Altötting

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The title of this article contains the character ö. Where it is unavailable or not desired, the name may be represented as Altoetting.

Altötting is a town in Bavaria, capital of the district Altötting (population 12,871 in 2004). It is located at 48°14′N 12°41′E.

This small town is famous for 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 revived 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.

The tradition of bavaria calls for the heart of the king to be placed in an urn and kept at the chapel here. The heart of "mad" king Ludwig II of bavaria, the builder of Neuschwanstein castle lies in this chapel along with that of his grandfathers and fathers.

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.

[edit] External links

• Official Tourist information (in German and English)