| Black Forest | |
 | |
Location  | |
| State | Germany |
|---|---|
| Region | Baden-Württemberg |
| Surface | 6.009 |
| Tourism site | |
Black Forest (Schwarzwald) is a region of the Baden-Württemberg, federated state of south of the Germany.
To know
The Black Forest constitutes one of the main destinations of national and international tourism in Germany. Over the year, overnight stays in the area are close to 35,000,000. Virtually the entire area of the Black Forest is included in two nature parks. The North-Central Black Forest Nature Park and the Southern Black Forest Nature Park. With 3,750 km² and 3,700 km² they are respectively the first and second largest national park in Germany.
Geographical notes
The Black Forest is a mountain massif that extends from the border with the Switzerland in a northerly direction following the course of the Rhine for about 160 km. In the far south it reaches a width of 60 km while in the north it is only 30 km wide.The highest mountain in the Black Forest is the Feldberg (1,493 m a.s.l.) located in the southern part. Other peaks located in the same area are the Seebuck, secondary peak of the Feldberg with 1,448 m, the Herzogenhorn (1,415 m) and the Belchen (1,414 m). In the northern part, the highest peak is Hornisgrinde (1,164 m). The rivers Brigach (43 km) and Breg (49 km) have their sources in the massif, which join together to form the Danube. Other rivers of some importance that originate from the Black Forest are the Enz (105 km), the Neckar (367 km), the Wutach (118 km), the Kinzig (95 km), the Murg (96 km), the Nagold (92 km), the Wiese (55 km).
The main lakes of the Black Forest are the Schluchsee, the Titisee, the Feldsee, and the Mummelsee.
Spoken languages
Most Germans learned some English in school, so you should be able to get by. Due to the proximity of France and the long German-French friendship treaty, French is widely taught in secondary schools, but results vary widely. Businesses in the tourism sector such as Europapark which attract a significant number of French people will however please the French speakers in the best possible way, including a Bastille Day parade. An advertising campaign ("Wir können alles außer Hochdeutsch") mocked the propensity of Baden-Württembergg to speak a strong dialect, but standard German will be understood and taught in schools.
Culture and traditions
One of the traditional objects of this region is the cuckoo clock. In some specialized shops they sell models that recall the tradition of the place.
Territories and tourist destinations
The Kinzig river represents the border between the northern Black Forest (Nordschwarzwald) and the Central Black Forest (Mittlerer Schwarzwald) while the course of the Dreisam river separates the southern Black Forest (Südschwarzwald), in which the highest peaks of the relief are located; this area is sometimes called the High Black Forest (Hochschwarzwald).
Urban centers
Black Forest: full screen map.- Alpirsbach
- Baden-Baden - The most renowned spa in Germany.
- Breisach am Rhein
- Feldberg (Germany)
- Freudenstadt
- Freiburg im Breisgau (Freiburg im Breisgau)
- Gengenbach
- Gutach im Breisgau
- Haslach im Kinzigtal
- Illingen
- Pforzheim
- Schiltach
- St Blasien - Thermal center of the Baroque period
- St. Peter
- Titisee-Neustadt
- Triberg im Schwarzwald - It is home to the highest waterfalls in Germany.
Other destinations
- Europa Park - The main German amusement park and one of the largest in Europe.
- Gorges of the Wutach (Wutachschlucht)
- Höllental (Black Forest) - Narrow gorge, so deep that whoever crosses it has the sensation of moving in a tunnel. In Italian the corresponding name is Valle dell'Inferno.
- Kaiserstuhl - Ancient volcanic crater
- Black Forest National Park (Nationalpark Schwarzwald)
- Schluchsee - an artificial lake
How to get
By plane
The Black Forest has two regional airports, one near Freiburg and the other at its northern limit near the spa center of Baden. Karlsruhe / Baden-Baden Airport where Ryanair in 2012 had a flight from Rome-Ciampino and other seasonal flights from Bari, Cagliari, Trapani.
Other nearby airports are:
- 1 Stuttgart Airport (Flughafen Stuttgart), Flughafenstrasse 43, 70629. it is located 13 km south of the center. It consists of 4 terminals reserved for both arrivals and departures with the exception of No. 2 which is used only for departures.
- 2 Frankfurt am Main airport (Flughafen Frankfurt am Main). Frankfurt airport is second in traffic to that Londoner of Heathrow. It has two terminals but a third is under construction. No. 1 is reserved for companies Lufthansa is Star Alliance. Terminal 2 is reserved for all other flights. It is considered one of the best airports in Europe, the only drawback, according to some, the lack of adequate signage.
- 3 Hahn airport (Flughafen Frankfurt-Hahn (IATA: HHN)). It is improperly called Frankfurt / Hahn airport by some airlines with the hidden intent of grabbing as many naïve passengers as possible. Hahn airport is very small and above all very distant from the city of Frankfurt (120 km).
