Gasteig: Cycling History and Village Festivals

Gasteig’s history comes to life through historic cycling events and memories of village festivals. Near Oberschroffen, the Geological Organs offer a different focus: natural tubes in Ice Age rock make them a distinctive geological feature. When planning your trip, you can choose between local history, cycling connections and a hiking destination.

Cycling history and accommodation

In 2014, the vintage car rally was held for the ninth time at the Haindl-Wirt car park in Gasteig. It took place every year and was well attended. The “Radfahrverein Gasteig” (Gasteig Cycling Club), founded in 1921, was temporarily revived with a celebration and a cycle race around Gasteig. The two stories have different focuses: the vintage car rally on historic vehicles, and the club’s history on cycling and a race around Gasteig.

The cycling connection is regional in scope; the 1,500 kilometres refer to the network, not to a single tour. If cycling is part of your travel plans, you can take this connection into account when choosing your accommodation.

Hike to the Geological Organs

The 5.0-kilometre hike to the Geological Organs starts in Unterneukirchen. It leads via Winkl, Pinsmaier and Obergrund towards Oberschroffen and has an elevation gain of 53 metres. The distance, named stops and ascent give you concrete details for planning the route. The place names make the described route more vivid than a distance figure alone.

Near Oberschroffen, the Geological Organs are located in a former quarry. Natural tubes lie in an Ice Age gravel conglomerate. They have a diameter of 50 to 60 centimetres and extend downwards, like icicles, vertically to a depth of up to ten metres. The relationship between their diameter and maximum depth conveys their unusual shape: the tubes are wide while also reaching deep underground. For anyone interested in geology, both the rock and the tubes themselves are part of what makes this destination appealing.

Village festivals and local creativity

A retrospective from July 2018 reports on a village festival held on 13 May at the inn of Hermann and Gudrun Haindl in the district of Gasteig. The Rasenmäher-Bulldog-Freunde Maderlehen (Maderlehen Riding Mower Tractor Friends) raised the maypole there using manpower. The detail of raising it together defines the memory of this festival. Another local story dates back to 2002: that year, 35 children painted an underwater scene on one side of the B299 underpass in Gasteig.

The two events show different forms of local creativity: raising the maypole at the village festival and creating a large-scale image at the underpass. Alongside the cycling events, they offer another cultural perspective on Gasteig’s history.

Church architecture in Unterneukirchen

Church architecture in Unterneukirchen can also be placed in its historical context. The parish church of Christ the King was built in 1962; the restored branch church of St. John and St. Aegidius dates from 1479. These two dates provide a clear point of comparison if you would like to include architectural history among your travel interests.

For the general travel overview: Unterneukirchen.