This post is way overdue. How overdue? Well, it’s not too long until we come up on the one year anniversary of this vacation. I’m not even going to apologize for it. Life happens… and you know what? Deggendorf was there long before our visit. And much like most German small cities, it might evolve, but it never truly changes.
It’s this timeless beauty that I love so much about these small Bavarian cities. While many of the major cities like Frankfurt or Cologne in the North have experienced significant damage during World War II and have seen older buildings replaced with ugly plain buildings, these smaller towns have escaped largely unscathed and still have their classic beauty.
Among these smaller towns, Deggendorf, only about 45 minutes drive from Munich, is one of our favorites. While the city preserves its old-time charm, complete with antique town square, small restaurants, and historic architecture, it is also a modern city home to a University and several high tech companies. The result is a bustling small town with its own unique ambiance and flair.
During our trip, we recorded a little video to show you some of the highlights of Deggendorf and surroundings.
Watch our Deggendorf, Metten & Schloss Egg video below:
Or click here to watch this video and others on our YouTube channel.
Deggendorf
We started our day at the city center at the Oberer Stadtplatz (Upper City Square), which together with the conveniently named Unterer Stadtplatz (Lower City Square), makes up the bulk of downtown. While it was super quiet on the Sunday morning we visited, this square is the center of commerce featuring many small stores and restaurants.
If you are in town, make sure you grab a piece of cake at Cafe Wiedeman at Luitpoldpl. 5 (or enjoy their breakfast and lunch menus). They serve some pretty amazing food and the Cafe is an institution in town.
Leading away from the square towards the Danube River (the Donau), we walked past more quaint side streets.
Eventually ending up at Catholic Church Maria Himmelfahrt, this is a beautiful viewpoint. Situated on top of a little hill, their graveyard is definitely worth a visit.
With headstones dating back more than 100 years and intricately carved statues standing guard, this is a pretty place to enjoy the scenery.
From there, it’s only a few steps to the river. During the Bundes Gartenschau (engl: Federal Garden Fair) this whole area, right behind the university and home to a hip younger crowd, was completely redeveloped.
The Deggendorf city planners used the occasion of the fair to make a beautiful green oasis in the middle of the city. Here you will find young and old folks jogging, biking or just lounging by the river.
Surrounding Areas
Deggendorf wouldn’t be Deggendorf without visiting some of the smaller villages around it. As part of our day around town, we stopped by two of our favorite destinations. As coincidence would have it, both played a major part in our wedding many moons ago.
Schloss Egg
First on the list, especially since it was “Beer Garden Weather” was a stop to Schloss Egg, a castle built in 1103 with a sordid history.
On this beautiful day, it was nothing but beauty topped with delicious Schweinebraten (Roast pork) at the restaurant in the castle gardens.
(You can find my recipe for Schweinebraten here) and of course a beer or two.
We also took the opportunity to explore the castle grounds and enjoyed a tour of the castle. The castle grounds include a small chapel (where we’ve attended a Christmas mass in the past) as well as the dungeon pit at the bottom of the tower where they put people who hadn’t paid their debts.
Kloster Metten
This monastery built in 766 in the small town of Metten (just a few minutes drive from Deggendorf) is where Stefan and I said: “I Do” to each other in 2001. I fell in love with the intricate designs inside of the church the moment I first set foot into it many years ago.
The monastery is home to a church and a high school and is always worth a visit. With so much art and frescos in every corner of the building, there is always something new to discover (such as the skeleton adornments we spotted for the first time with our last visit.)
Whether summer or winter (dress warm, it gets chilly), Deggendorf is always beautiful and always fun. While it kept its small-town charm, the influx of University students and younger families makes it a very fun place, with great shopping, amazing food and always something new to discover.
