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60-915: Geologically and geomorphologically, the Bavarian Forest is part of the Bohemian Forest - the highest of the truncated highlands of the Bohemian Massif . The area along the Czech border has been designated as the Bavarian Forest National Park (240 km), established in 1970 as the first national park in Germany. Another 3,008 km has been designated as the Bavarian Forest Nature Park , established 1967, and another 1,738 km as

120-547: A border region, the Bohemian Forest has had a complicated history. In the 20th century it was part of the Iron Curtain , and large areas were stripped of human settlement. Even before that, settlement was sparse and for centuries forests dominated over human dwellings and pathways. These unique circumstances led to the preservation of unspoilt nature and forest ecosystems relatively unaffected by human activity. On

180-662: A slight depression which follows the south-southwesterly course of the Regen near Roding. In the north it is used by Perlbach and in the south by the Wiesent . To the west of this depression, the Hadriwa is the highest point, reaching 677 m. All the mountains mentioned so far, except the Gallner, are situated around the market municipality of Falkenstein which gives its name to the forest-covered mountains. The western part of

240-730: Is Großer Arber (1,456 m) on the Bavarian side; the highest peak on the Bohemian and Austrian side is the Plöckenstein (Plechý, 1,378 m). The most eastern peak is the Sternstein (1,125 m). The range is one of the oldest in Europe, and its mountains are eroded into round forms with few rocky parts. Typical for the Bohemian Forest are plateaux at about 1,000–1,200 m with relatively harsh climates and many peat bogs . The Bohemian Forest

300-440: Is a region which is distinguished by its common natural features of geography , geology , and climate . From the ecological point of view, the naturally occurring flora and fauna of the region are likely to be influenced by its geographical and geological factors, such as soil and water availability , in a significant manner. Thus most natural regions are homogeneous ecosystems . Human impact can be an important factor in

360-739: Is a low mountain range in Central Europe . Geographically, the mountains extend from Plzeň Region and the South Bohemian Region in the Czech Republic to Austria and Bavaria in Germany , and form the highest truncated uplands of the Bohemian Massif , up to 50 km wide. They create a natural border between the Czech Republic on one side and Austria and Germany on the other. For political reasons,

420-556: Is divided into the Rear or High Bavarian Forest ( Hinterer Bayerischer Wald ) in the centre of the Bohemian Forest, the Regen valley and the Anterior Bavarian Forest ( Vorderer Bayerischer Wald ). In addition, there are the foothills of the two main ridges to the southeast and those of the Anterior Bavarian Forest to the northwest. Almost all of the crest-like mountain ridges run from northwest to southeast; apart from that

480-401: Is important to the Bavarian Forest. Sharing the natural environment are walkers , the forestry industry and several ski resorts . Furthermore, the Bavarian Forest is known for its glassblowing in the area of Zwiesel and is also known in the field of geoscience as a result of the fundamental station of Wettzell at Bad Kötzting . The heart of the Bavarian Forest (in its broader sense)

540-405: Is not always successful in its task, and many believe the rapid growth of tourist accommodation and services is destroying the former calm of the Šumava region. Šumava National Park is also suffering from problems connected with bark beetles , and there is heated debate about how to deal with them. According to archaeological findings, the Bohemian Forest area was not significantly populated during

600-666: Is still marked by the relief of the Anterior Bavarian Forest. Even higher but clearly less prominent are an unnamed hill northwest of Zinzenzell at 720 m and a hill southeast of Wiesenfelden that reaches 740 m. In the south near the Danube, in the Waxenberger Forst , the Kobelberg reaches a height of 703 m. Between Roding and Wiesent , the Falkensteiner Vorwald is divided centrally by

660-705: Is the dividing range between the watersheds of the Black Sea and the North Sea , where water collected by the Vltava , Otava and Úhlava rivers flows. These rivers all spring from the Bohemian Forest. Owing to heavy precipitation (mostly snow), the peat bogs and the Lipno Reservoir , the Šumava region is an important water reservoir for Central Europe . More important for their aesthetic value than for holding water are several lakes of glacial origin . As

