Taufkirchen (Vils): Water Castle, Markets and Local Highlights

Taufkirchen (Vils) combines a water castle that has shaped the townscape and history for centuries with markets and unusual local highlights. When planning your trip, it is worth considering the different attractions: a visit to a market depends on specific weekends, while the castle’s history, art installations and a natural swimming lake offer other reasons to visit. For the Zwergerlwald, you should also check whether it is currently accessible.

Castle history and an October date

The water castle has shaped the townscape and history of Taufkirchen an der Vils for centuries. The castle chapel can accommodate 20 people. The TaufKirtamarkt is also held at the water castle on the traditional Bavarian church-dedication weekend around the third Sunday in October. The castle’s history and the market offer different highlights: the castle is a defining feature of the town, while the market is an event with a specific date in the annual calendar. Check the event details for the year of your trip before planning your stay around it.

Markets and artistic highlights

The Adlberger Markt is Taufkirchen’s oldest goods market and is held annually on the weekend before Pentecost. During the market, Landshuter Straße between Marktplatz and Hierlhof, along with Bräuhausstraße, becomes a market, promenade and entertainment area. This market therefore takes place at a different time of year from the TaufKirtamarkt in October—a specific difference to consider if you want to plan your trip around an event.

SkulpTour and the Schlössertour also highlight different aspects of the town: behind the town hall, SkulpTour has a stop at the “Bierblumentanz” sculpture; the Schlössertour passes, among other places, the Taufkirchen (Vils) water castle. This lets you consider public art and the castle as two distinct themes for your stay.

The Zwergerlwald: figures, chapel and current access

More than 500 gnomes can be seen in the Zwergerlwald, many of them donated. There is also a chapel, built in 2001 and consecrated in 2002. It was donated by Andreas Fortner from Taufkirchen. As of September 27, 2026, the Zwergerlwald is inaccessible until further notice due to construction work on the Taufkirchen (Vils) bypass. Check access before you travel.

A natural swimming lake in the municipality

Lain am See, also known as the Lainer Weiher, is within the municipality of Taufkirchen (Vils). It is a natural swimming lake fed by spring water and the only pond in Erding district with an adjoining campsite. Its location within the municipality broadens the view beyond Taufkirchen’s local highlights: here, the focus is on a lake, not a market date or an art installation. Check current opening hours and water conditions before your visit.

When looking for accommodation in Taufkirchen (Vils), it is a good idea to first decide what brings you to the area. For the markets, the different weekends are key; for the Zwergerlwald, check current access. The castle’s history, the sculpture and the Lainer Weiher each give your stay a different focus.

A distinct cultural focus in the wider destination of Erding

The wider destination of Erding offers another focus on rural history: the Erdinger Bauernhausmuseum comprises 15 historic buildings relocated there from Erding district. It presents rural ways of life and work in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The guided tour of Erding’s town tower offers a different perspective: after 163 steps, it reaches a height of 35 meters. From there, the view stretches across Erding and the surrounding area to Munich and, in föhn conditions, to the Alpine panorama. The museum and the tower offer different highlights—historical ways of life on the one hand, and the city view and height on the other.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Langenpreising, Steinkirchen, Sankt Wolfgang, Isen, Bockhorn, Fraunberg, Erding, Wartenberg.

To the overview of the wider destination: Erding.