Neuschönau offers various ways to discover the Bavarian Forest: the exhibition, animal enclosures and treetop walk are at the heart of the Lusen National Park Centre. There is also a botanical outdoor area, circular and village walks, and a natural swimming lake. This gives you different ways to shape your stay, from learning about nature and taking longer walks to swimming and winter activities.
Forest knowledge at the Lusen National Park Centre
At the Hans-Eisenmann-Haus in the Lusen National Park Centre, the permanent exhibition “Paths into Nature – A Story of Forests and People” introduces visitors to the secrets of the Bavarian Forest National Park. The exhibition title itself brings together nature and the human history of the forest. Those who want to learn about the national park not only through its landscape but also through this subject will find an introduction here.
Visitors can explore the flora of the national park in the four-hectare botanical outdoor area. The national park’s animal enclosures at the Lusen Visitor Centre offer another perspective: they are located in the municipality of Neuschönau and can be explored on a tour. In the wider Freyung-Grafenau destination, the circular trails through the animal enclosures near Neuschönau are also suitable for small children who cannot yet manage long distances.
Treetops, a circular trail and a village walk
The treetop walk is part of the Lusen National Park Centre near Neuschönau and allows visitors to stroll right through the treetops. Another option, with a predictable duration, is the circular trail at the Lusen National Park Centre: it is seven kilometres long and invites visitors on a three- to four-hour discovery tour. Shortcuts are possible. The site is suitable for pushchairs and wheelchairs, cleared in winter and freely accessible all year round.
A separate hike starts at the chapel in Waldhäuser. Marked “Habicht” (Goshawk), the route climbs through the village. Its described route provides the starting point and direction, so when planning the day, you can consider it a village walk alongside the circular trail at the national park centre.
Swimming lake and winter activities
The natural swimming lake in Neuschönau has a large sunbathing lawn and a gently sloping entry. The play area includes a slide, a swing and a stone cave. This makes it easy to combine an outing with a day of swimming, while the trails and exhibitions cater to other interests.
The mountain village of Waldhäuser has a beginner ski and snowboard centre with a rope tow and a small practice slope. When planning a winter visit, please check with the operator to see whether the centre is currently open. This means choosing between exploring nature, going for a hike and a possible winter sports activity according to your interests and the timing of your visit.
Further perspectives in the wider Freyung-Grafenau destination
The wider region also has its own points of interest. The Bavarian Forest National Park extends into the district of Freyung-Grafenau and opened on 7 October 1970 as Germany’s first national park. According to the 2024 zoning map, 75.37 percent of the area is designated as natural zones. These details place the national park in the history and present-day layout of the wider Freyung-Grafenau destination.
Another landscape in the wider Freyung-Grafenau destination is the Buchberger Leite Wild Gorge. There, steep rock barriers force the boulder-strewn, cascading Wolfsteiner Ohe into a deeply constricted bed; remnants of primeval forest have survived in the moss- and fern-rich gorge woodlands. An eight-kilometre themed trail, with information boards and an accompanying brochure, runs through the Buchberger Leite between Freyung and Ringelai. Alongside the destinations in Neuschönau, Freyung-Grafenau thus also offers its own gorge and river landscape as a regional highlight.
The Schramlhaus in Freyung is part of the culture of the wider Freyung-Grafenau destination. Built around 1700, the house is now the oldest farmhouse in Freyung and, in its original condition, one of the oldest in the district. It houses more than a hundred original examples of reverse glass painting, a form of sacred folk art. The Wolfstein Local History Museum is also housed in the Schramlhaus.
Discover more destinations: Philippsreut, Sankt Oswald, Fürsteneck, Eppenschlag, Schönberg, Innernzell, Hohenau, Röhrnbach.
To the wider travel overview: Freyung-Grafenau.