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720-630: The Bavarian Forest National Park , was established in 1970. It was expanded in 1997 and, together with the Bohemian Forest National Park ( Sumava National Park) in the Czech Republic, is one of the largest protected areas in Europe. In older cartographic and lexical works, the term "Bavarian Forest" refers only to the mountainous region of the Danube Hills , also known as the Anterior Bavarian Forest ( Vorderer Bayerischer Wald ) or Vorderer Forest ( Vorderer Wald ), between

780-804: The Great Regen valley, this line continues, crest- or even arête-like into the Kunisch Mountains with the Seewand/ Zwercheck . (up to 1,343 m) and Osser (up to 1,293 m), which are located directly on the German-Czech border. The lower-lying Fahrenberg (893 m) finally leads to the Hoher Bogen (up to 1,079 m) that descends into the Cham-Furth Depression . However, the highest peaks of

840-575: The Hoher Bogen form the southernmost foothills. An important line that divides the Bavarian Forest into two parts is the approximately 150-kilometre-long fault line of the Bavarian Pfahl . Originally created as a large-scale fault during the Upper Devonian to Upper Carboniferous , it was reactivated by fracture tectonics in the outgoing Palaeozoic and early Mesozoic to form a herringbone crack system ( Fiederspaltensystem ), which

900-809: The Upper Bavarian Forest Nature Park , established in 1965. The Bavarian Forest is a remnant of the Hercynian Forest that stretched across southern Germania in Roman times. It is the largest protected forest area in central Europe. The highest mountain in the region is the Großer Arber ("Great Arber", 1,456 m). The main river is the Regen , which is formed by the confluence of the White and Black Regen and flows out of

960-685: The Upper Palatine Forest , Fichtel Mountains , Ore Mountains and Sudetes . Geologically, as the southwestern edge of the Bohemian Massif , it is indistinguishable from the Bohemian Forest on the other side of the Czech border and from the Sauwald on Austrian soil. Together with the Upper Palatinate Forest it forms the main unit group known as the Upper Palatine-Bavarian Forest . For

1020-706: The Bavarian Forest. Quite striking too, is the difference in height between the Danube Plain, 300 to 350 m, and the highest peaks of the Anterior Forest, such as the Einödriegel at 1,121 m}, a difference of 800 metres in height over only a few kilometres of horizontal distance. Due to the uplift of the Bavarian Forest, which also affected the Neuburg Forest and the Sauwald, there

1080-642: The Bohemian and German sides have different names in their languages: in Czech , the Bohemian side is called Šumava and the Bavarian side Zadní Bavorský les 'Rear Bavarian Forest', while in German , the Bohemian side is called Böhmerwald 'Bohemian Forest', and the Bavarian side Bayerischer Wald 'Bavarian Forest'. In Czech, Šumava is also used as a name for the entire region in Bohemia and Germany. The designation Šumava has been attested in

1140-454: The Bohemian borderland began. In the area, 136 villages with German names relating to forest clearing ( Rodungsnamen ) existed. In addition, groups of German village names appear, one such group between Sonnberg (first mentioned in 1279) and Deutsch Reichenau (1261), another group around Zettwing (1356). South of Ottau , German villages form a line along the road from Linz through Hohenfurth to Krummau . Another old settlement area

1200-635: The Celtic agricultural settlements desolated. With the departure of the Marcomanni, the forests were left to evolve with almost no human influence. The Bohemian Forest forests began to change character only with the arrival of the Slavs in the 6th century, who found a refuge in the middle of the impenetrable forests. The cultural landscape began to penetrate the wooded surroundings. The gradual but disorganized and fairly subtle form of colonisation continued until

1260-545: The Danube and the Regen, which has its highest elevation in the Einödriegel . The "High Forest" or Hinterer Forest ( Hinterer Bayerischer Wald ) between the Regen and the Bohemian border, including the mountains of the Arber, Rachel and Lusen, used to be part of the Bohemian Forest. The linguistic usage of the German-Bavarian authorities, the impact of tourism, and the presence formerly of the Iron Curtain contributed to

