The best traffic-free bike rides around Altmannstein

Beautiful hiking trail with an elevated view of the village.

Holy Cross Parish Church The origins of the Holy Cross Church are unknown, but a church building must have existed as early as 1421, when the mass benefice was established. Due to severe damage, the roof and roof trusses were replaced in 1664. The veneration of an old wooden image is recorded from 1699 to 1705. The dilapidated church was rebuilt from 1760 to 1764 under master mason M. Prädl. Due to lack of space, a tower was built over the choir, but it collapsed shortly before completion in 1761, severely damaging the nave. The tower was subsequently relocated to its current location, but was not completed until after the church's consecration in 1763. In 1858, the church was extended by 15 feet to the west. During a comprehensive restoration in 1890, three new altars were added. In 1908, stained-glass windows were finally added, and in 1909, the damaged structure was repaired. The church's reconstruction in 1959, under the direction of architect Friedrich Ferdinand Haindl from Munich, resulted in a generous extension of the nave and extensive renovation of the interior. Only the choir and tower remained in their original state. The nave is shaped like a long rectangular hall. The side walls are rhythmically divided by four high, segmental-arched windows. A window bearing the coat of arms of Bishop M. Buchberger breaks through the west wall above the organ loft, supported by round columns. Figurative and ornamental paintings adorn the flat, coffered wooden ceiling. The slightly raised main choir is divided into five segments by piastres and bases and expansive imposts, and is distinguished by a fresco in the vault. Round-arched windows positioned to the sides of the choir provide illumination for the room. The church's interior is given a sense of unity—despite the different construction periods of the choir and nave—by its attention to the monumental crucifix in the choir, which dominates the entire space. The restrained color scheme and unobtrusive form of the remaining furnishings do not compete with the cross, allowing it to become the focal point. The lighting and the clear, manageable form allow the modern nave to blend in with the Rococo choir and the cross without denying its own period of origin. Source: www.das-altmuehltal.de/altmannstein/kreuz

Hexenagger Castle A Dietricus von Haecsenakker is mentioned as early as 928 in a Regensburg document from the St. Emmeram Monastery; further information is scarce. In 1311, Gottfried Hexenacker became Bishop of Freising. He had studied in Bologna and served as dean of the cathedral there for many years. In 1314, he died of an infectious disease while on a tour of inspection in Vienna. In 1485, the castle passed through marriage to the Counts of Helfenstein, who sold the fortress to Duke William of Bavaria in 1528. He gave Hexenagger to the Muggenthal family as a fief. When the castle was destroyed in the Thirty Years' War, the Muggenthal family rebuilt it as a castle. In 1724, the castle was sold to the Bavarian Elector Charles Albert, as the Hexenagger line of the Muggenthal family had died out. In 1731, Elector Karl Albrecht donated the castle to his mistress, Maria Josepha Countess von Morawitzky. Her husband received the castle in 1738, and when he died in 1754, Anton von Kaiserstein became the new owner. Franz Joseph III von Kaiserstein (1792–1893) sold the castle in 1830 and acquired an estate in Sooß (Lower Austria) in exchange. From 1830 to 1951, Hexenagger Castle belonged to the noble family of Weidenbach. Otto Edler von Weidenbach bequeathed it to his niece Ilse von Kalckreuth, who married Wilhelm Leichtfuß, whose son, Eberhard Leichtfuß, owns it today. Hexenagger is a castle between the Renaissance and Baroque periods, built on the foundations of the old castle. In the lower areas and at the corners, ashlars and bossed ashlars, up to several meters high, are still visible on the castle building. The stump of the keep, made of bossed ashlar, is also said to have been preserved, but is not visible from the outside. The defensive character of the complex is best appreciated from the rear, where parts of the curtain wall and wall towers have been preserved. The tall, narrow chapel also still hints at the castle in its form; particularly interesting is the slender, slightly leaning bell tower, which appears to still sit on the older foundations of the medieval chapel tower. The main building itself, with its stepped gable and beautiful garden, presents a romantic sight. The castle is privately owned and not open to the public; the popular Christmas market was relocated to the Wolfgangshof estate near Zirndorf in Middle Franconia in 2023 due to complaints from local residents. Source: www.Burgenseite.de / www.wikipedia.de

Sandersdorf Castle The present castle dates back to a medieval castle built by the Lords of Sandersdorf as Wittelsbach ministerials. The family has been documented since the 12th century. In 1420, the castle was plundered by Duke Henry of Bavaria-Landshut while he was at war with Duke Ludwig the Bearded of Bavaria-Ingolstadt. In 1425, the castle was granted to the Muggenthal family; the first owner of this family, Erhart von Muggendal, rebuilt it. Hans Heinrich von Muggenthal succeeded in keeping peasant revolts and the Reformation away from his domain. The Sandersdorf Castle Brewery was founded in 1550. The castle was destroyed during the Thirty Years' War; Albrecht Ulrich von Muggenthal had it rebuilt as a four-winged castle by 1646. It retains this form to this day. In 1675, Dominikus de Bassus inherited Sandersdorf Castle, but he witnessed its destruction in 1703 during the War of the Spanish Succession. In May 1787, the castle was searched by Bavarian officials because it was considered an "Illuminati nest." Thomas de Bassus was a member of the Illuminati Order, founded in Ingolstadt by Adam Weishaupt in 1776; his castle was a meeting place for many of the secret society's meetings. Numerous secret documents were confiscated during the search. Around 1900, the castle was partially renovated and refurbished under the direction of the Munich architect Gabriel von Seidl. In 2008, the castle was sold by Margarethe Baroness de Bassus, along with the forest lands, to the Wittelsbach Equalization Fund. In March 2022, the castle was sold to Dr. Horst-Florian Jaeck. Parts of it are to be opened to the public. The richly structured four-winged building complex was built on medieval foundations in the 16th century, rebuilt after destruction in the 17th and 18th centuries, and remodeled in the 19th century. The high main wing faces east; it has high stepped gables on its narrow sides and three oriels with gabled tops on the wide sides facing the valley, in front of which is a kind of moat with two octagonal corner turrets. The lower castle wings to the north and south face west. The castle chapel of St. Joseph, with its octagonal domed tower, is located in the inner courtyard. Source: www.wikipedia.de

Offendorf club station

Supermarket directly on the cycle path invites thirsty (and hungry) cyclists to refuel

Beautiful wide view over the Schambach valley

Drive axle of a Class 043 steam locomotive, which used to run on the track bed where the Schambachtal cycle path now runs