St. Guntherfest Rinchnach

Homeland Festival in Honour of the Monastery Founder

The St. Guntherfest in Rinchnach is one of the largest Volksfeste and Heimatfeste in the Lower Bavarian Bavarian Forest. It is celebrated annually on the last weekend of June and honours Gunther of Niederaltaich (also known as Count Gunther), who founded Rinchnach Monastery in 1011, thus laying the historical foundation of the town. 2026 marks the 71st edition – one of the most traditional Volksfest series in the Bavarian Forest.

Coachmen Memorial Ride – The Centrepiece

The highlight of the festival is the Coachmen Memorial Ride on Sunday: around 50 historical horse-drawn carriages, coaches, and wagons parade through the monastery village, recalling the era when the Bavarian Forest was economically dependent on haulage – from salt trading to timber transport. The ride is one of the most impressive traditional customs in Eastern Bavaria, both scenically and historically.

Falter Brewery Festival Marquee

The beer and festival marquee partner is the Falter Brewery from Drachselsried, one of the most traditional breweries in the Bavarian Forest. In the large marquee with a beer garden, regional bands and brass bands provide the atmosphere, along with a specially brewed festival beer. The festival kitchen offers roast chicken, grilled trout and char, steaks, skewers, pizza, and Lower Bavarian snacks.

Rinchnach in the Bavarian Forest

Rinchnach is a monastery village in the Regen district, right in the heart of the Bavarian Forest. The former Benedictine monastery, founded by Gunther in 1011, still shapes the village's appearance and cultural identity today. With the nearby Kircherlkirchweih (church fair) at the Frauenbrünnl Chapel in September, the community maintains a second, more contemplative festival format – the St. Guntherfest, however, is the loud, convivial homeland and people's festival of the year.

What to Expect

• Large festival marquee from Falter Brewery with beer garden and festival beer
• Coachmen Memorial Ride on Sunday (approx. 50 horse-drawn carriages)
• Folk music, brass bands, and live bands on all four festival days
• Roast chicken, grilled fish (trout, char), skewers, pizza, and Lower Bavarian snacks
• Amusement rides and stalls
• Homeland festival in honour of the monastery founder Gunther of Niederaltaich