Eching: Birdlife at the Reservoir and Parish Church

In Eching, nature watching and church architecture come together. The Parish Church of St. John the Baptist stands clearly visible from afar beside the Isar, which has been dammed to form a lake, and on the edge of a valuable bird sanctuary. At Eching Reservoir, an observation tower and a path along the southern dam offer a distinctive view of the wildlife; a high-level hiking trail runs for many kilometres through the municipality. Nature, architecture and hiking therefore offer different focal points for planning your trip.

Birdlife and the dammed Isar

The Middle Isar Reservoirs Bird Sanctuary is part of the European NATURA 2000 protected-area network. Its main habitats include the Middle Isar Canal with the reservoirs near Moosburg and Eching, as well as the Isar and the adjoining floodplain forests. The area covers 5.7 square kilometres and lies approximately half in the district of Freising and half in the district of Landshut. It is of international importance as a stopover and migration area, and of state-wide importance as a breeding area. Stopovers and migration reflect the area’s importance for birds on the move; as a breeding area, it also serves another function.

At Eching Reservoir, the observation tower and the path along the southern dam offer interesting views of the wildlife throughout the year. Nature watching is therefore not limited to a single season. The protected area, reservoir and two named observation spots give the nature experience in Eching a concrete setting.

The Parish Church of St. John the Baptist

The parish church itself also has distinctive architectural features: it is a barrel-vaulted hall church with numerous windows. It also has elaborate altar furnishings made of stucco marble. Its design, windows and furnishings offer specific points of interest for anyone interested in church architecture.

Its prominent location beside the Isar, dammed to form a lake, and on the edge of the bird sanctuary connects the church building with Eching’s landscape. Nature and culture are distinct, clearly identifiable aspects of the place: the church represents an architectural focal point, while the reservoir and protected area draw attention to the landscape and wildlife. When planning your trip, you can therefore first consider which of these themes interests you most.

Hiking trails on different scales

The high-level hiking trail in Eching runs for many kilometres through the municipality. In the wider destination of Landshut, the Landshut High-Level Hiking Trail also runs for around 50 kilometres through the gentle hills of Lower Bavaria. This means a trail through the municipality of Eching and a route of around 50 kilometres in the wider destination of Landshut offer different scales of hiking side by side.

The wider destination of Landshut also includes the Time Trails, themed routes through the Isar, Vils and Laaber valleys. They offer a further regional perspective, while the high-level hiking trail through Eching focuses on the municipality. If hiking plays an important role in your trip, these differences can help you consider the local and regional focus separately.

Choose accommodation to suit your interests

When looking for accommodation in Eching, it is worth deciding in advance what you would like to focus on during your trip. Nature watching at the reservoir, the architecture of St. John the Baptist and hiking appeal to different interests. Tailor your search to what you would most like to discover during your stay. If you also want to include trails in the wider destination of Landshut, keep them in mind as a separate regional perspective alongside Eching’s local attractions.

Discover other places

Also discover Haunwang and Thal as nearby destinations.

Discover more destinations: Geisenhausen, Essenbach, Gerzen, Altfraunhofen, Obersüßbach, Wörth An Der Isar.

Back to the wider destination overview: Landshut.