Altötting

Altötting is a town in Bavaria, capital of the district Altötting (pop. 12.871, in 2004).

This small town is famous for the the Gnadenkapelle (Chapel of the Miraculous Image), of one of the most visited shrines in Germany. This is a tiny octagonal chapel which keeps a venerated statue of the Virgin Mary. According to the legend, in 1489, a 3-year-old local child who had drowned in the river was cured when her grieven mother placed her in front of a wooden statue of the Virgin Mary at the high altar. News of the miracle quickly spread, and the chapel was immediately extended by the erection of a nave and a covered walkway.

Other architectural highlights in the town are the twin-towered Stiftskirche, a late Gothic church erected in the early years of the 16th century in order to cater for the growing affluence of pilgrims, and the huge neo-Baroque Basilika, built at the beginning of the 20th century.

Weblinks

• Official Tourist information (in German and English)