Lakes and Rivers in the National Park Region

Crystal clear streams wind their way through the wild landscape of the Bavarian Forest. Sometimes roaring with tremendous force over rocks and rapids, sometimes flowing quietly and peacefully. But always exhilarating.

Besides glass production, the timber industry was the only other occupation available to the residents of the Bavarian Forest. The rivers and streams were used to float the tree trunks from inaccessible places to where they could be processed. This flotation was called the ‘Holztrift’.

The Regen and Ilz rivers are fed by the streams in the National Park and flow into the Danube, the Regen at Regensburg and the Ilz at Passau . 

Another notable fact: The Trinkwassertalsperre (reservoir) Frauenau is the highest altitude reservoir in Germany.

The Rachelsee is a legendary mountain lake in the Bavarian Forest National Park. 10,000 years ago, as the ancient forces shaping our world receded, the basin of a mountain lake emerged, the Rachelsee, shrouded in legend. Following the melting of a glacier, a basin 14 metres deep and 3.8 hectares in area appeared, into which all the streams from the surrounding slopes flowed.

A relic of the ice age, at which you can still sense the spirit of the first days of the creation. The dark, impenetrable waters of the lake have a uniquely reflective surface. A certain secretiveness emanates from the still waters and creates a unique atmosphere for the visitor. Pale ghost-like branches, rotting tree trunks, mosses and ferns carry the observer away into a quite different world. Watch these ancient forms for any length of time and they seem to take on the form of mythical figures and one becomes spellbound. No wonder that this lake has so many legends and myths woven around it, involving people who really lived in this region.