The Black Forest is a largely forested low mountain range in Southwest Germany.
It is on the eastern side of the Upper Rhine Graben, between Kraichgau in the north and Upper Rhine in the south. In the east border that Heckengäu, the Neckar Valley, the Baar and the Lake ConstanceRegion. The north-south extension is 150 km, the west-east extension 30 to 50 km. The Black Forest slopes steeply to the west and flat to the east.
Regions
- Northern Black Forest - Area rich in raised bogs and spruce forests between Karlsruhe, Pforzheim, Offenburg and Freudenstadt
- Northern and Northeastern valleys
- Western valleys
- Murgtal - valley between Baiersbronn and Rastatt.
- Oostal - Valley after Baden-Baden
- Renchtal
- Middle Black Forest - area rich in spruce forest between Offenburg, Freudenstadt, Donaueschingen and Freiburg
- Southern Black Forest - Area with a lot of forest, gentle slopes, but also steep valleys and raised bogs in between Freiburg, Donaueschingen and the Upper Rhine.
- Hotzenwald, the region north of Bad Säckingen and Waldshut-Tiengen
- Markgräflerland in the west with Loerrach, Kandern and Muellheim
- Black Forest With Feldberg, Hinterzarten, Schluchsee and Glottertal
places
In the following some touristically significant cities and villages:
- 1 Baden-Baden.
Spa town with a world-famous casino. - 2 Bad Herrenalb. Tourist and residential community, thermal and medicinal springs.
- 3 Bad Liebenzell. Tourist and residential community, thermal springs.
- 4 Bad Teinach-Zavelstein. Tourist and residential community, thermal springs, healing springs - the nationally known mineral water Teinacher and Hirschquelle.
- 5 Bad Wildbad. Predicate climatic health resort, medicinal and thermal springs, 1 Treetop Walk, 2 Wildline suspension bridge, 3 Summer mountain railway, important health and tourism location.
- 6 Baiersbronn. Tourist destination in the northern Black Forest with top gastronomy.
- 7 Dornstetten. small town in the county Freudenstadt with a very beautiful historical cityscape.
- 8 Freiburg in Breisgau. University town with a very beautiful cityscape.
- 9 Freudenstadt. Center of the Northern Black Forest.
- 10 Gengenbach. old imperial city in Kinzigtal with a historical cityscape.
- 11 Gernsbach. historical center of the Murgtals.
- 12 Gersbach. State-approved resort, Bundesgolddorf 2004 - "Our village should be more beautiful - Our village has a future" and Europagolddorf 2007 "Entente Florale".
- 13 Hinterzarten. popular resort in the Black Forest.
- 14 Lautenbach. Climatic health resort with a late Gothic pilgrimage church.
- 15 Neuenbürg. Small town on the Enz with 4 Neuenbürg Castle and 5 Frischglück visitor mine.
- 16 Schiltach. small town with a completely preserved medieval town center.
- 17 Schluchsee. Holiday resort on the largest body of water of the same name in the Black Forest.
- 18 Titisee-Neustadt. Vacation spot on Lake Titisee.
- 19 Villingen-Schwenningen. Twin town on the eastern edge of the Black Forest and a good entry point into the German clock route.
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Other goals
- 6 Black Forest National Park. The only national park in Baden-Württemberg. The tourist contact point is the National Park Center on the Ruhestein.
- 7 Wutach Gorge. One of the longest canyon valleys in Germany.
- Other deep valleys, some with old mills (im Black Forest) for example: 8 Witch hole, 9 Hell valley with Ravenna gorge
- Panoramic mountains how 10 Feldberg, 11 Belchen, 12 Candelabra, 13 Schauinsland (with silver mine) im Black Forest and numerous observation towers throughout the Black Forest
- 14 Titisee and 15 Schluchsee - The two lakes with swimming, sailing and surfing opportunities are located in the southern Black Forest. The Titisee in particular is internationally known as a Black Forest idyll.
background
Typical Black Forest
- Cuckoo clock: They are a typical souvenir, especially for visitors from other continents. Production began in the 17th century. To supplement their income, the farmers manufactured and sold wooden utensils during the winter months. This also included clocks, initially with painted lacquer plates as dials. In 1737, in Schönwald invented the cuckoo clock, and the models changed over time. As a result, industrial production emerged in the Black Forest, companies like Junghans, Kienzle and Mauthe achieved world renown. You can get a good overview in the watch museum in Furtwangen as well as in the places of German clock route.
