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Natural Monuments

Landkreis Neustadt an der Waldnaab

Waldthurn

Fahrenberg Pilgrimage Church

Natural Monuments

Landkreis Neustadt an der Waldnaab

Waldthurn

Fahrenberg Pilgrimage Church

Highlight • Religious Site

Fahrenberg Pilgrimage Church

Recommended by 90 hikers out of 91

This Highlight is in a protected area

Please check local regulations for:

Naturpark Nördlicher Oberpfälzer Wald

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Location: Waldthurn, Landkreis Neustadt an der Waldnaab, Upper Palatinate, Bavaria, Germany

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Best Hikes to Fahrenberg Pilgrimage Church

4.8

(5)

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1. Fahrenberg Pilgrimage Church – Fahrenberg Ski Lift loop from Pleystein

12.6km

03:38

310m

Moderate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Moderate

5.0

(4)

hikers

2. Kirchsteig to Fahrenberg – Unterfahrenberg Viewpoint loop from Pleystein

6.21km

01:52

210m

Easy hike. Great for any fitness level. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Easy

5.0

(5)

hikers

3. Historic Signpost to Priesten – Pilgrimage Church Fahrenberg loop from Waldthurn

5.93km

01:48

210m

Easy hike. Great for any fitness level. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Easy

Tips

Staufer

October 6, 2025

Pilgrimage Church of the Visitation of Mary

As early as the 12th century, a castle stood on the Fahrenberg, which passed to the Knights Templar around 1200. According to oral tradition, a member of this order brought a statue of the Virgin Mary from the Holy Land in 1204. A chapel was built at the castle and the image of Mary was placed there for veneration. This marked the beginning of the pilgrimage.
The existing pilgrimage church of the Visitation of Mary was built between 1775 and 1778/79 after the previous building of 1706 was destroyed by a lightning strike. The tower at the northwest corner of the choir, with its 19th-century pointed spire, towers 12 meters above the 44-meter-long, 17-meter-wide, and 23-meter-high church. Upon entering the church through the ornately carved doors, one is immediately struck by the spaciousness of the light-filled interior. A late Rococo building – completed in 1779 – the church presents itself with simple, solidity.
The high altar, created in 1796, is a masterpiece by the sculptor Wolf Kurzwort and the cabinetmaker Wenzl Wickl, both from Waldthurn. Above the tabernacle sits the miraculous image of "Our Lady" from Fahrenberg, with the Infant Jesus on her right arm. The Child and Mother wear crowns and are wrapped in medieval textiles. This 1.03-meter-tall late Gothic group of figures, created around 1480/90, is no longer the original image. The gunshot wound to the neck of the Virgin, still clearly visible today, was probably inflicted by a Calvinist in 1562. The image is framed by Mary's parents, Joachim and Anne.
The two side altars are similar in structure to the high altar and date from the same period. The left side altarpiece depicts the encounter between Mary and Elizabeth; according to the inscription, it was painted in 1842.
The massive pulpit is also a work by the masters of the high altar. It features a beautiful Rococo motif and is crowned by the figure of St. Michael the Archangel.
The pews and confessionals, some of which were recarved, are late Rococo in style. The magnificent coat of arms of the Lobkowitz family is attached to the choir arch. On the walls of the nave and the sanctuary, six larger-than-life figures stand on pedestals. They are massive and almost somewhat bulky: Abraham and his son Isaac, Moses, David, the priest-king Melchizedek, Joseph, and John the Baptist.

Source: Excerpts from Pfarrei-waldthurn.de

Translated by Google •

Staufer

October 6, 2025

Trinity Chapel

The chapel is a simple, rectangular room with no transition from the nave to the choir and a small porch. The altar has a beautiful structure, with two twisted columns entwined with vines and ornaments, a work from the time the chapel was built. On the sides are wooden figures of St. James and another unknown pilgrim. In the upper part of the chapel, a wooden figure of the "Salvator Mundi" (Savior of the World) can be seen. The chapel was formerly equipped with a Baroque turret with a bell. The bell is now mounted in the tower of the Lennesrieth mortuary.
The chapel was built in 1715. The chapel's founders were Andreas Pomer, Chamberlain Weinzierl, and the pilgrimage to the Fahrenberg.
Andreas Pomer was a burgher's son from Waldthurn, who, like many of his contemporaries, was drawn to foreign lands. In Vienna, he amassed a small fortune as a bodyguard to the Empress. He never forgot his homeland, especially Fahrenberg, and in addition to the chapel, he also founded a Holy Mass to be celebrated there on Trinity Sunday.

Source: Excerpts from the Fahrenberg Church Guide

Translated by Google •

Staufer

October 6, 2025

Madonna of Peace

On the east gable of the pilgrimage church stands a copper-chased and gilded statue. Its gaze is directed toward the border that divided Europe into two worlds until 1990. In the spring of 2003, it threatened to collapse because its support had become damaged over the decades – it was consecrated by Archbishop Buchberger on October 13, 1956. It was removed, restored, and returned to its original position at the beginning of the pilgrimage year. A memorial plaque commemorates the Madonna's donors.

Source: Fahrenberg Church Guide

Translated by Google •

Details

Informations

Elevation 780 m

Weather

Monday 12 January

3°C

0°C

53 %

Additional weather tips

Max wind speed: 8.0 km/h

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Location: Waldthurn, Landkreis Neustadt an der Waldnaab, Upper Palatinate, Bavaria, Germany

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Fahrenberg Pilgrimage Church

1. Fahrenberg Pilgrimage Church – Fahrenberg Ski Lift loop from Pleystein

2. Kirchsteig to Fahrenberg – Unterfahrenberg Viewpoint loop from Pleystein

3. Historic Signpost to Priesten – Pilgrimage Church Fahrenberg loop from Waldthurn

Other Popular Places to Check Out

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