Pilgrimage route

We start at the shady car park at the Holy Blood pilgrimage church in Erding. The pilgrimage to Holy Blood has been documented since 1360. It originates from a legend of a host desecration, where a farmer lost a host that then floated upwards, sank to the ground, and then became invisible. The present baroque church is one of the oldest pilgrimage churches in the district.

In front of the girls' secondary school we turn right and drive straight through the southern outskirts of the city park. We cross the S-Bahn line, then veer slightly left into Parkstraße, which we follow left up to the junction with the street “An der Lukasmühle.” We circle the mill but get off briefly to cross the dam footbridge over the dammed Sempt. At the small playground ahead we turn sharply left, following the bike/pedestrian path towards the city center, crossing Pater-Alois-Weg, staying slightly left on the later unpaved path, which leads us back to the railway line in the end. We continue to Haager Straße, cross it carefully, continue on the opposite side slightly left, parallel to the railway line, towards the park-and-ride car park. We leave the adult education center (VHS) on our right and the station on our left, then turn right at the end of the street into Dorfener Straße, which we follow half-right up to the second traffic light intersection. We cross it as pedestrians and enter a small field lane on the opposite side that ascends slightly eastwards.

After a few meters we cross Gerberstraße and now must carefully cross the heavily trafficked Taufkirchener Straße because our path ends on the left side. Now we pass the farmhouse museum heading out of town and follow a bike/pedestrian path parallel to the road for many kilometers until it ends. We have reached the road to Salmannskirchen, turn right into it and roll down into the valley. Before the following climb, the path to Thal branches left and we turn in there. Through a farm and over a small bridge it goes uphill eastwards. At the end of this paved road we turn right and already see the first houses of Bockhorn.

In the middle of the village we now stand before the massive Rococo structure of the parish church of the Visitation of Mary, which is unfortunately only freely accessible on weekends. During the week the key can be obtained on request at the parsonage directly next to the church.

The church, with its 54 m high tower, is one of the largest churches in the Erding district. The interior impresses mainly with its altars and a late Gothic Madonna from the late 15th century.

We turn northwards towards Rathausplatz. Here we turn right to Hecken. Shortly before the village we have to turn right towards Grünbach. Once there, we continue slightly left at the maypole along Graf-Seinsheim-Straße until the busy B 388.

We follow it about 150 meters to the right until the forest path junction on the left side. After a rather steep climb (the first of three), we soon pass through a small wood, turn right at the intersection on the ridge, and continue to Kreuthäusl. After turning left, we enjoy the long descent down to Großhündlbach, where we turn right and, after the village exit, turn left towards Kleinhündlbach. After a few meters we immediately turn left again to Grün and then continue along the road uphill until it goes down fast again. During the descent, we already see the last steep climb on the opposite slope. At the bottom, we turn right to Großstürzlham and in the village center turn left. It goes uphill; the slope is steep, many will dismount here, which is no disgrace. At the top, at 507 m above sea level, a very nice panoramic view over the Strogental valley rewards us.

Here the “Marienweg” crosses our route, an approximately 8 km long pilgrimage footpath that shows the hiker the charming area around the village and invites to pause and devotion again and again.

A few meters further down we see the village of Maria Thalheim below us. On clear days, the Freising cathedral is visible from here. Here, left at the resting bench, we carefully roll down into the valley past the new cemetery. In the village, we turn left into Eschenbachstraße until it merges into Klausenstraße. Ahead of us we now see the famous pilgrimage church of the Assumption of Mary. The pilgrimage to Maria Thalheim has existed since the early 15th century, making the place one of the oldest pilgrimage sites in Bavaria. According to legend, a pilgrimage initially arose to a Marian image under an elder bush in the village center. Here also stands the present church from the late 15th century, whose magnificent interior decoration is a creation of the Rococo era. Today the pilgrimage church is the destination of pilgrims from all over Bavaria, who visit the place by the hundreds, especially around Pentecost.

Back to Erding, we now follow the cycling signposts “Erding” (about 17 km ahead). We speed westward down to Kleinthalheim, turn left there, and immediately right to Bachham, coming soon after to Fraunberg. In the village, turn left to Singlding, then right at Helling to Grafing. The path continues to Grucking, across the district road to Dorfstraße, then right to Kirchstraße and before the inn left towards Tittenkofen. Far before the village, turn left again along the southern outskirts, then left again onto the state road and shortly after right again, past gravel ponds and through the roundabout straight into Eichenkofen. Here, at the first intersection, turn left into Geislinger Straße to Altham and continue from there to Langengeisling. Here turn right into Lindenstraße, then immediately right again into Fehlbachstraße, which we follow to the namesake stream at the bridge.

From here, turn left onto the street “In den Hacken” and ride along the Fehlbach all the way to Erding. At first, though, we see Kronthaler Weiher on the right, the near-town recreation area with many attractions like beach volleyball and minigolf. Now we are in Franz-Xaver-Stahl-Straße, which leads us further into the city. It is better to pass under the busy Anton-Bruckner-Straße and then turn left at the intersection into Freisinger Straße, turn left again over the bridge and then roll, turning right, into Lange Zeile, Erding's shopping mile.

Behind the savings bank building, the towerless church building of St. John peeks out. The church, built in late Gothic style at the beginning of the 15th century, was rebuilt several times in its history. It was remodeled in Baroque style after the Thirty Years' War and at the end of the 19th century in the style of Neo-Gothic. In 1890, St. John became the parish church of the city. It is the largest church in Erding.

Behind the church, we now continue down Kirchgasse to Münchner Straße, where we turn right and follow it for a long time.

We circle the large roundabout at Hotel Henry and take the second exit. We continue on Münchner Straße heading south. Soon we see on the left the turn to the Holy Blood Church and are again after a few meters back at the starting point of our route.

Author: Horst Weise