Lake Soier See lies right in Bad Bayersoien at an elevation of around 810 metres and shapes the village’s focus on nature. A circular trail around the lake links a barefoot trail, a moor nature trail and a bird nature trail. Cultural attractions range from the museum in the Bierlinghaus to chapels and monuments. When planning your trip, this gives you a choice between nature-related themes by the lake and cultural insights in the village.
Lake and moor shape the landscape
Humic substances from the surrounding moor turn the water of Lake Soier See brown. At the same time, the lake lies in a protected landscape area that is home to sensitive and rare animal and plant species. The water’s colour thus points to the moor, while the protected area highlights the species found there. On the southern shore, there is a swimming area, a kiosk and a boat rental service. These facilities add amenities right by the water to the area’s nature-related attractions. Dogs must be kept on a lead at Lake Soier See under a municipal ordinance; check the rule again before your trip.
Circular trail with varied themes
At the eastern edge of the lake, the moor nature trail leads to three information stations explaining the formation of the moor and its importance to the region. The moor nature trail is part of the circular route, which also links a barefoot trail and a bird nature trail. This means that three distinct, named themes feature on one route: knowledge about the moor, birds and the barefoot trail. The moor nature trail is the educational part of this offering; the bird nature trail and barefoot trail, as their names suggest, focus on different things.
Museum and local history
The museum in the Bierlinghaus displays a collection on contemporary popular religious devotion, including coloured engravings, reverse-glass paintings, monastery artworks, pilgrimage souvenirs and sculptures. It also exhibits tools and equipment from historic craft guilds based in Bad Bayersoien, as well as materials about peat extraction in the moor. The museum also tells the story of the lives and living conditions of the Bierlings, a family of merchants from Bayersoien. Its cultural and historical perspective thus ranges from religious objects and crafts to a local merchant family. In contrast to the lakeside trails, whose themes are moors and birds, the focus here is on collection pieces and local history.
The Bad Bayersoien War Memorial Chapel was built in 1925 in memory of 120 members of the community who fell in the First World War. From the chapel, there are views of Lake Soier See, the Hörnle and the surrounding landscape.
The “Chapels and Sights” circular trail passes numerous small chapels, crosses and monuments around Bad Bayersoien. It starts and ends at the Tourist Information Office “In der Brandstatt”. Unlike the moor nature trail, with its three information stations, this route passes various memorials. One specific historic landmark is the Rottstein at Dorfstraße 41, in front of “Haus Dodl”. It commemorates the Rott privilege granted by Emperor Louis the Bavarian in 1332. The local history covered here thus spans from the 14th-century privilege to the 1925 memorial chapel.
For the broader travel overview: Saulgrub.
