IllustrationCome to Naturpark Hirschwald for tree trails, limestone valleys and the chance to watch rare bats leave their summer roost.
Come to Naturpark Hirschwald for tree trails, limestone valleys and the chance to watch rare bats leave their summer roost. South and west of Amberg, this roughly 280-square-kilometre region mixes forest with villages, river meadows and sunny grazing slopes. Choose a particular starting point rather than navigating simply to the park: Ensdorf suits a tree-discovery walk, the Ammerbachtal a longer countryside circuit, and Hohenburg a carefully timed bat evening.
The contrast between shade and open ground is part of the pleasure. In the Hirschwald itself, tall woodland surrounds paths through a former hunting and timber-producing landscape. Along the Lauterach, pale limestone and juniper-covered slopes make the scene much more open. Sheep grazing helps stop these flower-rich grasslands becoming scrub. Ask children to compare what grows in a sunny clearing with what grows beneath the trees, without leaving the path or picking plants.
Hohenburg gives that landscape a memorable animal connection. Its Fledermaushaus shelters a wild maternity colony of greater horseshoe bats, protected by the LBV. The bats live here freely; a guided visit lets you learn about them and watch their evening departure without entering their roost. The conservation story reaches into the surrounding pastures: grazing cattle support insects that the bats eat. Fips Nase, the bat in the park’s downloadable colouring and puzzle book, is a fictional learning character inspired by this real species.
There are quieter encounters too. Look from public riverside paths for kingfishers and white-throated dippers, or spend time at Theuern’s pond-viewing platform. If children would enjoy animals at closer range, Waldhaus has a wild-boar enclosure, a playground and a beer-garden restaurant. Those boars are captive animals, while the birds, bats and beavers elsewhere in this guide are wild and may stay out of sight. Eager to name that creature? Identify any animal you find during your visit using the Snappit app.
The nature park was designated in 2006. Long before that, the Hirschwald supplied timber and charcoal to the Upper Palatinate’s iron industry and served as a hunting ground for the Palatine electors. In the Ammerbachtal, military use displaced the small settlement of Rammertshof; the land later became a place for walking and nature conservation. Ensdorf’s tree trail tells a gentler story of change: former communal grazing land, an old forestry nursery and monastery orchards now explain why such different trees stand close together.
For a compact walking adventure, follow Ensdorf’s 2.3 km Baumlehrpfad, “Von Ahorn bis Zwetschge”. Start at the wooden portal and information board at the beginning of Hirschwalder Straße, beside the Fünf-Flüsse-Radweg and former station grounds. The circuit includes a stone stairway with 218 steps, woodland slopes and the Kalvarienberg viewpoint. Choose it for children happy to climb. Read a few tree labels rather than trying to learn all 41 species; compare leaf shapes and bark, then enjoy the view towards the monastery from the landscape-viewing seats.
For a longer day outside, take the approximately 7 km Landeskundlicher Rundweg am Ammerbach, using the official map from the hiking car park by Atzlricht. Eleven audio stops, including the welcome station, introduce old settlements, orchards, grazing and the former military training ground. Keep clear of ruins and old cellars. The separate Infopoint Biodiversität on the Speckmannshof/Fuchsstein approach has a small play area, useful if you prefer a short stop to the full circuit.
For birds, visit the covered observation platform beside the Schönungsteiche south of Theuern. It overlooks ponds associated with the treatment works and is reached by stairs. Stay at the public viewing area rather than exploring the ponds. For bats, book a seasonal Friday visit to the Fledermaushaus at Marktplatz 32 in Hohenburg; check the exact date and starting time with LBV. Treat these as separate outings or select one extra stop, leaving enough time for the journey between them.
Regular bat tours finish with the Bavarian summer holidays; do not expect autumn or winter Friday drop-in visits. In the Ammerbachtal, marked agricultural plots must not be entered from 1 March to 30 September; use the established paths throughout the year. Follow temporary forestry or safety closures. Wet leaves and ice make steps and slopes harder, and woodland is a poor choice in strong winds. Check current attraction arrangements before travelling.