- 4 Karlsruhe-Baden-Baden Airport (Flughafen Karlsruhe / Baden-Baden, IATA: FKB). Ryanair in 2012 had a flight from Rome-Ciampino and other seasonal flights from Bari, Cagliari, Trapani. The bus lines Hahn Express[link not working] make a connection with Hahn airport and intermediate stops in Baden-Baden, Karlsruhe, Heidelberg, Mannheim, Ludwigshafen.
- 5 Friedrichshafen Airport (Bodensee-Airport Friedrichshafen - IATA: FDH) (the center on the northern shore of Lake Constance). It is a small international airport with direct flights to Toulouse, London--Gatwick and Frankfurt. To 2012 Intersky operated flights (seasonal only) from Olbia and the island of Elba.
- 6 Memmingen airport. A cheaper alternative could be this airport located in Bavaria. Ryanair operates at the small airport with flights from Rome-Ciampino and other seasonal flights from Alghero and Trapani.
- 7 Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg Airport (EuroAirport, IATA: BSL — MLH — EAP).
- 8 Strasbourg-Entzheim Airport (Aéroport de Strasbourg Entzheim, IATA: SXB) (about 10 km from the center in a southwest direction). But it does not accept any flights from Italian cities.
- 9 Zurich airport (Flughafen Zürich - ZRH) (11 km north of the city). The most important Swiss airport with over 20 million passengers per year.
- Most major airlines fly to Zurich but the former Swiss flag carrier (now owned by Lufthansa) is still the largest airline in ZRH and offers the widest range of connections.
How to get around
The region is covered by regional trains and buses. As they can be infrequent, it is best to check departure times in advance (eg Via bahn.de or some public transport apps).
If you are staying in a guesthouse or hotel, you will often be offered a free "Gästekarte" (guest card), called KONUS. It allows you to travel freely on local trains and buses (which do not include "IC / EC" express trains and "ICE" high-speed trains). It is valid for the entire stay, from your arrival and including the day of check-in, so it allows you to visit the region passing from one accommodation to another without paying any transport ticket. Includes the following zones (a map is available via the link above):
- Tarifverbund Ortenau
- Regio-Verkehrsverbund Freiburg
- Regio-Verkehrsverbund Lörrach
- Waldshuter Tarifverbund
- Verkehrsverbund Schwarzwald-Baar
- Verkehrsverbund Rottweil
- Verkehrsgemeinschaft Freudenstadt
- Verkehrsgesellschaft Bäderkreis Calw
- Part of Karlsruher Verkehrsverbund
You just need to show it with a photo ID to the driver or train or bus staff.
What see
- The city of Freiburg im Breisgau, a historic university city, known as the driest, hottest and sunniest part of Germany.
1 Maulbronn Monastery (Kloster Maulbronn) (near Pforzheim). This remarkably well-preserved medieval Cistercian monastery is a UNESCO World Heritage Site
- 2 Mummelsee. a small lake along the Hochstraße.
- 3 German Clock Museum (Deutsches Uhrenmuseum), Furtwangen (along the Schwarzwaldhochstraße). The largest collection of Black Forest and cuckoo clocks.
- 4 Black Forest Open Air Museum 'Vogtsbauernhof' (Schwarzwälder Freilichtmuseum Vogtsbauernhof) (to Gutach). This open-air museum houses some 16th-18th century buildings typical of the Black Forest area.
Itineraries
- Follow the Schwarzwaldhochstraße, a scenic drive through the Black Forest between Freudenstadt is Baden-Baden.
What to do
At the table
Food tends to be healthy, with heavy plates and lots of cakes, cookies, meats, and gravies. Perhaps the most famous internationally is it Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte, the Black Forest gateau, a moist chocolate cake with fermented cherries and a generous dose of whipped cream and chocolate shavings.
Eating in nice restaurants can be expensive, with a meal for two costing € 40 to € 150 including drinks. Village inns tend to be cheaper than their counterparts in cities. But bargains can be found, with many Turkish-style pizzerias and kebabs offering items for under € 5. Or shop at the local grocery store for baguette, fresh meat and cheese. Groceries are cheap, with a variety of fruit juices available at a reasonable price (there are cherry, apple, grape, orange, banana, even sauerkraut juice in nice tetrapak containers, a liter is less than € 1). In the south Schwarzwald, search the Lidl, Aldi and Pennymarkt stores for the best food.
The Black Forest area has numerous award-winning restaurants with the small village of Baiersbronn with the highest density of starred restaurants in Germany. Other notable restaurants can be found at Bühl and Freiburg.
Safety
Other projects
Wikipedia contains an entry concerning Black Forest
Commons contains images or other files on Black Forest
Wikiquote contains quotes from or about Black Forest
