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Syrau is situated at an altitude of 443 m about 6 km northwest of Plauen in southwestern Saxony.

The place name Syraw was first mentioned in a document of 1282 and is derived from the name of the stream Siroune (today Syrabach), which itself had been already mentioned in a document of 1122. The communities of Syrau and Kauschwitz were merged on the 1st of January 1999, Fröbersgrün was incorporated into the municipality of Syrau in 1994.

The best-known sight of Syrau is the Drachenhöhle (Dragon's Cave) [left]. The first chalk-pits in Syrau were opened in the early 19th century. Already during that time some crevices and dripstone formations were found, but these were later forgotten. The official date of the discovery of the cave is the 14th of March 1928 when in was discovered by accident during drilling works. The spacious subterranean hall (40 m long, 9 m high) was named "Walhalla". Within just one week the municipal council decided to adapt the cave for visitors. The cave was opened to the public on the 28th of September of the same year. The total length of the cave is 550 m, of which 350 m can be visited. The Drachenhöhle is the only publicly accessible cave in Saxony.