Aichach-Friedberg: Culture, History and Trails

Hiking and cycling themes complement these cultural highlights. Deciding in advance which themes matter to you can help you choose the focus of your stay more deliberately.

Town History and Wittelsbach Heritage

Aichach’s historic old town has changed little over the centuries. The Wittelsbach Museum is housed in the Lower Gate; the town museum vividly tells the story of Aichach. The ancestral castle of the Wittelsbach dynasty stood in Aichach’s Oberwittelsbach district. Friedberg’s Wittelsbach Castle dates back to a high medieval castle built around 1257 under Duke Ludwig II the Strict. Unterwittelsbach’s Sisi Castle served as a hunting lodge for Duke Max in Bavaria. Together, these different sites represent various connections to Wittelsbach history: an ancestral castle, a castle and a hunting lodge.

Pilgrimage, Rococo and Rural History

The Herrgottsruh pilgrimage church in Friedberg was built between 1731 and 1753 and is considered one of the finest works of Bavarian Rococo. In Inchenhofen, the pilgrimage museum in Haus St. Leonhard—a former Cistercian brewery building—displays iron and wax votive offerings, ploughshares, horseshoes, and neck and hand restraints. The museum also documents the importance of Saint Leonhard and St. Leonhard’s Church as a much-visited pilgrimage destination. The pilgrimage connection thus ranges from Friedberg’s architecture to the exhibits and the history of the pilgrimage destination in Inchenhofen.

The Gruin House is a listed building in the Aichach-Friedberg district and houses a museum. It illustrates the living and housing conditions of small-scale farmers in the late 19th century. This adds a distinct perspective on everyday life and housing at the time to the religious and dynastic themes of history.

Hiking and Cycling

The Paar Valley Hiking Trail follows the middle section of the Paar River from Aichach to Gut Schenkenau in the Neuburg-Schrobenhausen district and is 36.8 kilometres long in total. The hiking brochure “Explore Aichach on Foot – The Most Beautiful Walks Around Aichach” features 15 walks and hiking trails in and around Aichach. While the brochure brings together several routes in and around Aichach, the Paar Valley Hiking Trail has a named destination in another district.

For cycling tours, the Aichach-Friedberg district cycling map features 14 well-signposted themed cycling routes. The figures refer to different planning measures: 14 is the number of themed cycling routes, while 36.8 kilometres is the length of the Paar Valley Hiking Trail.

The direct Aichach–Friedberg route was established in 2020 for the Bavarian State Exhibition “City Liberated – Wittelsbach Founding Towns” as a sporty, environmentally friendly connection between the two exhibition locations. It remains in place after the exhibition ended. Check route conditions before setting out; if taking the direct route, also check the current signage.

Regional Products

In the wider region, Wittelsbacher Land, weekly markets offer regional products such as fish, meat, pasta, cheese, fruit and vegetables. The selection may vary by location and season. If you would like to include regional food in your travel plans, take these differences into account when choosing a market.

Discover more destinations: Friedberg, Dasing, Kissing, Merching, Kühbach, Aichach, Schmiechen, Ried, Steindorf, Affing, Aindling, Rehling, Pöttmes, Schiltberg, Baar, Petersdorf, Mering.

See the overview of destinations: Bavaria.