Grafenau () is a town in the

Freyung-Grafenau Freyung-Grafenau is a ''Landkreis'' (district) in Bavaria, Germany. It is bounded by (from the south and clockwise) the districts of Passau, Deggendorf and Regen, the Czech Republic and by Austria. History The district was established in 1972, by ...

district, in

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. 32 km north of

Passau Passau (; bar, label=Central Bavarian, Båssa) is a city in Lower Bavaria, Germany, also known as the Dreiflüssestadt ("City of Three Rivers") as the river Danube is joined by the Inn from the south and the Ilz from the north. Passau's popu ...

, the town is situated in the

Bavarian Forest The village of Zell in the Bavarian Forest The Bavarian Forest (German: ' or ''Bayerwald''; bar, Boarischa Woid) is a wooded, low-mountain region in Bavaria, Germany that is about 100 kilometres long. It runs along the Czech border and is con ...

and is the base of the Bavarian Forest National Park Authority. Grafenau is a holiday destination with a variety of kinds of accommodation from self-catering apartments to a "holiday village".

Location and facilities

The town lies in the Bavarian Forest at a height between 600 and 700 meters over sea level, right beside the Bavarian Forest National Park. The Kleine Ohe river flows along the east and south of the town. It is close to the Frauenberg. In April 1945, Major General

Stafford LeRoy Irwin Lieutenant General Stafford LeRoy Irwin (March 23, 1893 – November 23, 1955) was a senior United States Army officer who served in World War II. He came from a family with a strong military tradition: he was the son of Major General George LeRo ...

opened his XII Corps Headquarters there. Since 1976 there has been an artificial lake (surrounded by a park) which is used for sport and recreation. There are museums about the town and surrounding area, including a museum with a collection of traditional furniture, and also a museum about

snuff Snuff may refer to: Tobacco * Snuff (tobacco), fine-ground tobacco, sniffed into the nose ** Moist snuff or dipping tobacco ** Creamy snuff, an Indian tobacco paste Media and entertainment * Snuff film, a type of film that shows a murder Literat ...

. The town has curling and ice skating rinks (which are seasonal), and ski drag lifts in an area which in summer months is used for bobsleds. There is also a golf course. There is a Catholic church, a railway terminus, and a bus station, in addition to a range of hotels, shops, and garage facilities for motorists.

Gallery

Personalities

Alfred Edel Alfredo Leonardo Edel (1856–1912), sometimes credited as Alfredo Edel Colorno, was an Italian costume designer popular during the late 19th and early 20th century. Edel was born 15 May 1856 in Colorno, Italy, the son of Giuseppe and Clementin ...

(1932-1993), actor, was buried in Grafenau.

Twin towns

Grafenau is twinned with:Stadt Grafenau - Partnerstädte
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Kašperské Hory Kašperské Hory (; german: Bergreichenstein) is a town in Klatovy District in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,400 inhabitants. It is known as a ski resort. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an ur ...

(Bergreichenstein), Czech Republic *

Schärding Schärding ( , Bavarian name: Scharing) is a town in northern Austrian state of Upper Austria, the capital of the district of the same name, and a major port on the Inn River. Historically, it was owned by the Wittelsbach family, which reflects ...

, Austria

References

Freyung-Grafenau {{FreyungGrafenau-geo-stub