Discover Altmannstein: Trails, Fossils and History
Accommodation in Altmannstein
Altmannstein can be explored through a range of themes: hiking trails with named connections, fossils in Schamhaupten, a heated outdoor pool and historic buildings. Whether you want to spend time outdoors or focus on architectural and local history, these destinations offer different starting points for planning your trip.
Hiking trails and guided tours
Loop 24 connects Altmannstein with the AltmĂĽhltal Panorama Trail. The East Bavarian Way of St. James leads from Kelheim via Weltenburg Abbey to Altmannstein and continues to the Bettbrunn pilgrimage church. A 18-kilometre section of the Limes Trail, from Denkendorf to Altmannstein, is also named. This gives you a choice of different routes: a connection to the panorama trail, a route with several explicitly named stops, and a section with a fixed length and endpoints.
A free guided hike takes place on one Saturday each month. It’s an opportunity to get to know the municipality of Altmannstein and its neighbours. As the schedule may change, check the current programme before your trip.
Fossils in Schamhaupten and swimming at the outdoor pool
The fossil quarry is in Schamhaupten, another settlement in the municipality of Altmannstein. There, visitors can discover animals and other organisms embedded in slate and limestone slabs, and split limestone slabs with a hammer and chisel. Information boards at the fossil educational trail near the quarry offer useful information. Bring a hammer and flat chisel: tools are not available to borrow on site. Check this practical information locally again before your visit.
Altmannstein outdoor pool has a heated swimming pool with a non-swimmer area. The pool is about 50 metres long and 25 metres wide; the water depth ranges from 0.9 to 2.40 metres.
Museums and architectural history
The Market Museum is housed in the listed Hoferhaus, which dates from the 17th or 18th century. The municipality of Altmannstein established the Ignaz GĂĽnther Museum in 1997 in honour of the sculptor Ignaz GĂĽnther. The two facts highlight different aspects: one museum is associated with a historic building, while the other honours a sculptor.
A landmark of the town’s history is Altmannstein Castle Ruins. Its well-preserved, round keep dates from the early 13th century. The walls of hunchbacked ashlar are two metres thick. Nearby on Kreutberg, there is also a juniper heath, which is promoted as an excursion destination for nature lovers.
More cultural attractions in the wider Eichstätt destination
In the wider Eichstätt destination, the Jura Museum focuses on fossils from the Solnhofen Plattenkalk limestone. It also displays the original Eichstätt specimen of Archaeopteryx. Eichstätt is also home to Willibaldsburg Castle: Bishop Berthold Burggraf von Zollern had it built in 1355, and it served as the bishop’s residence until 1725. The 420-metre-long castle retains its walls and bastions, the arsenal, the 63-metre-long gate hall and the Gemmingen building with its two towers.
In the 1,500-square-metre bastion garden at Willibaldsburg Castle, the Hortus Eystettensis, destroyed during the Thirty Years’ War, was brought back to life after 400 years. Visitors can discover many of the original plant species there. Cathedral Square is located on the oldest settled ground in the city of Eichstätt. Food is another part of the local culture: several times a year, the Eichstätt Genuss-Wirte serve special dishes under the motto “Eichstätt cooks …”, including spicy Altmühltal lamb dishes. Eichstätt is also a hiking destination, with the moderately difficult, nine-kilometre Fossil Trail, a circular route for families.
Discover more destinations: Denkendorf, Kipfenberg, Schernfeld, Mindelstetten, Eichstätt, Dollnstein, Pollenfeld, Böhmfeld.
Back to the main travel guide: Eichstätt.
