TOUR reader Jürgen Hammerlindl doesn't get on his bike without his identity card. At least not if he is cycling a route that takes him across the German-Czech border - and that is not uncommon. The 42-year-old lives in the Bavarian Forest, which merges seamlessly into the Czech Bohemian Forest in the east. Myths and fairy tales accompany Jürgen Hammerlindl on his round trip. In Furth im Wald, for example, a dragon has been wreaking havoc for five hundred years. Every year, a knight has to free the town from the monster with the Drachenstich, Germany's oldest folk play.
The route continues to the pilgrimage site of Neukirchen bei Heiligen Blut. A wooden statue of the Virgin Mary is said to have shed blood there at the beginning of the 15th century after an enemy Hussite split her skull open. But it's not just stories like this that give the border region between Germany and the Czech Republic its special flair. If you don't mind the many hills (with gradients of between five and ten per cent), the beauty of the region opens up to you: quiet side roads, dreamy little towns and huge forest areas such as the Sumava, which stretches from Rittsteig down to Passau. And perhaps someone will even discover the seven dwarves in the middle of the forest, behind one of the mountains...
INFO
The route
140 kilometres, 800 metres in altitude
Furth im Wald - Seuchau - Ösbühl - Eschlkam - Unterfaustern - Neukirchen beim Heiligen Blut - Tanneneck - Rittsteig - Nyrsko (Neuern) - Zelena Lhota (Grün) - Hojsova Stráz (Iron Road) - Spicak (Spitzberg) - Zelezná Ruda (Markt Eisenstein) - Bayerisch Eisenstein - Lohberg - Lam - Furth im Wald
Excursion time
April to October. However, it can be very cold in April and October. Rain gear and - especially at the start of the racing bike season - a mountain transfer are recommended in any case.
Cycling clubs
SV Bayerisch Eisenstein 1920 e.V., Rainer Kuchler, phone 09925/612, e-mail: rainer.kuchler@t-online.de
Velo-Club Ratisbona e.V., Wollwirkergasse 25, 93047 Regensburg, phone 0941/54982
Cycling shops
Zweiradgeschäft Heinz Wanek, Waldschmidtstr. 6, 93437 Furth im Wald, phone 09973/1280
Food & Drink
The route leads through a huge nature reserve. There are numerous places to stop for refreshments (some with rooms) in all price categories. For example, the Gasthof zum Steinbruchsee, Steinbruchweg 10, 93437 Furth im Wald, telephone 09973/609;
Pension Waldesruh, Kühberg 14, 93437 Furth im Wald, telephone 09973/1083;
Hotel Habersaign, Habersaign 1, 93437 Furth im Wald, telephone 09973/3823;
Gasthaus Himmelreich, Himmelreichweg 7, 93437 Furth im Wald, telephone 09973/1840
Overnight stays
Tourist-Info Bayerisch-Eisenstein, Schulbergstr. 1, 94252 Bayerisch Eisenstein, phone 09925/327, e-mail: info@bayerisch-eisenstein.de
Tourist-Info Furth im Wald, Schloßplatz 1, 93437 Furth im Wald, Tel. 09973/50980, E-Mail: tourist@furth.de
Maps
Official cycling map East: "Upper Bavarian Forest Nature Park", 5 euros, ISBN 3-932115-17-1;
Fritsch hiking map: "Around the Arber"; 6.95 euros, ISBN 3-86116-069-2
Cycling maps and route descriptions are also available from the local tourist offices and tourist information centres
The entire article is available as a free PDF download.
(Text: Jürgen Hammerlindl, Map: Christian Rolle)
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