Lauingen (Danube): History and Routes by the Water

Lauingen (Danube) combines medieval and Roman history with the water-shaped Brunnental and a hiking stage to Dillingen. The Schimmelturm, the temple precinct in Faimingen and the DonAUwald offer different ways to explore during your stay: cultural history, local history and getting around on foot.

Schimmelturm and Roman temple precinct

The Schimmelturm is a striking landmark in the centre of Lauingen. It was built from 1457 to 1478. In Faimingen, now a district of Lauingen, the temple precinct of the Apollo-Grannus Temple was established towards the end of the 2nd century AD. The dates mark a clear contrast: the temple precinct dates back to Roman antiquity, while the tower was built many centuries later. As you explore, you can discover two clearly distinct chapters of Lauingen’s history.

The ancient site can be explored on site through a partial reconstruction and virtually. Four information panels in the temple area provide information about the province of Raetia, Roman Faimingen, the sanctuary and the god Apollo Grannus. The partial reconstruction and virtual visit offer different ways to explore the site; the panels complement them with historical and religious themes.

Brunnental: a settlement between the town wall and the banks of the Danube

In Brunnental, the focus shifts from an individual building to the settlement area. It developed from a craftspeople’s settlement between the Staufer town wall and the banks of the Danube, shaped by the watercourses there. In this way, the tower, temple precinct and Brunnental each tell a different story about Lauingen’s history.

Hiking from Lauingen

For a walking tour, there is an 8.1 km stage of the DonAUwald Premium Hiking Trail from Lauingen to Dillingen. As a standalone section, it provides a specific connection between hiking and the town. When looking for accommodation in Lauingen, you can consider whether the sites of cultural and historical interest or this stage should be the focus of your stay.

Dillingen An Der Donau as the wider setting

In the wider travel destination of Dillingen An Der Donau, the DonAUwald hiking trail runs for just under 60 kilometres through the floodplain forests along the Danube; 40 kilometres of it lie in the district of Dillingen. It is Bavarian Swabia’s first premium hiking trail. By comparison, the 8.1 km Lauingen–Dillingen stage is one section of the trail. All five classic stages are easily accessible by train, making them a climate-friendly option. For specific hiking plans, it is worth checking the timetables.

Along the Danube in the district of Dillingen, gravel extraction over many years has created a unique landscape of water and lakes. This is another landscape feature of the wider travel destination of Dillingen An Der Donau, alongside the floodplain forests along the hiking trail.

The Donautal-Radelspaß also offers a special reason to discover the region: it takes place every two years on a weekend in September, with the central event in the district of Dillingen. Three signposted routes, closed to cars, offer culinary and cultural excursions. If this event affects your travel plans, check the event dates for the relevant year.

The Seven Chapels in the wider travel destination of Dillingen An Der Donau are intended to serve as landmarks and architectural features in the landscape, and to develop the tradition of chapel building through contemporary design. This adds a regional theme that brings together tradition and contemporary design to Lauingen’s historic architecture.

Discover more travel destinations

Discover more travel destinations: Buttenwiesen, Holzheim, Wertingen, Bachhagel, Bissingen, Höchstädt, Gundelfingen An Der Donau and Dillingen An Der Donau.

Go to the wider travel overview: Dillingen An Der Donau.