Bavaria’s Holy Mountain and its Brewery — A day trip from Munich | Ammersee
Bavaria has its own Holy Mountain, and it took me more than a year of living in its close vicinity to learn about it. On a hill overlooking the Ammersee is — Andechs Abbey. Built in 1455, the Andechs Monastery (Kloster Andechs in German) is home to Benedictine monks. It stood the test of time through significant spiritual, economic, and cultural developments to look how it does today:
History apart, this Kloster has much more to offer. Join me in this blog as I take you through an ideal day’s trip from Munich.
If you are a foreign student like myself, you probably don’t have a car. No worries! Hop on the S8 towards Herrsching, and get off at the last stop. Just outside the station, look out for bus number — 958 at the bus terminal. 5 stops and 15 minutes later, you have arrived at our holy destination. It’s that simple. If the weather is pleasant, make your way to the top of the little hill — ‘zum fuß ‘ (by foot). You could consider this a hike but don’t call it that when you are surrounded by German folks. It’s just another walk in the park for them :) On your way, you cross the town and its meadows, a few stairs, exposed tree roots, and mild to extreme rugged paths. The path is marked, however, your GPS would show the way just as well.
You have made it to the top. What next?
My friends and I went on a quick self-guided tour through and around the Church and the large wooden crucifix just outside overlooking the countryside.
The Church itself is a sight for sore eyes. Decked with golden embellishments and intricate woodwork, the pilgrim Church is a masterpiece created by Johann Baptist Zimmermann. You may recognize the work from the Munich Residenz and Nymphenburg Palace which also has Rococo-style artwork. I tried to capture the beauty of it all in pixels:
Moving on to our next and most visited pitstop — the Andechser Bräustüberl & Biergarten (Oh yeah). Step right in and take a minute to soak in the fact that you are going to have your first sip/gulp of beer from one of Germany’s last-standing monastery breweries. To date, it is entirely managed by the religious order and is independent of corporations.
For food, indulge yourself with a wide variety of cold and hot sausages, dishes of pork, cheese, fish, and bread, all in true Bavarian style! Grab your tray and place your order as you would in any other cafeteria. The staff aren’t strangers to foreigners, however, it’s always a good idea to take a look at the menu (available in English and Italian in addition to German) beforehand. The last thing you want is a hangry line of people behind you.
On a separate counter, a few feet away, we set our eyes on the prize. The reason why we made our way here in the first place — the beer. Andechs has a large selection of beers to offer including a non-alcoholic option. Take a look:
Even the most serious brew-snobs need to pace themselves here. The Andechser Doppelbock has a minimum of 18% original extract in it. This type of beer was brewed by monks during times when their food intake was minimal. Nonetheless, there are lighter varieties and even mixed alcoholic beverages. It was here I first tried a Apfelweisse. It’s a mixed drink of beer and apple juice and it’s something Tripadvisor netizens often rave about in the reviews section. I was all set for my feast. Prost!
I had the Rollbraten, or crispy grilled pork roast. Despite my limited exposure to Bavarian cuisine, this particular dish left me wanting more. All of the individual portions on my tray hit the right notes in terms of taste and affordability. Paying 4 euros for a beer right out of a brewery in a 0.5l maß was the icing on the cake. Speaking of cake, adjacent to the Bräustüberl is the Andechs café where you can head for dessert. Freshly baked Bavarian donuts, apple strudel, Dampfnudeln, pies, and cakes await you here.
Vegetarians will quickly discover how limited their options are like in any other Biergarten. Fear not, my friend who dislikes pork swears by the Pretzel and Obazda combo. It may not look like much but it’s filling and honestly delicious (her tray was at the most risk of being seized). For those wondering, Obazda is the blob of orange-yellow cheese in the picture.
Ah, good times! I bet you walk out of the Abbey with the need to burn off those calories. For this, I recommend you walk down the hill :P You could possibly unwind to watch the sunset at Ammersee. It’s only one stop before the train station on your way back if you ditch the walk and opt for public transportation.
You’d have realized this blog isn’t about an extravagant destination or a breath-taking hike. I just had the loveliest day with my closest friends whilst making the best out of the weather. Day trips are about the simple moments and the memories you make in such short periods. In this case, it was most certainly also about the food and beer. Kloster Andechs, its landscape, and its brewery set the perfect getaway for me when I most needed it.
If you aren’t as naive as me and already visited this place in the first weeks of your arrival to Munich, let me know which item on the menu I should try next! Thanks in advance ;)
Note to self: Go on more day trips!
