Kirchseeon: Traces of Nature and Living Traditions

Traces of the Landscape in the Kirchseeoner Moos

The Kirchseeoner Moos is connected to the area’s landscape history through the preserved remains of a former moraine lake. This is not a present-day lake, but traces of a former body of water in the area of what is now the moor. For anyone who also finds the formation and transformation of a landscape interesting when travelling, this perspective offers a different focus from the local customs and historical collections. The Markt Kirchseeon hiking and leisure map is available at the town hall and can help you find your way around the market town’s leisure activities.

Perchten Traditions and Kirchseeon Customs

The Kirchseeon Perchten procession is an established part of the run-up to Christmas and attracts numerous visitors every year. In March 2024, it was added to the German register under the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. Anyone wishing to learn more about the custom, the Kirchseeon Perchten masks, stories and the mysticism of the Rauhnächte can explore these subjects at the “MASKEUM” Perchten Museum. The museum also covers the history of the revived custom, which has been practised again since 1954.

Another recurring custom is the raising of the maypole on 1 May. Local associations organise preparations that span several months: the tree is felled, transported, stripped of its bark and painted; a maypole watch is then set up. The location changes from year to year between Kirchseeon, Buch, Eglharting, Kirchseeon-Dorf and Ilching. When planning your trip, it is therefore important to note that the custom belongs to the Markt Kirchseeon, but the specific location where the maypole is raised changes.

Walpurgis Night and the Bürgerfest also mark regular dates in the local annual calendar. On Walpurgis Night, the Kirchseeon witches dance every year on 30 April in Kirchseeon’s market square. The Bürgerfest takes place there every year on the first Saturday in July. If you would like to plan your stay around one of these events, you can use these dates as a guide when planning your trip. Together with the Perchten procession, they showcase different aspects of local festivals and customs; the dates differ both in the time of year and in the occasion.

Local History and Public Art

The Kirchseeon Local History Museum’s exhibition takes visitors through the lives of people in the area of what is now the Markt Kirchseeon. The historical span ranges from Bronze Age finds to the Celts and Romans. Another historical trace is the bathhouse: it dates from the 17th century, originally came from Ramerberg, and has been in Kirchseeon since summer 1956. Both subjects offer different ways to explore the past—from finds and former inhabitants to a historic building with its own story of origin.

A look at more recent art adds to this local history. The graffiti mural “4 Kirchseeoner Motive” by Raphael Gerlach, known as “Satone”, is located in the railway underpass on Karl-Birkmaier-Straße. The work dates from 1998. There is also a bronze Perchten fountain from 1993 in the market square. In Kirchseeon, you will encounter different forms of expression: museum exhibits and historic buildings, an artwork in an underpass, and a fountain that takes up the Perchten theme.

Which Themes Suit Your Stay?

The experiences that matter to your travel group can help guide your choice of a holiday apartment in Kirchseeon. If you are travelling with children, the changing customs, masks and historical finds can offer different starting points for exploring together.

More places to explore: Baiern, Oberpframmern, Aßling, Ebersberg, Hohenlinden, Pliening, Poing and Markt Schwaben.

To the overarching travel overview: Ebersberg.