Altötting

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Altötting
Coat of arms Location
Coat of arms of Altötting
Altötting (Germany)
Altötting
Administration
Country Flag of Germany Germany
State Bavaria
Admin. region Upper Bavaria
District Altötting
Town subdivisions 40 amtlich benannte Gemeindeteile
Mayor Herbert Hofauer (FW)
Basic statistics
Area 23.43 km² (9 sq mi)
Elevation 403 m  (1322 ft)
Population 12,755  (31/12/2006)
 - Density 544 /km² (1,410 /sq mi)
Other information
Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Licence plate
Postal code 84503
Area code 08671
Website www.altoetting.de

Coordinates: 48°13′36″N 12°40′42″E / 48.22667, 12.67833

Altötting is a town in Bavaria, capital of the district Altötting.

The Chapel of the Miraculous Image
The Chapel of the Miraculous Image
Shrine of Europe, The Religious Heart of Bavaria
Shrine of Europe, The Religious Heart of Bavaria

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 grieving 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 father.

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