Altenstadt - St. Michael

Approaching the small, unimpressing village of Altenstadt the visitor will find a really impressing romanesque basilica. The church is way too big for the village. - The original name of the village was "Scongoe". Founded on a hill over the river Lech, it controlled an old roman "highway" from Augsburg to Italy - and over the time got wealthy and proud. So they started to built this St.Michael-church between 1170 and 1220. Just after the church was built, discussions started and the whole village moved (for strategic reasons) to a new place, just a few kilometers away and started the (still existing) "Schongau", naming the old place "Altenstadt" (= old town). As there were no people to care for the abandoned church, and over the many years (fortunately) no money, to change it into gothic, baroque or rococo style, purity has survived here. Luckily. It looks probably better without that scaffolding but - after all the time, it needs constant care.