Ettal Abbey

Ludwig the Bavarian founded the abbey in 1330, and it was built around a twelve-sided rotunda, an unusual plan attributed to a vow made on his return from Italy. Fire destroyed much of it in 1744 and the rebuilding produced the present baroque church with a wide dome frescoed by Johann Jakob Zeiller, one of the largest dome paintings in Germany. Benedictines still live here and run a boarding school, a brewery producing beer sold locally, a distillery making Ettaler Klosterlikör from a recipe of herbs, and a cheese dairy. The valley setting under wooded slopes is part of the effect.

What you actually see

• The domed church - a rotunda plan with a very large baroque fresco.
• The brewery - monastic beer produced and sold on site.
• The liqueur distillery - Klosterlikör made from a herb recipe.
• The valley setting - the abbey enclosed by wooded Ammergau slopes.

When to go

Year-round; the church is open daily with closures during services. The shop and brewery outlet keep normal trading hours. Winter brings snow to the valley.

Honest expectations

It is a working monastery and school, so most of the complex is closed. The church can be shut for services. Brewery tours are limited.

Nearby

Oberammergau lies north; Linderhof is west.