Pilgrimage Church of Wies

The Pilgrimage Church of Wies is considered a masterpiece of Bavarian Rococo. It was constructed between 1745 and 1754 by the brothers Johann Baptist und Dominikus Zimmermann.

In 1738 a miracle appeared in this Alpine valley: tears were seen on a dilapidated wooden figure of the Scourged Saviour. This miracle resulted in a pilgrimage rush to see the sculpture. In 1740 a small chapel was built to house the statue, but it was soon realized that the building would be too small for the number of pilgrims it attracted, and thus Steingaden Abbey decided to commission a separate shrine.

The exuberant stucco work and frescoes in lively colours were made by Dominikus Zimmermann, assisted by his brother.

Year	Decision	Comments
1983	Inscribed	Reasons for inscription

Reviews

Gatis (Latvia):
It is wonderful. Better spend some hours to visit this place, and then spend the day in Alps instead of joining the long rows of tourists to Neuscwanstein. Neuschwanstein is wonderful as well, if not these tourists :).

Ralph Zema (USA):
In an increasingly secular world, the Pilgrimage Church of Wies offers an astonishing testament to faith and the dedication of architects Johan and Dominikus Zimmermann. The church's deceptively simple Alpine setting belies the extravagant interior: it is simply a miracle of rococo. My German hosts watched me carefully as I opened the doors to the Wies. As with any architectural masterpiece, you gasp upon entering. (The baroque music playing in the background, though from a compact disc, completed the experience.) Since words seldom do justice to describe true genius, I can only say this: you must see this to believe it! (If you are in Bavaria and making the usual tourist trek to Neuschwanstein Castle, you owe it to your aesthetic sensibilities to make a pilgrimage to the Wies Church.)

Ronald (USA):
If you could design the interior of heaven you would use the Pilgrimage Church of Wies as your model. This small rococo church is over-the-top beautiful. When you walk in your jaw drops as wherever you look you see one ostentatious scene after another. In a word: Magnificent!

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