Discover Pollenfeld

Pollenfeld is home to the Gothic parish church of St. Sixtus; its architectural history spans Late Gothic elements and a neo-Gothic nave. The municipality’s well-maintained country and forest paths also invite visitors to hike and cycle. Art-historical details and outdoor activities offer different highlights for your trip.

St. Sixtus: Architectural History and Art

The parish church of St. Sixtus is one of Pollenfeld’s attractions. The choir and tower date from the Late Gothic period, around 1400. The neo-Gothic nave was partly built on older foundations in 1911/12 and consecrated in 1913. Its architectural history thus combines Late Gothic elements with a much later nave.

The works of art also evoke the Late Gothic period: a fresco dating from around 1430, depicting the Death of the Virgin Mary, survives on the south side of the choir. The stained-glass windows from around 1410/20 show scenes from the childhood of Jesus in the right-hand window and scenes from the Passion in the left-hand one. The two windows therefore present different themes side by side.

Other notable works in the church include a six-metre-high sacrament house and a two-door stone wall cabinet beside it. The cabinet was once intended to hold the collection of relics. Both Late Gothic works were created around 1470 by stonemasons from Eichstätt. The figures on the high altar, especially the Madonna, rank among the finest wood sculptures in the area of the former Prince-Bishopric of Eichstätt.

Paths and attractions in the municipality

The well-maintained country and forest paths in the municipality of Pollenfeld invite visitors to hike and cycle; along the way, they can discover wayside crosses, memorial stones, and wayside shrines. The well-developed cycling network safely connects the villages in the municipality.

Other attractions can be found in villages elsewhere in the municipality: Wörmersdorf is home to the tower of St. Martin’s Church, while Seuversholz has the Chapel of St. Mary. Sornhüll is home to four prehistoric burial mounds, which are also among the municipality’s attractions. These places complement St. Sixtus with other ecclesiastical and prehistoric themes within the municipality.

Nearby, Preith has a parish church located on an old Roman road.

Eichstätt: Museum, Castle, and Fossil Trail

Eichstätt is home to the Jura Museum, whose exhibition focuses on fossils from the Solnhofen Plattenkalk limestone. The museum also displays the original Eichstätt specimen of Archaeopteryx. Fossils and a well-known original from the region thus stand as distinct cultural and historical themes alongside the church art in Pollenfeld.

Willibaldsburg Castle in Eichstätt was built in 1355 by Bishop Berthold Burgrave of Zollern and served as the bishop’s residence until 1725. The 420-metre-long castle retains its walls and bastions, the arsenal, the 63-metre-long gate hall, and the Gemmingen building with its two towers. The figures for the castle’s overall length and the gate hall help put the different dimensions of the surviving complex into perspective.

Willibaldsburg Castle in Eichstätt is also home to the 1,500-square-metre Bastion Garden. The Hortus Eystettensis, destroyed during the Thirty Years’ War, was brought back to life there after 400 years; visitors can discover many of the garden’s original plant species. Another hiking option in Eichstätt is the Fossil Trail: the circular route is nine kilometres long, moderately difficult, and suitable for families.

Consider whether St. Sixtus and the municipality’s paths are your main focus, or whether you would also like to include cultural and hiking destinations in Eichstätt. This makes it easy to incorporate the different themes of both destinations into your plans.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Kinding, Nassenfels, Altmannstein, Mindelstetten, Pförring, Lenting, Wellheim, Dollnstein.

To the main travel overview: Eichstätt.