Ensdorf’s full tree circuit is unsuitable for wheelchairs and pushchairs because of its 218-step stairway and hillside terrain. Theuern’s viewing platform also has stairs. For a step-free attraction, consider Hohenburg’s Fledermaushaus, which the park lists as accessible; discuss your needs when registering. Ursensollen’s planetarium has wheelchair access, an accessible toilet and a hearing loop. General parking there is about 300 m away along an asphalt path; designated disabled parking is at the building. For a wheelchair or pushchair outing in the Ammerbachtal, ask the park about surfaces and gradients on your intended section before travelling.
Ensdorf’s 2.3 km tree circuit, 218 stone steps and views towards the monastery
A booked summer evening watching wild greater horseshoe bats in Hohenburg
An approximately 7 km Ammerbach circuit through a landscape shaped by grazing and history
Waterbird watching from the covered, stair-accessed platform at Theuern
A labelled tree circuit linking hillside woodland, the Kalvarienberg viewpoint and the monastery orchard. Make it a compare-and-notice walk rather than a test of all 41 names.
The full circuit is unsuitable for wheelchairs or pushchairs. Do not assume an unmarked bypass is accessible.
An approximately 7 km circuit with eleven audio stops including the welcome station, linking former settlement sites, grazing land and the Ammerbach.
Ask the park about the particular section you want to use with a wheelchair or pushchair. A short visit to the information point does not establish accessibility of the whole circuit.
The long-distance option through sunny juniper slopes between Schmidmühlen, Hohenburg and Kastl.
Do not treat this hillside walking trail as a step-free route.
A short approach to a separately booked indoor attraction, not a nature-park circuit.
Vehicle access to the building is reserved for people with limited mobility, buses and staff; the planetarium has wheelchair access.
Arrive at Ensdorf with snacks and enough energy for the stairway. Follow the tree circuit, choose a few labels to investigate and pause at the viewpoint. Keep the afternoon flexible instead of adding another long walk.
Use the official Atzlricht starting point and circuit map, choose several audio stops and leave room for a picnic break. If 7 km is too much, make a separate short visit to the biodiversity information point rather than improvising a shortcut across pasture.
Register with LBV, have dinner beforehand and arrive at Marktplatz 32 for the confirmed start. Bring a warm layer and follow the guide’s lighting and observation instructions. Arrange your journey home before the evening begins.
On the Ensdorf trail, let each child choose a labelled tree. Compare leaf outline, bark and branching without collecting anything. Draw one feature at the next rest stop and see whether someone else can recognise it.
At Theuern, take turns with the binoculars and choose one duck to follow for a few minutes. Does it keep swimming, dive or feed at the surface? Stay on the platform and leave identification as a question if you are unsure.
Download the park’s colouring and puzzle sheets before travelling. Fips Nase is an invented young greater horseshoe bat, useful for introducing the real animals before a guided evening.
Choose a suitable show and buy tickets before travelling. The programme lasts roughly 90 minutes. Under-fours cannot attend; children under six are limited to children’s programmes. Allow for the 300 m parking approach, and do not rely on clear-sky telescope observing as a rainy-day activity.
Greater horseshoe bats are the reason to book an evening in Hohenburg. Watch their departure with the guide; do not try to enter the roost or identify every passing bat yourself.
A black woodpecker is a rewarding woodland possibility rather than an expected sighting. Pause and listen on the marked paths, then scan trunks from where you stand. Leave cavities and dead wood undisturbed.
Theuern’s ponds support beavers, but seeing one takes luck. Watch quietly from the public viewing area and accept an empty stretch of water without moving closer to banks or burrows.
Look for Eurasian teal among the ducks at Theuern. Binoculars help you compare their small size with other waterfowl; use the platform rather than trying to approach the water’s edge.
Scan a quiet stretch of the Vils or Lauterach from a public path for a kingfisher. A brief blue flash may be all you see. Stay well away from bank holes and do not search for nest entrances.
Watch the flowing water for a white-throated dipper, giving yourself several still minutes rather than walking continuously. Use existing paths and crossings; do not climb down onto river rocks to get a photograph.
At Waldhaus, watch the boars from outside their enclosure. These are captive animals, so the stop offers a different experience from looking for wildlife in the forest. Keep fingers and food away from the fence.
