Markt Indersdorf: Monastic History and Glonn Valley Trails
Accommodation in Markt Indersdorf
Markt Indersdorf combines a rich monastic history with trails through the rolling landscape of the Glonn Valley. The Augustinian Canons’ monastery was founded in 1120 by Count Palatine Otto IV of Wittelsbach. Today, the Augustinian Canons’ Museum offers insights into the history of the canons and the different chapters in the history of the monastery complex. There are also walking and cycling trails, as well as markets and festivals, which give your visit a different focus depending on your interests.
Monastic History in Architecture and the Museum
The monastery’s first church was consecrated in 1128 by Archbishop Conrad of Salzburg in honour of the Mother of God and the Princes of the Apostles, Peter and Paul. After the great fire of 1249, the church and monastery complex were rebuilt. At the time, the church was constructed as a three-aisled Romanesque basilica without a transept, with three almost equally high apses, a flat wooden ceiling and a north tower. Its foundations survive beneath the present-day Rococo design. The church acquired this Rococo design under Provost Gelasius Morhardt, whose term of office lasted from 1748 to 1768.
Seven Wittelsbach members of the Palatine family are buried within the area of today’s monastery walls. This makes Indersdorf, alongside Scheyern and Ensdorf, one of the Wittelsbachs’ early family monasteries. With the support of the Bavarian dukes, more than 24 monasteries in Bavaria and beyond were reformed from Indersdorf as part of the Raudnitz-Indersdorf Monastery Reform. This history thus reaches beyond the local monastery complex.
The Augustinian Canons’ Museum dedicates its permanent exhibition specifically to the Augustinian Canons. It is housed in the former sacristan’s house and the adjoining northern gate tower. Both buildings were part of the monastery complex and are now protected historic monuments. The museum also covers the monastery’s changing uses after secularisation in the 18th century, including as an orphanage run by the Salesian Sisters and the Sisters of Mercy, as a Nazi-run reform school, and in the immediate post-war period as an international UNRRA centre caring for unaccompanied foreign children and young people.
After the end of the Second World War, Markt Indersdorf became a place of refuge for more than 1,000 young survivors of Nazi persecution. They initially found a safe environment there before returning home or emigrating. This chapter adds a more recent and moving story of the place to its long monastic history.
Trails through the Glonn Valley
Markt Indersdorf is set in the varied rolling landscape of the Glonn Valley. Numerous hiking and cycling trails lead through the valley and the surrounding hills. The stated route lengths offer a practical guide for planning your day: the “Views of Albersbach & Westerholzhausen” walking trail is 8.5 kilometres long and starts and ends at Indersdorf station. A 9.5-kilometre section of the Oxenweg trail through Langenpettenbach to Westerholzhausen starts and ends in the market square.
The 12-kilometre Marterl cycling trail starts at the Volksfestplatz and returns there. If you are looking for a longer route, you can start the eastern loop of the 7 Monasteries Trail in Markt Indersdorf; the first monastery on the route awaits you there. The trail is signposted throughout with a church logo and features information panels about its history. The options therefore differ in route length, start and end points, and thematic focus. The Indersdorf circular and audio trails in the municipality also offer interesting information during walks about places of cultural-historical, geological or natural-scientific interest in the market municipality.
Markets, Festivals and an Outdoor Pool in the Municipality
The Indersdorf weekly market takes place every Saturday from 8 am to 12 noon in the Unterer Markt area on Freisinger Straße. As a green market, it offers food as well as produce from fruit and horticulture, agriculture and forestry, and raw natural products. Alongside culture and outdoor activities, a regular visit to the market is another local option.
Two festivals bring seasonal highlights: the “Advent at the Monastery” Christmas market takes place on the second weekend of Advent each year. The traditional market festival is held over two days on the first weekend of August, with a varied programme in the market square. If you are planning your stay, these dates may help you choose when to travel.
The municipality also includes the Ainhofen outdoor pool. It has two heated pools: the swimming pool maintains a constant water temperature of around 23°C, while the children’s pool is around 26°C. The different pools and temperatures can help you decide if an outdoor pool visit is one of your interests.
Discover More Places
You can also discover Niederroth. If you would also like to explore other destinations at this level of the site: Odelzhausen, Karlsfeld, Hebertshausen, Röhrmoos, Altomünster, Petershausen and Dachau.
Back to the higher-level travel overview: Dachau.