- There are many Castles and Castles preserved in the Black Forest or at least still exist as ruins.
- There are a large number of them in the Black Forest medieval old towns available. The Swabian-Allemannic half-timbering can be found in the south, in the middle and in the southern northern Black Forest, in the extreme northern Black Forest you can also find Franconian half-timbering in some cases.
- The Kirsch and the smoked one ham must not be missing in the Black Forest.
- There are a large number of them in the Black Forest Thermal- and Medicinal springs to find. Health and healing has a great tradition, especially in the central and northern Black Forest, but also in the south.
- The Linzertorte: Is served with coffee in the Black Forest, who likes it more noble has it Black Forest cake.
- The Rafting- and the Timber trade The Black Forest has shaped the Netherlands as far as the Netherlands, even if this profession no longer exists today, this tradition is kept alive by many associations and volunteers in the Black Forest.
- The Bath traditionsuch as in Bad Wildbad, Baden-Baden, Bad Liebenzell, Bad Herrenalb, Bad Teinach-Zavelstein.
- Black Forest House: This usually means a house with a hipped roof or a half-hipped roof, as can still be found today in the scattered settlements or on individual farmsteads. Black Forest houses combine apartments and stables under one roof, they are built on the slope, the roofs are drawn far down, and there is often a driveway to the barn from the slope. In the course of time, different house types have developed: Heidenhaus, Kinzigtäler Haus or Hotzenhaus. The cliché image of the Black Forest House is perhaps best matched by the Gutachhaus. The open-air museum provides a good overview Vogtsbauernhöfe, it is between Hausach and Gutach (Black Forest Railway).
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- Bollenhut: Probably no other part of the Black Forest costume is considered more typical than the red Bollenhut. It was only worn in a few villages in the Gutach Valley in the Black Forest: in Gutach (Black Forest Railway), in the Hornberg district Reichenbach and in the Wolfacher district Kirnbach. The hat with the red bolls was a distinguishing feature for single women, the married wore the hat with black bolls. The costume museum in Haslach in the Kinzigtal conveys the variety of Black Forest costumes on over 100 traditional costumes.
regional customs
- Fasnet / Fasent / Carnival - The 5th season in the Black Forest
- Belzmärde or Pelzmärtle and Christkindle like to come to the children in the Northern Black Forest. The Christkindle brings the presents to the good children, the Belzmärde or Pelzmärtle gives the cheeky children first of all to be nicer in the future. (This tradition has been preserved e.g. in Bad Herrenalb and Bad Wildbad - Sprollenhaus and other places.)
language
Alemannic in the south and west, Swabian in the Northeast. South Franconian in the far north. Swabian belongs to Alemannic Language group. That too Alemannic is in turn divided into different language groups from Höchst, Upper to Niederallemannisch. One of these language groups is Swabian. It is interesting in the Black Forest that Franconian language elements can also be found in the northern area to this day. In the far north in the direction of Karlsruhe these are very clear, since Franconia actually reached this point in the early Middle Ages. Language is subject to constant change, for this reason Swabian took on a high priority with the Württemberg people and Franconian areas became Swabian as well, but Franconian language elements in the dialect have clearly been preserved here.
The dialects were strongly influenced by secular, ecclesiastical borders but also by geography.
Overall, today in the part of the Black Forest that was formerly part of Baden, it is said that they speak Baden. It should be noted here, however, that Badisch was a political term and the corresponding original language groups that can still be recognized today are Alemannic, Swabian or Franconian. In some places, mixed forms are certainly to be found. Language is alive and changing.
getting there
With the plane
The nearest airports are: Basel-Mulhouse, Karlsruhe / Baden-Baden, Stuttgart and Frankfurt / Main.
By train
There are ICE train stations in Baden-Baden, Basel, Freiburg, Karlsruhe and Offenburg.
Several railway lines run through the Black Forest:
- The RE connection Karlsruhe Stuttgart runs at the extreme northern edge of the Black Forest and provides good access to the north of the Black Forest with public transport. In Pforzheim there is an IC stop for the long-distance connection Karlsruhe - Pforzheim - Stuttgart-Nuremberg.
- In the north, regional trains run from Eutingen im Gäu, Nagold, Rastatt (Murg Valley Railway) and Offenburg (above Hausach - Schiltach) each after Freudenstadt.
- Bad Wildbad can be reached via the Karlsruhe S-Bahn S6.
