Kloster Maria Eck, Monastery in Siegsdorf, Germany.
Kloster Maria Eck is a Franciscan monastery situated on a forested hill in the Chiemgau region of the Bavarian foothills. Its whitewashed buildings, baroque church, and adjoining pilgrimage chapel form a compact group that stands out clearly against the surrounding countryside.
Benedictine monks from Seeon Abbey established a first religious house on this hill in the 17th century, giving the site its monastic roots. After a long interruption, Franciscan friars settled here in 1819 and have run the monastery to this day.
Maria Eck is a pilgrimage site, and visitors can see votive offerings and devotional objects left by pilgrims inside the chapel over many generations. On feast days, processions wind up the hill to the church, giving the place a noticeably different energy than on ordinary days.
The hill is reached by a forest path that is easy to walk on foot, with the monastery visible from some distance as you climb. Visitors are welcome to enter the church and chapel, but it is worth arriving outside of prayer times to move around freely.
During World War II, the Nazi regime seized two of the monastery's four bells to be melted down for weapons production, leaving only two behind. Those two original bells still ring today, making each toll a quiet reminder of what was taken.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
