Discover Affing: Ash Tree Avenue, Salzberg Chapel and Cycling Route

Affing offers a variety of reasons to explore the surrounding area: a country lane beside an avenue of ash trees, the pilgrimage chapel on Salzberg and a cycling route that passes through Affing.

Ash Tree Avenue and Cycling Route

East of Affing Castle Park, a country lane runs alongside an avenue of ash trees about 500 metres long, with two rows of trees. The path can be used on foot and by bike. The avenue is a specific stretch of landscape that can serve as a focus for an outing in Affing.

The “Wittelsbacher Spuren-Tour” cycling route offers a different perspective: it runs from Aindling via Affing to Friedberg. This gives you two different scales to consider when planning: the path beside the avenue as a local point of interest, and a route connecting several places. If you would like to explore by bike, you can decide whether to focus on Affing itself or on the route via Aindling and Friedberg.

A Pilgrimage Chapel with a Turbulent History

The pilgrimage chapel “Zu Unserer Lieben Frau von den Sieben Schmerzen” stands on Salzberg and was built in 1694. Its history therefore stretches back a long way, but it also has a striking more recent turning point: a tornado severely damaged the chapel in 2015, while the statue of the Virgin Mary standing right beside it was spared. About two years later, the chapel had been rebuilt.

This sequence of events also makes the site noteworthy for those interested in cultural history: the 17th-century construction was followed by severe damage and reconstruction. The chapel therefore appeals to a different travel interest than the ash tree avenue or cycling route—one centred on pilgrimage history and the changing story of a building.

Affing during Advent

The Affing Christmas Market takes place every year on the second and third weekends of Advent. If your trip falls during this period, check the organiser’s latest programme when planning, especially for dates and details. This lets you consider the recurring market as a separate reason to visit, alongside the landscape and historical themes described here, which can be enjoyed year-round.

If your travel group has a range of interests, this distinction can help you consciously include outdoor activities, history and seasonal events in your plans.

More to explore in the wider Aichach-Friedberg destination

Beyond Affing, the wider Aichach-Friedberg destination offers a range of other options for planning your trip. The Paartal hiking trail follows the middle reaches of the Paar from Aichach to Gut Schenkenau in the Neuburg-Schrobenhausen district and is 36.8 kilometres long in total. As trail conditions can change, check them before setting out. For cycling, the Aichach-Friedberg district cycling map features 14 well-signposted themed routes. This provides another option alongside the individual Wittelsbacher Spuren-Tour through Affing.

Those interested in architecture and history will find other distinct themes in the wider Aichach-Friedberg destination. The Herrgottsruh Pilgrimage Church in Friedberg was built from 1731 to 1753 and is considered one of the finest examples of Bavarian Rococo. Friedberg’s Wittelsbacher Castle originated as a high medieval castle, built around 1257 under Duke Ludwig II the Strict.

In Aichach, the Wittelsbacher Museum is housed in the Lower Gate, while the town museum vividly tells the story of the town. The historic old town has changed little over the centuries. The Wittelsbach family’s ancestral castle stood in Aichach’s Oberwittelsbach district. Sisi Castle in Unterwittelsbach served as a hunting lodge for Duke Max in Bavaria. Each of these places offers its own point of reference for regional history.

Another focus is Inchenhofen: the Pilgrimage Museum is housed in Haus St. Leonhard, a former Cistercian brewery. Exhibits include iron and wax votive offerings, ploughshares, horseshoes, and neck and hand restraints. The museum documents the significance of Saint Leonard and St. Leonard’s Church as a much-visited pilgrimage destination.

Discover more destinations

Schiltberg, Pöttmes, Friedberg, Mering, Dasing, Ried, Aichach, Kühbach

Back to the wider travel overview: Aichach-Friedberg.