On the road

Archi­tec­tural walk: Quiet Archi­tecture in Bavaria

Those who walk have time. Time to look, observe, absorb and embrace. Whether nature, architecture, visionary ideas or ourselves. On our first foray into Upper Bavaria, we hike from Bad Aibling to Bayrischzell. Surprises guaranteed.

by Julia Hauch in August 2026

In the distance, the Mangfall Moun­tains emerge in pastel shades, as though someone had rubbed an eraser across the sky. It is early, the air still fresh and the light soft. There is some way to go before we reach the first hills of the Alps. But that is all we need – after all, we have decided to walk. This is no mountain tour with ridges to nego­tiate or summits to tick off in an app, but simply a journey from one stage to the next. For the sake of the journey itself.

Anyone who has ever found their travel pre­pa­ra­tions too com­pli­cated, their suitcase too heavy or the traffic jam too long may well have won­dered: why not simply set off on foot? Without much fuss or luggage. The Latin root is pergere, meaning roughly to set out on a journey. Over the past 20 years, pil­grimage has enjoyed a renais­sance, even without a reli­gious moti­vation. Leaving everyday life behind, slowing down to walking pace, fol­lowing your own rhythm and expe­ri­encing the land­scape con­sciously. The less that happens, the more you find your way back to yourself. And those who want this gentle form of travel to offer not only rest for body and soul but inspi­ration too, with the occa­sional dis­covery along the way, will find them­selves in the best of company as they explore extra­or­dinary archi­tecture away from Instagram hot­spots and queues of visitors. Even in Bavaria, Bavaria, a popular tourist desti­nation.

We start on the edge of the Chiemgau region in Bad Aibling, a charming spa town in the Mangfall Valley known for its “black gold.” Those who wish can start by giving their muscles a little pre­ventive rela­xation – and their com­plexion a fresh hiking glow – at Bavaria’s oldest peat spa. Thanks to Dr Desi­derius Beck, a phy­sician to the Royal Bavarian Court, Aibling’s first brine and peat-mud bathing facility opened in 1845. But the town also takes visitors on a journey through time and space. From Baroque town­houses with ela­borate figu­rative Lüftl­ma­lerei façade pain­tings to an impressive con­cen­tration of his­toric villas strongly asso­ciated with the heyday of spa resorts in the late nine­teenth and early twen­tieth cen­turies – ranging from grand resi­dences for doctors and wealthy spa guests to exclusive spa guest houses. To this day, there is no shortage of places to stay and give this archi­tec­tural pil­grimage a fitting start. Whether for one, two or several days, there is plenty to dis­cover – and two of the sights are right on the doorstep.

Spinning history forward

Fol­lowing the Mangfall towards Rosenheim, after about an hour you reach the imposing main building of the Alten Spin­nerei in Kol­bermoor – an indus­trial monument whose cha­rac­te­ristic red exposed-brick façade, striking clock tower, seg­mental-arched windows and pro­jecting bays still tell the story of its past.

With a railway con­nection and hydro­power at its dis­posal, the J. P. Bemberg AG cotton mill began ope­rating in 1863 with 11,000 spindles. The number quickly qua­drupled, until a major fire des­troyed the main building in 1898. The new spinning mill building, now three storeys high, was rebuilt in two stages: the eastern section in 1899, in clas­sical indus­trial archi­tecture with cast-iron columns and vaulted cei­lings, and the western section in 1908, using modern rein­forced-con­crete con­s­truction – tes­timony to the archi­tec­tural trans­for­mation taking place around the turn of the century. The complex was com­ple­mented by a boiler and turbine house, a scut­ching building, bale store and dye works, as well as an admi­nis­tration building and gate­house.

