THE BAVARIAN FOREST | Mikroregion Šumava Západ

The National Park Bavarian Forest – the eternal heaven for walkers and cyclists in Bavaria

The National Park Bavarian Forest covers the largest continuously wooded area in central Europe. The park is the oldest national park in Germany and together with the Šumava National Park on the Czech side of the border they represent an unexploited holiday heaven.

The National Park Bavarian Forest can be described as a place of endless forests, mysterious mountain lakes, colourful meadows, mystical peat bogs, romantic valleys, peaks of the Falkenstein, Ráchel and Luzný mountains and abundance of fresh air.

The park with its villages Spiegelau, St. Oswald-Riedlhütte, Neuschönau, Hohenau, Mauth, Freyung, Grafenau, Bayerisch Eisenstein, Frauenau, Langdorf, Lindberg, Rinchnach and Zwiesel is a heaven for nature enthusiasts and walkers. The gently sloping mountains are ideal for walking. One can enjoy ca 300 km of well marked, shady paths leading to beautiful mountainous regions offering the most beautiful scenery.

The motto for holidays in the National Park is as follows: ´Family holidays enjoyed by adults and children. Loads to do for families with children of all ages. 

One of the many attractions for children is an area with tourist trails taking you through original forest stand to unfenced enclosures and aviaries for wolves, bears, lynxes, owls and other animals. The admission is free and the area is accessible for wheelchairs and prams.

When the weather is not suitable for walking, one might like to visit glassworks in the Bavarian Forest, museums or information places and facilities for the visitors to the National Park. The House of  Hans Eisenmann in  Neuschönau (Hans-Eisenmann-Haus) and „Zur Wildnis“ house in Ludwigstahl by Lindberg  offer exhibitions on the natural and cultural beauty of the region.

Cycling in the green belt of Europe

So far you had to be tipped off by a good friend. But the new cycling map of the region covering both sides of the border marks all paths for mountain bikes in the National Park and it should open up the Bavarian Forest and Šumava to cyclists.

The new cycling map offers something to everyone. It is suitable both for the ambitious mountain bike enthusiasts, but also for families with children. Altitude profiles are shown to help cyclists choose the most suitable route. When choosing the routes, an emphasis was put on being able to make a circular route using cycling tracks, paths and minor roads.

The circular route interlinking both national parks via the crossing points in Ferdinandovo údolí (Ferdinandsthal) near Bavorské Rudy and Bučina-Finsterau is a bit of a rarity.

The map also includes a list of establishments offering accommodation and services for cyclists, together with information on museums, leisure time facilities and public transport in the National Park Bavarian Forest. 

Cycling trips cover an „Eldorado“, an extensive network of 2000 km of cycling routes in the Bavarian Forest,  the Šumava mountains and „Mühlviertel“ region. Walking and cycling maps and maps for mountain bikes (protection fee of 2,- Eur) can be purchased at tourist information centres in the above mentioned villages and the National Park Bavarian Forest.  

Nationalparkregion Bayerischer Wald
Kaiserstraße 13, D-94556 Neuschönau
Tel.: 08558 / 91 0 21, Fax: 08558 / 91 0 23
E-mail:     info@nationalparkregion.de

Internet: www.nationalparkregion.de