- The IC or IRE connection with the Black Forest Railway Offenburg - Hausach - Triberg - Villingen-Schwenningen - Donaueschingen and the RE connection with the Höllentalbahn Freiburg - Hinterzarten - Titisee-Neustadt - Donaueschingen lead across the Black Forest.
- Further stitch lines (e.g. Freiburg - Hinterzarten - Schluchsee) and tourist buses from Südbadenbus GmbH connect the tourist regions.
- Of Karlsruhe The S-Bahn goes from here to the northern Black Forest Ettlingen to Bad Herrenalb and Ittersbach.
- UEX Holiday Express offers night and car trains between Hamburg-Altona and Lörrach. The entire route takes around 10 hours. A ticket is available from € 99, depending on the date (plus price for a car or motorcycle). Without loading a car, boarding is also possible in Hamburg Hbf, Lüneburg, Hanover and Göttingen or getting off in Offenburg or Freiburg i. Br. Possible (as of summer 2017).
RIT ticket: For the journey to the holiday destination you can contact Black Forest tourism book a "Rail Inclusive Tour" ticket online, return ticket € 138.
In the street
The region is very well connected to the trunk road network via the A5 and A 81 motorways. The federal highway B 500 (Black Forest High Road) offers many beautiful views. Other federal highways (B31, B294, B317, B462) lead into the tourist regions of the mountains. In addition, the Black Forest is well developed with other state and district roads.
mobility
KONUS guest card
The name KONUS guest card stands for Free use of public transport for Black Forest vacationers. This card is valid (As of 2018) in all local trains (2nd class; not IC or ICE), trams and buses in the Black Forest and neighboring regions, in the west and south to the Rhine (excluding Swiss territory), in the east to roughly the Neckar. There is an overview map here (pdf).
You receive the KONUS guest card in numerous places in the Black Forest from the local host on arrival, it is only valid in conjunction with an ID for the duration of the stay and is not transferable. The offer is financed by a flat-rate portion of the local spa taxes.
Black Forest Card
The Black Forest Card enables free or discounted one-time access to over 150 attractions in the region. It is valid for three days of your choice and is transferable. Beyond the 3-day rule, the attractions of the bonus partners can be visited.
Tourist Attractions
Significant regional attractions from north to south:
- 16 Mummelsee. The small, idyllic lake with an excursion restaurant is located on the B 500 (Black Forest High Road). It is one of the most famous destinations in the northern Black Forest. From there you can also easily walk to the highest peak in the northern Black Forest, the Hornisgrinde.
- 17 All Saints Waterfalls. In a legendary gorge between Oppenau and Ottenhöfen, the Lierbach cascades down over 60 m in several cascades. The waterfalls are equipped with a well-developed path with many steps that can be climbed in both directions. At the top of the falls there is a ruined monastery from the 12th century.
- 18 Culture Park Glashütte Buhlbach. In this glass museum in Baiersbronn-Obertal the history of glassmaking and glass can be experienced.
- 19 Barefoot Park Dornstetten. A popular destination for families and groups who are enthusiastic about the adventure of a barefoot hike.
- 20 Dorotheenhütte glass blowing. In this glass museum in Wolfach in the Middle Black Forest you can see how bottles and vases are blown or make one yourself.
- 21 Vogtsbauernhof open-air museum
. In this open air museum in Appraisal in the Middle Black Forest you can experience original Black Forest farms from different regions up close.
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- 22 World's largest cuckoo clocks. In the two giant cuckoo clocks near Schonach and Triberg-Schonachbach, you can also marvel at the oversized clockworks.
- 23 Black Forest Museum. The museum in Triberg provides information about historical professions and trades, watchmaking and Black Forest clocks, traditional costumes, mechanical musical instruments, winter sports and Carnival, as well as a mine (with a mineral tunnel) and the Black Forest Railway.
- 24 Triberg waterfalls. The highest waterfalls in the Black Forest are in Triberg in the Middle Black Forest.
- 25 Danube sources. The two sources of the Breg not far from the Brend summit with Martinskapelle and the Brigach to the west above the Black Forest community of St. Georgen.
