
A couple years ago I was driving towards Füssen through the Bavarian countryside. I saw the sign “Wieskirche” and instantly remembered visiting this church with my parents as a child.
The Wieskirche in Upper Bavaria is a jewel of the South German Rococo. The building, created by the Zimmermann brothers, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983. In this volume, the church and its furnishings are presented in words and pictures.
Despite its location in an almost untouched forest solitude, this 18th-century art monument attracts countless visitors.
The pilgrimage to the tortured savour Jesus Christ on the Wies (Gegeißelten Heiland auf der Wies) has enjoyed unbroken popularity since its inception over 250 years ago.
Even before there was a church in this area, this wasteland in the middle of the forest had already become a place of pilgrimage.
Since June 14, 1738, the Lory family discovered tears in the face of the “Bildnuß” of the tortured Jesus Christ. Countless people have been drawn to the “Wis”. This never-ending influx of faithfuls, hopefuls and trusters led to the construction of the most famous Rococo pilgrimage church in Europe.

The ingenious architecture of the master builder Dominikus Zimmermann and the beauty of the decoration.His brother Johann Baptist, a respected Munich court painter, contributed with his amazing Frescoes, also attract art lovers.

Nevertheless, the pilgrimage remained alive to this day. This is also evidenced by the thousands of announcements that today’s visitors leave with their concerns in the Wies every year. The traditional pilgrimage visits from the near and far surroundings have also experienced a revival in recent years, and new pilgrimages are emerging