The 2nd Pilgrimage – Altötting und Marktl

The Week

After a short ten day pause, I’m back with another update. Last weekend was pretty relaxed for me. I enjoyed some running and picked up Robinson Crusoe for a little reading. If there is one thing Germany has been good to me for, it is uninterrupted reading time! In between reading, relaxing, and running, this past week I became acquainted with more of the interns and workers living in my apartment complex.

At work, I’ve been continuing on some new projects. Suddenly there is a back-log of cars to be tested, and we’re running them through pretty quickly. The department supervisor explained that it had to do with the recent holidays- they create “dead” intervals followed by extremely busy ones. This is more of a complex problem when you consider how many holidays and vacation days German workers accrue in a year! In any case, the big event for the work week was the last day for one of our Holland interns. We celebrated by substituting our usual Friday Weisswurst with the mystery German meat, Leberkase (just imagine lots of terrible things backed into a loaf of spicy goodness… yup, we’ll leave it at that).

The Weekend

This past weekend was quite a bit more adventure filled for me. Midweek, I began to plan for what I will call my “2nd Pilgrimage” during my stay over here in Germany. Up until late Friday night, I had planned on making this a daytrip, but at the last minute I decided it would be an overnighter. There was far too much to see and experience to try to cram it into a single day. The destination(s)… Altötting (pilgrimage site of the miraculous Black Madonna and Gnadekapelle) und Marktl (birthplace of Pope Benedict XVI).

Some background information…

Let me begin by giving a short language lesson. In Germany, there are two words to describe a “pilgrimage”. One is “Wallfahrt” and the other is “Pilgerfahrt”. The first describes a single destination pilgrimage. The second describes something quite larger and typically includes multiple pilgrimage destinations. There is no English equivalent that distinguishes the two, but this is a good example of how one language can be more helpful in communicating an idea than the other.

My trip was to be a “Wallfahrt”, and this particular location was not short of companions. I soon came to find that thousands of pilgrims travel to Altötting every year. The numbers have been strong since the middle ages when the first miracles were reported there, and there is no shortage of thankfulness to the Holy Mother from the many Catholics who make the journey. Many bring candles, pictures, crosses, and other gifts to lie at the chapel sight.

Altötting (or “Old Ötting”) was founded a LONG time ago, but records show it was here “officially” in 748 AD. It was the court of Bavarian dukes, and around the time of its founding a bishop from Salzburg created an octagonal chapel in the center of the village. Here is where the first Christian Bavarian Duke was supposedly baptized and also where the Black Madonna figure was first brought. In 1489, a miracle occurred where the mother of a drowned child prayed to the Madonna and saw her son come back to life. Since this time, pilgrims have traveled from across the globe to see the figure of Mary and Child. Of these pilgrims, recent ones have been Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI. I would go into more history, but there is simply far too much to explain here. I encourage the reader to conduct a little research him/herself.

The Trip

At 6:00 AM I left my apartment on bike and caught a train from the main station heading for Altötting. The great thing about German train travel is that you can easily bring your bike! I brought mine on-board, and arrived in Altötting at around 9:00 AM. I first went to the Rathaus where I found all my maps and other information, and then biked just outside of the town center to find lodging for the night. I was really winging this because I had no reservations, but I felt comfortable walking up to one of the Gasthäuser and finding a room for the night. Forget hotels or hostels… in Germany, you can find a tavern with bedrooms in the upper floor. These include showers, fresh towels, and a full breakfast. I got a giant skeleton key for my room and the woman who ran the house told me I could pay in the morning before I left. As typical of many things in Germany, the payment plan was honor based. I felt in very good company.

Bike Rack on Train

Rathaus

The "Guest House" and Room

Sights from the Chapel Square

After setting up camp, I visited the Gnadekapelle where the Madonna resides. I prayed to her in the small (really small) chapel and was surrounded by pictures of miracles she had performed and the hearts of past Bavarian dukes and kings. Altötting is known as the “Heart of Bavaria” for multiple reasons. It is sort of the center point between Passau, Munich, and Salzburg and these past kings have shown their devotion to Mary and the “Heart of Bavaria” by literally giving their hearts (yes the real ones) to the chapel in silver urns. They line the outer walls. Mass was celebrated at 10:00 AM with most standing because there were so many people in the chapel.

