Winterbach: Churches, Chapels and Village History

Winterbach’s local history is reflected in buildings from different periods and architectural styles: from late Gothic features in Waldkirch to the neo-Gothic brick parish church in Winterbach itself and the historic centre of Rechbergreuthen. The municipality includes the two districts of Waldkirch and Rechbergreuthen. Churches, chapels and village history give your search for a holiday apartment in Winterbach a specific theme.

Churches and Chapels from Different Periods

The listed Catholic parish church of St. Gordian and Epimachus in Winterbach is a neo-Gothic brick building. It was built by Ferdinand Schildhauer in 1895–1896 and has a recessed three-sided choir and buttresses. On the north side, the tower, with blind arcading and a pointed spire, stands between triangular gables; the church also has furnishings.

The listed parish and pilgrimage church of Our Lady of Sorrows in Waldkirch presents a different architectural style. The hall church has rounded corners, a recessed three-sided end and a southern tower with a tall octagonal upper storey and onion dome. The choir and lower parts of the tower are late Gothic; the rest of the building is a unified new construction from 1745, attributed to Joseph Dossenberger the Younger. This church also has furnishings.

In Rechbergreuthen stands the listed parish church of St. Nicholas, dating from 1681–1682. Its hall church has a three-sided choir and a southern tower with an octagonal upper storey, pilaster-strip ornamentation and an onion dome. Other protected buildings in the municipality include the Frauenbrunn fountain chapel and the wayside chapel near the Eisingerhof. Frauenbrunn is a hall church with a three-sided end and an open, lean-to porch. The chapel was built in 1838 on older foundations and is located north-northwest of the town. The small wayside chapel near the Eisingerhof is a 19th-century rectangular building with a slightly recessed semicircular apse, a roof turret and furnishings.

Early Local History and the Centre of Rechbergreuthen

Around 900, monks from the original monastery of Kempten began clearing land in the upper Glött valley, in the area where Winterbach and its surrounding fields are now situated. After 912, Benedictine monks built a small wooden church in Winterbach and dedicated it to the saints of their monastery, Gordianus and Epimachus. The parish church of St. Gordian and Epimachus carries on this dedication—a link between early church tradition and today’s parish church.

The historic centre of Rechbergreuthen also tells the story of its own settlement. It is a listed clearing village in the Central Swabian style, dating from the 14th century and laid out according to plan as a village centred around a green. In this type of village, the settlement is organised around a central green; this makes the village layout itself a point of interest alongside its individual churches and chapels.

When looking for a holiday apartment in Winterbach, you can consider whether you would like to focus mainly on local architecture and village history or also explore other experiences in the Günzburg destination.

More Experiences in the Günzburg Destination

In Günzburg, Maria Vesperbild offers another cultural attraction. The pilgrimage site is considered the largest in Bavarian Swabia; 400,000 to 500,000 pilgrims visit the image of grace of Our Lady of Sorrows each year. A Way of the Cross leads from the pilgrimage church to the Fatima Grotto in the nearby forest. The grotto was built in 1957 and restored in 2011. More than 1,000 votive tablets bearing words of thanks and testimonies to the help received from the Mother of God are displayed there.

Günzburg also offers activities and family-oriented attractions for other interests. Turncable Wakepark in Thannhausen offers wakeboarding and water skiing; its courses are for beginners and advanced participants, as well as individuals and groups. Check operating days and course availability before making plans. LEGOLAND® Deutschland in Günzburg has 11 themed worlds and 68 attractions. The theme park and its adjoining holiday village offer experiences for children aged 2 to 12.

You can choose accommodation to suit your interests: Winterbach’s churches, chapels and village history provide a clear connection to the local area, while the destinations mentioned in Günzburg add cultural, active and family-oriented options to your travel plans.

For the broader travel overview: Haldenwang.