The best MTB trails around Flossenbürg

The Granite Information Center in Flossenbürg, also known as the Steinhauerhaus, has been a point of contact at the Burgweiher since 2023. It is located on the "Path of Granite". It offers the permanent exhibition "Granite and Man", which illustrates the historical craft, geology, and social history of the stonemasons. Admission is free. A tour leads around the Flossenbürg castle ruins. More info at: https://www.oberpfaelzerwald.de/flossenbuerg-welt-des-granits

The reservoir provides flood protection for the surrounding communities, especially the town of Tirschenreuth. During periods of low rainfall, water stored in the lake is released. In addition, renewable energy is generated through hydropower using a Francis turbine. Energy production is managed by Bayerische Landeskraftwerke GmbH. The spiral turbine is fed with lake water via a 110-meter-long bottom outlet tunnel. The generator's average annual output is approximately 0.57 million kilowatt-hours.

The cross-country skiing center is worth a visit in both summer and winter. In summer, mountain biking and hiking are popular, while in winter, cross-country skiing on excellently groomed skating and classic trails, as well as snowshoeing all the way to Goldbach in the Czech Republic, is a great option. In winter, you can change and warm up in the modern activity building. On winter weekends, the kiosk is also worth a visit, if it's open. You can check its opening status using the app and on the center's webcams. Paying the small fee at the parking lots below helps with the upkeep of the trails and tracks.

A very beautiful spot here below the castle...

Nice trail, you can run...

A visit is recommended at any time of year. ♡♡♡ There's something for everyone, whether it's mountain biking, hiking, or fishing.

When Slavs repeatedly invaded the Nordgau at the beginning of the 12th century, Margrave Diepold, as administrator of the Nordgau, and his friend Count Beringer of Sulzbach were forced in 1109 to settle the border with the Bohemian dukes Borsivoy and Wladislaw on behalf of the German King Henry V. One of the established border points was likely this mighty, immovable granite block. A cross, still clearly visible today, was carved into the broad, blunt cone on the south side. Barely discernible is the inscription "Bohemia" on the east side and "Bavaria" on the west side. The slab marks the border line with a furrow cut at an obtuse angle. The stone also bears a number and the year of the last border determination: "1843." In 1997, the Bavarian-Bohemian hiking and cross-country skiing border crossing "Kreuzstein / Křížový kámen" was officially opened.

The Silberhütte mountain refuge was built in 1932 by the Upper Palatinate Forest Association (OWV), enlarged in 1940, and an additional storey was added in 1957. The Silberhütte was originally run as a restaurant with guest rooms. The village, distinguished by its snow-sure location at an altitude of 818 meters, developed into a center for hiking, but especially for cross-country skiing. Since 2016, no tenant has been found for the once popular excursion restaurant. In 2018, the OWV sold the mountain refuge and its two-and-a-half-hectare site to the town of Bärnau. All plans for revitalization, most recently the planned conversion to a climate and nature awareness center in 2022, have failed since then. It looks as if the Silberhütte is becoming a lost place.