Discover Heising

Heising brings together cheese history, railways and religious heritage. Two hiking trails offer different perspectives: the Lauben History Trail leads to historic sites in the village, while hiking trail L2 follows shady forest paths to Heising. Along the way, discover memorable stories about railway stations, cheese and St. Wendelin Chapel.

Hiking Trails and Local History

The Lauben History Trail includes 39 stops. The stops in Heising include the Old Heising Railway Station, the Heising cheese kitchen, the Wendelin Chapel, Käserei Champignon and the former New Heising Railway Station. Hiking trail L2 takes a different route: it follows shady forest paths into the Heising district, then continues east via Finken towards Haldenwang. The Lauben trail focuses on historic sites, while L2 combines stretches of woodland path with the onward route towards Haldenwang. This makes it easy to choose between the two trails based on your interest in local history or forest paths.

Cheese History in Heising

In 1908, Julius Hirschle and Leopold Immler founded Käserei Champignon in Heising. The company’s history includes a Camembert made from 500 litres of milk each day, with a distinctive flavour. Because of its pronounced fresh-mushroom aroma, it was named “Champignon Camembert”. The company’s founding and the memorable name add a culinary dimension to the village’s history.

St. Wendelin Chapel

St. Wendelin Chapel adds a religious and community chapter to Heising’s industrial history. The farming community built it through the efforts of a church-building association and dedicated it to Saint Wendelin, the patron saint of farmers. It is considered the only place of worship in southern Germany owned privately by an association. Catholic and Protestant services are held regularly in the chapel. If you plan to attend a service, check the relevant date.

Railway Stations and Historic Buildings

The Old Heising Railway Station was built in 1862/63 along with the Memmingen–Kempten railway line and served as a passenger stop for 40 years. The New Heising Railway Station was inaugurated in 1902 and remained in operation until 1979. Because of its proximity to Käserei Champignon, it soon acquired the nickname “Cheese Station”. Up to one and a half tonnes of cheese were loaded there each day as express freight and transported onwards in refrigerated wagons. This is where railway and cheese history meet. The Old Station is associated with passenger services, while the New Station is linked to cheese shipments.

Other buildings also tell stories of Heising’s past. The “Zu den sieben Schwaben” inn was built immediately after the new railway station in 1902. Villa Hirschle / Immler was first mentioned in 1712, burned down in 1904 and was subsequently rebuilt. From 1906 to 1926, the building at Dorfstraße 14 served as the cheese kitchen of the Heising cooperative dairy.

For the main travel overview: Lauben.