The Gnadekapelle

Above - Various Gifts and Pictures from Pilgrims

After mass, I went back to the Rathaus for a city tour. It was all in German, but I was with a group of four, so it was easy to keep up with the commentary. The old couple I toured with were very sweet and the older lady was sure to check in every once in a while to make sure I understood everything. It is amazing how much English Germans know! We visited the Gnadekapelle, St. Magdalene, the collegiate parish church, St. Konrad, two Capuchin Franciscan monasteries, and St. Anne Basilica. All of these churches are within meters of each other and easily remain busy with the large number of pilgrims that come through the town center every day. The day was absolutely gorgeous and the town was wonderful. If ever I were to describe a beautiful small German village, I would use Altötting as an example. Multiple Gasthäuser, cafes, and shops surrounded the chapel square. On either end of the square was a monastery and on every side was a church. The Rathause and museum made up another portion of the perimeter and trees lined the inner circle around the chapel. I would later find out, the square is even more beautiful at night! The entire town reminded me of a German town model my German class made in high school.

Statue and Collegiate Parish Church

St. Magdalene Church

Window within St. Magdalene

Brother Konrad Fountain and Holy Water

Chapel of St. Konrad in Monastery

St. Anne Basilica

The tour lasted a couple hours. The older lady I described earlier was very careful to see every detail of each stop we made. I didn’t mind though; I got a lot more for my money that way… and the company was good. After it was over and we said our goodbyes, I crabbed a quick lunch before taking my bike to city number two. The Inn is a river that runs through this southeast portion of Bavaria, and it connects the cities of Altötting and Marktl. As within cities, bike paths are prominent in the countryside as well. I took an hour to ride the 15 km bike path along the Inn to visit Marktl that afternoon. The weather could not have been better for a ride! Along the way, I rode past a Badsee (swimming hole) where many people were laying in the grass and swimming. Aside from seeing the old men in Speedos, I enjoyed the entire ride thoroughly! The river was calm and cotton wood trees that lined the bike path were shedding their puffs of snow.

The Inn River

In Marktl (probably the smallest village I’ve been in yet), I visited the birth house of Pope Benedict XVI and St. Oswald, the church in which he was baptized. Aside from a few shops, there was very little in Marktl. It reminded me of a smaller St. Henry in Germany. After checking out the town and talking with a few locals, I headed back to Altötting around 5 PM.

Entering Marktl

The Pope's Birth-house

Pillar in Town Square

St. Oswald

Pope Benedict XVI's Baptismal Font

The Inn

The highlight of my trip was probably Saturday evening. It began at 7 PM with a service known as “Maiandacht” which is a devotional to the Blessed Mother. The women’s chorus was incredible and the prayers were beautiful. Maybe it is just me, but I think the German songs devoted to Mary are the most beautiful I have ever heard of any Marian songs. It was very moving. After the service, I followed the crowd to Abendmesse at St. Anne where we ended the night with a candle-light procession from the Basilica to the town square. In the twilight, hundreds of us with candles circled the Gnadekapelle as we sang Marian songs and said prayers. Loudspeakers around the square ensured that we could all hear. Surrounding the square, all of the buildings had soft glowing Christmas-like lights on. We walked together for about 30 minutes before gathering in the center for some more songs and praying. At its conclusion, the priest thanked all of us for being a part of the ceremony. He welcomed travelers from all over as Pilgrims and commented on the great peace of being together as one community to pray even thought we came from all over. It was a very unifying experience and was comparable to my Rome trip… only this was much smaller and cozier. I suppose that is typical for most anything in southern Germany.

Candle Light Procession

I slept sound that night and woke up early for mass at St. Magdalene. Following this, I ate breakfast at the inn and checked out. Before leaving the city, however, I made it a point to see some of the many small shops and a few of the museums. At the Neue Schatzkammer Wallfahrtmusem, I saw a golden horse and an ebony crucifix among other treasures that had found their way to the village through the years. I then visited the Panorama and Machanische Krippe before leaving town.

Treasures from Wallfahrtmuseum

The Panorama was another highlight of the trip. It was a giant 360 degree painting of the death of Christ at Golgotha. From the center point, the viewer is standing on a hill west of Jerusalem. In front of you, you can see the entire ancient city and temple with Christ’s crucifixion occurring nearby. The most incredible part was feeling so close to the scene.

The Panorama

My final stop was the Machanische Krippe, which was a mechanical model of the Nativity scene and surrounding Israel. The figures were all linked by mechanical arms and levers under the base of the attraction so that they moved when it was turned on. It was by far worth the 1 Euro admission. At 2:00 PM, I hopped a train back to Munich.

The weekend flew by at an incredible pace, and I saw and experienced a lot. These words hardly do the trip justice, but it was a wonderful journey into Catholic Bavaria. I will no doubt return if a future opportunity presents itself… especially around Christmas. I saw pictures of the town during this time of season, and it looked even more picturesque. With a Christmas Market and lights all around, it was a perfect winter scene. I suppose we’ll have to wait and see if I get to experience the real thing…

The weekend was a great blessing and I thank God for allowing me to meet new people and see the faith of the Church in yet another light.

The Machanische Krippe