Bavarian Forest

The Bavarian Forest was under protection as part of the national park (now the oldest in Germany) as early as 1970. As its name suggests, it is located in Bavaria and stretches along the border with the Czech Republic. Together with the Šumava National Park on the Czech side, they form one of the largest protected areas in Central Europe. The creators of the national park had one main idea - to leave the environment here as intact as possible .

Bavarian Forest, Germany - © Brate

Thanks to restrictive, although sometimes controversial methods, despite the enormous damage caused by windfalls and the bark beetle plague, at this moment the forest prides itself on its great biodiversity . Here you can observe wild eagle owls, Ural owls, ravens, otters, capercaillies and many other animals. The park is interesting thanks to the varied landscape of wide valleys, rivers, numerous mountain streams, the Rachelsee glacier lake and rocky mountains. The highest peak is the Großer Arber , which reaches 1,456 meters above sea level and is known as the King of the Bavarian Forest , and can be explored through a network of hiking and biking trails totaling 500 km. You can learn about the interesting history of the Bavarian Forest National Park and more information about the local nature at the St. Oswald , and at the Hans-Eisenmann-Haus information center.

For whom?

If you value nature in its most intact form, then be sure to visit the Bavarian Forest. After all, this region is famous for its approach that minimizes human influence in the local natural processes. If you like to spend time actively outdoors, you will surely find interesting hiking and cycling routes here.