Beneath Furth im Wald lies an underground labyrinth stretching for several kilometres: the Further Rock Tunnels. The town also features a traditional folk play, a giant walking robot, a freely accessible Japanese garden and blacksmithing demonstrations at the Voithenberghammer. This gives visitors a range of reasons to stay: a festival and dragons, underground history, a garden and a view. Which themes take centre stage for you depends on whether you are more interested in cultural history, technology or visiting a garden.
Festival, dragons and the time of year
The Further Dragon Stabbing is performed every year and is considered Germany’s oldest folk play. In the wider travel destination of Cham, the summer festivals are part of the Dragon Stabbing tradition in Furth im Wald. The festivals comprise twelve performances with 350 amateur actors.
The Further Dragon is the world’s largest walking robot. It has been in Furth im Wald since 2010 and is housed in its dragon’s lair at the Further festival grounds from April to October. A tour of the dragon’s lair provides information about the town’s dragon history, the festival and the dragon robot’s technology. This lets you distinguish between the festival tradition and a technology-focused dragon theme. For a visit to the tour, it is best to check the operator’s latest visitor information.
Underground history and blacksmithing
The Further Rock Tunnels form an underground labyrinth stretching for several kilometres beneath Furth im Wald. They were carved into the gneiss from the late Middle Ages onwards. This gives them a different cultural-historical focus from the Dragon Stabbing: here, the focus is an underground structure in the rock, while there it is a folk play performed every year.
The Voithenberghammer is an outpost of the Further Landestormuseum. An exhibition of blacksmith products and documents on the history of the hammer mill complements the blacksmithing demonstrations. Two huge iron hammers, each weighing 123 kilograms, show what water power can move. The exhibition and demonstrations explore different aspects of the topic: products and historical documents on the one hand, and the effect of water power on heavy iron hammers on the other.
Japanese garden and town tower
In the Japanese garden in Furth im Wald, a western and an eastern dragon symbolise a meeting at which they make peace. The garden is freely accessible and can be visited at any time; guided tours are available for groups. Nevertheless, check the latest visitor information before travelling, especially if you are planning a group tour.
You can enjoy panoramic views from the town tower. If the view is a key part of your plans, check the tower’s visiting conditions separately.
Furth im Wald in the wider travel destination of Cham
Furth im Wald is a town in the district of Cham. Those exploring the wider travel destination of Cham will find other points of interest in other places in the district. In Rötz, a town in the district of Cham, the Schwarzwihrberg nature forest reserve is part of the “Schwarzwihrberg bei Rötz” FFH site. In Neukirchen beim Heiligen Blut, a municipality in the district of Cham, the pilgrimage museum is housed in the former Pflegschloss; it contains treasures from the archive of the pilgrimage church. Thus, alongside the dragon and blacksmithing themes in Furth im Wald, the district of Cham also offers a nature forest reserve and a pilgrimage museum as distinct points of interest.
Discover more destinations: Lixenried, Schorndorf, Tiefenbach, Falkenstein, Rimbach, Blaibach, Treffelstein, Roding.
Back to the overview of the wider travel destination: Cham.
