Alžbětín lies on the Czech-German border, stretching along the banks of the Bílý Regen river and neighbouring the village of Bayerisch Eisenstein. It was founded in 1525 at the location of an iron-ore deposit. It was declared a spa in 1877. There is a remarkable park above the river, a demonstrative glassworks with restaurant next to the train station anda local railway museum. You will also see the Church of St. John of Nepomuk, which dates from the beginning of the 20th century and features a Baroque altar and a 45 metre-high spire. Bayerish Hausl, situated in the upper part of the village, is the starting point for cross-country ski routes. There is also the so-called Regenhutte, featuring with a museum of taxidermy (5,000 specimens), located within the village. Towering above all of this is Grosser Arber, the highest mountain of the Šumava and Bavarian Forest.

Grosser Arber (Velký Javor) (1,456 m)

Velký Javor is the most visited mountain in the Šumava and Bavarian Forest; there are four main rocky peaks in the top part of the mountain - Grosser Arber, Bernstein, Richard Wagner-Spitze and Ostspitze. The view from the top is breathtaking. From the summit you can see the near and distant ridges of Šumava and Bavarian Forest, glacial lakes and far into the Czech lands and Bavaria. You can reach the summit by cable car or on foot directly from Bavorská Ruda, or you may start at one of the car parks in Brennes, at the chair lift or at Velké Javorské lake, or from the Bretterschachten valley. The hike to Velký Javor is a real experience at any time of the year! Some parts, for instance the ‘Schwimmende Inseln’ (floating islets) and the water lilies in both lakes (Malé and Velké Javorské lake – ‘Kleiner und Grosser Arbersee’), as well as the dwarf mountain pine growing around the peak, have been protected areas since 1939. The lake wall above Grosser Arbersee is difficult to access and you must therefore keep to the marked trails. There are several restaurants near the cable car, along the trails and at the peak. The cascade waterfalls known as Rißloch, situated above Bodenmais on the other side of the mountain’s foothills, are also worth seeing.

Tiermuseum, Regenhütte

The largest collection of stuffed animals in Europe, with 5,000 exhibits from all over the world.
Arberseestrasse 2, 942 52 Regenhütte, tel.: +49 9925 1273
Opening hours: daily 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Grenzglashütte Bayerisch Eisenstein

A demonstrative glass-works with a restaurant, production of liquors and a shop selling glass produced there.
Bahnhofstr. 48, 942 52 Bayerisch Eisenstein, tel.: +49 9925 903302
Opening hours: Mon – Sat 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.