Schongau: Old Town, Culture and Water Fun
Accommodation in Schongau
Schongau offers a variety of ways to shape your stay around its medieval old town, cultural attractions and leisure activities. Local attractions include historic buildings and collections, as well as a leisure pool and the Schongau Fairy-Tale Forest.
Old Town and Local History
The old town sits on a hill, surrounded by its very well-preserved town wall, and offers sweeping views of the surrounding countryside. A long section of the wall has been restored and made accessible to visitors. As a result, the town fortifications and the views are defining features of the townscape. Those interested in Schongau’s development will also find a tangible historical connection in the Ballenhaus: it was built in 1420 as a grain exchange and warehouse for storing goods. This followed approval granted by the Bavarian dukes in 1405 to establish a goods depot in the town.
The Schongau Town Museum was founded in 1891 as one of Bavaria’s early local history museums. Since 1989, it has been housed in the deconsecrated St. Erasmus Hospital Church. Works displayed there include the Häringer house altar from the court chapel in Windkreut, in the municipality of Peißenberg, a work of Bavarian Rococo. The building’s history and the exhibit offer different points of focus: the Ballenhaus tells the story of Schongau’s former goods storage, while the altar offers insight into the region’s art history.
Churches and Special Details
The parish church of the Assumption of Mary, also known as Our Lady, is the oldest Christian church on the hill of Schongau’s new town. Since 1988, a year-round nativity scene depicting biblical scenes has been displayed in the church; the scenes change every four to six weeks. The scene on display therefore changes regularly, while the nativity scene can be viewed throughout the year.
Other historical connections can be found in the churches’ building histories. After the Discalced Carmelites founded a monastery in Schongau in 1719, the monastery and church were built between 1720 and 1725. The Church of the Holy Spirit Hospital houses a small, valuable Baroque organ. Its present form was created in 1725 by Schongau organ builder Ferdinand Stückl. These details highlight different facets of the town: its early Christian history on the hill, the founding of the monastery and a specific example of local organ-building craftsmanship.
Plantsch, Fairy-Tale Forest and Lechsee
Plantsch Water Fun and Sauna Land is a leisure pool for all age groups. Its heated outdoor wellness pool has a water surface of 219 square metres and is 1.30 metres deep; the pool includes a wild-water current channel. Another attraction is the 90-metre-long inner-tube slide, which features timed runs as well as sound and light effects. These specific features give an idea of the range of swimming and leisure options at Plantsch.
The Schongau Fairy-Tale Forest focuses on fairy-tale displays and stories based on well-known tales by the Brothers Grimm. The Fairy-Tale Forest also offers a forest discovery trail. For a different perspective on the River Lech, take a trip aboard the historic long-distance trade raft on Schongau’s Lechsee: tour guides share stories about the lives of the former rafters and the Lech riverside habitat. If you plan to take this trip, check current availability and dates.
Breakfast and Getting Here
A WeiĂźwurst breakfast with white sausages, pretzels and sweet mustard is held at the Ballenhaus every Friday from 10 a.m. As this recurring event may change, it is a good idea to check the latest details before your visit. For rail travel, the Pfaffenwinkelbahn from Weilheim terminates in Schongau. Connections towards Munich and Garmisch-Partenkirchen are available via Weilheim. Check the relevant connections and journey times for your specific trip. This allows you to coordinate your visits around town with your travel plans.
Discover more destinations: Steingaden, PeiĂźenberg, Wessobrunn, Peiting, Rottenbuch, HohenpeiĂźenberg, Penzberg, Seeshaupt.
View the overarching travel guide: Weilheim-Schongau.
