For me, the Leonhardi procession in Hundham is one of the most beautiful customs we have around here. Around 60 horse teams, immaculately groomed horses, painted chest wagons and plenty of traditional dress, on a Saturday morning in November and only a quarter of an hour from Bayrischzell.
The weather is a matter of luck
The only pity, I think, is that Leonhardi falls in the cold season. In November the mornings can be bitterly cold, and not every Leonhardi procession takes place in perfect weather. In 2019, for example, there was sleet.
But you can also be lucky, as I was the last two years. In 2024 there was mist over the valley in the morning before the sun broke through. In 2025 the meadow in front of the chapel was still white with hoarfrost, and the service then took place in warm autumn sunshine. Dress warmly anyway, a few layers will keep you on the safe side.
What to expect
The riders go first, followed by the wagons, most of them pulled by four horses. In 2023 there were 59 teams and 61 riders, in 2025 again around 60 wagons.
Take a closer look at the painted chest wagons, last year one of them read "St. Leonhard, pray for us". Theme wagons run in between, for example with a model of the Leonhardi chapel or of the pilgrimage church of Birkenstein, and the local clubs bring their banners.
How the day goes
In the morning the procession lines up in the village and sets off on the first round, via Greisbach and back along the main road to the chapel. An open-air service is held on the meadow in front of it, and during the second round the teams and riders are blessed. That happens around noon, so expect it to take the whole morning.
Better be there a little early. You will see the teams arriving and still find a good spot along the route or by the meadow in front of the chapel.
Photos from last year
My photos from 8 November 2025, hoarfrost in the morning, then sunshine until noon.
Who Saint Leonard was
Leonard of Limoges was born around the year 500 into a Frankish noble family at the court of the Merovingians. Archbishop Remigius of Reims baptised and taught him. He did not want to become a bishop, remained a deacon and lived as a hermit in a forest near Limoges. He looked after prisoners and persuaded King Clovis to set some of them free. That is how the Diocese of Augsburg describes it.
This is also where the chains come from that he holds in old paintings. They were meant to be the chains of the prisoners. After the Reformation they were read as livestock chains, and the patron of prisoners became the patron of domestic animals, above all of horses. In Bavaria he has been venerated since the 11th century.
According to the Diocese of Augsburg there are about 50 Leonhardi pilgrimages today, most of them with horses.
More Leonhardi processions nearby
If you want to see more: around 6 November, many places in the Bavarian Oberland celebrate Leonhardi. Three of them are not far away.
Schliersee
The procession runs from the centre of the village along the lake to the Leonhardi church in Fischhausen. It usually takes place on the first Sunday after All Saints' Day.
Kreuth
This is where the oldest record of a Leonhardi procession comes from, dating back to 1442. It takes place on Saint Leonard's Day itself, 6 November.
Bad Tölz
The best known procession in the region, documented since 1772 and listed in the Bavarian inventory of intangible cultural heritage. Around 80 decorated four-horse teams drive up to the Kalvarienberg.
And this is how it was in 2024
One year earlier, on 9 November 2024, with morning mist over the valley and blue skies afterwards.
The Leonhardi chapel
The chapel is first mentioned in 1604 and got its Baroque look with the onion dome in the 18th century. Inside, old wall paintings of several saints have been uncovered.
It stands on Leonhardiweg in Hundham, a village belonging to the municipality of Fischbachau. From Bayrischzell it is just under a quarter of an hour through the Leitzach valley, around 13 kilometres.
Beim Laden der Karte werden Daten an OpenStreetMap übertragen.
- 1Leonhardikapelle Hundham
Tipp: Auf einen Eintrag in der Liste oder direkt in der Karte tippen.
Sources: Municipality of Fischbachau, Miesbacher Merkur (report of 4 November 2023), Alpenrand-Magazin (2023 and 2025), Das Gelbe Blatt (report of 11 November 2019), Alpenregion Tegernsee Schliersee, Diocese of Augsburg. All information without guarantee, the details published by the municipality of Fischbachau are binding.
