LechErlebnisWeg, 3. Etappe: Schongau - Lechbruck

A short detour to the high dam wall provides a view over the water, after which you reach the district of Dornau. At the horse farm, the path turns back towards the steep edge. The extensive lake, which is spanned by a mighty bridge, can be seen in places between the trees. The trail continues through forest, to the road underpass (B17/B 472) and to the Heidewiesen natural monument. Rare and strictly protected flowers and orchids bloom in the park-like landscape, which was created by former grazing. The path now leads mainly through the forest, sometimes closer, sometimes further away along the edge of the Lech. Then it turns off, meets the former course of the Roman Via Claudia and heads out into the meadows. On clear days, the view extends as far as the Alpine peaks and the little church on the highest point of the Auerberg. Finally, the Litzauer Schleife nature reserve is reached. Clear areas provide a magnificent view of the shimmering greenish to turquoise river, while the horizon is bordered by the mountain range.

Before reaching the lovely green Burggen, the LechErlebnisWeg turns south, passes the Forchenmühle mill and, after more forest and meadow sections, comes to the few houses of Dessau, followed shortly afterwards by barrage 4. Here, the river is crossed with a beautiful view of the Hirschauer Steinhalde and up to the high walls of the Litzauer Schleife. Ahead of the Ammergau mountains, the route leads through the species-rich sulphur felt to the Lech reservoir at Urspring, where there are bathing facilities and a large campsite. The markings guide you along the shore and through a beautiful floodplain area to interesting rapids; Lechbruck is already on the other side. Cross the road bridge, which offers a beautiful view of the river on both sides and is adorned with a rafting monument, to reach the town center.

Author's tip: Enjoy the deep view of the Litzauer Schleife, one of the few natural sections of the Lech. Highly recommended, especially in spring.

Equipment:

Hiking without luggage

Royal service - just enjoy, no ballast. Your luggage will be transported to the hotel reserved for you by the tour operator. You can discover the magnificent Bavarian Alpine foothills without a care in the world. The LechErlebnisWeg is offered with 6 overnight stays. The package deals with accommodation, luggage transportation and hiking maps can be booked at:

Alpenland-Touristik, Postfach 101313, 86833 Landsberg a. Lech, Tel. 08191-308620, Fax 08191-4913, www.alpenlandtouristik.de, info@alpenlandtouristik.de

Further information and links:

Restaurants
Schongau, Burggen, Lechbruck

Accommodation in Schongau
Gästehaus Schwarz, Sonnenstraße 28, Tel. 08861/9093340
Hotel "Blaue Traube", Münzstr. 10, Tel. 08861/3060
Hotel Alte Post, Marienplatz 19, Tel. 08861/23200
Hotel Holl, Altenstadter Str. 39, Tel. 08861/23310
Hotel Rössle, Christophstr. 49, Tel. 08861/23050
B&B Gästezimmer im Gästehaus, Bettina Buresch, Gartenweg 43, Tel. 08861/908786

Accommodation in Burggen
Haus Klöck, Schwarzkreuzstr. 19, Tel. 08860/8335
Gasthaus Fichtl, Auf der Burg 12, Tel. 08860/283
Familie Scholz, Schwarzkreuzstr. 11, Tel. 08860/17 99 or 08860/426

Accommodation in Lechbruck
Hotel auf der Gsteig, Gsteig 1, Tel. 08862/98770
Pension Elisa, Am Bichl 12, Tel. 08862/8528
Auerberghaus, Auerbergweg 12, Tel. 08862/932720
Gasthof Pension Hirsch, Brandach 20, Tel. 08862/9118406
Gasthof Holler, Bahnhofstr.10, Tel. 08862/8557
Gasthaus zum Weißen Rößl, Grubweidach 3, Tel. 08862/987205
Haus Enzensberger, Lechwiesen Str. 1, Tel. 08862/8626
Haus Braunegger, Flößerstr. 42, Tel. 08862/8532

Info addresses

Municipality of Burggen, Schwarzkreuzstr. 2, 86977 Burggen, Tel. 08860/251, gemeinde@burggen.de, www.burggen.de

Tourist Information Lechbruck am See, Flösserstrasse 1, 86983 Lechbruck am See, Tel. 08862/987830, info@lechbruck.de, www.lechbruck

Way description:

Leave the old town through the gate of the police tower. Steps lead down the slope, and at the swimming pool you come back to the lakeside path and Schongauer Lechsee. A short detour to the high dam wall provides a view over the water, after which you reach the Dornau district. At the horse farm, the path turns back towards the steep edge.

Only a little can be seen between the trees of the expansive lake, which is spanned by a mighty bridge. The route leads through forest, to the road underpass (B 17/ B 472) and to the Heidewiesen natural monument. Rare and strictly protected flowers and orchids bloom in the park-like landscape, which was created by former grazing.

Now the trail leads mainly through the forest, sometimes closer, sometimes further away along the edge of the Lech. Then it turns off, meets the former course of the Roman Via Claudia and heads out into the meadows. On clear days, the view extends as far as the Alpine peaks and the little church on the highest point of the Auerberg. Finally, the Litzauer Schleife nature reserve is reached. Clear areas provide a magnificent view of the greenish to turquoise shimmering river, while the horizon is bordered by the mountain range.

The Litzauer Schleife is a retreat for rare animals and plants, including the marsh gladiolus and the heather lily. The fact that the Lech is still allowed to flow freely here in an impressive bend is thanks to nature conservation, which has prevented the construction of another planned barrage in this area. This section of the river gives you an idea of how magnificent the original Lech Valley once looked.

Before reaching the lovely Burggen, the LechErlebnisWeg trail turns south, passes the Forchenmühle mill and, after more forest and meadow sections, comes to the few houses of Dessau, followed shortly afterwards by barrage 4. Here, the river is crossed with a beautiful view of the Hirschauer Steinhalde and the high walls of the Litzauer Schleife.

Ahead of the Ammergau mountains, the route leads through the species-rich sulphur felt to the Lech reservoir at Urspring, where there are bathing facilities and a large campsite. The markings guide you along the shore and through a beautiful floodplain area to interesting rapids, with Lechbruck already on the other side. Cross the road bridge, which offers a beautiful view of the river on both sides and is adorned with a rafting memorial, to reach the town center.

At Lechbruck, the Via Claudia already crossed the Lech, which was still flowing wildly at the time. For centuries, rafting determined the fate of the village, which became increasingly important thanks to this dangerous way of transporting timber and goods, and later also people. Logs and trade goods were sent on the Lech to Augsburg and onwards on the Danube to Budapest and the Black Sea. The rafting museum in the oldest house in Lechbruck (1645) is a reminder of this great past.

Hiking map of Pfaffenwinkel, scale 1:40,000, HW-Verlag, nominal fee EUR 1, available from the Pfaffenwinkel tourist office, www.pfaffen-winkel.de