Haunwang – St. Catherine and the Isar Valley

Haunwang lies on a gently rolling plateau above the Isar Valley, southwest of Landshut. Two specific perspectives shape the choice of location: the building history of the branch church of St. Catherine and the landscape above the valley. If you are looking for a hotel in Haunwang, these themes can help you decide what to focus on during your stay—cultural history or landscape.

St. Catherine and its construction phases

St. Catherine is a late Gothic hall church dating from the mid-15th century. The nave has an older core and was remodelled in the Baroque style. The building history goes back further: over the last 800 years, the branch church developed from a small Romanesque church built in the 12th to 13th century through several alterations to its present form. The Romanesque origins, the late Gothic hall church and the Baroque remodelling thus stand alongside one another as distinct phases. A church guide is available from the Eching parish office.

The cemetery wall at St. Catherine is also part of the church complex’s history. It dates from the 18th or 19th century and has an older core. The building history of the church and wall therefore brings together several layers of time, without reducing their development to a single date of origin.

Local history and hiking

Haunwang is mentioned in a Freising document dating from around 784. The village’s history also includes a family of knights described among the noble families of the surrounding area with the epithet “nobilis.” The documentary mention and the description of the knightly family highlight different aspects: one points to an early written reference to Haunwang, the other to a specific designation among the noble families of the surrounding area.

Alongside its local history, Haunwang’s location on the plateau above the Isar Valley offers a distinctive perspective on the area. A hiking connection is also noted: one of the highlights of the Landshut Höhenwanderweg E1 – Berghofen is a chapel near Haunwang. Travel planning therefore brings together historical themes and a specific connection to a high-level hiking trail, without assigning the chapel to a particular church.

In the wider destination of Eching

The wider destination of Eching adds its own cultural and natural attractions to the regional picture. The parish church of St. John the Baptist in Eching is a barrel-vaulted hall church with numerous windows and elaborate altars made of stucco marble. It stands prominently beside the Isar, which is dammed to form a lake, and on the edge of a valuable bird sanctuary.

The Middle Isar Reservoirs Bird Sanctuary is part of the European Natura 2000 protected areas network. Its main habitats include the Middle Isar Canal with the reservoirs near Moosburg and Eching, as well as the Isar with adjoining alluvial woodland areas. The area covers 5.7 square kilometres and lies roughly equally in the districts of Freising and Landshut. It is internationally significant as a resting and migratory stopover for waterbirds, and nationally significant as a breeding area. An extensive network of paths connects to the Isar Cycle Route and makes nature experiences possible in many parts of the protected area. At the Eching reservoir, the observation tower and the southern dam path offer interesting views of wildlife throughout the year.

Discover more destinations: Thal

Back to the wider travel overview: Eching.