After the dark years of the war, when part of the mill was used by the arma­ments industry, pro­duction ceased in 1993 and the site slowly fell into dis­repair. To save the ensemble, by then a listed monument, the Werndl family of entre­pre­neurs began an extensive revi­ta­li­sation at the beginning of the new century, pre­serving as much of the his­toric fabric as pos­sible. Today, the 200,000-square-metre Spin­nerei site is a vibrant urban quarter com­bining living, working and culture – and an award-winning example of suc­cessful heritage res­to­ration and con­tem­porary adaptive reuse. Whether visiting an exhi­bition at the Academy of Fine Arts, dining beside the canal, strolling around the mill pond or exploring the modern archi­tecture in the park, this excursion between past and present is rewarding in many dif­ferent ways. A few steps further, you arrive at the his­toric Kol­bermoor workers’ sett­lement – another listed ensemble and a unique example in Bavaria of company housing, built for the cotton mill from 1862 onwards.

From military base to model town

Back in Bad Aibling. Perhaps this is a moment to catch our breath, to enjoy a peat tre­atment, or perhaps it is finally time to set off. After all, we have not actually made much pro­gress on our route yet. But before heading towards nature and mountain pan­oramas, another detour is well worth making. This one comes with a top-secret past – and an important con­tri­bution to our future. Like enormous white golf balls scat­tered across the Alpine foot­hills, nine iconic radomes rise from the land­scape on the out­skirts of Bad Aibling, part of a his­toric military base. Once belonging to an NSA lis­tening station and the global Echelon system, they are now part of a satellite intel­li­gence facility of the German Federal Intel­li­gence Service (BND).

Right next door, pio­neering archi­tecture is emerging – open, inviting and focused firmly on the future. The visionary trans­for­mation began in 2005, when the B&O Group acquired around seventy hec­tares of the former military site with the aim of deve­loping a neigh­bourhood dedi­cated to sus­tainable archi­tecture and inno­vative con­s­truction pro­cesses. Today, the B&O Bau For­schungs­Quartier is a pio­neering project that com­bines living, working and everyday life with ambi­tious eco­lo­gical goals while also serving as a real-world labo­ratory.

At its heart are con­tem­porary timber archi­tecture, rena­tu­ra­lised green spaces incor­po­rating mature trees, a stream and wild­flower meadows, and a carefully con­ceived energy concept that makes the neigh­bourhood a net-zero-energy dis­trict. Schools and nur­series are within easy reach of work­places, leisure faci­lities and com­munity gardens. There is also a hotel and con­fe­rence centre as well as a tech­nology park dedi­cated to advancing research. From the outset, the deve­lo­pment of the neigh­bourhood has been accom­panied by aca­demic research through col­la­bo­ra­tions with uni­ver­sities. Munich-based architect Florian Nagler, for example, applied his “Simple Con­s­truction” prin­ciple to a series of research houses con­s­tructed in timber, brick, con­crete and clay, whose energy con­sumption and indoor climate are moni­tored over time.

Among the many other pio­neering pro­jects to dis­cover across the park-like grounds are Matteo Thun’s Hei­zikone, a small biomass heating plant in the form of a chapel clad in larch shingles, and Holz 8, which was erected in just three weeks and, when com­pleted in 2011, was Germany’s tallest timber building.

Stillness

Finally, we are on our way. Via Willing and Berbling, the route leads towards Au, beneath shady avenues and past open fields, cows and chapels. The Upper Bavarian Alpine foot­hills, with the Wen­del­stein rising beyond, remain con­stantly in view – weather per­mitting, of course. Once in the village of Au, there is a choice: those who prefer to take things at a lei­surely pace can make a detour and spend the night in Bad Feilnbach – known as the “Bavarian Merano” for its mild climate and famous for its fruit distil­leries and annual apple market. Those with energy to spare can con­tinue straight on. But first comes a climb up the Auerberg. Whether you take the paved road or one of the narrow, steep paths, the effort is amply rewarded, for the desti­nation is the ecu­me­nical St James’s Chapel, designed by none other than Michele De Lucchi, one of the most influ­ential archi­tects of our time.

