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Grotto of the Redemption, West Bend, IA

Photo: Ben Franske, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

SightseeingQuirky FunHistory Buff

Grotto of the Redemption

Walk through nine hand-built grottos encrusted with minerals, gems and fossils that depict the life of Christ.

208 1st Avenue NW · West Bend, IA

About Grotto of the Redemption

The Shrine of the Grotto of the Redemption is a set of nine grottos showing scenes from the life of Christ, built from rocks, minerals, fossils and shells set in concrete. Father Paul Dobberstein, a German-born priest, worked on it from 1912 until 1954. The grounds are free to enter, and guided tours run from April through October. A museum, gift shop and campground are on site.

  • #religious shrine
  • #grotto
  • #folk art
  • #roadside attraction
  • #minerals and gems

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What's around here?

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