We start out from the Dachau city train station (Bahnhof Dachau Stadt). We turn left into Freisinger Strasse and at the traffic lights immediately right into Erich-Ollenhauer-Strasse. We stick to the right side of the street and stay slightly right on the footpath that leads to the street crossing. Once we have crossed the street, we are already in Etzenhausen on Hermannstrasse. A short time later we reach the Hotel Burgmeier on the right.

The Burgmeier Inn was a popular Etzenhausen meeting place for artists. Many well-known painters, including Max Liebermann, Carl Spitzweg, Christian Morgenstern, Eduard Schleich, Victor Weishaupt and Leopold von Kalckreuth, to name just a few, spent several years of their lives in Etzenhausen and lived in what is today Hotel Burgmeier (family-owned since 1873); the inn is now open only for groups, upon request.

Now we turn right into Ostlerstrasse. After crossing the creek, we turn left into Buchka-Strasse.

The large villa on the right was built by Emmy Buchka-Lenbach and her husband Carl Buchka at the beginning of the 20th century. Both were very well-known painters. After WWII, Emmy’s niece, Emi Fuchs-Hussong and her husband Otto Fuchs also lived here. You may have seen the house on television – it is the Kirchleitner villa that features in the BR3 TV-series “Dahoam is Dahoam” (“Home is home” in Bavarian dialect).

And on we go to the right into Hermannstrasse. We keep to the left as we pass the war memorial with a staggeringly beautiful Pietà by Ludwig von Herterich. After crossing Freisinger Strasse, we turn immediately left via Bergstrasse into Von-Herterich-Strasse (named for the artist).

At the curve leading up to the St. Laurentius church, we are now standing in front of the prayer house of the Turkish Islamic community, a former farmstead. It was in front of this house that in April 1883 Leopold von Kalckreuth created an impressive 6.5 x 10-foot painting "Funeral procession in Etzenhausen".

Now you continue further up to the church and visit the cemetery.

It is here that you will find the graves of some of the artists mentioned earlier. Behind the church, whose oldest parts originate in the late Gothic period around 1500, you will see the Welschhof (Welsch farmstead) (first mentioned around 1600), a frequent motif of paintings. The painter Wilhelm Ludwig Lehmann lived here for several years. Today, the farm has been rebuilt in its old style.

A few yards on, you will come upon the grave of Ludwig von Herterich, who from the vantage point of his grave, so to speak, can look directly at his villa! He also created the large frescoes on the outside walls of the church. The Herterich villa was built by painter Hermann Linde based on the model of the Welschhof with its great columns at the onset of the 20th century and purchased by Ludwig von Herterich in the 1920s.

We head down the steps again, passing the villa on the narrow footpath.

The path now leads us out of the former village. At the roadside cross we now head left into the Lang’ Gass (the way to the right leads to the Leitenberg via the Kurz’ Gass). Many artists found wonderful painting subjects here at the two alleys. At the end of the Lang’ Gass we now head to the right to get a closer look at the first wind turbine in the county of Dachau (built 2013). Now we keep walking along the wide track in the direction of Steinkirchen. At the very top of the hill, at the barbecue area, we get to enjoy the spectacular view of Dachau and Munich, and when the foehn wind blows, we can even see the Alps.

This is the site of the so-called "Dachau painter’s corner", a very idyllic place. Many paintings evolved at this very place.

We continue on down the hill in the direction of St. Stephen’s church, first mentioned in the year 804.

At that time a church built of stone was quite a sensation. That was how the small village got its name of Steinkirchen. The church was modified in the Gothic period, which was also a frequently painted motif. A round hole in the front wall of the church is noteworthy. It was said that this is where the devil once pulled out two card-playing farmers during church services. Since then, this hole cannot be bricked up again!

We now follow the road towards Waldfriedhof (forest cemetery), cross the Weiblinger Weg and head left on the path for cyclists and pedestrians. Shortly before we reach the intersection with Freisinger Strasse, we turn right into Etzenhausener Strasse. At the rail line we can now continue left, directly to the city train station (Bahnhof Dachau Stadt), or we take advantage of the rest point at Zorbas Greek restaurant by going to the end of Etzenhausener Strasse.

If we still have a bit of time, it pays to take a detour into the beautiful old city of Dachau. In the Art Gallery (Gemäldegalerie Dachau) you can admire the paintings of the artists of that time.

Compiled by Lydia Grain, tour guide in Dachau.

