The Lamer Winkel is a region in the northern

Bavarian Forest image:Zell-bayerischer-wald.jpg, The village of Zell in the Bavarian Forest The Bavarian Forest ( or ''Bayerwald'' ; ) is a wooded, low-mountain region in Bavaria, Germany, that is about 100 kilometres long. It runs along the Czech Republic, C ...

between the mountains of Hoher Bogen,

Osser The Osser () is a mountain on the border between Germany and the Czech Republic, in the Bavarian Forest and Bohemian Forest and which belongs to the Kunisch Mountains. Location and description A distinction is made between the ''Großer Osser' ...

Arber Arber is a surname In many societies, a surname, family name, or last name is the mostly hereditary portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family. It is typically combined with a given name to form the full name of a person, ...

and Kaitersberg; politically it belongs to the county of Cham in the

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

n province of Upper Palatinate.

Geography

This formerly remote valley is one of the most scenic regions of the Bavarian Forest and, as a result, has been heavily developed in recent decades for

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...

. In the Lamer Winkel are the municipalities of Lohberg, Lam and Arrach, which form a popular holiday

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

, especially for families. The valley is surrounded by the densely wooded ridges of the Hoher Bogen and the

Kunisch Mountains The Kunisch Mountains (; – meaning "Royal Forest") is a range that includes part of the Bavarian Forest and the central Bohemian Forest, with its main chain between the Osser and the Zwercheck close to Upper Palatinate. From a geological pers ...

in the north and by the crests of the Arber and Kaitersberg in the south. There are numerous hiking trails to the surrounding summits as well as along the valley. Hiking, walking, cycling and, in winter, cross-country skiing are popular activities. The Lamer Winkel is not only accessible by car, but also with the Oberpfalzbahn railway, which runs from Cham to Lam. The latter is the largest village in the valley and gives it its name. It remains an unspoilt market village.

History

The Lamer Winkel was first developed in 1279 by clearance and settlement activity under the aegis of Rott am Inn Abbey. By 1420 most of the villages outside Lam had been established. In the 15th century, the

Hussite Wars The Hussite Wars, also called the Bohemian Wars or the Hussite Revolution, were a series of civil wars fought between the Hussites and the combined Catholic forces of Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor, Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund, the Papacy, a ...

and Böckler War led to considerable devastation and abandonment. In the 16th century the villages and farmsteads were rebuilt The old glassworks, glass grinding workshops and hammer mills in Lohberghütte and Schrenkenthal developed into early industrial sites in the 19th century. {{coord missing, Bavaria Bavarian Forest Valleys of Bavaria Cham (district)