Religious sites in Bavaria

From 1525 to about 1888, Kempten was split down the middle from a religious point of view, into the Protestant imperial town and the Catholic monastery town. Even today, your customers will find many buildings from that period here: for example the St. Mang Church, which has been the landmark of Kempten and the centre of the Reformation movement in the Upper Allgäu for almost 700 years. Or the Kempten Residence with its opulently adorned staterooms, once the seat of the prince-abbot. And then there's the St. Lorenz Basilica. With its twin tower façade and the mighty dome above the choir, it is still an impressive appearance today. 

Fürth, Würzburg, Bamberg, Bayreuth, Hof, Nuremberg and Erlangen – there are Jewish communities in these Franconian towns and cities. Distinguished museums such as the Jewish Museum of Franconia in Fürth, the Museum of Jewish History and Culture in Aschaffenburg and the Museum Shalom Europa in Würzburg invite visitors to come and explore the history and traditions of the Franconian Jews.

This former episcopal city features many sacred edifices designed by the great baroque architect Balthasar Neumann (1687-1753), for example the Schönborn chapel next to St. Kilian's Cathedral and the Käppele (the pilgrimage church on the Nikolausberg). And the architect was also involved in the design of the massive Marienberg Fortress high up above the city. It was once the seat of the Würzburg prince-bishops.

The 'Holy Mountain of Bavaria' is one of the state's most popular places of pilgrimage. The characteristic onion dome of the monastery church can already be seen from a long way off. Here, your customers ought not to miss the ceiling fresco by Johann Baptist Zimmermann, the collection of relics, or the brewery. Today, it is one of the last monastic breweries still to be run by monks.

The baroque, episcopal and university town of Eichstätt is right in the heart of the Altmühl Valley Nature Park. Here, there are magnificent churches and monasteries awaiting your customers, for example Eichstätt Cathedral, the sacred centre of the town. Various different architectural styles and the relics of St. Willibald make the cathedral one of the major attractions in Eichstätt. The Abbey of St. Walburga and the Church of the Guardian Angel are also worth seeing. 

In 1330, Emperor Ludwig IV founded the Benedictine monastery Ettal, in which monks still live today, in the seclusion of the Werdenfelser Land. Of great importance above all for the monastery is the figure of St. Mary in the basilica adorned in gold. The region around the monastery too has devoted itself completely to the faith: every ten years, the people of Oberammergau perform a play about Christ's passion, death and resurrection. The next one is due to take place in 2022. 

Aldersbach Abbey has one of Bavaria's most beautiful churches of St. Mary, for the interior design of which the Asam brothers were responsible. Even today, it is among the most eminent baroque buildings in southern Germany. The former Cistercian monastery developed around the church, which was already standing here as early as 875. Today, the premises are home to the Aldersbach Abbey brewery, a tavern, a restaurant, some guest rooms, the town hall and a concert auditorium.

The monastery in Metten was first founded in the year 766, but during its history it was dissolved and refounded on several occasions. Today, your customers will find numerous frescoes, extensive stucco work and many paintings from the late baroque and Rococo periods in the church, the library and the ceremonial hall. Also worth seeing is the prelate's garden, which is about 5 hectares in area and has been set out in the style of a late baroque pleasance. Since 1830, the monastery has been home to a secondary school.