- 26 Black Forest Clinic. The historic "Carlsbau" of the "Glotterbad Rehabilitation Clinic" in Glottertal served as the outside backdrop for the ZDF evening series, which has become known throughout Europe, "The Black Forest Clinic“And is still popular with fans of the series. However, it should be noted: unlike in the series, the entrance to the building is blocked for private cars (the parking lot is a few hundred meters below the newer buildings of the clinic), the more well-known building front with the main entrance and the name-giving lettering, which has been renewed several times is actually the back of the building facing away from the valley, the interior shots were almost entirely in Hamburg studios, in the Carlsbau itself, a pure sanatorium dormitory building, the panorama hall shown in the first episode actually exists in the bay window, but neither the striking staircase nor the operating room, still the side emergency room; Visits were and are only possible and desired from outside, also because of the ongoing operations of the recovery clinic. The building stood empty and unused for several years from 2004 to 2014, the adjoining garden with the chess game and the path connections known from the series has since been overgrown. The other locations in the series like that Husli in Grafenhausen (Prof. Brinkmann's house) or the center of Schiltach are also much further away than suggested in the series.
- 27 Alpine path. This path on the Feldberg is one of the highest hiking trails in the Black Forest.
- 28 Gersbach cattle trail. A circular route in the southern Black Forest that provides information on animal welfare and the production of food.
- Hohe Möhr: Hiking on the eastern branch of the Westweg leads to the Hohe Möhr mountain with the Hohe Möhr observation tower.
- Western Europe formerly Largest silver fir is now an ecosystem for the extraction of wood.
- Hermann Hesse Museum Calw - the Nobel Prize for Literature Hermann Hesse was probably with one of the most famous sons of the Black Forest
Scenic routes:
- Bertha Benz Memorial Route - on the trail of the world's first long-distance journey in an automobile (Mannheim – Pforzheim – Mannheim) from 1888
- German clock route - Cuckoo clocks and the Black Forest clock industry
- Baden Wine Route - the tourist road leads through the five wine-growing areas of Baden: Ortenau, Breisgau, Kaiserstuhl, Tuniberg and Markgräflerland
- German half-timbered street
- Black Forest Baths Road (Pforzheim – Schömberg – Calw – Freudenstadt – Baiersbronn – Bad Wildbad – Bad Herrenalb – Baden-Baden)
- Black Forest High Road
activities
hike
The Black Forest is a popular hiking region with a well-marked network of trails.
- Particularly noteworthy is that Westweg, which is approx. 300 km in length from Pforzheim to Basel leads over the highest peaks on 12 stages, e.g. Hornisgrinde, Feldberg and Belchen.
- There is the parallel to the Westweg medium- and East way, as well as from Oberkirch to Freiburg in Breisgau the Kandel-Höhenweg.
- There is that in the Upper Black Forest Crossing Freiburg - Lake Constance.
- It is known Schluchtensteig, over 119 km through the Wutach Gorge over the Schluchsee to the Wehra
- Many Black Forest valleys can also be explored using their own trails, for example there are Landslide, the Albsteig, the Renchtalsteig and the Zweälersteig around the Elztal and the Simonswälder Tal.
- The wine regions on the western edge of the Black Forest are through the Ortenau Wine Trail, the Breisgau Wine Trail and the Markgräfler Wiiwegli linked together.
- There are shorter, very beautiful hiking tours almost everywhere in the Black Forest. The most outstanding are as Black Forest pleasure trails signposted. An overview of the connoisseur trails and premium or quality trails can be found on Schwarzwald-Tourismus.info.
Mountain biking
- Based on the Westweg, which is not suitable for MTB everywhere, a mountain bike path was laid out through the Black Forest. It also runs in a north-south direction, but not directly on the western route, but occasionally crosses it. A map of the route with GPX download can be found at Waymarked trails, based on OpenStreetMap data.
- official, regional Mountain bike and eMTB overview page for the Black Forest.
- special regulations for mountain biking must be observed in the Black Forest. The Baden-Wuerttemberg state forest law applies accordingly Paths less than 2 meters, in the southern Black Forest even less than 3 meters may not be driven on. The regional tourist offices can provide more information
- Bad Wildbad bike park
Cycling
- official cycling tourism site for the Black Forest
- Overview Bike buses in the Black Forest
- The Black Forest cycle path leads from Karlsruhe to Loerrach on the trail of the West way once across the Black Forest.
- The Black Forest panorama cycle path follows the east side of the Black Forest from Pforzheim to Waldshut-Tiengen.
- The Naturpark Radweg Schwarzwald Mitte / Nord circumnavigates the aforementioned nature park in the north of the Black Forest.
- The Baden Wine Cycle Path was opened in 2020 and leads along the vineyards at the transition from the Black Forest to the Rhine Valley.
water sports
- Titisee at Titisee-Neustadt.
