Zwiesel is a small town of just under 10,000 inhabitants located at the junction of the Großer and Kleiner Regen rivers in the Bavarian Forest in the southeast of Germany.
A former mining town also famous for its glass production, Zwiesel has also been designated as an official climatic health resort.
Bodenmais is a picturesque town in the heart of the Bavarian Forest. The Silberberg mountain offers a chance to explore the tunnels formerly used by silver miners. The town is also an official 'spa town' with plenty of local wellness facilities.
Situated on the edge of the Bavarian Forest, Cham offers a mix of outdoor activities and cultural experiences. Take a stroll through the old town or embark on a hiking or cycling adventure in the surrounding countryside.
Like most other towns in the Bavarian Forest, Munich Airport is the most convenient airport, with a wide range of destinations which are available to fly from.
Distance to Linz Airport: 147km
Distance to Munich Airport: 148km
Distance to Prague Airport: 183km
Distance to Salzburg Airport: 192km
To the south, Linz is also an option and marginally closer, although the choice of destinations is smaller. Otherwise, over the border in the Czech Republic Prague might be a decent option for a main airport and Salzburg in Austria has a good choice of charter flights from the UK.
The train station in Zwiesel is located beyond the big glass showroom and factory on the other side of the Stadtpark and river from the old town. The town is a junction for the Waldbahn service and connects to a number of other towns in the Bavarian Forest towns as well as to mainline services via Plattling.
Zwiesel is a good base to explore the surrounding Bavarian Forest landscape and accommodation can be found in the town itself or in the surrounding countryside.
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One of the town's landmarks is the glass pyramid made out of wineglasses (Zwiesel is a leader in glassware production for gastronomy) - it is located in the middle of an unprepossessing glassworks car park but looks better at night-time when it is lit up.
The Waldmuseum Zwiesel (literally 'Forest Museum') has exhibits focused on the history of Zwiesel and its connection to both wood and glass.
The tourist office also organises tours ofunderground tunnels, which were first created in the Middle Ages and used by locals to hide when invading armies passed the town.
The Bavarian Forest may not be as high as the Alps, but it still has its own smaller ski resorts. There are two ski areas in the Zwiesel area (Rabenstein and Glasberg).
The name Zwiesel can be traced back to the meaning of 'fork' - in this case, the 'fork' referring to either or both of the junction of the two rivers and the crossing of two major trade routes in the Middle Ages.
The first actual mention of Zwiesel dates back to the 13th century, but prospectors for gold are thought to have been active in the area before that time. In the following century it was given the rights to hold a market - an important step for the commercial success of a settlement in those days.
Traders brought salt to the town for sale, as well as hops, which led to a healthy brewing industry. Like other towns in the Bavarian Forest, glassmaking was also a major activity in Zwiesel and can be traced back to the 15th century.
Nowadays, Zwiesel is known as the 'Glasstadt' ('glass town') and still employs 800 locals in the industry.
Zwiesel only officially became a town at the beginning of the 20th century and in 1975 it was officially named a 'Luftkurort' (a climatic spa resort).
The main Zwiesel tourist office is situated in the Town Hall and is open from Monday-Thursday and Friday mornings. There is also another office which is located in the Waldmuseum near the church, which is open daily apart from Tuesdays.
Website: www.zwiesel.de