Ried: Rolling Hills, Pilgrimage Churches and Nature Trails

Ried lies in the varied rolling hills of the Wittelsbacher Land. The municipality is part of the Swabian district of Aichach-Friedberg in Bavaria. Visitors looking to combine nature, pilgrimage history and activity will find a range of options: hiking and cycling tours, churches with their own histories, and a cycling route with destinations by the water. For your trip planning, it helps to first choose the experiences you want to shape your days, then decide where to stay.

Hiking Trails and Nature Watching

The municipality features 18 hiking and cycling tours. Tour 01 passes a forest climate station in the Höglwald, where forest research is still being conducted. Tour 13 passes a fallow deer enclosure near Rettenbach, home to fallow deer and stags. How easy it is to spot the animals can vary. Another nature highlight is the habitat near Glon, where more than 100 bird species have been observed. These examples offer different focuses, from forests and research to wildlife and birds. When choosing a tour, consider which aspects of nature interest you most.

For a shorter outing, consider the Höglwald Adventure Trail near Zillenberg. The circular trail is 2 kilometres long and takes about 1.5 hours. Eleven information stations and hands-on activities for families make forest topics the focus of the trail. There is a car park at the edge of the forest; nearby stops are in Ried or Zillenberg. As a much longer hiking option in the wider Aichach-Friedberg destination, the Paartal Hiking Trail runs along the middle Paar from Aichach to Gut Schenkenau in the district of Neuburg-Schrobenhausen; it is 36.8 kilometres long in total. The different lengths illustrate a range of trail formats: a compact circular route with a stated duration and a considerably longer hiking trail.

Pilgrimage Churches and History

Tour 11 starts at St. Maria Zell, a pilgrimage church and a stop on the Wittelsbacher Land Pilgrimage Route. There is free parking right next to the church. Check the current parking situation before setting off.

The Maria-Hilf Pilgrimage Church in Holzburg also brings architecture and history together. It originated as a Romanesque choir-tower church around 1200. The pilgrimage to Maria Hilf developed during the plague epidemic of 1671 to 1679. The ceiling frescoes inside the church date from 1760 and depict the Annunciation and the Assumption of Mary. These dates reveal several distinct layers: the medieval architectural form, the development of the pilgrimage in the 17th century, and an 18th-century pictorial programme.

The wider Aichach-Friedberg destination offers further historical highlights. The Herrgottsruh Pilgrimage Church in Friedberg was built between 1731 and 1753 and is considered one of the finest examples of Bavarian Rococo. Friedberg's Wittelsbach Castle originated as a High Medieval castle built around 1257 under Duke Ludwig II the Strict. In Aichach, the Wittelsbach Museum is housed in the Unteres Tor; the town museum tells the story of Aichach. This brings together different cultural themes: pilgrimage and frescoes in Holzburg, Rococo in Friedberg, and museums and Wittelsbach history in Aichach.

Water, Tradition and Getting There

A cycling route from Ried leads to Mandichosee. There are opportunities for sailing, windsurfing and swimming, as well as a kiosk with a beer garden. This offers a different kind of day from a hike or a focus on churches and history. In Baindlkirch, eating Weißwurst on Thursdays is a long-standing tradition. If you would like to include this custom in your plans, check in advance when it takes place.

For travel by train, the nearest stations with connections to Munich and Augsburg are in Mering and Kissing. Baindlkirch also has an additional MVV connection to Munich. Check current timetables if you plan to include train connections in your daily itinerary.

Organising your days around these interests can also help you choose a more suitable base for your stay.

Discover more destinations: Petersdorf, Rehling, Pöttmes, Kissing, Dasing, Merching, Schiltberg, Schmiechen.

Back to the wider travel overview: Aichach-Friedberg.