BEAR SANCTUARY Arbesbach provides rescued bears a life-long home in a near-natural habitat since 1998. It was the first bear project of the global animal welfare organization FOUR PAWS and was expanded in the year 2009. At the moment, three bears are living here on an area of more than 14.000 square meters.

Explore the sanctuary! Click on the different areas on the map to find out what awaits you here.

The park is located in a region in the East of Austria called the Waldviertel, known for its unspoilt, rural landscape. The bear enclosure is divided into several sectors. Here, the bears can express their natural behaviors, bathing, digging, roaming, climbing and retiring in caves.

Further details about our standards of care for the bears can be found here.

Visitors have the opportunity to observe the bears on the approx. 500 m long, barrier-free circular route, for example during foraging or bathing, or they can get a deeper insight into this animal protection project during a guided tour. 

There is also an extensive playground with a slide, elements for climbing and balancing as well as a small low ropes course on site. This makes the BEAR SANCTUARY Arbesbach the perfect destination for families! But there is also a lot for adults to explore, such as our berry show garden or our indoor and outdoor exhibitions on bears and animal welfare topics. 

Four-legged companions can also have a lot of fun here, for example in our BEAR SANCTUARY dog zone - you can read more about this here.

In between, you can make yourself comfortable in the multimedia room and immerse yourself in the world of bears or explore our souvenir shop. In addition to a large selection of plush bears and T-shirts for bear fans, our shop also offers many regional products.

The Kolm family's restaurant right next door will be happy to take care of your physical well-being afterwards. The family's Kiosk also offers small snacks and drinks.