Vohenstrauß: Castle, Museums and Nature

Vohenstrauß offers several clear starting points for planning a stay: Friedrichsburg Castle, museums focusing on local and regional topics, trails for hiking and cycling, and the natural swimming pool. If you are looking for a hotel in Vohenstrauß, these different highlights can help guide your choice of destination. The following places and routes range from architectural and local history to outdoor activities.

Friedrichsburg Castle and Culture

Friedrichsburg Castle is the landmark of the town of Vohenstrauß and of the history of Pfalz-Neuburg. Count Palatine Friedrich had the Renaissance castle built between 1586 and 1593; it is one of the most remarkable castle buildings in the Upper Palatinate. The three-storey building has a steep pitched roof and five round towers with pointed helmets.

Cultural events take place at Friedrichsburg Castle throughout the year. The rooms host exhibitions by regional artists and performances by the Vohenstrauß town theatre. An annual vintage car gathering is also held on the castle grounds, along with an Advent market. If you are interested in a particular programme, check the latest dates in advance.

Museums: Local History and Minerals

The Vohenstrauß Local History Museum is housed in a 18th-century farmhouse. Its collections cover former living and working conditions, as well as the town’s industrial history, including glass and porcelain. Other topics include agriculture and religious folk art, along with archaeological finds in and around Vohenstrauß. The museum thus combines everyday history with insights into the town’s economic and cultural development.

The “Treasures of the Upper Palatinate” gemstone museum focuses on minerals from the region. Highlights include fluorite and barite from the Wölsendorf fluorspar district, red, yellow and green garnet crystals, and the Hagendorf local collection. Rose quartz from Pleystein and beryl, a precursor to emerald, are also represented. The Local History Museum explores living conditions, town history and archaeological finds, while the gemstone museum focuses on minerals from the region.

Guided tours of the Local History Museum are available for groups or school classes by prior arrangement through the tourism office. The listed telephone number is 09651/922230. Confirm the tour with the tourism office before booking.

Hiking and Cycling Routes

The Count Palatine Friedrich Trail is a 16.5-kilometre nature and history trail dedicated to the builder of Friedrichsburg Castle. The circular walk is 16.5 kilometres long. If you choose Friedrichsburg Castle as your starting and ending point, the total distance increases by 3 kilometres. Six information boards explain the natural and cultural factors that shaped historic settlement, including drinking water supplies, energy resources and transport links. Follow the local signposts when planning your trip and take trail conditions into account.

Route 9 of the Simultankirchen Cycle Route offers a different kind of tour. It starts at the Evangelical Town Church in Vohenstrauß and first leads to the Simultaneous Church of St John the Baptist in Altenstadt. It then follows the Bockl Cycle Route to Flossenbürg, to the Simultaneous Churches of St Pankratius, and returns to Vohenstrauß via Waldkirch and Pleystein. Vohenstrauß therefore offers a nature and history trail as well as a cycling route with stops at simultaneous churches, providing two different types of excursion.

Natural Swimming Pool and Landscape

The Vohenstrauß natural swimming pool has a water slide, a sand and water play area, a water trampoline, a diving board and two beach volleyball courts. The swimming area includes a 50-metre section for swimmers and a non-swimmer section with a water depth of 0.10 to 1.20 metres. The swimmers’ section has a water depth of 1.20 to 3.80 metres. The non-swimmer section has a water depth of 0.10 to 1.20 metres, while the swimmers’ section is 1.20 to 3.80 metres deep.

The entire municipal area of Vohenstrauß lies within the Northern Upper Palatinate Forest Nature Park. One of the aims of the nature park designation is to open up suitable areas of landscape for recreation and enjoyment of nature and make them accessible to the public, insofar as the capacity of the natural environment and landscape allows. Recreation and public access apply to suitable areas of landscape and are subject to the capacity of the natural environment and landscape.

Discover more destinations: Böhmischbruck, Pressath, Eschenbach in der Oberpfalz, Leuchtenberg, Waldthurn, Kirchenthumbach, Georgenberg, Neustadt an der Waldnaab.

Return to the main travel overview: Neustadt an der Waldnaab.