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1320-734: The Fürberg by a narrow ridge. In its western half, the Brotjacklriegel reaches 1,011 m, in the east the Aschenstein climbs to a height of 944 m. Even the mountains at the western and eastern ends of the mountain chain rise clearly above the 800 m line. To the south of the Brotjacklriegel, the isolated Stierberg (716 m), southwest of Zenting , bounds the Lallinger Winkel (see below) markedly in

1380-906: The High Bavarian Forest to the southwest. Immediately to the southwest of this valley, the ridgeline runs from the Wurzer Spitz (817 m) via the Weigelsberg (898 m) and the Wolfgangriedel (876 m) to the Kronberg (984 m) and, behind the valley of the Black Regen , over the Eschenberg (1,043 m) to the Kreuzberg (788 m) at Oberkreuzberg . To the southwest of this third ridge are

1440-584: The High Bavarian Forest were covered by snow and ice fields during the Ice Age that also left their traces. Here, on the vast plateaux there were rather extensive firn fields rather than long glacial snouts . The thickness of the glacier ice at 1,050 m was about 125 metres. Where the glaciers made their way into the valley, one can still find glacial landforms such as cirques , caroids ( Karoide ) and cirque lakes ( Großer Arbersee , Kleiner Arbersee , Rachelsee ) as well as moraine banks. The toe of

1500-450: The High Bavarian Forest, with the lineament of the Bavarian Pfahl being regarded as the boundary line between them. In the north–south direction, a distinction is made between the Upper and Lower Forest. The Bavarian Forest is the rump of a Palaeozoic mountain chain, whose bedrock is classified as Late Proterozoic to Silurian . After several phases of deformation and metamorphosis

1560-723: The Kunisch Mountains. To the southeast of the Arber, this ridge is initially interrupted by the Zwiesel Basin, in which nestles the town of Zwiesel , but continues on the far side of the basin, with the Rachel (up to 1,453 m), the Lusen (1,373 m) and the Dreisesselberg (1,333 m), the other highest mountains of the Bavarian Forest and in the whole of the Bohemian Forest too. The crest continues beyond

1620-706: The Paleolithic era – the Stone Age (dates back to 9000 BC). The initial settlements of a more permanent character appeared in the southwest of Bohemia during the Bronze Age (3,000 to 1,000 years BC). In the 1st century AD, the forest was inhabited by Gallo-Romans as well as by Germanic tribes in its northern part. The Celts were however gradually forced out by the Germanic tribe (the Marcomanni ), who left

1680-796: The Regen Depression and Anterior Bavarian Forest is the Passauer Vorwald and, beyond it, the Abteiland ("Abbey Land"), which on average is only a little hillier than the Regen valley. In the north of the region are the towns of Grafenau and Freyung , to the south is the Neuburg Forest , south of the Danube between Vilshofen and Passau . In the east, roughly from Waldkirchen , the Abbey Country transitions into

1740-680: The Vorwald transition in the south and on this side of the Regen into the Jurassic rocks of the Franconian Jura; Regenstauf being located at the boundary between the rock formations. Below Nittenau , the Regen breaks through the Vorwald impressively in a 90° bend and various smaller loops. The main summit in this high-relief part of the landscape, is the Jugendberg (611 m) immediately southwest of Nittenau, but more spectacular are

1800-452: The Wegscheid Plateau, which flows seamlessly into the Mühlviertel region of Lower Austria . This reaches a height of 948 m in the Frauenwald . To the west the Passauer Vorwald, south of the High Bavarian Forest and opposite its northern and northeastern perimeter mountains, descends into the Lallinger Winkel ( Deggendorfer Vorwald ) around 400 metres lower. The Bavarian Forest is continued, initially northwest, then northeast, by

