Black Forest map
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This is how big this forest is
The Black Forest is the largest and highest low mountain range in Germany. It is located in the southwest of Baden-Württemberg and extends over a length of 150 kilometers from the Kraichgau in the north to the High Rhine in the south. Its western border is formed by the Upper Rhine Graben, and to the east it is joined by various landscapes such as the Baar. Its total area is about 6,009 square kilometers.
On the territory of the Black Forest there are several rural and urban districts. In the northwest lies the district of Rastatt, embedded in it is the city district of Baden-Baden. East of Rastatt follows the district of Karlsruhe, then the Enz district, which surrounds the city district of Pforzheim. This contains the second largest city in the Black Forest, namely Pforzheim. Further south are the districts of Calw and Freudenstadt, and a bit further south the Ortenaukreis district in the west and the Rottweil district in the east. Again more to the south, from west to east, lie the Emmendingen district and the Schwarzwald-Baar district, which extends far to the south and borders on the Swiss canton of Schaffhausen. To the south of the district of Emmendingen follow the district of Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald, embedded in it the large city of Freiburg im Breisgau, then the district of Lörrach in the extreme southwest of Baden-Württemberg and the district of Waldshut. The largest city in the Black Forest is Freiburg im Breisgau.
The Black Forest is divided into a northern and a southern section, with the valley of the river Kinzig forming the border between these two regions. The northern section is up to 30 kilometers wide, while the southern section is up to 50. In the north, the highest mountain is the Hornisgrinde with 1,164 meters, while in the south it is the 1,493 meters high Feldberg, which is also the highest peak of a low mountain range in Germany and likewise the highest mountain that is not in the Alps. In total, there are over a hundred mountains in the Black Forest whose peaks rise higher than 1,000 meters above sea level.
A small selection: Three mountains exceed the 1,400 meters mark: Feldberg (1,493), Herzogenhorn (1,416) and Belchen (1,414). Eleven reach more than 1,300 meters: Stübenwasen (1,389), Grafenmatte (1,376), Immisberg (1,373), Silberberg (1,359), Spießhorn (1,351), Toter Mann (1,322), Köpfle (1,321), Bärhalde (1,319), Blößling (1,309), Hochkopf (1,309) and Schweizerwald (1,305). Twenty-seven mountains are higher than 1,200, thirty higher than 1,100, and another thirty-five higher than 1,000 meters.
The Black Forest is the westernmost section of the main European watershed. It divides the drainage basins of the Rhine and the Danube, with the Danube, the second longest river in Europe, originating in the Black Forest. In addition, the Neckar, the river that is considered particularly native to Baden-Württemberg, rises on the edge of the Black Forest.
Similar to the Vosges Mountains in the west, the Black Forest on the eastern side of the Upper Rhine Graben has been gradually pushed upward over time. As a result, the mountains on the west side of the Black Forest rise quite steeply from the lowlands, while they slope more like hills to the east. The bedrock of the Black Forest, which rises to the surface on the western side, consists of gneiss, with some granite intercalations. Further to the east and north there is an overburden layer of red sandstone.
Climatically, the Black Forest is maritime, which means that it has a lot of precipitation and rather mild winters. However, because the temperatures are lower on average than in the lowlands due to the altitude, the winters are usually cold and snowy. On the west side of the Black Forest there is more precipitation than on the east side. In winter, inversion weather often occurs at high altitudes. In the valleys it is then foggy and cold, but on the mountains sunny and mild. Therefore, especially in winter, you can enjoy a breathtaking distant view on the peaks of the Black Forest. Characteristic for the region are still the good air and a very special smell, which you will immediately notice when you visit the Black Forest. By the way, the area with the highest probability of hailstorms in Germany is also located in the Black Forest, more precisely in the Schwarzwald-Baar district.
Already in the sixth century BC. Celts settled in the peripheral regions of the Black Forest. This is known from various archaeological finds, for example from near Villingen-Schwenningen. The interior of the Black Forest was considered impenetrable at that time. The Romans also saw it that way and gave this area various names. For example, it was called "Abnoba mons", i.e. "mountain (or mountains) of Abnoba", whereby Abnoba was a Celtic water goddess and was regarded in Badenweiler as the protective goddess of the healing springs. Another Latin name for the Black Forest was "Marciana silva", which probably means "border forest". But also "Silva nigra" was in use, "black forest", referring to the impenetrability of the primeval forest. In any case, there is evidence that the Black Forest was called as it is today in Old High German as early as the ninth century.
The Romans did not settle the interior of the Black Forest, but they did build a road in the Kinzig valley to connect their settlements in Strasbourg and Rottweil. Most likely, it also served mining, which was already practiced in the Kinzig valley in Roman times, as well as troop movements. Otherwise, the Romans built some settlements on the edges of the low mountain range, mainly with baths.
It is assumed that the Alemanni settled the Black Forest for the first time from the eighth century. At that time an improvement of the climate occurred. Already in the tenth century, higher valleys were developed. However, the Upper Black Forest, i.e. the area surrounding the Feldberg massif, remained deserted until the Middle Ages.
Today, the Black Forest is known and extremely popular with tourists primarily because of its many forests, good, healing air and several cultural features. Black Forest cake is eaten almost everywhere in the world, the cuckoo clock with its characteristic bird call is a prized souvenir, and successful winter athletes from this region have won medals.
You can easily get through the Black Forest by car or train. Thus, there are some very famous vacation routes that lead to popular destinations. The Black Forest High Road, about sixty kilometers long, begins in Baden-Baden, then runs southeast on the B500 to Freudenstadt. It passes the Hornisgrinde, the highest mountain in the northern Black Forest, and crosses the Black Forest National Park. It is the oldest vacation road in the Black Forest. There is also the German Clock Road. It links the places where the watchmaking craft was alive, passes Furtwangen with the German Watch Museum, as well as Lenzkirch, Rottweil, St. Georgen, St. Peter, Titisee-Neustadt and Triberg.
Railroad lines are mostly of high tourist value in the Black Forest because of the reduced travel speeds due to the climbs. Famous are the Black Forest Railway from Offenburg to Constance and the Höllental Railway from Freiburg to Donaueschingen. Trips with museum trains are offered on the Sauschwänzlebahn (or Wutachtalbahn) from Immendingen to Waldshut-Tiengen. In addition, there are a lot of smaller branch lines, in the main they branch off from the Upper Rhine Railway.