Kelheim: Experience history and the Danube

In Kelheim, the city’s history meets the landscape of the Danube Gorge. You can get to know the Old Town on a guided tour, combine a route along the river with a visit to the Befreiungshalle, or experience the Danube Gorge by boat. Kelheim therefore offers a range of options for your stay—from historic sites to paths and boat trips along the Danube.

The Befreiungshalle and Kelheim’s history

The Befreiungshalle in Kelheim is a memorial commissioned by King Ludwig I. It commemorates the victorious battles against Napoleon during the Wars of Liberation from 1813 to 1815. Its construction also had several stages: Friedrich Gärtner began the work; after the plans were revised, Leo von Klenze completed the hall in 1863. Anyone interested in history will find a tangible way here to learn about the Wars of Liberation and a building whose creation spanned several different plans.

Another perspective on Kelheim is offered by the classic “Old Ducal Town of Kelheim” tour. It takes you through the Old Town and its history, past medieval town gates, ornate Renaissance façades, chapels and church ruins. The tour also covers Kelheim’s wine and beer traditions. It thus connects visible traces of the town’s history with subjects that are part of local heritage. If you would prefer to explore several historical aspects together during your visit, this tour offers an alternative to the Befreiungshalle.

The Danube and the Danube Gorge

The Danube Gorge between Kelheim and Weltenburg Abbey is the deepest and narrowest section of the Bavarian Danube. Boat trips through the gorge to Weltenburg Abbey depart from the landing stage in Kelheim. The river trip offers a different way to experience this section than a walk through the Old Town. Nearby, you can visit an exhibition at Weltenburg Abbey. It covers Weltenburg’s history of more than a thousand years, the Benedictine abbey, the monastery brewery and the natural area of the “Weltenburger Enge.”

Kelheim is also reached by boat through the Danube Gorge on the Riedenburg–Kelheim section of the Altmühltal Panorama Trail. If you are interested in this section, you can consider the boat trip as part of its described itinerary. When choosing your holiday apartment, it helps to first decide what you would like to focus on: the Old Town and its history, a trip on the Danube, or a journey that also includes a longer route through the Altmühltal.

Walking and cycling routes

An alternative route for the Riedenburg–Kelheim section runs along the left bank downstream to the Befreiungshalle on Kelheim’s Michelsberg. From there, a winding footpath leads down to Kelheim’s Old Town. In this order, the route connects the river, the memorial and the town. If you choose this path, you can take these stops into account when planning your route, without confusing it with the boat trip on a different section.

Kelheim is also the endpoint of the Altmühltal Cycle Route: the 166-kilometre route runs from Gunzenhausen to Kelheim through Altmühltal Nature Park. It mostly follows a dedicated route away from motorised traffic. The surfaces are described as asphalt and good-quality water-bound surfaces; signposts and distance markers provide the wayfinding. For return journeys to the starting point or intermediate trips on the Altmühltal Cycle Route, cyclists can use Deutsche Bahn and leisure buses equipped with convenient bike trailers. These details can help you include a cycling holiday and its stages in your stay plans.

A free Actionbound rally about the UNESCO World Heritage Danube Limes is another way to discover Kelheim. It starts or ends at the Archaeological Museum of the City of Kelheim and follows the northern and southern banks of the Danube. Depending on your travel interests, you can choose between a guided Old Town tour, a digital rally, a cycling route and an excursion on the water.

Discover more places

For more ideas of places to visit, you can also explore Riedenburg, Bad Abbach, Abensberg, Volkenschwand, Saal An Der Donau, Langquaid, Ihrlerstein and Rohr In Niederbayern.

For the overall travel overview: Kelheim.