1860-403: The bend in the Regen below Roding, runs through Walderbach and ends directly below Reichenbach . By contrast, the wider Regen valley section between the two water gaps from Treidling to the town of Nittenau, as well as the Roding Regen valley, belong to the adjoining Upper Palatine Hills , while the valley section by Cham is part of the Cham-Furth Depression. To the southeast and adjacent to

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1920-418: The borders of Bavaria, along the border between the Czech Republic and Austria, crossing the mountains of the Plöckenstein (1,379 m) and Hochficht (1,338 m). The Zeller Valley ( Zellertal ), which stretches from Bad Kötzting via Bodenmais and northeast of Langdorf to Bettmannsäge and continues in relief terms as far as Spiegelau , separates a third, slightly lower ridgeline, which bounds

1980-407: The east. It is usually considered part of the Passau Vorwald (see below). The westernmost part of the Bavarian Forest is the Falkensteiner Vorwald , which adjoins the Anterior Bavarian Forest. It has an unspectacular, humpy relief. Of the few mountains exceeding 700 m in height, the Gallner (709 m) is the most spectacular. It is located immediately west of the Elisabethszell mountains and

2040-440: The fact that the term "Bavarian Forest" was increasingly extended to mean the entire low mountain region on the German side of the border between Bavaria and Bohemia. As a result of political developments after 1989, most recently the accession of the Czech Republic to the Schengen area , however, there is a discernible trend to see the low mountain range on the German-Czech border as a unit, especially in terms of tourism. Tourism

2100-478: The glacier, for example near the Grosser Arbersee, was located at a height of 850 metres, the snout of the northern glacier down to the small Arbersee at a height of about 830 metres. Accordingly, there was a considerable difference in height of more than 600 metres from the summit regions to the terminal moraines . Other glacial tongues flowed down from the Grosser Rachel. Here too, there are cirques and caroids, which suggest ice-age glaciation. Amongst

2160-408: The largest contiguous forests in Europe. The Bavarian Forest is drained mainly by the Regen and Ilz rivers into the Danube , a small catchment near the Czech Republic drains into the Elbe via the Moldau . The highest mountains of the Bavarian Forest are the Great Arber at 1,456 m and the Great Rachel (1,453 m). In the eastern part of the mountains, Germany's first national park,

2220-559: The late 11th century. Slavic settlement gradually shifted south, without however reaching the upper Vltava valley. Slavic-founded settlements carried the names of Christian Saints, which indicates that the founding was after the Christianization of Bohemia . Some toponyms indicate that the new Slavic settlers came in contact with remaining Germanic people. Under the rule of King Ottokar I , organized colonization of Bohemian Forest by German settlers began. Bavarian settlers after various wars with Serbs (modern Serbs/Sorbs) for domination over

2280-619: The late 15th century in Antonio Bonfini 's work Rerum unganicarum decades . Folk etymology connects the name's origin with the Czech words šum , šumění (literally 'hum, humming') denoting the noise of trees in the wind. The most accepted opinion among linguists derives Šumava from a theorized Proto-Slavic word * šuma 'dense forest', cf. Serbian šuma as it adjoins regions populated by Sorbs of Lusatia and surrounds (North Eastern Bavaria and Saxony). There are corresponding toponyms in modern-day Serbia i.e. Šumadija 'land of dense forests'. Modern Serbian maintains

2340-448: The low mountain range are found on a second ridgeline, southwest of the main ridge, and which also runs from northwest to southeast. The Arber (up to 1,456 m) is linked to the Seewand to the north by a mountain ridge; to the northwest the ridgeline crosses the Schwarzeck (1,236 m) and runs up to the Kaitersberg (1,133 m); the upper valley of the White Regen , the so-called Lamer Winkel , separates this ridge from that of

2400-406: The most important local landscapes are generally characterised by their natural regional and geomorphological nature: The centre of the Bohemian Forest lies between Zwiesel in the west and Vimperk in the east. It is a low-relief plateau, which rises almost everywhere to above 1,000 m. Northwest, towards the Großer Falkenstein (1,315 m), the relief energy rises; on the far side of

