The best walks and hikes around Allmannshofen

Beautiful paths lead around Holzen Monastery, following the Schmutter River. The first monastery was located in the valley around 1150. The original monastery church was also situated there. However, the riverside location proved problematic due to the wet and marshy ground. After repeated destruction, the decision was made to rebuild the monastery further up the hill. The Schmutter River remained important nonetheless. The path to the monastery's own mill, which operated until the 1960s, ran along the river.

The cloister garden at Holzen Monastery was not an ornamental garden, but a place for prayer and meditation. Its original form can still be discerned in the cruciform layout of the paths in the inner courtyard. Its axes represent the four dimensions of a fulfilled life – prayer, work, rest, and physical well-being. The Benedictine nuns had the garden laid out behind high monastery walls at the end of the 17th century so that no one from the outside could see inside.

Holzen Monastery & Karlsberg – Historical Overview Today's Holzen Monastery is situated on Karlsberg, a hill rising approximately 20 meters above the Schmutter Valley near Allmannshofen. The name "Karlsberg" originates from a chapel built in the early 17th century in honor of St. Charles Borromeo. Originally, the Benedictine convent, founded in the 12th century, was located in the valley near the Schmutter River. Due to the risk of flooding and structural decay, a decision was made at the end of the 17th century to build a new monastery on the higher plateau. The monastery complex, with its prominent Baroque Church of St. John the Baptist, was constructed between 1696 and 1710 according to plans by the Vorarlberg architect Franz Beer. After secularization in 1803, the complex was initially used for secular purposes. Since 1927, it has belonged to the Dominikus-Ringeisen-Werk (Dominican Ringeisen Foundation) and today serves as a social institution, hotel, and conference center. Holzen Monastery and Karlsberg Hill form a historically developed ensemble that impressively combines the landscape, local history, and Baroque architecture of the region. schwabenmedia.de/Kirchen/Landkreis-augsburg/St-johannes-holzen.php Site plan of Holzen Monastery (PDF) kloster-holzen.de/media/78971/lageplan-kloster-holzen-2784639.pdf

St. Lawrence Cemetery Chapel (St. Lorenz), Holzen The Baroque St. Lawrence Cemetery Chapel was built in 1707 by the local master mason Hans Georg Radmiller. It stands on the grounds of the former Holzen monastery church and remains the centerpiece of the historic cemetery. The octagonal central building is articulated externally by round-arched blind niches and corner pilasters. An eight-sided tent roof with a lantern gives the building its distinctive silhouette. Inside is an altar dating from around 1730; the altarpiece depicting St. Lawrence dates from 1880. In addition to the chapel, the listed historical site also includes the cemetery wall from the time of its construction and a small chapel (also known as the Mount of Olives Chapel) dating from 1710. Overall, the site presents a tranquil, historically evolved ensemble closely linked to the monastery and village history of Holzen.

Beautiful spot on the Schmutter

A beautiful nature trail that is part of the Augsburg – Western Forests Nature Park. There is a lot to discover along the Schmutter.

Where are my legions?

Very nice narrow path by the water and forest🌳🌲