In the Heart of the Wittelsbach Region—To Sisi’s Castle and the Origins of the Wittelsbach Dynasty

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Although the hiking trail near Obergriesbach, close to Aichach—officially titled “In the Heart of the Wittelsbach Region”—seemed rather boring to the author, there is plenty to discover on this tour.  We begin our hike to the origins of the Wittelsbach dynasty at the Kühbach 1 sports complex, where there is ample parking for cars. We walk along a bike and walking path under the town’s western bypass. After the tunnel, we turn left and follow a strip of woods northward, staying close to the road. We cross a paved road straight ahead and continue along the edge of the woods. After the power lines, we keep to the left and carefully cross the busy road.  

We hike toward the forest on a wide gravel path; there, we keep to the left, cross an inconspicuous stream, and immediately turn right again into the forest.

Following a straight path westward, we reach Buchkapelle 2, about 600 m from the edge of the forest. It was likely built in the second half of the 19th century and belonged to the isolated farmsteads of Oberbuch and Unterbuch. North of Buchkapelle 2, two memorial stones commemorate the former farmsteads. 

At the X-shaped intersection by the chapel, we take the most inconspicuous path and continue westward. Large trees serve as a reminder that this area was once predominantly grassland: the trees likely lined the path to the farmsteads or provided shade. Our path briefly becomes a beaten trail, which we follow westward for just under 200 m. At the edge of the forest, we then turn left onto a grassy path that quickly becomes easier to walk on and leads to a road after about 500 m. We follow the road to the left, past a wayside cross between two birch trees, and use the “Paartal-Wanderweg” sign as our guide. We leave the main road branching off to Unterwittelsbach on our left—we continue straight ahead on the “Paartal-Wanderweg.” 

We ignore the first path branching off to the left after the information sign (near a strip of hedges) and don’t turn left until about 300 m later at the Feldweg 3 waypoint. We

follow the dirt road—lined with many large willow trees and a narrow ditch—toward Federal Highway B300, pass through an underpass, and arrive at the tennis courts on the outskirts of Unterwittelsbach. Go straight ahead and take a right-left curve—and we’re already on the main road. We turn right and then immediately left—the path to Sisi Castle 4 is now signposted.

From the castle, we take the left of two narrow gravel paths and follow the signs for “Lauschtour.” We walk around the large castle pond and come to the third Lauschtour station at an interesting stone structure for crossing the stream. From listening point No. 4, we walk slightly uphill and to the left along the edge of the palace park. At the end of the park, we stroll to the left, then immediately to the right again, past the field cross and into the forest. The fifth stop on the “Lauschtour” is located at a cross in the forest 5. 

We continue walking uphill along a wide forest path. At the

of two fenced-in ponds, we take the path to the left and climb 84 steps up to the Church of Our Lady of Victory. The former castle church of Beatae Mariae Virginis stands on the grounds of the ancestral castle of the Bavarian House of Wittelsbach. The Gothic brick building was altered and refurbished in the 17th and 19th centuries. From the church, it’s just a few steps to the Wittelsbach National Monument 6.  

From the monument, we head to the center of Oberwittelsbach and walk north along the main street, past the parking lot and community center. Behind the community center, we follow the road signs to Kühbach. Before entering the forest, we look back one last time at the castle hill. In the forest, we walk downhill on the wide gravel road until it makes a sharp right turn. At this curve, we walk straight downhill between the parcels “Holler” and “Heckenstatt” (field markers on trees). This brings us to a spring pond 7.