A lake, trails through river landscapes and woodland, Romanesque architecture and museums covering a wide range of subjects: there are many ways to discover Dachau. Experiences in nature alternate with art and history. If you enjoy exploring on foot, you’ll find a trail along the Maisach River as well as short art and culture walks; in Dachau itself, the Old Town, the palace and its collections take centre stage.
By the water and out on the trails
The Karlsfelder See recreation area lies right next to the built-up area of northern Karlsfeld. It covers 58.2 hectares and is located in the district of Dachau. The lake is used year-round for walking, jogging, cycling and relaxation. It’s a destination for a variety of activities, so you don’t have to commit to just one.
The “Lifeline of the Maisach” offers a different perspective: this approximately 2.5-kilometre trail follows the river and is accessible to visitors with disabilities from Bergkirchen or Günding. By contrast, the sculpture trail on Petersberg near Erdweg is 200 metres long. It leads through Petersberg Forest, with a total of ten artworks along its eight stops. The two trails show the range of experiences on offer: one focuses on the river landscape, the other on art in the forest.
The “Art and Culture around Klosterberg” walking trail also combines exercise with views of local sights. It loops around the monastery in Altomünster and passes important landmarks. For cyclists, the middle route of the “Seven Monasteries Trail” leads to Altomünster and Petersberg near Erdweg. Altomünster was home to a Birgittine monastery for centuries.
If you walk in the Amper floodplains, patience and a little luck may reward you with a glimpse of the extraordinary feeding marks left by beavers that have returned to the area. It’s their traces—not a guaranteed wildlife sighting—that make this a special way to experience nature.
History and art in Dachau
Dachau’s historic Old Town is protected as an architectural ensemble and invites you to stroll and linger. Wittelsbach Palace was once a popular summer residence of the Wittelsbach family. The climb up to the palace is rewarded with views across the Munich Gravel Plain, the state capital of Munich and as far as the Alps. Guided tours are held regularly at the palace; dates are announced in advance. Check the dates before your visit.
The Dachau District Museum spans three floors and shows the diversity of the city’s and district’s cultural history. Exhibition topics include settlement patterns, the history of the city, guilds and market rights, crafts and trade, everyday life, festive customs and popular religious traditions. The Dachau Picture Gallery focuses on something different: its permanent collection includes landscape and genre paintings from the 19th and early 20th centuries. The gallery is also connected with the Dachau artists’ colony, considered one of Germany’s most important art-historical artists’ colonies, which had a major influence on the development of modern art in the 20th century.
The history of Petersberg includes a Romanesque basilica, built in 1104 and still standing today. Mariabrunn also has a religious history: after a miraculous healing attributed to the water of a spring, the village became an important pilgrimage site in the Diocese of Freising from 1662 onwards. Today, Mariabrunn is part of the municipality of Röhrmoos. A connecting route to the Munich Way of St James runs through the Dachau region; the Way of St James leads as far as Lindau.
Monastery history and remembrance
The permanent exhibition at the AltomĂĽnster Museum explores the history of the Birgittine Order in Europe and its founder, Saint Birgitta of Sweden. Among other things, it tells this story through the example of the now-closed AltomĂĽnster monastery, which existed for 500 years. In this way, it brings the founder and a specific place in monastic history into focus.
The Path of Remembrance addresses the fate of children who were victims of National Socialism. Another part of its historical focus is Markt Indersdorf: after the Second World War, the town offered refuge to more than 1,000 young survivors of Nazi persecution. This is a different approach to history from the collections on urban and everyday culture at the District Museum—and an important perspective on the consequences of persecution.
Practical information
Bus route 726 runs from Dachau station to the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site in the direction of “Saubachsiedlung”. Check the current timetable before travelling. If you’re planning to visit Dachau Palace, it’s also worth checking the announced tour dates in advance. This will help you plan around the timetable and tour information actually available.
Discover more places: Weißling, Schwabhausen, Hebertshausen, Dachau, Altomünster, Haimhausen, Bergkirchen, Odelzhausen, Vierkirchen, Erdweg, Karlsfeld, Röhrmoos, Markt Indersdorf, Hilgertshausen-Tandern, Petershausen, Sulzemoos.
For the broader travel overview: Bavaria.
