Burtenbach

Burtenbach combines local history with a bathing lake and designated walking and cycling routes.

Town hall, library and castle in Burtenbach

Burtenbach’s current town hall was built in 1558 for 2,000 gulden. The building thus links a specific historical date and construction cost with a town hall that still stands today. The municipal library also tells the story of how public institutions have developed: since September 1999, it has once again been housed in the former school building in Burtenbach.

In spring 2006, the library was expanded by an additional room measuring 44 square metres, bringing its total area to around 110 square metres. The sequence of its return and expansion makes the institution’s development over several years easy to follow. The town hall and library represent different periods: the town hall’s history dates back to the 16th century, while the library’s milestones mentioned here belong to the more recent history of the town.

The castle is another chapter in Burtenbach’s history. It burned down in 1731 and was rebuilt in its present form by Franz Marquard Eusebius Freiherr Schertel von Burtenbach by 1740. The town’s history thus includes an 18th-century reconstruction, the creation of the current town hall and the later development of the library.

Bathing lake and walking and cycling routes

At the western edge of Burtenbach, north of the road, a gravel pit lake lies beside district road GZ 1 in the direction of Kemnat. The lake was developed as a bathing lake with a sunbathing lawn, a jetty, toilets and parking areas; check the current condition of the facilities before your visit.

Designated walking and cycling routes run along district road GZ 1 between Burtenbach and Kemnat. This gives you two distinct local features to consider when planning your trip: the route along the road between the two towns and a visit to the described lakeside site. The town’s history adds sights and institutions with their own development over time to these options.

In the wider Günzburg destination

The wider Günzburg destination offers routes in a range of formats. The DonAuwald hiking trail is the first premium hiking trail in Bavarian Swabia and runs for around 60 kilometres between Günzburg and Schwenningen. The DonauHänge is an 18.5-kilometre circular route through the slope forest between Günzburg and Offingen. Certified Streifzüge walking trails lead along streams and ponds and through gently rolling landscapes.

The distances and route types help put the options into perspective: the DonAuwald hiking trail connects two endpoints over around 60 kilometres, while the DonauHänge forms a shorter circular route. Check current trail conditions before setting out on either route. The Streifzüge walking trails offer another described landscape, characterised by streams, ponds and gentle hills.

A cultural highlight in the wider Günzburg destination is Maria Vesperbild, in the district of Günzburg near Ziemetshausen. Every year, the pilgrimage site draws 400,000 to 500,000 pilgrims to the image of Our Lady of Sorrows and is considered the largest pilgrimage in Bavarian Swabia. A Way of the Cross leads from the pilgrimage church to the Fatima Grotto. It was built in 1957 in the nearby forest and restored in 2011. More than 1,000 votive plaques bearing words of thanks and testimonies to help received from the Mother of God stand at the grotto.

Museums offer different perspectives: the Bavarian School Museum in Ichenhausen traces the development of education over thousands of years. Its historical exhibits include a classroom that once held around 50 children. The Museum of the City of Burgau presents the town’s history from the Middle Ages to the recent past across two floors and more than 700 square metres. Regional themes thus range from pilgrimage and religious remembrance to the history of schools and towns.

Discover more destinations: Offingen, Bubesheim, Kammeltal, Ziemetshausen, Thannhausen, Ichenhausen, Waldstetten, Aletshausen

Back to the wider travel overview: Günzburg.