Kirchseeon: Perchten Traditions and Local History

Kirchseeon can be explored through its natural history and traditions: remnants of a former moraine lake have been preserved in the area of today’s Kirchseeon Moor, while recurring festivals help shape the course of the year. There is also a museum, a historic bathhouse and public art. For your trip, an event date or the town’s cultural history may therefore be the deciding factor.

Traces of a former lake

Remnants of a former moraine lake have been preserved in the area of today’s Kirchseeon Moor. This specific connection to the history of the landscape offers a different perspective from the local customs and works of art. Anyone interested in how the landscape was formed will find a starting point here for learning about Kirchseeon. Natural history and cultural topics can thus be considered as different ways of exploring the town, without requiring a particular excursion or route.

Perchten traditions and festivals throughout the year

The Kirchseeon Perchten procession is especially distinctive. It is an established part of the pre-Christmas season, attracts numerous visitors every year and was added to the German Register under the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in March 2024. The “MASKEUM” Perchten Museum is also dedicated to the tradition: visitors can learn more about the Kirchseeon Perchten masks, stories and the mystique of the Twelve Nights. The tradition has been revived and maintained since 1954. The Perchten tradition therefore centres both on a recurring custom and on its world of masks and stories.

Other traditions take place throughout the year. On Walpurgis Night, the Kirchseeon witches dance in the market square every year on 30 April. Local associations organise the maypole: over several months, the tree is felled, transported, stripped of its bark and painted; a maypole watch is then set up before it is erected on 1 May. The location changes each year between Kirchseeon, Buch, Eglharting, Kirchseeon-Dorf and Ilching. The Bürgerfest (town festival) is held in the market square every year on the first Saturday in July.

Local history and art around town

The historic bathhouse dates from the 17th century, originally stood in Ramerberg and has been in Kirchseeon since the summer of 1956. A much more recent work is the graffiti mural “4 Kirchseeoner Motive” by Raphael Gerlach, known as “Satone”, from 1998. It is located in the railway underpass on Karl-Birkmaier-Straße. The bronze Perchten Fountain, dating from 1993, also stands in the market square. The bathhouse, graffiti and fountain each offer a different historical and artistic perspective.

The exhibition at the Kirchseeon Local History Museum traces the lives of people in the area of today’s market town, from Bronze Age finds and the Celts to the Romans. It complements the bathhouse and works of art with a longer view of the history of the people who lived in this area. The hiking and leisure map of the Kirchseeon market town is available at the town hall. If you would like to use the map for planning, check its current availability in advance if necessary.

Choosing when to travel

If you would like to plan your stay around a festival, the dates vary considerably: Walpurgis Night and the maypole raising take place on 30 April and 1 May, on two consecutive days; the location of the maypole raising changes from year to year. The Bürgerfest is scheduled for the first Saturday in July, while the Perchten procession takes place in the pre-Christmas season. Before travelling, check the specific event details and, for the maypole, the location for that year.

Discover more destinations: Poing, Baiern, Steinhöring, Zorneding, Grafing bei München, Pliening, Egmating, Oberpframmern

For the overview of the wider area: Ebersberg.