Windberg: Monastic Culture and Panoramic Views

Windberg combines a prominent hilltop location with medieval monastic culture and an extensive network of hiking trails. The village lies at an elevation of 420 m; its panoramic views extend to the mountains of the Bavarian Forest, the Bogenbach valley and across the Danube plain. If you are looking for a hotel for a trip to Windberg, these local highlights can help shape your choice of destination: are you drawn to historic architecture and pilgrimage, or to views and outdoor activities?

Getting there from Straubing

Straubinger-Land Transport Association bus route 14 runs directly from Straubing to Windberg. Check the latest timetable before travelling and plan your arrival accordingly.

Monastic culture and pilgrimage

The 12th-century Romanesque basilica, with its Rococo furnishings, and the Premonstratensian monastery define the village’s historic character. Other historic buildings in Windberg are clustered around them. The construction and completion of the monastery church can be distinguished: construction began around 1140 and was completed around 1250 with the erection of the tower. The building phases reveal two distinct historical layers: the medieval church and the Rococo furnishings. In the wider Straubing-Bogen destination, the medieval monastery complex in Windberg has largely been preserved; it includes the basilica, the prelature, the courthouse and the craftsmen’s house.

Another aspect of pilgrimage in Windberg is the Catholic Pilgrimage Church of the Holy Cross. Inside is a 28-step Holy Staircase, a replica of the staircase in Pilate’s palace. The Way of the Cross from Windberg to the Holy Cross church was inaugurated in 1887.

Hiking and paragliding

The range of outdoor activities includes an extensive network of hiking trails; Windberg also offers opportunities for paragliding and a paragliding school. This means visitors can choose between a broad focus on hiking and the more specialised activity of flying.

More to explore in the wider Straubing-Bogen destination

In Bogen, the Bogenberg is another pilgrimage destination: it is one of Bavaria’s oldest Marian pilgrimage sites that is still active today. The Holzkirchen Candle Pilgrimage takes place every year at Pentecost at the Bogenberg pilgrimage church. Bogen also has three day trips for families with children: the “Culture Tour”, the “Beer Garden Tour” and “Left and Right of the Danube”.

In Wiesenfelden, two nature trails can be compared by length and features. The accessible circular trail around Beckenweiher is shorter at 2.3 km than the approximately 4.5 km-long Kobelberg Nature Experience Trail. The Beckenweiher circular trail is suitable for prams and wheelchairs; the Kobelberg Nature Experience Trail is suitable for prams and is also cleared in winter. The circular trail around Beckenweiher has five information points with benches and information boards about local wildlife and plants, the pond’s protected status and its history. The trail also crosses a 110 m-long nature observation boardwalk. The Kobelberg Nature Experience Trail has nine stations.

Discover more destinations: Kirchroth, Mitterfels, Geiselhöring, Perasdorf, Bogen, Aiterhofen, Salching, Haselbach

For the full travel overview: Straubing-Bogen.