If you would like to combine a historic church with paths through a cultural landscape during your stay, Roggenbeuren offers both: St. Verena Parish Church and the Deggenhausertal Swing Trail. This makes the village a concrete starting point for cultural interests and outdoor activity; when planning, it is worth considering how the different options compare.
St. Verena Parish Church: Location and architectural history
St. Verena Parish Church stands at the outermost tip of a mountain spur on the northern slope of Gehrenberg. Its location is a distinctive feature of the village’s appearance: the church is not simply somewhere in the village, but at the end of this spur. Those interested in architectural history will also find several clearly identifiable features from different periods.
The single-nave late Gothic church was built in 1514. Its lower level contains a Romanesque choir-flanking tower. “Single-nave” describes a church space with one main nave; the term late Gothic places the building in a later phase of the Gothic period. The Romanesque section of the tower also points to an older architectural style. St. Verena thus brings together different architectural forms without requiring a long list of sights to visit.
The swing trail and hikes
The Deggenhausertal Swing Trail is an approximately 5-kilometre circular route with 14 swings and seesaws for children and adults. The start and finish are at the information board in Roggenbeuren; there are parking spaces and places to eat there. The number of play stations and the circular route give the trail a different character from a hike where the route itself is the main focus.
Between Roggenbeuren and Urnau, the swing trail passes through a gentle cultural landscape of traditional fruit orchards and fields, as well as around the Egg woodland. For the most part, it follows a quiet local road and a paved farm track. It is mostly accessible with a pushchair and tricycle, though a short section of field path is rougher. To assess the surface, it is therefore important to consider both: most of the route is suitable, but not all of it is equally smooth.
The seasonal walking period runs from the beginning of the Easter holidays to early November. Check the latest information before your visit. Another hike from Roggenbeuren first passes through Harresheim, then continues through the forests of Evareute, Brudergarten and Mannesch to Urnau and back to Roggenbeuren. This gives you a choice between a loop with play stations and a hike with a named sequence of places along the route; no distance is specified here for the latter.
More things to do in Deggenhausertal
Deggenhausertal has a 200-kilometre network of hiking trails. One specific route within it is the meditative St. Francis Way: the wayside shrines along the trail are decorated with scenes from the Canticle of the Sun by Francis of Assisi. The 6.7-kilometre circular route runs from Wittenhofen via Obersiggingen and back to Wittenhofen. Its religious theme sets it apart from the routes around Roggenbeuren described above.
The Höchsten mountain hike offers a different focus. It descends to Obersiggingen in Deggenhausertal and returns to the starting point via the village stream, fields at the edge of the forest and the car park in Deggenhausen. Höchsten reaches just under 838 metres above sea level. In clear weather, a purpose-built pavilion there offers panoramic views of the Alps stretching 240 kilometres.
Those who prefer cycling and learning about local agriculture can take the Organic Farm Experience Cycling Tour in Deggenhausertal. It visits local organic farms, where visitors can look behind the scenes, talk with farmers and enjoy produce directly from the producers. The tour is aimed at families, nature lovers and cyclists who enjoy good food.
For a weather-independent option, Deggenhausertal also has Aquatal Wittenhofen. Its indoor swimming pool has a separate children’s pool; the sauna and wellness area includes a solarium, sauna, steam bath, experience showers and a sauna garden. Check the latest information on facilities and opening arrangements before your visit.
Discover more destinations: Tettnang, Meckenbeuren, Hagnau on Lake Constance, Ăśberlingen, Friedrichshafen, Oberteuringen, Uhldingen-MĂĽhlhofen, Eriskirch.
Back to the main travel guide: Lake Constance.
