Pollenfeld: St. Sixtus, trails and nature park

The entire municipality of Pollenfeld lies within Altmühltal Nature Park. When planning your trip, you can distinguish between two areas: the parish church of St. Sixtus in Pollenfeld and activities throughout the municipality. This gives you two main points of interest to choose from: art and architectural history, and outdoor hiking and cycling.

St. Sixtus: architectural history and works of art

The Gothic parish church of St. Sixtus is one of Pollenfeld’s attractions. Its construction took place in several phases: the choir and tower date from the Late Gothic period, around 1400. The Neo-Gothic nave was built in 1911/12, partly on older foundations, and consecrated in 1913. The church thus combines Late Gothic elements with a later nave.

The church’s works of art also date from different periods and feature a range of subjects. A fresco depicting the Death of the Virgin, created around 1430, survives on the south side of the choir. The stained-glass windows from around 1410/20 focus on two themes: the right-hand window shows scenes from the childhood of Jesus, while the left-hand window depicts scenes from the Passion. The works can therefore be distinguished both by date and subject.

The figures on the high altar, especially the Madonna, are among the finest wooden sculptures in the territory of the former Prince-Bishopric of Eichstätt. The church also contains a six-metre-high sacrament house and a two-doored stone wall cupboard beside it. The cupboard was once intended to hold the reliquary treasure. Both Late Gothic works were created around 1470 by stonemasons from Eichstätt.

Hiking and cycling in the municipality

Well-maintained field and forest paths in the municipality of Pollenfeld invite you to hike and cycle. Public cycling and forest trails can be used for hiking; the Eichstätt–Titting cycling route is one example. The well-developed network of cycle paths safely connects the municipality’s villages.

Along the way, you can discover wayside crosses, memorial stones and wayside shrines. The trails offer not only a chance to get active, but also a glimpse of the small religious and commemorative landmarks found throughout the municipality. The route information refers to the municipality of Pollenfeld; St. Sixtus is a separate cultural highlight in the village of Pollenfeld.

More attractions in the municipality

Other villages in the municipality also have notable attractions. In Wörmersdorf, these include the tower of St. Martin’s Church; in Seuversholz, the Chapel of St. Mary. Sornhüll is home to four prehistoric burial mounds, which are also among the municipality’s attractions. These examples range from churches and a chapel to traces of prehistoric times.

Eichstätt as a separate highlight

If you also include Eichstätt in your travel plans, you’ll find additional museums and historical sites there. The Jura Museum Eichstätt focuses its exhibitions on fossils from the Solnhofen Plattenkalk limestone; the museum also displays the original Eichstätt specimen of Archaeopteryx.

Willibaldsburg Castle was built in 1355 by Bishop Berthold Burggraf von Zollern and served as the bishops’ residence until 1725. The 420-metre-long castle still has its walls and bastions, the armoury, the 63-metre-long gatehouse and the Gemmingen building with its two towers. In the 1,500 m² bastion garden, the Hortus Eystettensis, destroyed during the Thirty Years’ War, was brought back to life after 400 years; visitors can learn about many of the original plant species there. Another option in Eichstätt is the Fossilienpfad: a moderately difficult, 9 km circular route for families.

Discover more destinations: Böhmfeld, Kipfenberg, Kinding, Lenting, Beilngries, Pförring, Mindelstetten, Wellheim.

For the wider travel overview: Eichstätt.