Westendorf: Church, Traditions and Culture

Westendorf reveals its cultural side through the history of St. Michael’s Parish Church and its commitment to local traditions. These include preserving traditional costumes and folk dances, as well as music and theatre in community life. The wider travel destination of Ostallgäu also offers other perspectives on the landscape and leisure activities, which you can consider as a separate focus when planning your trip.

Church and Community Culture

The Catholic St. Michael’s Parish Church in Westendorf was extended and renovated in 1966/67. The work was funded mainly by donations from the local population and voluntary labour. A thorough exterior renovation followed in 1979/80. This distinguishes two stages: first the extension and renovation, and later the comprehensive work on the exterior. The community’s involvement is especially significant in the history of the first stage.

Since its founding in 1921, the “Gennachtaler” Westendorf traditional costume and heritage association has been dedicated to preserving traditional costumes, folk dances and Schuhplattler dancing. This lends the cultural picture its own sense of continuity: alongside the building’s history are traditions the association seeks to preserve. The municipality’s two brass bands also give regular concerts.

Music and Theatre in the Municipality

The Dösingen Music Association takes part in the municipality’s cultural life with New Year’s serenading, annual and children’s concerts, the “Blätzagraba” and wine festival, as well as festive processions for First Communion and Corpus Christi. These examples bring together different aspects of community life: concerts, customs and religious feast days. The association contributes to community life through these recurring activities.

The Dösingen Theatre Group also stages classic plays with wit and humour. Its repertoire includes the dialect play “Das schwäbische Paradies,” based on Franz von Kobell’s original version of Brandner Kaspar, and “Vaterschaftsprozess des Zimmermanns Joseph” by Ephraim Kishon. Music and theatre thus offer different cultural perspectives within the municipality; if you are interested in a specific performance, check its dates separately.

The Wider Travel Destination of Ostallgäu

Across the wider travel destination of Ostallgäu, the landscape and history complement local cultural themes. In the southwest, the mountains in the district of Ostallgäu belong to the Vilser Gebirge range; in the southeast, they are part of the Ammergebirge range. At 2,082 metres, Hochplatte is the highest mountain in Ostallgäu. Since 12 July 2025, Neuschwanstein Castle has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site together with Linderhof Palace, the King’s House on Schachen and Herrenchiemsee Palace. Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau can only be visited as part of a guided tour.

For hiking, Ostallgäu has 32 local routes showcasing special natural and local treasures. The RadReiseRegion includes regional cycling routes that span the whole of Ostallgäu. They are signposted throughout, each measures between 25 and 76 kilometres, and each has its own theme. The Forggensee cycling circuit runs around Lake Forggensee. The regional offering therefore includes hiking trails and themed cycling routes, as well as a dedicated circular route.

Lake Forggensee covers more than 15 km², making it Bavaria’s fifth-largest lake and Germany’s largest reservoir. During the summer season, Forggensee boat tours run regularly. If you would like to include a boat trip in your plans, check the current timetable in advance. The seasonal nature of the boat tours distinguishes them from the hiking and cycling routes described above.

Winter sports are another regional option: the Alpspitzbahn Nesselwang cable car provides access to the ski run around the 1,575-metre-high Alpspitz. The ski area offers family-friendly slopes and a children’s ski area; operating conditions may vary by season. In Ostallgäu, options include hiking and cycling routes, summer boat trips and winter skiing.

Choose the Right Focus for Your Trip

If seasonal offerings such as boat trips or the ski area are important to you, factor their timetable or operating conditions into your plans. This way, you can shape your further search around the experiences that matter most to you during your stay.

Discover More Destinations

Discover more destinations: Osterzell, Lechbruck Am See, Pfronten, Waal, Schwangau, Ronsberg, Marktoberdorf, Germaringen.

Back to the overview of the wider travel destination: Ostallgäu.