Füssen: City History and Nature at Lake Hopfensee

Old Town and the High Castle

Füssen’s old town includes medieval lanes, an old town wall, Baroque churches and monasteries, and the High Castle. Its courtyard façades feature late-medieval illusionistic paintings. The castle is one of the most significant secular buildings of the German Late Gothic period. The term “secular building” refers to a building not used for religious purposes, distinguishing the castle from the city’s churches and monasteries. Füssen is therefore home to several forms of historic architecture: sacred architecture, medieval urban structures and a Late Gothic castle.

St. Mang: Church, Monastery and Museum

The former Benedictine monastery of St. Mang is a Baroque complex and one of Germany’s nationally significant cultural monuments. The former monastery houses the Museum of the City of Füssen, which displays historic lutes and violins. The museum illustrates the stages involved in making a lute or violin: alongside the finished instruments, their manufacture is also a focus.

Children can try out a decorated lute at the museum and listen to the sounds of other historic instruments. This offers a hands-on introduction to the history of musical instruments, beyond simply viewing the collection. If you are planning a museum visit, check the latest visitor information and programme.

Numerous ceiling frescoes in the parish church of St. Mang depict scenes from the life of Saint Magnus. Regular guided tours also take visitors to the carved choir stalls, the Jäger organ dating from 1703, the crypt and the burial vault. A guided tour is a way to discover the church’s frescoes and furnishings. As availability and schedules may change, it is advisable to check the latest tour times before your visit.

Lake Hopfensee, Landscape and Outdoor Activities

A designated nature conservation area stretches around Lake Hopfensee in Hopfen am See. It is home to rare plants and nesting sites for waterbirds, including great crested grebes, coots, mallards and grey herons. The landscape is therefore also characterised as a habitat; the conservation area and its natural features offer a different focus from the historic buildings of Füssen’s old town.

The flat Hopfensee circular trail is about seven kilometres long and is ideal for a leisurely walk of 1.5 to 2 hours. The distance and estimated time offer a practical guide for planning your day without prescribing a particular pace. Local boat-hire providers along the lakeside promenade rent out rowboats and pedal boats, stand-up paddleboards and kayaks. If you plan to hire a boat, check current availability and conditions.

Above Lake Hopfensee, the remains of the castle ruins are considered the oldest surviving stone castle in the Allgäu. Hopfen thus offers a range of possible interests, from the landscape and activities on the lake to a historic building: the circular trail is described as a flat route, while the castle ruins above the lake add a distinct historical and cultural dimension.

Choosing a Focus for Your Stay

When looking for a holiday apartment in Füssen, it helps to decide first what you want to focus on. If you are especially interested in frescoes, church tours and historic instruments, the city’s history and museum offer relevant experiences. If you would rather spend time by the lake, the circular trail and boat hire in Hopfen am See can help guide your plans. For families, children can try out a decorated lute and listen to other instruments at the museum; the latest visitor information has details about the programme.

Discover More Destinations

Discover more destinations: Weißensee, Oberried, Hopfen Am See, Nesselwang, Eisenberg, Westendorf, Pfronten, Seeg.

Back to the main travel overview: Ostallgäu.