Bavarian Forest Attractions Bayerischer Wald
The Bavarian Forest is the name given to the great expanse of wooded hills in eastern Bavaria which is bounded on the south by the Danube valley between Regensburg and Passau. In the northeast it merges into the Bohemian Forest (in the former Czechoslovakia and Austria) and continues beyond the Furth depression into the Upper Palatinate Forest (Oberpfälzer Wald). Here, as elsewhere, the forests are suffering from the effects of pollution.
Near the Danube lies the Vorderer Wald, a rolling upland region at altitudes of up to around 1,100m/3,600ft in which only the highest parts and the steeper slopes are still wooded. Behind this is the Hinterer Wald, the main part of the range, reaching its highest point in the Arber (1,457m/4,780ft), near Bayerisch Eisenstein. Other major peaks are Osser (1,293m/4,242ft), near Lam; Rachel (1,452m/4,764ft) and Lusen (1,371m/4,498ft), near Grafenau, in the Bavarian Forest National Park (area 120sq.km/45sq.mi); and the Dreisessel (1,378m/4,521ft, in the southeast of the range.
Between the Vorderer and the Hinterer Wald is the Pfahl, a quartz dike between 50m/165ft and 100m/330ft wide which has been weathered out of the granite and gneiss and can be followed for a distance of 140km/90mi.
The particular beauty of these hills lies in their natural woodland, which in certain nature reserves (on the Arber, Falkenstein, Dreisessel, etc.) preserves the appearance of primeval forest (beech, fir, spruce). Below the Arber lie solitary mountain lakes, occupying basins gouged out by Ice Age glaciers.
Near the Danube lies the Vorderer Wald, a rolling upland region at altitudes of up to around 1,100m/3,600ft in which only the highest parts and the steeper slopes are still wooded. Behind this is the Hinterer Wald, the main part of the range, reaching its highest point in the Arber (1,457m/4,780ft), near Bayerisch Eisenstein. Other major peaks are Osser (1,293m/4,242ft), near Lam; Rachel (1,452m/4,764ft) and Lusen (1,371m/4,498ft), near Grafenau, in the Bavarian Forest National Park (area 120sq.km/45sq.mi); and the Dreisessel (1,378m/4,521ft, in the southeast of the range.
Between the Vorderer and the Hinterer Wald is the Pfahl, a quartz dike between 50m/165ft and 100m/330ft wide which has been weathered out of the granite and gneiss and can be followed for a distance of 140km/90mi.
The particular beauty of these hills lies in their natural woodland, which in certain nature reserves (on the Arber, Falkenstein, Dreisessel, etc.) preserves the appearance of primeval forest (beech, fir, spruce). Below the Arber lie solitary mountain lakes, occupying basins gouged out by Ice Age glaciers.
Grosser Arber
The Grosser Arber (1,457m/4,780ft) is the highest peak in the Bavarian Forest. At its foot are the Arber Lakes (boat rental), from which it is a two-hour climb to the summit (magnificent panoramic views; skiing area).
Bayerisch Eisenstein, Germany
Bayerisch Eisenstein is located in the Bavarian Forest on the Czechoslovak frontier (crossing point). Features of interest in the little town are a local museum, a number of glass-works and an open-air swimming pool with artificial waves.
Bayerisch Eisenstein Tourist Office
Postfach 140
D-94252 Bayerisch Eisenstein
Germany
Postfach 140
D-94252 Bayerisch Eisenstein
Germany
Bodenmais, Germany
Perhaps the most popular holiday resort in the Bavarian Forest is Bodenmais (alt. 700m/2,300ft; pop. 3,400). In the 15th C. silver mining brought the town prosperity. Another craft developed at the same time was glass-making, which still contributes to the town's economy, promoted by an influx of glass-blowers from Bohemia after the Second World War; many glass-works can be visited.
On the north side of the town are the Kurhaus and Kurpark, an open-air swimming pool and various sports facilities.
On the north side of the town are the Kurhaus and Kurpark, an open-air swimming pool and various sports facilities.
Grosser Falkenstein
It is a two-hour climb to the summit of the Grosser Falkenstein (1,315m/4,315ft) in the Bavarian Forest. There are some excellent views.
Lindberg - Farmhouse Museum, Germany
(Near Zwiesel)
In Lindberg, near Zwiesel, is a Farmhouse Museum.
Silver Mountain
The Silberberg (955m/3,133ft; chair-lift; panoramic views) in the Bavarian Forest has a summer toboggan-run, game enclosure, a children's play area and a zoo where the animals can be handled. There are a number of old mine shafts in the hill, some of them used for the treatment of asthma sufferers. One of them, the Barbarastollen, is open to the public.
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Zwiesel, Germany
Zwiesel (alt. 585m/1,919ft; pop. 11,000) is the chief town in the Bavarian Forest and has an interesting Forest Museum.
