In Bavaria, you will find many churches, some of which have become pilgrimage sites, such as the UNESCO church in Steingaden or the Mariabrunn chapel near Dachau. Mariabrunn is very close to Munich, at 34 kilometers, but if you want to travel even less distance, you should plan a visit to Planegg. Here, in the Augustinian monastery, you will find the Maria Eich pilgrimage church, whose name says it all, as it encloses a tree. If you feel like taking a dip in the forest again, Maria Eich is a good place for you.
The tree in the church
Photo: Henning Schlottmann/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
In the early 1710s, brothers Franz and Kaspar Thallmayr from Planegg placed an image of the Virgin Mary in a hollow oak tree. About 20 years later, the pilgrimage began when a day laborer in Planegg recovered from her illness. In order to accommodate those seeking help, a hut was built around the oak tree with the image of Mary and people were housed there. This hut eventually became a church. From 1953 onwards, the Augustinian order was active in Planegg and expanded the complex around the church into a monastery.
Originally, the church had a hole in the roof through which the oak tree grew out into the open. After lightning struck the crown of the tree in 1805, it was removed and the roof was closed. However, the trunk of the oak tree is still in the chapel and can be seen behind glass behind the high altar.
On the Way of the Cross to Maria Eich
Photo: Henning Schlottmann/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
In the 19th century, there was a Way of the Cross that led from Sendling to Planegg and ended at Maria Eich. It was later abandoned and replaced by a new Way of the Cross from Locham to the pilgrimage site, but this too no longer exists today. However, the lack of a Way of the Cross did not prevent the former spokesman for the Oktoberfest landlords, Willy Heide, from making a pilgrimage to Maria Eich every year, donating a votive candle and praying for good weather for the Oktoberfest. After his death in 2011, his family continues this tradition to this day.
Here, too, you can make the pilgrimage from Munich to Maria Eich on foot in about three hours, or you can take the S-Bahn and be there in about 20 minutes. Next to the pilgrimage church , you will find the 40-hectare monastery forest, which is home to around 50 different species of oak trees, some of which are up to 300 years old. In addition to visiting the chapel, you can stroll among the trees, sit down on one of the benches, and enjoy the peace and quiet. In the Seelengärtlein, you can literally let your soul unwind and listen to the sounds of nature. Thanks to its location in the Würm Valley, Maria Eich is also the ideal starting point for longer hikes or bike tours. The Augustinian monastery also regularly hosts concerts. But if you don’t want to travel out of the city especially for this, you can also attend a romantic candlelight concert in Munich instead.
📍 Location: Zu Maria Eich 1, 82152 Planegg
🕐 Opening hours: Mon-Sat 7:45 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sun 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
