Pfarrkirchen (or Parson Churches in English) is a town with only about 12,000 residents within Lower Bavaria that’s famous for two things.
One is a pilgrimage church (known as the Gartlbergkirche) that’s been a site for the devout since it was dedicated to the Virgin Mary when it was built in the 1660s. The second is horse racing. Oh, I know, talk about two opposite ends of the spectrum!
Pfarrkirchen is the site of the oldest harness racing track in all of Germany. Harness racing is like the “Kentucky Derby” style of racing with the jockey on the horse's back. It’s the type where they ride on little carts “harnessed” to the animal. There’s a huge race known as Trabrennbahn that takes place on the track every Whitsuntide (about 40 days or so after Easter).
