The best traffic-free bike rides around Mindelstetten

A boat trip through the Danube Gorge is a must-have experience

The cycle path along the Abens near Sittling (a district of Neustadt an der Donau) is a real treat for pleasure cyclists who like it flat and close to nature. You ride through an idyllic meadow landscape. As the area around Sittling and the nearby Bad Gögging is an important refuge for birds, you can often observe storks and herons.

St. George's Monastery Church The first St. George's Monastery Church in Weltenburg is believed to have been consecrated by St. Rupert around 700. A new church, built by the Augustinian Canons Regular who lived in Weltenburg from 1123 to 1328, was consecrated in 1191. During a renovation of the monastery complex beginning in 1714, the monks' living quarters were built first under Abbot Maurus Bächl, followed by the monastery church from 1716 onwards. Like the monastery itself, the new church was built on the site of the previous structure under the direction of master mason Michael Wolf. The detached tower, integrated into the east wing of the monastery, was retained. Due to its location between the monastery's convent buildings and the Frauenberg hill, the church's exterior is rather unassuming compared to the riches within. From the monastery courtyard, only the tower and the oval dome of the central building are noticeable. The main facade faces the west side of the church, towards the monastery courtyard. It is a stone facade with a triangular pediment, atop which sits a figure of Saint Benedict. The wooden church portal is flanked by two pairs of columns, above which is a round-arched window. The main nave has an oval floor plan and, at 19.5 meters long and 14.5 meters wide, is quite small for an abbey church. However, the open dome construction, which is covered by a flat cap at a height of 20 meters, gives the interior an imposing presence. The elaborate artistic design, with its gilded stucco and colorful ceiling and wall frescoes, is also exceptional. The centerpiece of the chancel is the magnificent high altar in the late Baroque style. Its architecture consists of two pairs of twisted columns, in front of which stand Saint Martin (left) and Saint Maurus (right); the latter bears the likeness of the church's patron, Maurus Bächl. Behind the tabernacle, the famous Weltenburg altarpiece rises approximately seven meters high: in the center, the church's patron saint, St. George, on horseback, depicted slaying the dragon. To effectively illuminate this scene, the originally flat-ended chancel was extended eastward in 1720/21 with the addition of an apse featuring three large windows. The frame of the dome's opening is adorned with ornaments, cloud formations, and groups of angels carrying a ring of stars. Between this ring and the dome's parapet, a figure by the architect and artist Cosmas Damian Asam looks down upon the church interior; beside him, in the ceiling fresco, his brother Egid Quirin is depicted. Source: Excerpts from www.wikipedia.de

Weltenburg Abbey Local tradition states that the abbey was founded around 617 by the Irish-Scottish monks Eustasius and Agilus from Luxeuil, following the Rule of Saint Columbanus. This has since been refuted by scholars. In the 8th century, Weltenburg adopted the Rule of Saint Benedict. After the overthrow of the Agilolfing dynasty by Charlemagne in 788, Weltenburg became an imperial abbey. Throughout the 11th century, the abbey's holdings increased through numerous donations. The new church, built in a rectangular shape, was consecrated in 1191. Weltenburg's history during the 14th and 15th centuries was very turbulent, marked by the rule of constantly changing abbots and both ecclesiastical and secular administrators. At the end of the 15th century, the abbey church and the churches of the incorporated parishes were renovated in the Late Gothic style. The convent appears to have survived the Reformation unscathed. During the Schmalkaldic War, the monks were forced to abandon the monastery to escape plundering imperial and Spanish troops. Despite the hardships and pillaging during the Thirty Years' War, Abbot Matthias Abelin left the monastery in sound condition. In 1686, the community joined the newly founded Bavarian Benedictine Congregation. Through extensive construction, the establishment of new businesses, and a school, Abbot Maurus I. Bächl was able to significantly improve the monastery's situation. Under his leadership, the Frauenberg Church, churches in the incorporated parishes, the monastery buildings, and the famous late Baroque abbey church were built. In the course of secularization in Bavaria, Weltenburg Abbey was also dissolved, but on June 1, 1842, it was re-established as a priory of Metten Abbey and on August 25, 1913, it was once again elevated to the status of an abbey. With the help of a substantial endowment, former properties could be repurchased and the monastery buildings renovated. When the Bavarian Benedictine Congregation was revived by Pope Pius IX on February 5, 1858, the first General Chapter was held in Weltenburg. In 1913, Weltenburg was once again elevated to the status of an abbey. Today, the monks of Weltenburg Abbey dedicate themselves to pastoral care and, in their own meeting center, primarily to adult education. The abbey's brewery serves as a significant source of income. Source: Excerpts from www.wikipedia.de / https://hdbg.eu/kloster/index.php/detail/geschichte?id=KS0431

Beautiful hiking trail with an elevated view of the village.

Hexenagger Castle A Dietricus von Haecsenakker is mentioned as early as 928 in a Regensburg document from the St. Emmeram Monastery; further information is scarce. In 1311, Gottfried Hexenacker became Bishop of Freising. He had studied in Bologna and served as dean of the cathedral there for many years. In 1314, he died of an infectious disease while on a tour of inspection in Vienna. In 1485, the castle passed through marriage to the Counts of Helfenstein, who sold the fortress to Duke William of Bavaria in 1528. He gave Hexenagger to the Muggenthal family as a fief. When the castle was destroyed in the Thirty Years' War, the Muggenthal family rebuilt it as a castle. In 1724, the castle was sold to the Bavarian Elector Charles Albert, as the Hexenagger line of the Muggenthal family had died out. In 1731, Elector Karl Albrecht donated the castle to his mistress, Maria Josepha Countess von Morawitzky. Her husband received the castle in 1738, and when he died in 1754, Anton von Kaiserstein became the new owner. Franz Joseph III von Kaiserstein (1792–1893) sold the castle in 1830 and acquired an estate in Sooß (Lower Austria) in exchange. From 1830 to 1951, Hexenagger Castle belonged to the noble family of Weidenbach. Otto Edler von Weidenbach bequeathed it to his niece Ilse von Kalckreuth, who married Wilhelm Leichtfuß, whose son, Eberhard Leichtfuß, owns it today. Hexenagger is a castle between the Renaissance and Baroque periods, built on the foundations of the old castle. In the lower areas and at the corners, ashlars and bossed ashlars, up to several meters high, are still visible on the castle building. The stump of the keep, made of bossed ashlar, is also said to have been preserved, but is not visible from the outside. The defensive character of the complex is best appreciated from the rear, where parts of the curtain wall and wall towers have been preserved. The tall, narrow chapel also still hints at the castle in its form; particularly interesting is the slender, slightly leaning bell tower, which appears to still sit on the older foundations of the medieval chapel tower. The main building itself, with its stepped gable and beautiful garden, presents a romantic sight. The castle is privately owned and not open to the public; the popular Christmas market was relocated to the Wolfgangshof estate near Zirndorf in Middle Franconia in 2023 due to complaints from local residents. Source: www.Burgenseite.de / www.wikipedia.de

I recommend stopping off for an ice cream or coffee at the Dolce Vita ice cream parlor in Neustadt an der Donau.

Nice bike tour, also with children