Schönau is surrounded by the Berchtesgaden Alps; it is the southeasternmost German municipality, bordering on the Austrian state of Salzburg at the Hoher Göll massif and the Steinernes Meer range. The present-day commune was formed in 1978 by the merger of the former Schönau and Königssee municipalities. Since 1984 the municipal area also comprises the formerly unincorporated Königssee lake, the famous St. Bartholomew's Church and the surrounding mountains from the east face of the Watzmann peak up to the Austrian border in the south, including the eastern part of Berchtesgaden National Park. From the lake, the Königsseer Ache creek runs down to Berchtesgaden.