Black Forest

For the suburb of Adelaide, please see Black Forest, South Australia; for the town in Colorado, please see Black Forest, Colorado.

For the cake or the gateau, please see Black Forest gateau.

A map of Germany, showing the Black Forest in green.

The Black Forest (German Schwarzwald) is a wooded mountain range in Baden-Württemberg, southwestern Germany. It is bordered by the Rhine valley to the west and south. The highest peak is the Feldberg with an elevation of 1,493 meters (4,898 feet). The region is almost rectangular with a length of 200 km and breadth of 60 km . Hence it has an area of approximately 12000 km² .

Geography

Geology

Geologically, the Black Forest consists of a cover of sandstone on top of a core of gneiss. During the last ice age, the Würm glaciation, the Black Forest was covered by glaciers; several cirques such as the Mummelsee are remains of this period.

Rivers

Rivers in the Black Forest include Danube (which has its source in the Black Forest), Enz, Kinzig, Murg, Neckar, and Rench. The Black Forest is part of the continental divide between the Atlantic Ocean catchment (drained by the Rhine) and the Black Sea catchment (drained by the Danube).

List of highest mountains

• Feldberg (1,493 m; 4,898 ft.)
• Herzogenhorn (1,415 m; 4,642 ft.)
• Belchen (1,414 m; 4,639 ft.)
• Spieshorn (1,349 m; 4,426 ft.)
• Schauinsland (1,284 m; 4,212 ft.)
• Kandel (1,241 m; 4,072 ft.)
• Hochblauen (1,165 m; 3,822 ft.)
• Hornisgrinde (1,164 m; 3,819 ft.)

Political

Administratively, the Black Forest belongs to the following districts (Kreise). In the north: Enz, Pforzheim, Rastatt, and Calw; in the middle: Freudenstadt, Ortenaukreis, and Rottweil; in the south: Emmendingen, Schwarzwald-Baar, Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald, Lörrach, and Waldshut.

Ecology and Economy

The forest mostly consists of pines and firs, some of which are grown in commercial monoculture. The Black Forest, like other forested regions, has had areas damaged by mass logging. Due to logging and land use changes the forest proper is only a fraction of the size it used to be. The storm Lothar knocked down trees over hundreds of acres of mountaintops in 1999. This left some of the high peaks and scenic hills bare, with only primary growth shrubs and young fir trees.

The main industry is tourism. In addition to the towns and monuments noted below, the Black Forest is crossed by numerous long distance footpaths, including some of the first to be established. The European long-distance path E1 crosses the Black Forest following the routes of some of the local long-distance paths. In addition there are numerous shorter paths suitable for day walks, as well as mountain biking and cross-country skiing trails. The total network of tracks amounts to around 23,000 km, and is maintained and overseen by a voluntary body, the Schwarzwaldverein (Black Forest Society), which has around 90,000 members (figures from Bremke, 1999, p.9).

Points of interest

Winter on Schauinsland: famous "Windbuchen" Beeches bent by the wind

The cities of Freiburg and Baden-Baden are popular tourist destinations on the western edge of the Black Forest; towns in the forest include Bad Herrenalb, Baiersbronn, Freudenstadt, Gengenbach, Schramberg, Staufen, Titisee-Neustadt, Hausach and Wolfach. Other popular destinations include such mountains as the Feldberg, the Belchen, the Kandel, and the Schauinsland; the Titisee and Schluchsee lakes; the All Saints Waterfalls; the Triberg Waterfalls, not the highest but the most famous waterfalls in Germany; and the gorge of the River Wutach.

The Vogtsbauernhöfe is an open-air museum that shows the life of 16th or 17th century farmers the region, featuring a number of reconstructed Black Forest farms. The German Clock Museum in Furtwangen shows the history of the clock industry and of watchmakers.

Animal life

In addition to the expected kinds of wildlife to be found in a European forest area, the following types of animals may be observed in the Black Forest: [1]

• Cows: The Black Forest cows belong to the rare breed of "Hinterwälder" cows.
• The giant earthworm Lumbricus badensis is found only in the Black Forest region (see Lamparski, 1985).
• "Black Forest Foxes" are actually a breed of horse, previously indispensable for heavy field work.
• Eagles and owls can be seen at close range as they sweep overhead
• Camels and Ostriches can be seen at St. Peter near Freiburg where the two metre tall blue necked ostriches live on a 300 year old Black Forest farm. In Rotfelden over 60 Black Forest camels are also kept in luxury. [2]

Culture

Dialects spoken in the Black Forest area are Alemannic and Swabian.

Fasnet

The German holiday of Fastnacht, or Fasnet, as it is known in the Black Forest region, occurs in the time leading up to Lent. On Rosenmontag, or the Monday before Ash Wednesday, crowds of people line the streets, wearing masks. One prominent style of mask is the Black Forest Style, originating from the Black Forest Region.

Crafts

Wood-carving is a traditional cottage industry in the region, and carved ornaments are now produced in substantial numbers as souvenirs for tourists. Cuckoo clocks are a popular example; although they were not, as is sometimes claimed, invented in the Black Forest, they have been made in the region since the early 18th century, and much of their development occurred there.

Culinary

Black Forest ham originated from this region, and so, by name and reputation at least, did the Black Forest gateau (Black Forest Cake). The Black Forest variety of Flammkuchen is a Badisch specialty made with ham, cheese, and cream. Pfannkuchen, a crêpe or crêpe-like (Eierkuchen or Palatschinken) pastry, is also common.

Gallery

• 
  The Feldberg.
• 
  A view in the Middle Black Forest.
• 
  Black Forest
• 
  The lake Titisee, popular year-round.
• 
  Famous Hotel Romantik next to the Titisee.
• 
  The Black Forest is known for its native clock makers
• 
  The Münster cathedral of Freiburg, the most important city of the region.

See also

• Hercynian Forest
• Deutsches Uhrenmuseum

References

• Bremke, N. (1999). Schwarzwald quer. Karlsruhe: Braun. ISBN 3-7650-8228-7
• Lamparski, F. (1985). Der Einfluß der Regenwurmart Lumbricus badensis auf Waldböden im Südschwarzwald. Schriftenreihe des Institut für Bodenkunde und Waldernährungslehre der Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg i. Br., 15. ISSN 0344-2691. English summary
• German Wikipedia "Pfannkuchen" disambiguation

External links

• Tourist Info
• Black Forest Webcams

48°00′N 8°15′E