Bärnau: Button Museum, Old Town and Nature

Bärnau combines urban history and culture with trails, bodies of water and opportunities for sports activities. When planning your trip, you can first consider whether you would mainly like to visit museums and historic sites, get active outdoors, or enjoy both.

Old Town and Museums in Bärnau

On a walking tour of Bärnau’s old town, you can discover the history and present-day character of the oldest town in the Stiftland region. The tour is available as a group booking or as an open guided tour; check the current schedule when planning your visit.

The German Button Museum has been housed in the town’s former communal brewery since 1998. Its collection showcases buttons from four centuries and made from 26 different materials. Machines and equipment complement the exhibition with examples of earlier button-making methods. The museum visit focuses not only on different buttons, but also on how they were made.

The Bärnau-Tachov History Park also offers a practical guide for visitors: the park provides free audio tours for your own smartphone, with no download required. Audio guides are available in German, Czech and English.

Cycling, Hiking and Winter Sports

There is a well-signposted network of cycling paths around Bärnau, with routes for leisure cyclists and competitive athletes. At Silberhütte, located at an elevation of around 850 metres above sea level within the municipality of Bärnau, you will find a year-round starting point for both competitive and recreational sports activities.

The winter sports available at Silberhütte depend on snow conditions: when there is enough snow, a network of cross-country ski trails spanning more than 50 kilometres is available. The individual trails are 2 to 18 kilometres long and can be used for classic or skate skiing. Their different lengths and styles offer practical guidance when choosing a trail; use of the network remains dependent on good snow conditions.

The Grenzland Nature Trail borders the Moorweiher pond and is suitable for hiking. The pond is freely accessible at all times; rowing and swimming are possible. There is no lifeguard service. This allows you to combine a walk on the nature trail with a visit to the water, while hiking and the activities available at the pond remain separate options.

Historic Sites Nearby

Nearby, on Steinberg hill, stands the Tillyschanze, a preserved archaeological monument dating from the Thirty Years’ War. The fortification was built in 1621 as a defensive structure. Also on Steinberg, the pilgrimage route passes through an avenue of lime, elm and maple trees that is more than 200 years old. Stations of the Cross line the route; the avenue is designated a natural monument.

Culture and Regional Highlights in Tirschenreuth

In the wider destination of Tirschenreuth, the MuseumsQuartier brings together the Upper Palatinate Fisheries Museum and six other specialist exhibitions in a former monastery. There, you can explore almost 1,000 years of fishing and fish-farming history and see native fish in four large aquariums. Special exhibitions, talks, readings and concerts are regularly part of the programme. If you are interested in an event, check the latest dates.

The Fischhofpark is also part of Tirschenreuth’s cultural landscape. At its centre are the historic Fischhof Bridge and the Fischhof, which houses the district court. The Tirschenreuth district is best known for its culinary specialities: Zoigl, the cult beer of the Upper Palatinate Forest, and carp from the pond landscapes of the “Land of 1,000 Ponds.” These regional highlights complement Bärnau’s museum and nature offerings without implying that they are the same as the attractions in Tirschenreuth.

Discover more destinations: Wiesau, Pullenreuth, Tirschenreuth, Reuth Bei Erbendorf, Waldershof, Kemnath, Friedenfels, Neualbenreuth.

Back to the wider travel overview: Tirschenreuth.