Enjoyment Tour Donauwörth

There are 268 bicycle parking spaces in the immediate vicinity of the station.

To hire a well-maintained bicycle for your tour, take the Donauwörth city bus line 6 from the station.

Get off either at the Zirgesheim Stillbergweg or Zirgesheim Ost stop. From there it is a 2 or 5 minute walk to the bike rental.

At the Donauwörth bike rental, the bikes can be tested during a test ride and are also individually adjusted to the respective body posture.

Delivery of the rental bikes to the station is only possible in exceptional cases (by prior arrangement). In any case, all rental bikes must be reserved in advance by telephone and a pick-up time must be arranged.

Of course, all bikes are always well maintained and the batteries of the e-bikes are fully charged.

If you have your own bikes, you can also contact the Donauwörth bike rental service in the event of a breakdown.

The tour starts with a ride through the centre of Donauwörth and northwards via the old town island of Ried. This gives you the opportunity to take a look at the pretty little town before heading out into nature. You ride through the Rieder Tor past the town hall. At the Ochsentörl, turn right and you will soon cross the Danube and head south. If you have picked up a bike from Zirgesheim, join us here and save the town centre as a highlight for the end of the tour.

You leave the small town behind and cycle through fields and the villages of Auchsesheim and Mertingen. Not a kilometre south of Mertingen you discover your first destination: the gallows oaks.

A beautiful and peaceful place whose eerie history is reflected in its name. Of the once three mighty oaks, the two younger ones still stand today, with trunk girths of almost five and over three and a half metres. Their eldest sister died in the 1980s and its base trunk, including its root plate, remained in place.

Less peacefully, felons used to meet their deaths here. Merdingen, now Mertingen, was once the main town of the imperial bailiwick of Werd, now Donauwörth. For offences such as murder, fornication, arson or serious theft, a high court was set up on this site.

In the meantime, life and nature have long been in the foreground again, and more oaks have been replanted over the decades.

Continue south through fields and along the edge of the forest. Behind Druisheim and Allmannshofen you will reach your next port of call with the Holzen monastery.

Nestled on the banks of the Schmutter lies Holzen Monastery.

The Benedictines founded the double monastery of Neuwasser as early as 1150. In the same century, it was moved to the edge of the forest on the western bank of the Schmutter and given the name Holzen Monastery, which it still bears today. In the wars of the 16th century it suffered severe destruction and had to be rebuilt. In the 17th century it was elevated to the status of an abbey, but then fell into such disrepair that it had to be demolished.

The foundation stone for the present Karlsberg complex was laid in 1696. The buildings of the monastery are grouped around a square inner courtyard, whose Benedictine character is recognisable in the axis running from east to west with the monastery church and the conference area.

The extensive grounds are varied in design. The outdoor facilities include a private orchard, beehives and an animal enclosure as well as a chapel for contemplation, a monastery forest with grotto and forest nature trail and a listening tour. The outbuildings and surrounding houses house facilities for the promotion and support of people with disabilities. They make products that can be purchased in the monastery shop.

Take your time and enjoy the beauty of the monastery. Perhaps you will also take the opportunity to get to know the award-winning gastronomy at Holzen Monastery.

Once you have managed to tear yourself away, continue on your way. At Ehingen, you turn west and cycle across the open countryside again. Behind Neuweiler and shortly before Buttenwiesen, you turn north. A wooded section and the villages of Lauterbach, Rettinen and Zusum await you. At the power station, you will cross the Danube again, as at the beginning of your tour, and cycle around your last destination of the day: the quarry pond.

The Riedlinger Baggersee, locals also speak of the large and small Baggersee, is located not far from Donauwörth directly on the Danube. There used to be several gravel pits here, which have become an attractive recreational area through recultivation.
There are sunbathing lawns, changing facilities and toilets. For the active, there is a beach volleyball court and a table tennis table. There is also a playground for the children and parking spaces for their parents. You can prepare your own food at the barbecue area. That's good, because the kiosk is so popular with the best sausage salad far and wide that it sometimes runs out of supply.

Once you've had a good swim, cycle past the Airbus Helicopters factory to the train station or, as described at the beginning, through the city centre back to the bike hire shop.