The best cycling routes around Frauenau

Erich Schott on the lower town square in Zwiesel is a popular meeting point in the town.

Pizzeria Cafe Dolomiti, the stone oven stop. Crispy stone-baked pizza and a cold beer make this stop particularly worthwhile after a few meters of elevation gain. The terrace invites you to continue your leisurely ride through the Zwiesel region.

In 1975, Dr. h.c. Erich Schott, of the Jena glassworks, Schott & Associates, Mainz, donated this fountain to the people of Zwiesel. The large 'Erich Schott Fountain' is located in Zwiesel's town square. Granite steps, arranged in a circle around the fountain, compensate for the uneven terrain where necessary. They are paved with cobblestones. The majority of the round fountain is also made of gray granite. The low basin walls are lined with rectangular granite tiles, both on the inside and outside. Wooden plank seating is attached to the polished stone slabs that define the wide, overhanging edge of the basin. Within the basin, surrounded by shallow water, lie two natural boulders. They encircle the central element, which consists of a steel pedestal and a large stone sphere resting upon it. Square glass stones line the equator of the sphere, from whose tops water emerges in a focused jet. https://www.kunst-niederbayern.de/walter-mauder-und-siegfried-schriml-erich-schott-brunnen.html

The impressive town hall in Zwiesel has a turbulent history. A town hall in use since at least 1535 was burned down by the Swedes in 1633, along with the market square. It was rebuilt in 1635 but burned down again in 1707, resulting in the loss of many important records. The subsequent town hall was also destroyed in the market fire of 1832. In 1838, construction began on the current town hall on the site of the previous building. It wasn't until 1844 that the building, which until then had only a temporary roof, was properly re-roofed. In 1876, the town council decided to crown the town hall with a small tower. The work was awarded to master carpenter Georg Stolka for 1100 marks. He began erecting the turret on December 18, 1876. The tower's cupola was added on December 30, 1876, by journeyman carpenter Johann Kagerbauer. In the first days of the following year, the clock and bell were opened. The bell came from the old town hall, where it had been used for many decades to signal the start of council meetings. On January 16, 1877, the tower bell of the new town hall tower was rung for the first time. The town hall clock was also set in motion that day. The town hall has three stories with five window bays each. The windows of the lower floors are round-arched, as are the three portals, which are arranged side by side and are of the same size. A stepped landing lies in front of these portals. The upper floor has rectangular windows. The windows and portals have rusticated frames, and the corner pilasters are also rusticated. The stories are separated by cornices that run below the window sills. The ground floor features ashlar masonry. In front of the central window of the first upper floor, which extends into a doorway, is a balcony supported by a volute corbel and a balustrade. The flat roof, which slopes towards the tower, rests on a corbel frieze. The tower features wooden ornaments encased in sheet metal. The slate shingles of its roof are laid in a pattern, the spire is decorated with floral ornaments, and the weathervane at the very top consists of tin flower cups. The bell, cast in Straubing in 1707, weighs approximately twenty kilograms. https://www.niederbayern-wiki.de/wiki/Rathaus_(Zwiesel)

Historic blue mailboxes, often adorned with elaborate Art Nouveau decorations, are rare but prized photographic subjects in Germany. Particularly well-known are examples in the old town of Lauenburg and in Würzburg, which are still regularly emptied and preserve a piece of postal history. While the German Federal Post Office introduced yellow mailboxes in the 1980s, these blue ones are reminiscent of the Prussian era or their special airmail functions, with the "Brilliant Blue" shade (RAL 5007) being used for airmail. This charming, historic mailbox at the Zwiesel town hall immediately reminds me of the "twins" in Lauenburg's old town. Here is a link to them: https://www.lauenburg-tourismus.de/poi/historische-briefkaesten

always beautiful here, whether on foot or by bike

The world's tallest crystal glass pyramid is made of 93,665 Tritan® crystal glasses. The four-sided pyramid, weighing 11.5 tons, was created by 25 employees and apprentices of Zwiesel Krisallglas AG. Glasses on 65 levels and a total height of 8.06 m are also records. In Zwiesel, on May 25, 2007, the world's tallest crystal glass pyramid (height: 8.06 m) was ceremoniously inaugurated. For two weeks, a team from Zwiesel Krisallglas AG had been stacking glasses for the record-breaking project. Exactly 93,665 "Neckar" series white wine glasses were placed one by one, millimeter by millimeter, on top of each other, completely without glue or any other aids. The employees worked from scaffolding, partly secured like mountaineers. Due to a lack of technical control options, the construction was done almost entirely by eye. Only once did the pyramid threaten to go slightly out of shape, so that around 2,500 glasses had to be removed and restacked. Then the last wine glass was placed at the top, after which a crane installed the specially made protective glazing. The glass panels, weighing almost 5 tons, are supported by a delicate steel structure, which is an absolute technical challenge, as architect Uwe Fickenscher states. However, the pyramid requires more than just static knowledge from the planner. To prevent the stacked glasses from getting dirty or fogging up, a permanent dehumidification and dust removal system was installed. It has resulted in a glass world record and thus a new landmark for Zwiesel Kristallglas AG and also for the glass city of Zwiesel. https://www.bayerischer-wald.de/attraktion/glaspyramide-351dc60ba7

Small waterfall with a bench for resting.