Com­pletely unex­pec­tedly, the delicate, simple 15-square-metre structure stands in a meadow over­looking the Alpine ranges. On clear days, you can see as far as the Bavarian Forest. The sight of the chapel alone is con­tem­plative, but stepping inside is essential – and a spi­ritual expe­rience. So quiet, so entirely focused on the essen­tials. The play of light from the small wooden windows, each with a dif­ferent texture, falling across stone and door, is almost magical. A place of stillness and con­nection with nature that touches you – no matter what you believe in.

When an art lover dis­co­vered De Lucchi’s small, abs­tract wooden sculp­tures exploring the theme of the ‘house’, he was so fasci­nated that in 2012 he had one of them built. Hidden away on the Hocheck yet directly on the Way of St James, exactly 2,347 kilo­metres from Santiago de Com­postela, the ecu­me­nical chapel com­bines post­modern art with the cen­turies-old tra­dition of Upper Bavarian farm chapels.

For the mate­rials, De Lucchi chose tra­di­tional blocks of Nagelfluh con­glo­merate – also known locally as Herr­gotts­beton, or “God’s con­crete” – bronze for the roof and ent­rance canopy, and oiled oak: mate­rials that age gracefully and are made to last. A con­ti­nuous cornice at window height, posi­tioned in a 1:3 ratio, accen­tuates the pro­por­tions in the tra­dition of Renais­sance archi­tecture. In the mini­malist interior, fur­nished with only a bench, a sanc­tuary lamp, a water basin and a bowl of sand with slender candles, a wooden steps lead to a raised space for con­tem­plation. Here, a large cir­cular window opens up a cos­mo­lo­gical per­spective onto the land­scape. A cross can even be glimpsed between the trees, alt­hough reli­gious symbols play no real part here. For De Lucchi, the chapel is about a new spi­ri­tuality, closely inter­woven with a natural world that must be respected and pre­served.

A welcome break

St James’s Chapel lingers in the mind. And makes the walk to Niklas­reuth seem to fly by, where a hidden beer garden with pan­o­ramic views, large parasols and cold drinks offers the perfect place to reflect and refuel. Alter­na­tively, another two kilo­metres brings you to Wörnsmühl, with further oppor­tu­nities for a break – whether for food and drink, an over­night stay, a cold footbath in the Leitzach river or a refreshing dip in the small natural swimming pool at the edge of the forest. A meadow, a long pool, a sign saying “Freibad” – it could hardly be more straight­forward or relaxed. Once you have rep­le­nished your energy for another seven kilo­metres and 200 metres of ascent, you can tackle the next stage – partly through shady woodland, crossing small streams along the way – before spending the night at the Pförtner Pent­house in Hausham.

Once the ent­rance to the region’s pitch-coal mine, the indus­trial-looking building is now an unusual yet laid-back retreat that com­bines its Bru­talist cha­racter with con­tem­porary cool and a generous sense of comfort. As part of its com­plete refur­bishment, the former gate­house was extended with a locally sourced spruce structure accom­mo­dating four indi­vidual holiday apart­ments that invite you to stay a little longer. There is not only plenty of space to stretch out and take a deep breath, but you can also enjoy sweeping views.

Pedal boats and castles

Before setting off on the final two stages – those feeling ener­getic can, of course, make faster pro­gress – don’t miss the chance to jump into Lake Schliersee and take in the peaks of the Mangfall Moun­tains, tog­ether with the island of Wörth, in glo­rious wide­screen.  As you float in the clear water and admire the pan­orama of Bre­cherspitz, Boden­schneid, Jägerkamp and Aiplspitz, cafés with retro-style awnings, lively lidos and pedal-boat hire stands line the lakeside pro­menade in the back­ground, unmist­akable signs of the resort’s long tourist tra­dition. Passing cen­turies-old log archi­tecture, late nine­teenth-century summer-retreat villas, Upper Bavarian country-house style and a local whisky distillery, the route then leads back out across green meadows towards Bay­rischzell, the final desti­nation of our walking journey. Here, too, there are num­erous options . Whether you prefer a gentler ascent through shady woodland or steeper paths with views of the lake, various apps will find a sui­table route for everyone.