Touring map

Please see the map on google

We start out from the Dachau city train station (Bahnhof Dachau Stadt). We turn left into Freisinger Strasse and at the traffic lights immediately right into Erich-Ollenhauer-Strasse. We stick to the right side of the street and stay slightly right on the footpath that leads to the street crossing. Once we have crossed the street, we are already in Etzenhausen on Hermannstrasse. A short time later we reach the Hotel Burgmeier on the right.

The Burgmeier Inn was a popular Etzenhausen meeting place for artists. Many well-known painters, including Max Liebermann, Carl Spitzweg, Christian Morgenstern, Eduard Schleich, Victor Weishaupt and Leopold von Kalckreuth, to name just a few, spent several years of their lives in Etzenhausen and lived in what is today Hotel Burgmeier (family-owned since 1873); the inn is now open only for groups, upon request.

Now we turn right into Ostlerstrasse. After crossing the creek, we turn left into Buchka-Strasse.

The large villa on the right was built by Emmy Buchka-Lenbach and her husband Carl Buchka at the beginning of the 20th century. Both were very well-known painters. After WWII, Emmy’s niece, Emi Fuchs-Hussong and her husband Otto Fuchs also lived here. You may have seen the house on television – it is the Kirchleitner villa that features in the BR3 TV-series “Dahoam is Dahoam” (“Home is home” in Bavarian dialect).

And on we go to the right into Hermannstrasse. We keep to the left as we pass the war memorial with a staggeringly beautiful Pietà by Ludwig von Herterich. After crossing Freisinger Strasse, we turn immediately left via Bergstrasse into Von-Herterich-Strasse (named for the artist).

At the curve leading up to the St. Laurentius church, we are now standing in front of the prayer house of the Turkish Islamic community, a former farmstead. It was in front of this house that in April 1883 Leopold von Kalckreuth created an impressive 6.5 x 10-foot painting "Funeral procession in Etzenhausen".

Now you continue further up to the church and visit the cemetery.

It is here that you will find the graves of some of the artists mentioned earlier. Behind the church, whose oldest parts originate in the late Gothic period around 1500, you will see the Welschhof (Welsch farmstead) (first mentioned around 1600), a frequent motif of paintings. The painter Wilhelm Ludwig Lehmann lived here for several years. Today, the farm has been rebuilt in its old style.

A few yards on, you will come upon the grave of Ludwig von Herterich, who from the vantage point of his grave, so to speak, can look directly at his villa! He also created the large frescoes on the outside walls of the church. The Herterich villa was built by painter Hermann Linde based on the model of the Welschhof with its great columns at the onset of the 20th century and purchased by Ludwig von Herterich in the 1920s.

We head down the steps again, passing the villa on the narrow footpath.

The path now leads us out of the former village. At the roadside cross we now head left into the Lang’ Gass (the way to the right leads to the Leitenberg via the Kurz’ Gass). Many artists found wonderful painting subjects here at the two alleys. At the end of the Lang’ Gass we now head to the right to get a closer look at the first wind turbine in the county of Dachau (built 2013). Now we keep walking along the wide track in the direction of Steinkirchen. At the very top of the hill, at the barbecue area, we get to enjoy the spectacular view of Dachau and Munich, and when the foehn wind blows, we can even see the Alps.

This is the site of the so-called "Dachau painter’s corner", a very idyllic place. Many paintings evolved at this very place.

We continue on down the hill in the direction of St. Stephen’s church, first mentioned in the year 804.

At that time a church built of stone was quite a sensation. That was how the small village got its name of Steinkirchen. The church was modified in the Gothic period, which was also a frequently painted motif. A round hole in the front wall of the church is noteworthy. It was said that this is where the devil once pulled out two card-playing farmers during church services. Since then, this hole cannot be bricked up again!

We now follow the road towards Waldfriedhof (forest cemetery), cross the Weiblinger Weg and head left on the path for cyclists and pedestrians. Shortly before we reach the intersection with Freisinger Strasse, we turn right into Etzenhausener Strasse. At the rail line we can now continue left, directly to the city train station (Bahnhof Dachau Stadt), or we take advantage of the rest point at Zorbas Greek restaurant by going to the end of Etzenhausener Strasse.

If we still have a bit of time, it pays to take a detour into the beautiful old city of Dachau. In the Art Gallery (Gemäldegalerie Dachau) you can admire the paintings of the artists of that time.

Compiled by Lydia Grain, tour guide in Dachau.

Touring map

Please see the map on google