The Neuburg Forest is actually a range of foothills of the
Bavarian Forest on the far side of the
Danube and thus forms a perimeter zone of the
Bohemian Massif. It lies south of the Danube and extends for almost 30 kilometres from the
lower Vils valley near
Vilshofen to the lower
Inn valley near
Passau, and in the southeast to
Neuburg am Inn. In the north lie the steep slopes of the
Löwenwand near Seestetten (southern right bank of the Danube). The average width of the hill range is just under seven kilometres. The Neuburg Forest covers an area of 186 square kilometres. On Austrian territory east of the Inn, the
Sauwald is its continuation. Taking that into account, the Danube has cut its way through the foothills of the Bavarian Forest for a total length of 70 km. The Neuburg Forest is divided into three main regions: in a narrower sense, only the eastern third of this area is called the Neuburg Forest, with an area of about 60 km2. The central part of the
natural region is called
Hochbuchet, while the western part, west of the Laufenbach, between Hochbuchet and
Vils valley, has no special name. Also the
Alkofen Heights left of the Vils are still counted as part of the natural region of the Neuburg Forest. Most of the Neuburg Forest is located in the municipalities of
Fürstenzell and
Neuburg am Inn (from which the forest derives its name), as well as in the southern Passau districts of Heining. (where the
Löwenwand is found), Haidenhof Nord and Haidenhof Süd. Its northwestern part west of the Lauterbach extends into the territory of the borough of
Vilshofen (near Seestetten:
Seestettner Holz with the 390-metre-high
Hirschenberg). The forested hill range has an average height of 400 to 475 metres, reaching its highest point at 499 metres above sea level at the summit of the
Platte, a flat
kuppe near the village of Altenmarkt in the municipality of
Fürstenzell at . On the
Platte is a
water tower. The second highest point is only slightly lower at 498 metres; it is located in the
Hochgasse woods on the county road, the
Kreisstraße PA11 near the
hamlet of Haunreut, in Fürstenzell, at . The Neuburg Forest is composed of
granite and
gneisses. Especially on its northern and southwestern slopes, it is embedded in thick
Pliocene and
Pleistocene gravels. == References ==