Spiegelau: Gorge, Kneipp facility and glassmaking tradition

Spiegelau can be understood through specific themes relating to nature, water and history. If you are looking for a hotel in town, these highlights can help you choose a destination based on your own interests: Steinklamm Gorge and the hiking trails represent the natural landscape, while the Kneipp facility and the history of glassmaking add other local themes.

Gorge landscape and trails

Steinklamm is a rocky gorge between Spiegelau and Grafenau and also a natural landmark of Spiegelau. The roaring waters of the Große Ohe, potholes carved into the rock, moss-covered stones and diverse plant life shape the gorge. Water, rock formations and vegetation are all central features, so the natural setting encompasses more than just the view of the water.

All hiking trails in Spiegelau are equipped with QR codes. You can use your smartphone to access information about sights and the history of Spiegelau. If you would like to use the digital information for your planning, check in advance which content is currently available. This way, the trails connect the natural landscape with information about local history and sights.

Water and glassmaking tradition

The Spiegelau natural Kneipp facility allows visitors to take Kneipp walks in the mountain water of the Schwarzach. A paved ramp makes the facility suitable for wheelchair users as well. Since the 15th century, people in Spiegelau have used quartz deposits and wood from the Bavarian Forest to make glass. The history of glassmaking thus roots the town in a specific period and also identifies the raw materials used.

Freyung-Grafenau as a wider destination

The Bavarian Forest National Park extends into the district of Freyung-Grafenau, the wider destination; it opened on 7 October 1970 as Germany’s first national park. According to the 2024 zoning map, 75.37 percent of the national park area belongs to the natural zones. The founding date and the area breakdown provide different points of reference: the park’s establishment and its designated zoning.

Another nature and culture theme in the wider destination of Freyung-Grafenau is the Buchberger Leite Wildbach Gorge. There, steep rock barriers force the boulder-strewn Wolfsteiner Ohe, with its many cascades, into a deeply incised channel; remnants of primeval forest have survived in the moss- and fern-rich gorge woodlands. An eight-kilometre themed hiking trail, with information boards and an accompanying brochure, runs through the Buchberger Leite between Freyung and Ringelai. Historic timber-floating walls, tunnels cut into the rock and above-ground canals bear witness to centuries of human activity there. The landscape, hiking trail and historic traces offer different perspectives on this regional theme.

In Freyung stands the Schramlhaus, built around 1700: it is now the town’s oldest farmhouse and, in its original condition, one of the oldest in the district of Freyung-Grafenau. The house contains more than a hundred original examples of reverse glass painting, a form of religious folk art; it also houses the Wolfstein Local History Museum. Architecture, folk art and the local history museum thus come together in one named location.

Discover more destinations: Oberkreuzberg, Philippsreut, Freyung, Hohenau, Thurmansbang, Perlesreut, Jandelsbrunn, Eppenschlag.

View the wider travel overview: Freyung-Grafenau.