2460-405: The most prominent gap in the Anterior Bavarian Forest and is crossed by the Bundesstraße 11 which climbs up to a height of 583.7 m. Immediately to the east of the pass are the Riegel Mountains ( Riegelbergen ) with the Einödriegel (1,121 m) to the north and the Breitenauriegel (1,116 m) to the south of the highest point of the Anterior Bavarian Forest. South of it and separated by

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2520-420: The mostly sedimentary , but also plutonic and volcanic , source rocks were metamorphosed over millions of years into the present-day gneisses . These gneisses were intruded by mighty granite rock especially in the Carboniferous and Early Permian . The Kunisch Mountains in the north are formed of schist , whilst the gabbro - amphibolite massif around Eschlkam and Neukirchen beim Heiligen Blut with

2580-401: The mountains towards the city of Regensburg . Together with the adjacent Upper Palatine Forest on the far side of the Cham-Furth Depression , and the Neuburg Forest south of Passau , the Bavarian Forest forms the largest contiguous area of woodland in Bavaria and, together with the Bohemian Forest and the Sauwald (its southeastern continuation towards Upper Austria ), it forms one of

2640-417: The northeast and the Danube plain (" Gäuboden ") to the southwest. This dividing line between the Tertiary Hill Country and the Bavarian Forest is marked by the Danube Edge Fault ( Donaurandbruch ), a geological disruption between the sunken crystalline basement , lying beneath the Tertiary and Quaternary deposits of the molasse basin, and the still visible part northwest of this line, which belongs to

2700-400: The northern extension of this ridge in the Regen valley lies the Hornbergwald forest, which reaches 844 m at the Abendberg and thus clearly towers above the floor of the basin. Immediately east of the Vogelsang is the Grafling Saddle ( Graflinger Paßsenke ), which follows the valleys of the Kollbach and Teisnach rivers from Gotteszell in the north to Grafling in the south. It is

2760-584: The other hand, many habitats dependent on farming activity are slowly turning into forest. In the Czech Republic , the most valuable area is protected in the Šumava National Park and Protected Landscape and the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve . Part of the German section is protected as the Bavarian Forest National Park . The Bohemian Forest is a popular holiday destination because it is excellent hiking country. Most interesting natural and cultural sights are connected with more than 500 km of summer marked trails and many bike trails. However, park administration

2820-502: The places of interest in the Bavarian Forest are: Nature Observation towers Culture The following is a list of the mountains in the Bavarian Forest, sorted alphabetically with heights given in metres (m) above sea level (NN) : 49°00′N 12°40′E  /  49.000°N 12.667°E  / 49.000; 12.667 Bohemian Forest The Bohemian Forest , known in Czech as Šumava ( pronounced [ˈʃumava] ) and in German as Böhmerwald ,

2880-417: The region, cleared the forest and founded settlements in the to date largely uninhabited mountainous region, which thereby became culturally close to Bavaria . Since then the nature in Bohemian Forest, including the forested landscape developed under the strong influence of human activity. The borderline virgin forests receded, making way for fields and pastures, and thus in the 13th century, the colonisation of

2940-406: The rolling hills or Hügelland of the Regen Depression borders. Many of the most important settlements of the inner Bavarian Forest such as Viechtach , Teisnach , Regen , Rinchnach and Kirchdorf im Wald are located here along the course of the Black Regen . The quartz lode known as the Pfahl runs roughly through the centre of the depression, following the main Hercynian direction. To

3000-427: The sake of simplicity, a distinction is not made between the Bohemian Forest (originally the Inner Bavarian Forest) and the Bavarian Forest. Instead, the common local name of "Bavarian Forest" is used for the entire area of the low mountain range on the German side, as the term "Bohemian Forest" has become synonymous with the areas in the Czech Republic . A distinction is only made between the Anterior Bavarian Forest and

