Discover Walderbach

Walderbach can be explored through a range of different interests: the buildings of the former Cistercian monastery sit alongside Romanesque church art, gardening themes and an official cycling tour that passes through the town. You can therefore plan your trip around what interests you most: historic architecture, religious art, the history of monastic life or garden culture. This is helpful when planning, as Walderbach is not limited to just one reason to visit. You can focus on culture or include the town as part of a cycling trip.

Monastic history and collections

The former monastery buildings now house the Museum of the Cham District, with exhibitions on the history and living conditions of Walderbach Monastery. The museum’s folklore collections have been housed since 1965 in the Baroque convent building of the former Cistercian monastery of Walderbach on the Regen. This brings together two perspectives: the history of the monastery and the study of everyday life and culture. On the ground floor of the district museum, rotating exhibitions on everyday culture, history and cultural history are shown in the accessible “SchauRaum.” If you want a particular exhibition to shape your trip, it is worth checking the current program before your visit.

Church art and historic architecture

The former monastery church in Walderbach is a three-aisled hall dating from the 12th century, with significant Romanesque vault paintings. “Three-aisled” means that the space is divided into three aisles—a term that helps visitors interested in architecture visualize its layout. St. Mary and St. Nicholas also contains a rare depiction of the “Christ with the Wounded Shoulder”: Christ is chained in a prison niche, with a wound gaping on his left shoulder. The Stations of the Cross in the church date to 1735. The building’s design, vault paintings and individual devotional image thus offer different ways to explore Walderbach’s religious history.

The festival hall in the former monastery also has its own art-historical feature: its ceiling painting is by Otto Gebhard and was created around 1765/70. This approximately dated work adds another perspective on the town’s art history alongside the older Romanesque paintings.

Gardens and gardening themes

The former monastery garden is now the Walderbach District Teaching Garden. The former convent garden contains 56 standard fruit trees, mostly tried-and-tested old varieties. “Standard tree” refers to a particular tree form; together with the number of trees and the selection of varieties, it gives the garden a clear horticultural character, distinct from the town’s architectural and church history. A visit to Walderbach also includes a walk through the Prelate’s Garden with its fountain. If garden culture interests you more than church art, you can make these different garden themes the focus of your trip planning.

Walderbach as a cultural destination or a stop on a route

Official Tour 24 follows the Regental Cycle Path and passes through Walderbach. It adds a cycling-related reason to visit alongside the cultural and garden themes. If you are planning a cycling trip, you can include Walderbach as a stop on the tour; if you are more interested in monastic and church art, you may prefer to plan your stay around the local cultural attractions. When looking for accommodation in Walderbach, you can first decide whether you are choosing the town mainly for its cultural and garden themes or planning it as a stop on Tour 24.

Discover more destinations: Bad Kötzting, Schönthal, Waldmünchen, Tiefenbach, Lohberg, Eschlkam, Runding, Rötz.

For the broader travel overview: Cham.