Ten kilometers from Dachau is the 18 district town of Erdweg, the hometown of a notorious Bavarian folk hero.
That’s not all you’ll find in this Upper Bavarian town; heck no, you’ve got medieval churches, fabulous festivals, and even some castles.
Now, I’ll be honest, I didn’t have the time to explore all eighteen villages. And even though this is the abridged version, I think you’ll really like it here.
Since I mentioned a Bavarian folk hero, I’ll start in the village of Unterweikertshofen — birthplace of Mathias Kneißl. He was born here in 1875, and was known the authorities as a poacher and murderer. His fight for the “common” man kind made him legendary, but he was sent to the guillotine in 1902, at the tender age of 27.
Long before Mr. Kneißl was born in Unterweikertshofen, the village had its very own castle — a medieval one, no less, from the 12th century.
There isn’t a castle in the village of Petersberg, but it was once on an old Roman Road. The Romans are gone, and in their place is the former monastic church, known as the Basilica of Saints Peter & Paul.
But of all of Erweg’s churches, I’d have to say the St. Martin Church in Kleinberghofen is my favorite. It might have started out as a medieval church from the 12th century, but its striking Baroque frescoes are what really stand out.
Too bad the Schloss Eisenhofen is privately owned, I’m sure sightseeing around an old castle would have stood out, too.
At least they’ll let you in the St. Alban Church. Thanks to the Thirty Years’ War, St. Alban’s had to be rebuilt — so you might never guess that it was a medieval original.
All sorts of good things about Erdweg can be found out at the Hutter-Museum, the Local History Museum in the hamlet of Großberghofen.
Just as I’m sure you’ll love all the wonderful festivals, like the Maibaumfest (May), Weinfest (October), Kirchweih (a 2-day event in October), and the Christkindlmarkt in December.
Ugh, how could I ever forget to tell you about the Starkbierfest every March?
Maybe one day I’ll get to see the rest of Erdweg, and maybe become a Bavarian folk hero myself — albeit a law-abiding one, of course. ;-)