Those who take the path along the western flank of the Leit­nerberg towards Neuhaus pass the thir­teenth-century ruins of Hohen­waldeck Castle, around two hundred metres above the lake. The striking masonry frag­ments provide the perfect view­point for a snack break with a journey back in time. Enjoy one last look across the lake before heading downhill into the valley again. Once at the bottom, there are several routes to choose from: keen walkers can tackle the final fifteen kilo­metres in one go, fol­lowing the Upper Leitzach Valley with its wooded slopes and idyllic meadows along the stream all the way to Bay­rischzell. Those with tired legs can simply hop aboard the little regional train in Neuhaus or Hammer near Fisch­bachau and travel lei­surely through the picture-postcard scenery. And anyone looking for one more stop along the way can spend the night in Fisch­bachau, a village steeped in tra­dition where, alongside the well-known Maria Bir­ken­stein pil­grimage site and St Martin’s Minster, you can also make a pil­grimage to Café Winklst­überl for its legen­darily enormous slices of cake. Queues on public holidays cannot be ruled out.

Getting to the essence

Almost there. Whi­chever route you take to approach the cli­matic health resort of Bay­rischzell beneath the Wen­del­stein, there is plenty to look forward to. And yes, plenty to be proud of. After all, you have covered a con­siderable distance and accu­mu­lated a wealth of expe­ri­ences along the way. Anyone who wants to go one step deeper on this slow journey through the land­scape and towards the self should head straight for the Tan­nerhof, which com­bines nature-centred archi­tecture with a focus on health and brings the journey to what feels like its logical con­clusion – com­plete with creative regional cuisine (the cake alone is a feast!), num­erous oppor­tu­nities to unwind and a rich cul­tural pro­gramme.

Even Florian Nagler brings the journey full circle here: he is respon­sible for the Hüt­ten­türme, the Oran­gerie and the Bade­harpfe. The latter is a simple, light-filled space for rege­ne­ration in the form of a long agri­cul­tural building, where you can reflect on the days just passed – between a muscle-relaxing sauna infusion and a few lengths in the cold natural pool. “Mensch, werde wesentlich” – “Man, become essential” – is the vision behind this special world. There is little more one could ask of a journey like this.

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Text: Julia Hauch

Photos: Jakobs­ka­pelle von Michele de Lucchi © Thomas Koller (Cover image); Bad Aibling Innen­stadt © AIB Kur GmbH; Alte Spin­nerei © Xaver Bühler; B&O Bau For­schungs­Quartier © B&O Bau For­schungs­Quartier; For­schungs­häuser © Sebastian Schels; Wandaufbau-Forschungshäuser © B&O Bau For­schungs­Quartier; B&O Bau For­schungs­Quartier © Sebastian Schels; Heizwerk B&O Bau For­schungs­Quartier © Mat­thias Aust; B&O Bau For­schungs­Quartier © B&O Bau For­schungs­Quartier; Berbling Kirche außen © Andreas Jacob, AIB Kur GmbH; Berbling Hof © Andreas Jacob, AIB Kur GmbH; Willing Kirche © Andreas Jacob, AIB Kur GmbH; Jakobs­ka­pelle von Michele de Lucchi © Thomas Koller; Pförtner Pent­house © Sofie Latour; Blick auf den Schliersee © Julia Hauch; Burg­ruine Hohen­waldeck © Julia Hauch; Bay­rischzell © Dietmar Denge; Tan­nerhof Alte Tann © Rainer Hoffmann; Tan­nerhof Hüt­tenturm © Hansi Heckmair; Tan­nerhof Interior © Rainer Hoffmann; Tan­nerhof Bade­harpfe © Sebastian-Schels

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