3060-405: The shaping and destiny of a particular natural region. The concept "natural region" is a large basic geographical unit, like the vast boreal forest region. The term may also be used generically, like in alpine tundra , or specifically to refer to a particular place. The term is particularly useful where there is no corresponding or coterminous official region. The Fens of eastern England ,

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3120-410: The slopes of the 664 m high Gailenberg above the bend in the Regen. On the right-hand, western side of the Regen the Schwarzberg reaches at height of 538 m immediately east of Maxhütte-Haidhof . In the north of the western part of the Falkensteiner Vorwald there is a second, somewhat less prominent Regen water gap : the Reichenbach Regen valley ( Reichenbach Regental ) which begins at

3180-400: The south-west of the Regen depression is the Anterior Bavarian Forest (also called the Danube Hills), which is up to 1,121 m high. Its crest also runs roughly south-eastwards, but is clearly divided into individual ridges, each of which runs in a different direction. In the far northwest are the Elisabethszell Mountains near the village of Elisabethszell , the line of which runs away to

3240-485: The southeast. At the Hadriwa they reach a height of 922 m. Immediately to the east are the Hirschenstein Mountains which are similarly oriented. Beginning at the Zeller Höhe (850 m), the northernmost mountain of the Anterior Bavarian Forest overall, this range climbs to 1,092 m) at the Hirschenstein . Southeast of the Hirschenstein lie the Vogelsangwald woods and the Vogelsang (1,022 m), which comprises only one ridge; it runs from north to south. On

3300-403: The state road, St 2135, is a chain of summits, the Hausstein Mountains ( Haussteinberge ) and Leopoldswald , running eastwards. The Hausstein reaches a height of 917 m, the Fürberg in the far east climbing to 880 m. The most southerly mountain range, the Sonnenwald , is also a chain of individual peaks running from west to east; it is only connected to the Leopoldswald southwest of

3360-405: The summit regions in the High Bavarian Forest are over 1300 up to 1,400 m ( Plöckenstein 1,378 m, Dreisesselberg 1,333 m, Lusen 1,371 m, Großer Rachel 1,453 m, Kleiner Rachel 1,399 m, Kaitersberg 1,133 m, Großer Falkenstein 1,315 m, Großer Osser 1,293 m, Zwercheck 1,333 m, Großer Arber 1,456 m). In particular, those regions of

3420-466: The use of the word šuma 'forest' and the toponym Šumava equates to 'forested lands'. In the ancient maps of astronomer and geographer Ptolemy , the mountain chain is called Gabreta . In the maps of Greek geographer Strabo the mountain chain is called Sudeta . Both names given to the mountain chain are of Celtic etymology. The Bohemian Forest comprises heavily forested mountains with average heights of 800–1,400 metres. The highest peak

3480-558: Was an antecedent incision of the rivers Inn and Danube into this area of the crystalline basement which led to the formation of a narrow valley zone from Pleinting down the Danube into Austria and south of Passau, where the Inn has formed a deeply incised riverbed. Whilst the Anterior Bavarian Forest only exceeds 1,000 m in a few places (for example, the Brotjacklriegel 1,016 m, Einödriegel 1,121 m, Breitenauriegel 1,114 m, Vogelsang 1,022 m, Hirschenstein 1,092 m and Pröller 1,048 m), most of

3540-415: Was between Untermoldau (1376, today: Dolní Vltavice) and Obermoldau (1359). In 1945–1946, the region's Bohemian Germans were expelled . The originally Sorbian population moved to adjoining places which to this day testify to their origins in places throughout North Bohemia i.e Srbská Kamenice. Natural region A natural region (landscape unit) is a basic geographic unit. Usually, it

3600-406: Was filled with quartz by the penetration of hydrothermal solutions. Due to the strength of the rock, this quartz wall protrudes up to 30 metres above the surrounding area for long distances. North of the Pfahl is found mainly gneiss, south of it granite and migmatites tend to predominate. Between Regensburg and Passau, there is a marked difference in height between the forested mountains to

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