Epfenhausen: Parish Church, Kirchberg and Walburga Chapel

Epfenhausen can be explored through two specific landmarks: the parish church of the Assumption of Mary and Walburga Chapel. The church stands on Kirchberg, at the western edge of the village. From there, you can see across the entire village. A hike leads through the fields to Walburga Chapel, the former plague chapel, farther to the west. It stands at a slightly elevated spot near Kaufering/Epfenhausen and offers views of the countryside and mountains. At these two viewpoints, village panoramas meet views across the countryside and mountains.

Baroque furnishings and Gothic traces

The parish church of the Assumption of Mary has a Baroque interior with several distinctive features. These include a late Baroque high altar and an altarpiece of the Assumption of Mary dating from 1738. The furnishings also include carved oak choir stalls. At the same time, fragments of Gothic frescoes have been preserved, and the sacristy contains remains of a Gothic pointed-arch vault. A pointed arch tapers to a point at the top, giving a name to a specific form of Gothic architecture. At the church, these Gothic traces sit alongside the Baroque furnishings. The altarpiece can be dated to 1738, while the high altar is classified as late Baroque. The church therefore offers more than a single stylistic period: its named features include both older Gothic remains and Baroque furnishings.

On foot and by bike

The route through the fields to Walburga Chapel is also associated with a specific pilgrimage. On May 28, 2025, at 6 p.m., a star pilgrimage to Walburga Chapel took place. The parish church in Epfenhausen was one of three starting points; from there, participants walked through the fields to the chapel. If you would like to plan a future pilgrimage, ask locally about the date and participation information.

A guided bike tour on September 10, 2023, offers another active way to experience Epfenhausen. It went from Landsberg am Lech to Walleshausen and back, via Epfenhausen, Geretshausen and Walleshausen. The route followed cycle paths and low-traffic roads. On the hike, the chapel is the destination; on the bike tour, Epfenhausen was one leg of a route connecting several places. The bike tour took place on September 10, 2023.

Getting around as part of your day-trip planning

A public transport connection links Epfenhausen, Untermühlhausen and Landsberg from Monday to Friday. If you are considering Epfenhausen as a place to stay and would also like to include the other two named places in your plans, this connection may be a useful point to consider. Check the current timetable before travelling. This lets you coordinate your choice of starting point with your planned outings without assuming a particular daily itinerary.

Church history in the wider destination of Penzing

A separate historical perspective focuses on the wider destination of Penzing. Frauenkapelle, also known as Feldkapelle, stands at the southern edge of Penzing. Simon Erhart, a priest in Bergen, and Johann Wiedemann, a wheelwright from Penzing, built and endowed it in 1722. In 1806, lightning struck the chapel; lack of funds meant it could not be rebuilt. A community bulletin from December 2022 names the bell as the only surviving part, bearing the inscription “Johanns Windaman von Penzing 1723”.

The Catholic parish church of St. Martin in Penzing also offers a point of comparison across time: its core dates from the 15th century; around 1719, it was extended and given a Baroque makeover. These examples belong to the wider destination of Penzing. In Epfenhausen, by contrast, the focus is on the Baroque interior of the parish church of the Assumption of Mary and its preserved Gothic traces.

Discover more destinations: Ramsach, Untermühlhausen, Oberbergen.

Back to the overview of the wider destination: Penzing.