Amtzell: Chapel, Mill and Pilgrimage Tradition

The Holy Cross Chapel and the Reibeisen Mill, dating from 1711, represent two distinct aspects of Amtzell’s history: sacred architecture and milling technology. Nearby, Pfärrich is home to a centuries-old pilgrimage tradition. You can plan your stay around architecture, religious practice, or the interplay of water and technology.

Chapel and Pilgrimage Tradition

The Holy Cross Chapel was first mentioned in 1468 and is the landmark of Amtzell. Nearby, the hamlet of Pfärrich lies on a wooded ridge between Wangen and Amtzell; the pilgrimage church of the Nativity of Mary is visible from afar. Visitors can light a candle in the church or write their requests and thanks in a prayer book. For centuries, pilgrims have come to Pfärrich on the Friday before Palm Sunday, known as Seven Sorrows Friday. Personal devotion and a long-standing pilgrimage tradition thus offer different ways to connect with religious history.

Water Power and Everyday Life at the Reibeisen Mill

At the Reibeisen Mill, the story ranges from water-powered technology to how people once lived. Visitors can see the restored milling machinery in operation, including original millstones, tanning and bran-cleaning machines, and sieving equipment. A canal diverts water from the Rohnebach to an overshot waterwheel that powers the mill. This makes it possible to observe how the water supply, power source, and machinery work together. In the residential building, the furniture and household furnishings remain in their original places. The kitchen of the last owner, Rosa Kübler, the mill hand’s room, and the living room and bedroom with a filled trousseau cabinet bring other aspects of everyday life at the mill into view. Visits to the residential building must be arranged in advance.

Choose a Focus for Your Accommodation

For those traveling together, these places offer different topics for conversation: What makes a landmark? How does water turn a mill wheel? And when does the pilgrimage to Pfärrich take place? The themes span architecture, technology, and religious practice.

More Cultural Highlights in the Wider Ravensburg Destination

In the wider Ravensburg destination, other cultural highlights offer further perspectives on history. The Humpis Quarter Museum opened in July 2009; its permanent exhibition spans five buildings in a late-medieval residential quarter. The Allgäu-Upper Swabia Farmhouse Museum in Wolfegg shows how people’s ancestors in the region once worked, lived, and made their homes. It preserves 28 historic buildings, some several centuries old. Achberg Castle is the Ravensburg district’s cultural center, set high above the Argental valley, and showcases Baroque architecture.

These places complement the examples in Amtzell with other perspectives on everyday life, architecture, and regional history. You can compare different cultural highlights, from Amtzell’s milling history to historic ways of life in Wolfegg and Baroque architecture at Achberg Castle.

Discover More Destinations

Wangen im Allgäu, Achberg, Bergatreute, Leutkirch im Allgäu, Wolpertswende, Eichstegen, Argenbühl, Wolfegg

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