The best city hikes and walks around Eichstätt

The Church of the Guardian Angels impresses with its Baroque design, a masterpiece of this era.

Altmühltal Cycle Path

Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary, Eichstätt The first Eichstätt cathedral was built in the 8th century. It was probably erected by Gerhoh, the successor of the first Eichstätt bishop, Willibald. The present cathedral dates back to the 11th century. The Eichstätt cathedral was not built according to a uniform plan. Generations of master builders, craftsmen, and artists worked on it. Thus, the cathedral displays various architectural styles: Early Romanesque in the Sacrament Chapel, High Romanesque on the towers, Early Gothic in the Willibald choir, Late Gothic in the nave and transept, and Late Baroque on the west façade. The location and orientation of the church have remained the same since its first construction. 8th century. Willibald and Boniface arrive in "Eihstat" in 740. They find a ruined site with an intact Church of St. Mary. Willibald is ordained bishop in Sulzenbrücken near Erfurt in 741. He established a missionary monastery in Eichstätt. Soon after, the first stone bishop's church was built. It was 12 meters wide. 11th century: Under Bishops Gebhard I (1042-1057) and Gundekar II (1057-1075), the early Romanesque cathedral was built with a crypt (lower church) in the east choir. This building was almost as long as the present cathedral. 14th century: Bishop Berthold Burggraf of Nuremberg (1351-1365) began the construction of the late Gothic cathedral. It was largely completed around 1396 and has largely survived to this day. 15th century: The two-aisled mortuary was built on the southeast side of the cathedral from 1480 onwards as a burial place for the cathedral chapter. 16th century: Loy Hering created the seated statue of Saint Willibald from Jurassic limestone in 1514. 18th century: Cathedral master builder Gabriel de Gabrieli constructed the magnificent west façade in the Baroque style between 1714 and 1718. 20th century: From 1971 to 1975, the cathedral was thoroughly renovated and redesigned. Extensive excavations provided important new insights into the cathedral's history. In 1989, the bishops' burial place in the last northern side chapel was redesigned in a modern style. Text / Source: Eichstätt Episcopal Seminary, Collegium Willibaldinum, Leonrodplatz 3, Eichstätt https://www.eichstaetter-dom.de/geschichte/#:~:text=The%20first%20Eichst%C3%A4tter%20Bishops'%20Church%20was%20built%20in%20the%208th%20century.,today's%20cathedral%20dates%20back%20to%20the%2011th%20century.

Evangelical Church of the Redeemer, Eichstätt For almost 40 years, the former cathedral canon's house served as a "church." In January 1882, the famous architect August Thiersch, a professor at the Munich Polytechnic School, now the Technical University, was commissioned to design a proper church and rectory. The first design depicted a three-aisled Romanesque basilica—the Welden cathedral canon's house was to fall victim to the pickaxe! This entire construction project, however, failed due to the costs. In a simplified design from July 1884, the construction of a new rectory was avoided, and the decision was made to use the Welden cathedral canon's house as the rectory. The groundbreaking ceremony took place on May 11, 1886, and on June 30, 1886, after various difficulties, including the unfavorable ground, the foundation stone for the present church was laid. The church was subsequently built as a three-aisled basilica, with early Christian and Italian-Romanesque features, and was solemnly consecrated on November 23, 1887. The dominant ornamentation of the altar apse was the three stained-glass windows by the Bouché company of Munich. They depict Christ in the center, with Peter to his left and Paul to his right. In the lower part of the image of Paul is a glass panel bearing the inscription: "C. de Bouché, hzgl. Bayer. hof. Glasmalanst., Munich 1887." Carl de Bouché was born in Munich on July 16, 1845, and died there on March 2, 1920. The designs for these windows were by the history painter Ludwig Thiersch. The altar table was made of Eichstätt Jura marble, and the Munich sculptor Thomas Dennerlein created the crucifix from Carrara marble based on a drawing by Thiersch. This crucifix now stands in the meditation corner. Thomas Dennerlein also created the eagle, the symbol of John the Evangelist, beneath the pulpit. The sanctuary itself was decorated with murals. The Steinmeyer company in Oettingen built the organ, which still stands today. Text / Source: Evangelical Lutheran Parish Office of Eichstätt, Leonrodplatz 2, Eichstätt https://eichstaett-evangelisch.de/erloeserkirche/

Church of the Guardian Angel, Eichstätt The Church of the Guardian Angel in Eichstätt was built from 1617 to 1620 by order of Bishop Johann Christoph von Westerstetten as a Jesuit collegiate church. Filled with the spirit of Catholic reform, this Bishop of Westerstetten, who summoned the Jesuits to Eichstätt in 1614, succeeded in reconverting half of the territories of his diocese lost in the religious wars of the previous century to the Catholic faith. The Church of the Guardian Angel in Eichstätt is one of the earliest Jesuit churches in Germany. It is closely linked to the missionary efforts of the then-young Jesuit order. The Church of the Guardian Angels was designed and built as a monumental pilaster structure following the construction of the Jesuit Church of St. Michael in Munich (1583–1597) and the architecturally groundbreaking Jesuit study church in Dillingen (1610–1617). Text / Source: Eichstätt Episcopal Seminary, Collegium Willibaldinum, Leonrodplatz 3, Eichstätt https://www.schutzengelkirche-eichstaett.de/geschichte/#:~:text=Die%20Schutzengelkirche%20zu%20Eichst%C3%A4tt%20wur-de%20von%201617%20bis,Christoph%20von%20Westerstetten%20als%20Kollegienkirche%20der%20Jesuiten%20erbaut.

Leonrodplatz, Eichstätt / Early 17th Century Leonrodplatz was created at the beginning of the 17th century. At that time, the Prince-Bishop of Eichstätt, Johann Christoph von Westerstetten, summoned the Catholic Jesuit order to Eichstätt to advance the Counter-Reformation. However, there was no longer any space available for the Jesuits to settle within the city walls. Therefore, it was decided to build the Jesuit church and college east of the cathedral precinct. For this purpose, the city wall was breached and several houses were demolished. This also created space for the spacious church forecourt. Text / Source: City of Eichstätt, Town Hall, Marktplatz 11, Eichstätt https://www.eichstaett.de/sehenswertes/leonrodplatz-2306/

The Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Redeemer was built in 1886/87 by August Thiersch.

The Church of the Holy Guardian Angels was built as a Jesuit church in 1617/20, destroyed in the Swedish War and its façade, gable and interior renovated in 1661/1739.