Cham in the Bayerischer Wald, Germany Old Town, Churches, Nikolaus von Luckner & the Marseillaise in the Bavarian Forest

Cham is the oldest town in the Bavarian Forest. A trade route already passed through the area during Merovingian times but the town itself was only founded in 1220 by Duke Ludwig der Kelheimer.

Little survived in Cham from before the 18th century, as at least 11 town fires ruined the town through the centuries. The most devastating was the destruction by the Austrian army in 1742.

Cultural Events

The Festspielsommer is a summer festival series of plays and spectaculars held in several outdoor theaters in the Cham region. The most popular event is the Drachenstich (Slaying the Dragon), Tourist-Information, Schloßplatz 1, 93437 Furth im Wald, tel 09973-50-980, which uses 1,500 actors and around 200 horses in performing the oldest folk play in Germany.

Cham is beautifully located with the old town almost encircled by a sharp bend in the Regen River. Parts of the 14th-century town defenses survived including the 13th-century Straubinger Turm (Tower) with a large stork nest on its roof and the orange Biertor (Beer Gate) the most impressive.

The Pfarrkirche St Jakob (Parish Church St Jacob)t dates partly from 1210 but the choir is 14th century while the nave has been extended several times, the last in 1895. Much of the Baroque interior was removed during 1850 but some Rococo frescoes survived.

Cham’s Late Gothic Rathaus (Town Hall) has two gabled facades. The eastern façade, facing the large Marktplatz (Market Square) is the older from the 14th century. The stepped-gable on the western façade is a century newer. Daily at five past noon, a glockenspiel plays the French national anthem, “Marseillaise”.

Cham and the Marseillaise

Cham’s most famous son, Nikolaus von Luckner, was born a commoner in Cham on January 12, 1722. (A plaque near the Straubinger Tor shows the place but the house was destroyed.)

Luckner successively and very successfully served in the Bavaria, Dutch, and Hanoverian armies before joining up with the French in 1763. He managed to be elevated into the Danish nobility in 1784 before becoming a Marshall of France in the services of the French Revolutionary Army in 1791.

Following his conquest of the left bank of the Rhine for France, Rouget de Lisle composed the Chant de Guerre pour l'Armée du Rhin in Luckner’s honor. This song, better known as the Marseillaise became the French national anthem.

Nikolaus von Luckner’s end was less glorious – he fell out with the Revolutionary Tribune and died by the guillotine on January 4, 1794. A year later, a declaration that his death sentence was unjust saved his reputation but of course not his neck.

The Marienmünster Chammünster (Minster St Mary) is slightly upriver from Cham at the confluence of the Cham and Regen rivers. One of the first monasteries in Bavaria was founded here in 739 by Benedictine monks from Regensburg. The monastery already disbanded during the 10th century, but the church remained important. It is now known as the Pfarrkirche Mariä Himmelfahrt (Parish Church Assumption of Mary). The choir is 13th-century Romanesque while the triple-aisle nave is 15th-century Gothic. The main altar is late 18th century but more impressive are the two Romanesque baptismal fonts.

Cham in the Bayerischer Wald, Germany

Old Town, Churches, Nikolaus von Luckner & the Marseillaise in the Bavarian Forest

Cham in the Bayerischer Wald (Bavarian Forest), Germany has an old town, noteworthy churches, and is the birthplace of Nikolaus von Luckner of Marseillaise fame.