The Limes runs for 7.2 kilometres through the municipality of Denkendorf. Together with St. Lawrence Church, a friendship monument and several trails, it offers a range of options combining culture and activity. When planning your trip, you can first decide whether you would like to focus on exploring historical sights or on a route or leisure facility.

Culture and History in Denkendorf

The Limes gives Roman history a tangible connection to the municipality: its route there is 7.2 kilometres long. Denkendorf’s sights also include the “Bavarian Boy and Russian Girl” friendship monument. Its name highlights the theme of friendship, offering a different focus from the Roman heritage.

The Catholic parish church of St. Lawrence is located in the town centre. It has three magnificent late Rococo altars, which have shone in new splendour since the renovation carried out from 1979 to 1982. The church thus offers a clearly defined focus on art history within the town. Along with the monument and the Limes, it lets you explore different historical themes in Denkendorf without reducing them to the same chapter of local history.

Hiking, Cycling and a Leisure Facility

If you would like to include a route in your plans, the Limes Hiking Trail runs through the municipality. The Via Raetica cycle route also passes through Denkendorf. The two names make it easy to choose according to your preferred activity: hiking or cycling.

Another option, offering a different kind of activity, is the Limes Pump Track Denkendorf at the Zandt roundabout. Unlike the hiking and cycling trails that run through the municipality, it is located at a specific site. This makes it easy to distinguish between following a route and visiting a single leisure facility.

Other Distinctive Attractions in the Wider Eichstätt Destination

The wider Eichstätt destination offers its own cultural and natural attractions, distinct from the sights in Denkendorf. The Jura Museum Eichstätt focuses on fossils from the Solnhofen Plattenkalk limestone; the museum also displays the original Eichstätt specimen of Archaeopteryx. Eichstätt therefore offers its own focus on fossils and geological history alongside Denkendorf’s Limes, church and monument.

The Willibaldsburg is another distinctive attraction in Eichstätt. It was built in 1355 by Bishop Berthold, Burgrave of Zollern, and served as the bishop’s residence until 1725. The 420-metre-long castle retains its walls and bastions, the arsenal, the 63-metre-long gate hall, and the Gemmingen building with its two towers. These structures give the castle complex a clear historical and architectural layout.

The Willibaldsburg also includes the 1,500-square-metre bastion garden. There, the Hortus Eystettensis, destroyed during the Thirty Years’ War, was brought back to life after 400 years. Visitors can discover many of the garden’s original plant species. Another historical landmark in Eichstätt is the cathedral square, which lies on the oldest settled ground in the city.

For a different kind of excursion, try the Eichstätt gourmet restaurants. Several times a year, they offer special dishes under the motto “Eichstätt cooks...”, including, for example, savoury Altmühltal lamb dishes. If you would like to combine activity with a circular route, the wider destination also offers the Eichstätt Fossil Trail: a moderately difficult, nine-kilometre circular trail for families.

For trip planning, the different focuses can be summed up as follows: Denkendorf combines the Limes, late Rococo altars, a monument and trails; Eichstätt adds a museum, castle, garden, cathedral square, culinary experiences and a circular trail to the wider destination. If you are looking for hotels, you can first decide which destination you would like to make the focus of your stay.

Discover more destinations: Oberdolling, Eichstätt, Dollnstein, Altmannstein, Beilngries, Pollenfeld, Mindelstetten, Kösching

Back to the wider travel overview: Eichstätt.