Discover Germaringen: Churches, Wendelinsfest and a Cycling Route

Germaringen offers several specific reasons to visit: churches dating from different periods, the annual Wendelinsfest celebration, and a named cycling tour through the Dürrenwald forest and several towns. Whether you are interested in architectural history, a church festival or a cycling route, a different aspect of the town will take centre stage.

Churches and architectural history in Germaringen

The pilgrimage church of St. Wendelin in Obergermaringen was built in 1697 on the site of a chapel that had already stood there in 1580. These dates mark the interval between the early chapel and the later church. In Ketterschwang stands the Catholic parish church of St. James the Greater, a new Rococo building with centrally arranged chapel extensions dating from 1757/58 and a tower dating from 1716. The different construction dates offer two distinct ways to explore Germaringen’s churches: the history of a place of pilgrimage and the building phases of a parish church.

In Untergermaringen, the hill and the church are two distinct landmarks close to one another: the 718-metre-high Georgiberg rises above the village, and the Georgiberg Church of St. George stands on the hill, 60 metres above the village. The two height figures therefore refer to different points. Together with St. Wendelin and St. James, these provide a glimpse of three churches in different parts of Germaringen, each with its own history and setting.

Wendelinsfest and the cycling tour as reasons to visit

Wendelinsfest is still celebrated in Germaringen every year: it takes place on the Tuesday after the church fair, which falls on the third Sunday in October. The programme includes a church service and a devotional service. The exact calendar date varies from year to year. If you would like to experience this festival, plan your trip around its date in October for that year.

Another way to include Germaringen in an active stay is the “Wertachebene north of Kaufbeuren” cycling tour. Before Ketterschwang, it leads through the Dürrenwald forest to Untergermaringen, then via Obergermaringen and Mauerstetten to Kaufbeuren and Neugablonz. The route therefore passes through several named towns and offers a specific focus for anyone wishing to combine their trip with a cycling tour. The route and Wendelinsfest appeal to different interests: the former is defined by its sequence of towns, while the latter is an annual event featuring a church service and a devotional service.

The Ostallgäu as the wider setting

The wider travel destination of Ostallgäu offers a regional landscape that stretches from mountains to water. In the district of Ostallgäu, the mountains in the southwest belong to the Vilser Gebirge range and those in the southeast to the Ammergebirge range. At 2,082 metres, the Hochplatte is the highest mountain in Ostallgäu. Covering more than 15 km², Forggensee is Bavaria’s fifth-largest lake and Germany’s largest reservoir. The Forggensee Cycle Route runs around the lake, and Forggensee boat trips operate regularly during the summer season. If you are planning a boat trip, check the dates for your travel period.

Cycling and hiking routes also show the breadth of Ostallgäu as a distinct regional destination. The Ostallgäu Cycling Travel Region includes themed regional routes that extend across the whole of Ostallgäu. Each is 25 to 76 kilometres long and signposted throughout. Ostallgäu also has 32 local hiking routes that showcase special natural and local treasures. You can therefore consider the Germaringen cycling tour as a specific sequence of towns, and separately decide whether other regional cycling or hiking routes suit your interests.

Choose accommodation based on your reason for travelling

When looking for accommodation in Germaringen, you can use the purpose of your trip as your first guide: an October date, an interest in church architecture, or the cycling tour and its sequence of towns.

Discover more destinations: Biessenhofen, Stötten Am Auerberg, Ronsberg, Waal, Unterthingau, Halblech, Seeg, Buchloe.

View the wider travel overview: Ostallgäu.