Attenkirchen: Church, Rectory and Hallertau Beer Festival

Attenkirchen offers two distinct starting points for planning a trip: the architectural history of St. John the Baptist Parish Church and the Hallertau Beer Festival. Church history and the event have different focuses. This lets you consider whether you would rather plan your trip around historic architecture or a specific festival date.

St. John the Baptist and its architectural history

St. John the Baptist Parish Church in Attenkirchen is partly Baroque and dates from 1763 to 1768. Its high altar dates from 1765; the tower was built in 1848. The church was rebuilt in the rural Baroque style. Financial constraints meant that reconstruction progressed only slowly. The construction dates, altar and later tower offer different chronological points of reference for the church’s history.

The rectory and the Hallertau Hills Circuit

The Hallertau Hills Circuit passes St. John the Baptist Parish Church and a historic rectory in Attenkirchen. The rectory at Hauptstraße 2 dates from 1762 and stands on the grounds of the former Hofmark Castle. Its date predates the church’s construction phase from 1763 to 1768. The circuit therefore focuses on two distinct historical points of interest: the partly Baroque parish church and the rectory on the former castle grounds.

The Hallertau Beer Festival

The Hallertau Beer Festival is considered the largest beer tasting event with the widest variety in all of southern Germany. Since 2010, the three-day festival has transformed the entire center of Attenkirchen into a large beer garden with a music stage and several serving stations. The specific festival format may vary from one edition to the next.

If the festival is the reason for your trip, check the dates for the edition you want to attend before making plans. This helps distinguish a visit to the event from a trip focused on the town’s history. For the latter, the parish church and the historic sites along the Hallertau Hills Circuit are the specific points of interest.

Freising: more cultural and nature attractions

In the wider destination of Freising, the Ampertal valley in the Freising district is designated a protected landscape and is used for hiking and cycling. It is home to numerous animal and plant species in need of special protection, including four of the 16 dragonfly species threatened with extinction in Bavaria. These nature attractions are located in the Ampertal valley in the Freising district.

In the city of Freising, the historic old town, Domberg hill and Marienplatz are among the cultural attractions described. Around Marienplatz stand burghers’ and canons’ houses dating from the Gothic to the Baroque period; the square is also home to a Marian column dating from 1674. Freising Cathedral on Domberg hill has a crypt and the Beast Pillar. The Freising City Museum presents around 350 selected objects and groups of objects relating to Freising’s history.

The routes in Freising also differ in length and stated duration. The 13.5-kilometer Culture & Nature circular route takes visitors to the city’s main sights. The Weihenstephan Art Trail consists of two circular walks, each taking just over an hour. In Freising Forest, the Freising Forest Adventure Trail is a roughly two-kilometer circular route with 23 stops, including information boards, information and play activities. Thus, the wider destination of Freising offers both cultural routes and a trail with stops in the forest.

Discover more destinations: Allershausen, Au in der Hallertau, Marzling, Freising, Langenbach, Kranzberg, Neufahrn bei Freising, Wang.

Go to the wider travel overview: Freising.