Discover Maselheim: Way of St. James, monastery and churches

The Way of St. James passes through Äpfingen and Laupertshausen and runs through the municipality of Maselheim. The Öchsle Museum Narrow-Gauge Railway also reaches Maselheim via Äpfingen and Sulmingen. Together with churches from different periods of construction and furnishing, this makes for a stay where outdoor activities and culture each take centre stage.

Trails, railway and bathing spot

The Öchsle line runs 19 kilometres from Warthausen to Ochsenhausen. Its route through Äpfingen and Sulmingen is of particular interest to Maselheim. A well-developed path along the Öchsle railway line is suitable for hiking and cycling. This gives you two options for active days: the museum railway route as a geographical point of reference, and a path alongside the railway line that is suitable for walking or cycling. Ellmannsweiler also has a public bathing spot, Ellmannsweiler bathing area, which is ready for the swimming season. When planning your trip, you can weigh up culture, outdoor activities and swimming as different ways to spend your day.

Monastery history and churches

The former Cistercian convent in Heggbach was established in the mid-13th century from a community of Benedictine nuns. The former convent church of St. Mary and George is an elongated hall church with a three-sided choir and a nuns’ gallery. These terms alone point to various architectural features: the shape of the church interior, the choir’s end and the gallery. Heggbach also has a long tradition of cultural activities in painting and design, music and theatre. Here, history and culture are distinct aspects of the place.

The parish church of St. Blaise in Äpfingen was built in 1726. Its Late Gothic tower adds a different historical note from the period in which the church was built. Features include a chalice-shaped baptismal font, Baroque ceiling stucco and a Baroque crucifix. Those interested in architectural history can distinguish several specific details in this church building: the tower, the ceiling design and individual furnishings.

In Sulmingen, the parish church of St. Dionysius has a late medieval roof structure over the nave and choir, built in two stages. The parish church in Laupertshausen is dedicated to St. James and St. Pelagius. Its furnishings date from the High Baroque, while its tower dates back to the Late Gothic period. Five panel paintings depicting stories and legends about the patron saint of pilgrims can be seen in the organ gallery. Äpfingen, Sulmingen and Laupertshausen thus offer different points of interest for a cultural and historical perspective: furnishings, roof structure, dedication and pictorial stories.

Choose the kind of trip that suits you

The Way of St. James adds another point of interest to this selection, passing through Äpfingen and Laupertshausen. You can choose your destination according to the experiences that appeal to you most, without conflating the different histories of these places.

Maselheim is in the Donau-Iller local transport network, DING. DING offers an integrated local transport service comprising buses, trams and trains, as well as a single fare system that applies across state borders. For specific travel plans, it is worth checking the network’s current connections.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Kirchberg An Der Iller, Schwendi, Moosburg, Warthausen, Rot An Der Rot, Ochsenhausen, Betzenweiler, Königshofen.

Back to the main travel overview: Biberach.