Holzkirchen Candle Pilgrimage to Bogenberg

Bavaria's Oldest Marian Pilgrimage Site

Bogenberg is considered Bavaria's oldest Marian pilgrimage site – documented since 1104. The Pilgrimage Church of the Holy Cross on the 432-meter-high Bogenberg houses an art-historically significant 15th-century statue of Mary, "Mary in Hope" (Pregnant Mary). As early as the Middle Ages, the pilgrimage site attracted pilgrims from all over Bavaria.

A Pilgrimage Since 1475

According to tradition, the Holzkirchen Candle Pilgrimage dates back to the year 1475. A severe bark beetle infestation is said to have threatened the forests around Holzkirchen (Ortenburg market town, Passau district). In gratitude for the miraculous salvation, the farmers of Holzkirchen promised to carry a candle annually to the Marian pilgrimage church on Bogenberg – a candle whose size grew from year to year as an expression of special gratitude.

13 Meters of Wax, 100 Pounds Weight

The giant candle is the hallmark of the pilgrimage. Made from an approximately 13-meter-long fir trunk, it is crafted every year on the Friday before Pentecost at the Haslinger farm in Schöfbach – wrapped in wax, in the same traditional manner for generations, sometimes using historical tools. It weighs about 100 pounds (around 50 kg). The pilgrims carry the candle the entire distance on their shoulders, in a formation that constantly shifts among the approximately 400 carriers.

75 Kilometers on Foot Over Two Days

The pilgrimage procession starts on Pentecost Saturday in Holzkirchen (Ortenburg). It proceeds for about 75 kilometers through Lower Bavarian villages towards Bogenberg. Overnight stays are in inns and private accommodations along the route. On Pentecost Sunday, after a long final leg, the pilgrimage reaches Bogenberg – celebrated with a festive ascent to the pilgrimage church and a celebratory service.

550 Years of Tradition, UNESCO Status

Since 2018, the pilgrimage has been officially included in the Bavarian Register of Intangible Cultural Heritage. In 2025, the 550th anniversary of the first documented pilgrimage was celebrated – a date that underscores the unusually long continuity of this folk tradition.

Bogen and the Gäuboden

Bogen is a town with about 10,600 inhabitants in the district of Straubing-Bogen, administrative region of Lower Bavaria, state of Bavaria. It is located in the Gäuboden, on the right bank of the Danube, and Bogenberg is the prominent elevation that gives the town its name. From the pilgrimage church, there is a wide view over the Danube plain towards Straubing, the Bavarian Forest, and the Alps.