail up to the Roman settlement of DAMASIA. Seven adventure stations offer small-scale adventures and fascinating information. The average hiking time on VIA DAMASIA is about 1.5 hours. This gives you two different scales to consider when planning: the time and distance refer to a single adventure trail, while the roughly 60 kilometres refer to the total network of circular trails.
The Burgweg offers a different focus: a marked trail leads to the former castle site, also known as “Urthel.” Numerous clay plaques made by Bernbeuren pupils decorate the route. The trail thus combines a clearly defined destination with artwork created by pupils from Bernbeuren.
Church, art and views on the Auerberg
The Auerberg is 1,055 metres high. The medieval Church of St. George stands on it; inside the church is a Gothic work by sculptor Jörg Lederer of Kaufbeuren. From the church tower’s observation platform, you can see the entire German Alpine chain. The church, artwork and viewpoint offer different points of interest for planning a trip to the Auerberg.
During the Baroque and Rococo periods, the Auerberg Church became a popular pilgrimage site, drawing worshippers from as far away as Tyrol. This pilgrimage tradition adds another historical layer to the medieval church and the Gothic work. Those interested in the history of the Auerberg will therefore find connections here to architecture, sculpture and religious history.
The Georgi-Ritt in spring
The traditional Georgi-Ritt has been held every year since 1925 on the last Sunday in April, on the Auerberg and at St. George’s Church. It offers a specific seasonal event to plan your spring travel around. If you want to include the ride in your trip, check the date for your chosen year in advance.
More cultural destinations in the wider destination of Weilheim-Schongau
Weilheim-Schongau is in the Pfaffenwinkel travel region. Its cultural destinations include the Wieskirche near Steingaden, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983. Dominikus Zimmermann built it from 1745 to 1754. Church services, summer concerts and quiet contemplation are among the reasons to visit; if you are interested in a concert, check the date in advance.
The Penzberg Mining Museum offers a different perspective on the region’s history. It preserves the memory of the local bituminous coal mining industry, which operated from 1796 to 1966, and offers guided tours in several languages. These examples broaden the cultural scope of the wider destination of Weilheim-Schongau to include church architecture, religious life and industrial history.
Discover more destinations: Burggen, Peiting, Huglfing, Seeshaupt, Peißenberg, Schongau, Wielenbach, Steingaden.
Go to the overview of the wider destination: Weilheim-Schongau.
