Niedergottsau: Pilgrimage History, Theater and Cycling Tours

Niedergottsau combines a history of pilgrimage, festival and theater traditions, and regional cycling tours. The Church of the Assumption of Mary, the Brotherhood Festival and the amateur theater group offer different cultural perspectives, while the Three Lakes Tour and the Innspitz Tour add further highlights. You can plan your stay around culture, an event date or cycling themes.

Pilgrimage and Local History

The Church of the Assumption of Mary in Niedergottsau was first mentioned in an official document in 1443 as “Zukirchen” of Haiming. It is considered one of the oldest Marian pilgrimage sites in the Diocese of Passau. Exposed Gothic frescoes can be seen in the vault. Together, these features lead from the church’s historical context to its interior: the site is shaped by both its pilgrimage history and its frescoes.

Another historic landmark is the Huber estate in Niedergottsau. It is one of the farmsteads that Sigiperth donated to Passau Cathedral around 788. This means the local history reaches far beyond the church’s documented name and has its own point of reference in the early Middle Ages.

Festivals and Theater as Recurring Occasions

The Scapular Brotherhood’s Brotherhood Festival takes place every year on the third Sunday in July in Niedergottsau. The program includes a church service, the admission of new members, a procession and a devotional service. These different elements make the festival more than just a single date on the events calendar. If you would like to plan your trip around the festival, check the exact date for that year in advance.

The Niedergottsau amateur theater group also regularly stages comedies and rural farces. The performances take place in the hall at the Mayrhofer inn. Alongside the religious traditions, this offers another form of shared cultural life: performances on stage. Be sure to check specific performance dates separately.

Cycling Tours and Nature on the Lower Inn

Niedergottsau is one of the stops on the Three Lakes Tour. The Innspitz Tour, meanwhile, is a themed circular e-bike tour that leads to the “Lower Inn” European Nature Reserve. This gives you a choice of different cycling themes: the Three Lakes Tour, with Niedergottsau as one of its stops, and the Innspitz Tour, with its circular route and natural destination on the Lower Inn.

Haiming and Niedergottsau are surrounded by well-preserved and protected natural areas. At the confluence of the Inn and Salzach rivers, the coves and jungle-like alluvial forests provide habitat and breeding or resting grounds for around 10,000 birds, including white-tailed eagles and night herons. This natural area is one of the highlights of the Innspitz Tour and complements the cultural and historical themes with a landscape perspective.

Haiming as the Wider Travel Destination

The wider travel destination of Haiming also offers its own cultural and historical points of interest. Count Sigmund von Berchem, the lord of the manor at the time, had the new Haiming Castle built above the castle pond from 1838 to 1840. St. Anthony’s Chapel was dedicated to Saint Anthony of Padua on June 13, 1902. These two historical dates highlight different things: the construction of the castle in the 19th century and the dedication of a chapel in the early 20th century.

Along the Niedergern History Trail, signs on public and private buildings in Haiming’s town center provide information about old house names and the history of the respective farms or houses. Cycling routes are also featured: the Inn-Salzach Cycle Path runs through Haiming, as does the Three Lakes Tour, which passes through Haiming and Niedergottsau. In the wider travel destination of Haiming, local history and cycling tours are separate areas of focus.

Plan the rest of your trip around the dates and experiences that matter most to you.

View the wider travel guide: Haiming.