Find the labelled apple tree on Ensdorf’s tree trail and compare its crown and leaves with a woodland tree nearby. These are cultivated fruit trees; leave fruit on the tree unless picking is expressly allowed.
In the Ammerbachtal, follow established paths, keep away from grazing sheep and obey the dog signs. Marked farmland is closed to entry from 1 March to 30 September. Camping, fires and barbecues are prohibited there. Elsewhere, leave bat roosts, boxes, tree cavities and riverbanks undisturbed, and follow local signs.
The Hohenburg conservation project uses grazing cattle to keep suitable habitat open and support dung insects. Those insects become food for the wild greater horseshoe bats.
Ensdorf’s variety of trees reflects an old communal pasture, a forestry nursery and monastery orchards. Some trees are cultivated or introduced, rather than evidence of untouched woodland.
Rammertshof was cleared for the military training ground in 1935. The Ammerbach audio route explains the remains; old cellars make it important to view ruins from a safe distance.
For regular bat tours, check Friday dates from May until the end of the Bavarian summer holidays. LBV lists 19:00 in May, August and the available part of September, and 20:00 in June and July; registration is requested. Outside that season, ask before assuming a group visit is possible. Keep winter outings shorter and account for ice and daylight.
Waldhaus combines the boar enclosure with a playground and restaurant. The Ammerbachtal biodiversity information point has a small play area. Carry water and snacks for the walks; check toilets and food stops for your chosen start rather than expecting services throughout the forest.
Use Amberg as the main railway gateway and search VGN or RVV for the exact destination and travel date. Rural connections and the return from evening activities need checking separately. Ensdorf’s former station grounds are a landmark, not a rail arrival point. By car, use signed public parking and avoid blocking private drives. At Ursensollen, most visitors park by the tennis courts and walk approximately 300 m to the planetarium.
Plan around the actual attraction: Ensdorf has 218 steps, and Theuern’s platform has a staircase. The Fledermaushaus is listed as accessible, but ask about the booked activity and toilet arrangements. The planetarium provides wheelchair access, an accessible toilet, an induction loop and designated disabled parking by the building. Confirm any assistance needs directly.
The August 2026 park update describes the new Hohenburg nature-park centre as a building project. Look for an opening announcement before relying on it for an exhibition or facilities. Use the existing Fledermaushaus only with its own seasonal visiting arrangements.
Each card links to a full Explore page with photos, traits, and fun facts.
Start with the big picture, then zoom in to explore individual wildlife observations around this place.
By public transport
Amberg is the main rail gateway. Check VGN or RVV for the actual trailhead and return journey; an evening bat visit needs its own late-return plan.
Choose the right Ensdorf
This is Ensdorf in the Upper Palatinate. The tree trail starts by former station grounds, not an operating railway station.
Bat visits need planning
Register with LBV beforehand. Friday starts vary by month, and September availability ends with Bavaria’s summer holidays.
Bring your own essentials
Take water, snacks, binoculars and footwear with grip. Check restaurant opening before making it your only lunch plan.
Leave animals undisturbed
Do not feed enclosure animals or wild birds, open bat boxes, shine lights into roosts or approach tree cavities.
Dogs and grazing
Keep well away from sheep, put dogs on a lead before approaching livestock and follow the Ammerbachtal’s signed dog rules.
Listen as you walk
Many of the park’s telephone audio stops also have English recordings. Ordinary call charges may apply; download information beforehand when possible.
A longer walk needs a plan
The Wacholderwanderweg is about 31 km from Schmidmühlen via Hohenburg to Kastl. Choose a properly planned stage rather than treating the whole trail as a short family loop.
Recent snaps will appear here as new observations are added.
Maryland, US
You might spot White-Tailed Deer and Eastern Gray Squirrel.
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District of Columbia, US
You might spot Eastern Gray Squirrel, Duck, and House Sparrow.
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Illinois, US
You might spot American Robin, Canada Goose, and House Sparrow.
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Virginia, US
You might spot Spotted Lanternfly and Northern Cardinal.
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Take the discovery with you
Identify the wildlife you spot, learn as you go, and keep a collection of the adventure.
