Discover Geretsried: Town History, Culture and Moors

Get to know Geretsried through its town history, cultural venues and the landscape of the Babenstubener Moors. These topics offer different ways to explore the destination and look for a hotel for your stay.

Town History at the Museum and Along Two Trails

The Museum of the City of Geretsried explores the horrors of the Nazi regime and the armaments companies DAG (Dynamit Aktiengesellschaft) and DSC (Deutsche Sprengchemie). Other topics include flight and expulsion, and the former homes of those who were expelled. The museum also presents the development from the Geretsried Schwaige estate to the founding of the municipality in 1950.

Two historical trails also focus on different aspects. The northern trail in Geretsried is a 10-kilometer circular route with 27 stations. Images, maps and texts provide information about each location and cover the armaments industry and post-1945 reconstruction. The Gelting History Trail is 14 kilometers long and has 19 stations. It starts at the village square at Wolfratshauser Straße 2 in Gelting, a district of Geretsried. The trails therefore differ both in length and in the number of stations and topics covered.

Art, Churches and Craftsmanship

The Stadtgalerie on Elbestraße offers around 160 square meters of space for art exhibitions, exhibition openings and cultural events. As exhibitions change, you can check the current exhibition when planning your visit.

Gelting is home to the Baroque church of St. Benedict. It was built between 1631 and 1649; an earlier church in Gelting is documented as far back as 1315. The Nikolauskapelle in Geretsried features a different architectural style: this octagonal building has a tufa-stone dome and dates from the 18th century. Both sacred buildings offer their own perspectives on local history and architecture.

An annual craft event is the Open Monument Day at the historic farrier and wagon smithy in Gelting. The smithy opens every year on the second Sunday in September. A master blacksmith demonstrates working with fire and iron.

Moorland and Outdoor Activities

Two sections of the Babenstubener Moors Natura 2000 site lie in the southern part of the municipality of Geretsried. This moorland complex extends across areas within the municipalities of Geretsried, Eurasburg and Königsdorf. It is characteristic of the pre-Alpine moraine landscape and is particularly valuable. Alongside the historical sites, the moors are therefore another defining local feature.

For outdoor exercise, the activity trail is located in the Geretsried town forest. It is free and open to the public at all times. The town thus offers different things to explore: historical sites and cultural venues on the one hand, and landscape and outdoor activity on the other.

More Things to Explore During Your Stay

Since March 2025, the Way of St. James cycling pilgrimage route has passed through Geretsried. Karl-Lederer-Platz and St. Peter’s Church are stops on the “Passau–Lindau” pilgrimage route. For a different perspective on industrial history, the “Bunkers in the Forest” tour explains the history and operations of the Deutsche Sprengchemie factory using its ruins. Blown-up bunker buildings and underground passageways are located in southern Geretsried. For safety reasons, the passageways cannot be entered; the tour explains them from outside. Check availability with the provider in advance.

Discover More Destinations

Greiling, Sachsenkam, Wolfratshausen, Reichersbeuern, Egling, Benediktbeuern, Dietramszell, Kochel Am See

For the higher-level travel overview: Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen.