Churches, cycling and the Inn landscape offer different starting points for planning a trip to Polling. The village is home to the Church of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary; the Rott-Alz Cycle Route also passes through Polling. Other churches and Hörndlberg are located within the municipality. Mühldorf Am Inn offers an additional urban focus as a destination in its own right.
Churches and architectural history
The Church of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary in Polling is a single-nave late Gothic church dating from the 15th century. “Single-nave” describes the floor plan, with one main nave; “late Gothic” classifies the building in art-historical terms. The terms answer different questions: How is the church interior laid out, and which period is the architectural style assigned to? This distinction is useful when comparing it with other churches in the municipality, as the building’s core, later alterations and furnishings represent different historical layers.
The Catholic branch and pilgrimage church of St Anne in the municipality of Polling was built in 1629 and furnished in the Rococo style around 1757/59. Its construction and later furnishings therefore belong to different periods. St Leonard has a late Gothic core dating from the 15th century and was remodelled in the Baroque style in 1737 and 1759. The Catholic parish church of St John the Baptist is a Baroque hall church, built between 1707 and 1711. Together, these examples show different historical layers: medieval origins, Baroque alterations and Rococo furnishings. If you are interested in church architecture, the dates provide a concrete guide to distinguishing between the buildings.
Cycle route and the Inn landscape
The Rott-Alz Cycle Route runs from MĂĽhldorf through Polling and on to Garching an der Alz, where it connects to the Alz Cycle Route. The route surface is also described: it runs mainly on roads with little traffic and on farm and forest tracks, and is easy to ride. This makes it possible to consider two aspects of the cycling connection separately: the route shows where it continues; the information about roads and tracks describes its character. Both are useful points of reference when planning a bike ride.
In the municipality of Polling, Hörndlberg offers views of the Inn landscape. The Heistinger Wall, also known as Hörndlberg, is up to 45 metres high and is among the highest riverbank escarpments in Central Europe. The last unfortified cut bank on the Inn is also located at Hörndlberg. A covered viewing platform offers a view of the steep slope and the Inn, and invites visitors to observe the local flora and fauna as the seasons change. The distinctive shape of the riverbank and seasonal nature-watching are both highlights here: the landscape and the seasons offer different reasons to spend time there.
Culture in MĂĽhldorf Am Inn
If you include Mühldorf Am Inn as a destination in its own right, the 500-metre-long town square provides a clear urban focus. Colourful façades in the Inn-Salzach architectural style define the square. The Salzburg High Fountain on the town square was a gift from Salzburg Prince-Archbishop Johannes Ernst von Thun in 1692. A short walk through the old town gives visitors an impression of the district town’s history and architectural beauty.
The Haberkasten and Kornkasten were built as grain stores in the 15th century; a courtyard lies between them. The Haberkasten was later converted into a cultural centre. Since 1999, the summer festival has been held annually in the courtyard during the first two weeks of July. If you plan to include the festival in your trip, check the exact event dates.
At the Geschichtszentrum und Museum Mühldorf a. Inn, the permanent exhibition “Everyday Life, Armaments, Extermination” presents the history of the district of Mühldorf during the Nazi era. The exhibition “Lifeline Inn” explores how people have lived with the river and how it is managed today. In Mühldorf, the town’s history and relationship with the Inn are thus presented alongside Polling’s local churches and natural attractions.
Discover more destinations: Erharting, Rattenkirchen, Buchbach, Kraiburg Am Inn, Schwindegg, Waldkraiburg, MĂĽhldorf Am Inn, Oberbergkirchen
Go to the main travel guide: MĂĽhldorf Am Inn.
