The best walks and hikes around Mindelstetten

A beautiful chapel

A very beautiful chapel

Simply beautiful, go in and take a seat and say a silent prayer.

That's fun

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

Large Oak Tree near Ottersdorf Location: Directly at the edge of the forest near a large field, near the Ottersdorf farmstead and chapel. Also called a 1,000-year-old oak. The cylindrical trunk is completely free of branches up to a height of about 5 m. The trunk has no hollow, but does show lightning damage extending from the crown to the ground. The crown is formed by several upright branches and reaches high. There are numerous dead branches in the crown. After the Bavaria beech in Pondorf, which suddenly broke apart, this oak tree is now perhaps the most remarkable tree in the region. Tree species: English oak Age: 600 years and older Circumference: 8.22 m – Date measured: October 2, 2023 Height: 24.0 m Condition: Vital, lightning damage Source: https://www.baumkunde.de/baumregister/1397-grosse_eiche_bei_ottersdorf/

Wierl Chapel The Wierl Chapel, actually known as St. Thomas Chapel, is a chapel located between Sandersdorf and Schamhaupten. It was built in 1907 to commemorate the birth of the last Sandersdorf baron, Thomas De Bassus. It remains in the family's possession to this day. An annual procession takes place there, with a mass celebrated there. To mark the chapel's renovation, completed in 2003, the Catholic Women's Association of the Schamhaupten parish organized a star pilgrimage in mid-May, followed by a May devotion. Among other things, the Madonna, which had stood there "for several decades, possibly even since before the Second World War," was restored, and the masonry was cleaned. Source: www.wikipedia.de

The Schambach The defining word "Scham" comes from the Old High German "skam," meaning "short." Accordingly, the meaning is "short stream." The Schambach River originates in Schamhaupten. It is a karst spring with an average flow of 330 liters per second. The springs lie in a large spring pond, which flows into a smaller one. The large pond is approximately 150 meters long, 35 meters wide, and encloses a small island. The Schambach flows to Schamhaupten, initially southward through the Riedenburg Schambach Valley. Near Sandersdorf, it turns east and reaches the market town of Altmannstein via Neuenhinzenhausen and Sollern. From there, its course is guided northward by State Road 2231. It continues through Hexenagger and the village of the same name, Schambach. In Riedenburg, after 16.3 kilometers, the Schambach flows into the town pond via a rocky staircase with a waterfall over five meters high, which connects to the Altmühl River. Source: www.wikipedia.de