Why the city of the bear?
Of course you’ve asked yourself why Grafenau is known as the city of the bear. There are several reasons:
The bear is the emblem of Grafenau. On the Grafenau coat of arms the bear has been looking out over the battlements of the city wall for over 500 years.
Many years ago, the bear was at home in the forest surrounding Grafenau. At the time of Duke Max, bear hunting even took place. Many place names such as "Bärnstein" originate from this period.
In close proximity to Grafenau, in the neighbouring town of Neuschönau, you can visit real bears at the Wildlife Enclosure of the National Park. Regina, Luna, Benny, and two cute baby bears are looking forward to your visit!
Together with the neighbouring community Neuschönau, the promotion "Da ist der Bär los" was created. Many of the packages and walks on offer, especially for families, centre on the beautiful, brown giants. The promotion received several awards as an exceptional holiday offer, such as the Bavarian Innovation Prize and the Bavarian Forest Tourism Award!
Whether the Grafenau city bear, a bear sculpture in the park or in front of the National Park offices, or taking a walk on the Bear Trail - this fascinating wild animal is everywhere in Grafenau, the city of the bear. The activities and experiences program and many events can be found all year round ‘in recognition of the bears’.
