Discover Roßhaupten on the Forggensee

Roßhaupten invites you to combine the Forggensee, varied circular trails and the village’s history. At the bathing beach, water activities and views across the lake take center stage; the village museum and historic trails offer other discoveries. You can plan your stay around whether you would rather spend time by the water, go for a walk or make time for culture.

Forggensee: Water and far-reaching views

According to the local tourism website, Roßhaupten’s bathing beach on the Forggensee is suitable for swimming, snorkeling and diving. From there, the view stretches across the lake to the royal castles, the peaks of the Ammergau Alps and the Säuling. There is a landing stage for Forggensee boat trips at the Roßhaupten power station. If you are planning a boat trip, check the timetable in advance.

For regional context: In the wider Ostallgäu travel region, the Forggensee covers more than 15 km², making it Bavaria’s fifth-largest lake and Germany’s largest reservoir. In Roßhaupten itself, this broader landscape setting connects with specific places by the lake, such as the bathing beach and landing stage.

Circular trails for different time budgets

The Drachenweg is a heritage trail for adults and children. The circular route takes about 1 to 1.5 hours; you can start at the parking lot by the Kurpark on the southern edge of Roßhaupten, at the Forggensee boat-trip landing stage, or from the village center, with a short additional walk. Along the way, stops cover the legend of St. Magnus, the stone cross, the stone bridge dragon in Tiefental and the Drachenbrünnle spring in the stream valley.

At about 45 minutes, the Moosenweg is a shorter option. This 2.8 km circular walk starts at the church in the village center, goes to the edge of the village and back, and has an elevation difference of 15 m. This makes it easy to compare the time required with that of the longer Drachenweg. Allow about an hour for the climb to the Buch-Zwieselberg viewpoint: the trail leads from the western edge of the village steeply uphill via forest roads, a narrow footpath and a bridge. Sturdy footwear and sure-footedness are required. At the top, there is a cross and a panoramic information board; the viewpoint offers panoramic views across the hiking region.

Village history, the Via Claudia Augusta and chapels

The village museum in the Pfannerhaus presents village life in times past and traditional crafts. Other topics include the stories of four notable sons of Roßhaupten and an exhibit on the manufacture of artificial flowers by entrepreneurs who were expelled from the Sudetenland after the Second World War. A permanent exhibition is dedicated to the Via Claudia Augusta, the historic Roman imperial road between Donauwörth, Altino near Venice and Ostiglia on the Po.

The Via Claudia Augusta is also a recurring theme outside the museum: the Via Claudia circular trail commemorates the old Roman road with a milestone at the Hartenberg viewpoint and the art park of the same name on Forggenseestraße. A short detour from the trail leads to the renovated Fischhaus Chapel of St. Ulrich; the key is available next door on request.

The Maria Steinach Chapel is a small Baroque chapel. Matheis Holl built it around 1650; shortly afterward, it was rebuilt to plans by Johann Jakob Herkomer and completed in 1706 by Joseph Miller of Rettenbach. The altar, dating from around 1710, depicts the Visitation of Mary, and the interior contains wooden figures from the 18th century. From Maria Steinach, 14 Stations of the Cross lead to the summit of Roßhaupten’s Calvary Hill.

A trip to the nearby area

If you would also like to explore the surrounding area, the Senkele nature trail starts at a forest parking lot on the district road between Roßhaupten and Seeg and leads to the Senkele Waldhaus. Walking time one way is about 30 minutes. Child-friendly information boards along the way explain facts about forests, wood, water and geology. The tourist information office in Roßhaupten provides maps and information about cycling and hiking trails.

Roßhaupten as a starting point for your accommodation search

The Drachenweg, explicitly designed for adults and children, and the different walking times for the circular trails offer useful planning information. This lets you choose Roßhaupten based on the experiences you would like to shape your stay.

Discover more destinations: Rieden am Forggensee, Lamerdingen, Nesselwang, Pforzen, Füssen, Unterthingau, Biessenhofen, Seeg.

Back to the main travel overview: Ostallgäu.