- Schluchsee with the same name local community. The reservoir is the largest body of water in the Black Forest.
Summer toboggan runs
- 1 Hasenhorn toboggan run. The 2900 m long summer toboggan run at Todtnau has a height difference of 360 m. The summer toboggan run on metal rails is also in operation in winter. The ascent is by double chairlift up to an altitude of 1026 m.
- 2 Mehliskopf bobsleigh run. The experience on this 1,300 m long bobsleigh run can also be enhanced with virtual reality glasses.
- 3 Gutach summer toboggan run. 1150 m long summer toboggan run in Appraisal.
- 4 Poppeltal giant slide. at Enzklösterle (between Bad Wildbad and Freudenstadt).
Winter sports
The Black Forest is a classic German winter sports area. There are optimal conditions for both alpine and nordic skiing when there is enough snow. A comprehensive list of all winter activities is in the themed article „Winter sports in the Black Forest“ to find.
Geocaching
The Black Forest is not only popular with hikers, but also with Geocachers. They can be found outdoors, at sights and in cities: the small boxes that can be searched for and found using GPS and apps. Many geocaches are also connected to signposted hiking trails, for example there are along the entire Westweg extra hidden geocaches to find.
kitchen
- Black Forest Kirsch: An indispensable part of the original recipe for the Black Forest cake. However, the cherries required for this grow predominantly in the foothills of the Black Forest. The necessary distilleries are e.g. in Staufen im Breisgau and Oberkirch. The Black Forest raspberry spirit is also known, mirabelles and plums are also used to make fine brandies.
- Black Forest ham: The times when a ham was slowly smoked in the smoke vent of a pagan house for months are long gone. Today the term "Black Forest ham" is a geographically protected name, it is only produced in the Black Forest, and a certain manufacturing process is associated with it. However, the ham itself can also come from other German countries.
- Black Forest cake: A Black Forest cake is a cream cake that has spread mainly in Germany since the 1930s and has become the most popular German cake over the years. Today it is considered the classic German cake and is known all over the world. The essential components are chocolate sponge cake bases flavored with kirsch, a flavored cherry filling, cream, cherries and chocolate flakes as a decoration. The exact origins are unclear, but they are not necessarily to be found in the Black Forest.
Kirsch
Black Forest ham
Black Forest cake
- Kilwiküchle are eaten in the Black Forest on the 3rd weekend in October. It is fat-baked, which is mainly served at the Kirchweih (Swabian Kilwi) is baked.
In addition to local specialties, such as the Black Forest cake and farmer's vespers, the Black Forest also has top gastronomy, especially in the village Baiersbronn, which has a total of eight Michelin stars. Some excellent addresses are:
- Black Forest Room, Baiersbronn
- Bareiss in the Hotel Bareiss, Baiersbronn
- Schlossberg in the Hotel Sackmann, Baiersbronn
- Colombi in the Hotel Colombi, Freiburg
nightlife
- in Bad Wildbad: Melange, U-Boot, Irish Pub (Calmbach)
- in Freudenstadt: Enchilada, Martinique
- in Pforzheim: Enchilada, Musicpark
- Other options for going out on the edge of the Black Forest: in Freiburg, Lahr, Offenburg, Karlsruhe
security
Crime plays only a very minor role in the Black Forest. All districts of all cities are safe to walk at all times of the day and night.
climate
In the mountains, temperatures are generally lower and the amount of precipitation greater. Precipitation regularly supplies the Black Forest flora with water throughout the year. However, the decrease in temperature and increase in precipitation do not occur uniformly with increasing altitude. Depending on the season, it is advisable to obtain more detailed information about the climatic conditions at the planned holiday location.
Amount of rain and snow. The Vosges act as rain catchers for the humid Atlantic air. As a result, the amount of precipitation in the southern Black Forest is not higher than in the northern Black Forest, despite the higher sea levels. The thickness of the snowpack in winter generally increases with increasing height.
Temperatures and sunshine duration. Thermally, the higher areas of the Black Forest are characterized by lower fluctuations and extreme values. The reasons are frequent light winds and more clouds in summer. Therefore, even on hot summer days, the perceived temperature is lower than the measured temperature. The high pressure weather situation in the mountains in winter leads to sunshine more often, while the valley is wrapped in a thick blanket of fog (inversion weather situation).
literature
Web links
official regional pages:
