Kallmünz can be planned from two very different perspectives: on foot, between the market and the castle hill, or on the water, along the canoe stages on the Vils and Naab rivers. The sculpture trail combines contemporary art in public spaces with a route through the market districts and up to the castle hill; the surviving castle ruins tell the story of settlement dating back well before the Middle Ages.

Art in Public Spaces and a Themed Trail

The Kallmünz Sculpture Trail brings together a diverse collection of contemporary sculptures created over the past few decades as permanent installations in public spaces. The recommended circular route starts at the old Netto parking lot at Dinauer Straße 6, passes through the Inner Market, climbs about 150 metres in elevation to the castle hill, and continues into the Outer Market. The climb is therefore just as much a part of route planning as the art. Some works, particularly on the castle hill, are only partially accessible to people with limited mobility.

Another themed option is the Kallmünz section of the Hemau–Beratzhausen–Kallmünz Fruit Experience Trail. This walking trail, about 2.5 kilometres long, focuses on “fruit trees as timber” and what artists, designers and weather forecasters look for in fruit trees. Its focus is clearly different from that of the sculpture trail: here, the theme is fruit trees, while the sculpture trail features a collection of contemporary art in public spaces.

Castle Ruins with a Long History

Settlement on the castle hill in Kallmünz dates back to prehistoric times; the first fortification was built in the 10th century. The surviving castle ruins include a round keep with two stepped sections and an entrance high above ground level, a chapel attached to the north side of the palas, and a palas that survives to a height of two storeys, overlooking the market. These structures give the ruins their distinctive architectural form: the complex includes not only the stepped keep, but also the chapel and palas.

Several paths lead from Kallmünz to the castle ruins. The Burgensteige trails also connect them to more than 40 castles in the Regensburg region. These are two different scales of route planning: the approaches from Kallmünz to the ruins, and the wider Burgensteige network.

Canoe Stages on the Naab and Vils

Kallmünz also plays different roles on the water. The fifth canoe stage on the Naab runs from Kallmünz to Mariaort. On the Vils, the route from Hahnbach to Kallmünz is about 55 kilometres long and can be divided into approximately six stages; the final stage runs from Dietldorf to Kallmünz. There, the Vils flows into the Naab. This distinction is useful when planning stages: on the Vils route described here, Kallmünz is the destination, while it is the starting point for the fifth Naab stage.

For the Naab canoe stage, the Steinwehr Kallmünz weir and the Naab bridge south of Kallmünz, accessed via Gessendorfer Straße, are designated launch and landing points. At kilometre 22.1, boats can be hauled around the weir at the Steinwehr. Parking is available where the Vils flows into the Naab. Check the route information before setting out and include the portage point in your stage planning.

Discover more destinations: Pentling, Wörth An Der Donau, Regenstauf, Pfatter, Wiesent, Zeitlarn, Sinzing, Tegernheim.

For the overview of the wider area: Regensburg.