Großmehring: Fortress History and Natural Monument

Großmehring combines fortress history with the Demling Quarry and the cycling connection of the Paartal Tour. This gives you different options when planning your trip: historic sites, walks or cycling. If you are looking for accommodation, first consider which of these themes you would like to prioritize during your stay.

Fortress History in Großmehring

The remains of Intermediate Work No. 5 of the former Royal Bavarian State Fortress of Ingolstadt are located in Großmehring and offer insight into the fortress-building techniques of the time. Guided tours of the remains are available by prior arrangement for groups of no more than 10 to 15 people. Arrange your visit and confirm the details before you go.

Fort Prinz Karl is located within the municipality of Großmehring and is considered the only surviving, almost unaltered example of this type of fort. Fort VI, later called Fort Prinz Karl, was built between April 1877 and December 1881. The remains of the intermediate work offer insight into the technology of the time; as a surviving example of its type, the fort is a distinct landmark in the history of the fortifications.

The Demling Quarry is also part of this history: it is thought to have supplied most of the stone required to expand the Ingolstadt fortifications. This connection draws attention not only to the fortifications themselves, but also to the materials used to build them.

Walking and Cycling

The Demling Quarry is a protected natural monument and was placed under protection in 1932. The quarry has hiking trails for walks. This brings together the site’s protected status as a natural monument and a practical option for a walk.

Another activity is the Paartal Tour: west of Eching am Ammersee, it connects the Ammersee Cycle Path with the Danube Cycle Path at Großmehring. You can therefore plan two different ways to get active in a day: walks along the quarry’s hiking trails and a route linking two cycle paths via the Paartal Tour.

Culture in Großmehring

The Church of St. Wolfgang is also located in Großmehring. It adds another cultural point of interest within the municipality to the fortress sites.

Culture in the Eichstätt Destination

The Jura Museum Eichstätt is located in the Eichstätt destination. Its exhibition focuses on fossils from the Solnhofen Plattenkalk limestone; the museum also displays the original Eichstätt specimen of Archaeopteryx. This gives Eichstätt its own distinctive appeal alongside Großmehring’s fortress history.

The Willibaldsburg is also in Eichstätt. It was built in 1355 by Bishop Berthold Burggraf von Zollern and served as the bishop’s residence until 1725. The 420 m-long castle still has its walls and bastions, the armory, the 63 m-long gate hall and the Gemmingen building with its two towers. The 1,500 m² bastion garden is located at Willibaldsburg. There, the Hortus Eystettensis, destroyed during the Thirty Years’ War, was brought back to life after 400 years; visitors can discover many of the original plant species.

Domplatz is located on the oldest settled ground in the city of Eichstätt. It is also a point of interest for food lovers: several times a year, the Eichstätt Genuss-Wirte offer special dishes under the motto “Eichstätt kocht...” (“Eichstätt cooks...”), including spicy Altmühltal lamb dishes.

Discover more destinations: Pollenfeld, Denkendorf, Kinding, Kipfenberg, Wellheim, Nassenfels, Dollnstein, Altmannstein

Back to the main travel overview: Eichstätt.