Großkötz: Historic Buildings and the Günztal Cycle Route

Großkötz combines historic buildings with a practical way to explore the area by bike. Local sights include chapels, a parish church, and former ecclesiastical and stately buildings. When planning your visit, it is worth looking at the different architectural styles and periods. If you would also like to include hiking trails, you can find an overview under the larger destination of Kötz.

Churches and architectural history

St. Anna’s Chapel is a Neo-Baroque chapel dating from the 19th century; it was altered around 1900. It has furnishings. The parish church of St. Peter and Paul has a Late Gothic core, built between 1480 and 1520. Under the larger destination of Kötz, the same church is described as a Gothic structure that was Baroqueized by Joseph Dossenberger in 1764/65. The building thus shows both a Late Gothic core and a later Baroque transformation.

The rectory in Großkötz was once the summer residence of the provosts of Wettenhausen. Joseph Dossenberger built the hipped-roof building with pilaster detailing in 1760. This places its construction a few years before the same architect’s Baroque transformation of the parish church. A hipped roof slopes down at the gable ends too; pilasters are flat, column-like architectural elements. These terms help identify the rectory’s characteristic forms more precisely.

Farmsteads and other sights

The former Vogtei farmstead comprises several parts: the residential building, stable, and outbuildings are enclosed by a courtyard wall and gate. This means that its architectural character depends not only on the residential building, but also on the ensemble of farm buildings and enclosure.

The former Benefiziatenhaus is a different building type. It is two storeys high, with its eaves facing the street, a gabled roof, and curved gables, and dates from the late 18th century. A gabled roof has two sloping surfaces; the curved gables are distinguished by their flowing outlines. “Eaves-facing” describes the orientation of the house, with its eaves side facing outward. Alongside these larger buildings, the Ölberg Chapel in the cemetery, the Herrgotsruh Chapel, and the Adler inn are among the sights in Großkötz.

Cycling and hiking

The existing Günztal Cycle Route runs between Großkötz and Wasserburg. A section about 1.16 km long is unpaved. Take this into account when planning your route, and check current trail conditions before setting off, as surfaces and construction conditions may change.

Hiking in the larger destination of Kötz

The “Cycling and Hiking around Kötz” overview lists several hiking trails: local trail No. 15068, “Günzburg District – Tour 6 (Along the Steep Bank Upstream on the Danube)”; No. 14529, “Günzburg District – Tour 2 (To the Beaver Habitat)”; and No. 14445, “Günzburg District – Tour 9 (Following in the Footsteps of the Celts).” Their titles point to different themes: a steep riverbank, a beaver habitat, and traces of the Celts.

The overview also lists long-distance hiking trail No. 807, described there as a feeder route to the Swabian-Allgäu Hiking Trail (Neu-Ulm/Günzburg). Alongside local hiking trails, this gives you the option of a named long-distance trail and its connection to the regional hiking route.

Discover more destinations: Kleinkötz.

Return to the main travel overview: Kötz.