If you like glass in all kinds of shapes and sizes, then you should know the Glass Route in Eastern Bavaria.

This beautiful route takes you on a distance of around 250 km through the Upper Palatinate and Bavarian Forest. If you stay at the Hotel Bergknappenhof, you will be right on the Glass Route. You have a variety of opportunities to admire glass in your immediate vicinity and also to buy it by auction. In just six minutes you can reach the JOSKA Crystal adventure worlds, where you are guaranteed an unforgettable stay. Here you will find crystal gardens, the House of the Seasons, the Crystal Gallery, the House of Villeroy & Boch. The adventure restaurant with beer garden and children's adventure land invite you to linger. You can visit the glassworks or try your hand at glass blowing. In the crystal shopping world, all doors are open for you to stock up on wonderful glass. In the neighboring town of Drachselsried, just 10 km away, is the Herrmann Gallery. Here you will find the unusual, the very special, because 150 glass artists from 30 nations exhibit their glass works here (open from 09:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and by appointment). The next stop, just three km away, or just under 13 km from the Hotel Bergknappenhof, will amaze you with the Weinfurtner Glass Village in Arnbruck. Like a real village, this complex consists of several houses, in which a variety of themed areas are housed. From the traditional glassworks to the glass village gardens and lifestyle, you will find everything your heart desires here. You are welcome to drive further in this direction, to Arrach, Lam or Viechtach or St. Englmar. From the Hotel Bergknappenhof, however, you can also head east. Here, in around 20 minutes, you will find several glass companies in Zwiesel. The Galerie Zwiesel, the Zwiesel Kristallglas AG, Galerie Ritterswürden, Glaskunst Wolfgang Schmid or the glass engraver Christian Schmidt, to name just a few. Continuing in this direction, you will reach Frauenau, Spiegelau and St. Oswald Riedelhütte, where you will find other interesting glass companies.

Photo credit: JOSKA Bodenmais