Walderbach: Monastery, Museum and Gardens

Walderbach brings together several attractions for a culture- and garden-focused stay: the former Cistercian monastery, the monastery church, the district teaching garden and the Prelate’s Garden. There is also an option for cyclists to include the town in their plans: Official Tour 24 follows the Regental Cycle Route and passes through Walderbach. If you are looking for a hotel in Walderbach, you can plan your stay around whether you would like to spend more time at the museum and exploring sacred art, in the gardens or on a cycling tour.

Monastery, Museum and Sacred Art

The folk history collections of the Museum of the Cham District have been housed in the Baroque convent building of the former Cistercian monastery in Walderbach am Regen since 1965. The former monastery buildings now house the Museum of the Cham District, with exhibitions on the history and living conditions of Walderbach Monastery. Here, a historic site and exhibitions about its own history come together.

The Great Hall of the former monastery features a ceiling painting by Otto Gebhard dating from around 1765/70. The former monastery church is a three-aisled hall dating from the 12th century, with significant Romanesque vault paintings. The Stations of the Cross in St. Mary and St. Nicholas in Walderbach date from 1735. These dates place various buildings and works of art in context: the church dates from the 12th century, while the Stations of the Cross and ceiling painting are from the 18th century.

St. Mary and St. Nicholas also contains a rare depiction of the “Christ of the Shoulder Wound.” Christ is shown chained in a prison niche, with a wound gaping on his left shoulder. The details of the image make clear what the motif’s name refers to. On the ground floor of the Walderbach District Museum, the accessible “SchauRaum” presents changing exhibitions on everyday culture, history and cultural history. In this way, themes related to everyday life and cultural history complement the focus on the monastery’s history.

Gardens and Cycling

The former monastery garden in Walderbach is now the district teaching garden. It is located in the former convent garden of the Cistercian monastery and contains 56 standard fruit trees, mostly traditional, well-established varieties. The number of trees and their form give the orchard a distinctive character. A visit to Walderbach also includes a walk through the Prelate’s Garden, with its fountain. Here you can experience different garden features: standard fruit trees in one garden and a fountain-side walk in the other.

Official Tour 24 passes through Walderbach and follows the Regental Cycle Route. It is another way to explore the town, alongside its monastery buildings, museum and gardens. The Great Hall of the former monastery also plays a part in cultural life: for 30 years, it has served as an atmospheric venue for the “Festive Concerts in the Baroque Hall” concert series, presented by the Cham District and the Municipality of Walderbach. If a concert is a deciding factor for your stay, check the latest dates in advance.

More Places to Explore in the Greater Cham Destination

There are cultural attractions in other places within the greater Cham destination, too. In Furth im Wald, a town in the Cham District, the Dragon Cave offers a tour with information about the town’s dragon story, the festival and the technology behind the dragon robot. The summer festivals in Furth im Wald are part of the Drachenstich tradition. In Neukirchen beim Heiligen Blut, a municipality in the Cham District, the Pilgrimage Museum is located in the former Pflegschloss and is filled with treasures from the archive of the pilgrimage church. These attractions are in other places within the Cham destination and complement Walderbach’s monastery, garden and cycling themes with additional cultural interests.

Discover more destinations: Waldmünchen, Arrach, Tiefenbach, Eschlkam, Blaibach, Rimbach, Gleißenberg, Treffelstein

See the overview of the greater destination: Cham.