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Return Black Forest Farm Everything under one roof The typical farmhouses of the Black Forest are found mainly in the southern part of the mountains. They are mostly large, their roofs pulled down low and usually inclined at 45 degrees. This circumstance testifies to the snow load that the buildings had to bear in the harsh winters, as well as to the strong winds, to which the shape of the roof was intended to offer as little surface for attack as possible. In summer, on the other hand, the overhanging roof, sloping on all four sides, protected the buildings from the sun's rays. The basic features of this construction method probably originated in the Alpine Rhine region, i.e. in northern Switzerland. The roof of a Black Forest house is also called a "crippled hip roof". This has the following reason. If a roof is pulled downwards to all four sides of the house, thus forming a kind of canopy, it is called a "hipped roof". If it does not end at the same height on two opposite of the four sides, but higher up than on the other two sides, it is called a "crippled hip roof". Hipped roofs ensure that the entrance to the house remains covered and thus free of snow in winter. Traditionally, straw or wooden shingles were used to cover the roof. It is supported by a ridge pillar. The foundation of the house was built of stone and formed the basement. All the floors above were built with wood, requiring up to four hundred beams per house. First, a framework of planks was created, which stood vertically and ran through all the floors. This was then connected to each other by horizontal elements. However, this construction method had one disadvantage: most of the materials used were combustible. Thus, even today in the Black Forest, a lightning strike can cause an entire farmhouse to burn down completely. To contain the damage from a fire as much as possible, many Black Forest farms have a fire pond. Farms in the Black Forest are so-called "single-roof farms", which means that they house the entire farm business within one building. In most cases, they were built not far from springs to secure the water supply. Since it was in turn too wet in the valley bottoms, this meant that the houses rarely stood on mountain tops or in depressions, but were built on the slopes. In the Black Forest, regional differences have developed in the way farms are built. This is due to the geological and climatic conditions of the respective locations. In a wide valley like that of the river Kinzig, one did not have to fear the same snow load as in a narrow, higher lying one. Therefore, thatch roofing was more common at lower elevations, while shingles were preferred at higher elevations. In addition, houses that stood on a slope could be equipped with a special feature, namely several entrances on different floors. In total, seven types of the Black Forest house occur. The oldest and most original form is the Höhen- or Heidenhäuser, of which there are two variants, differing only in the way the building is oriented to the slope. The Gutachtäler and Kinzigtäler houses are quite similar. They mostly differ from each other in the ground plan. Kinzigtäler houses are found not only at the river Kinzig but also at the Schutter and Rench rivers. The Zartener house is also found in flat valleys. In contrast, the Schauinslandhaus and the Hotzenhaus are buildings for steep slopes. The Hotzenhaus is recognizable by its roof, which is clearly lowered on all four sides. There is also a so-called "shield" behind the outer wall, which is a corridor. It serves to keep the outside cold from the living quarters. The Schauinsland houses, on the other hand, are relatively small. In the open-air museum Vogtsbauernhof in Gutach you can visit ancient farmhouses. The central building has been on this site since 1612 and is an example of the Gutachtäler farmhouse type, which is probably the best known. Around it, other historic Black Forest farms have been faithfully reconstructed to show the diversity of their architecture. Thus, there is also a Kinzigtäler house that once stood in Oberwolfach, the Lorenzhof from 1608. In this type of house, the stables are on the lower floor, since the building in the wide valley does not offer access from the outside to the upper floors. The Hippenseppenhof from Furtwangen-Katzensteig belongs to the so-called Höhenhaus or Heidenhaus types ("high or heath houses"). It was built there as early as 1599.

Return Source of the Danube Brigach and Breg bring the Danube to way. The Danube, the second longest river in Europe, has its source in the Black Forest. But exactly where it is located is not entirely undisputed. In Donaueschingen, for example, there is a source of the Danube, which is located in the Fürstenberg Palace Garden. It is set like a round fountain and elaborately decorated. However, a proverb knows: "Brigach and Breg bring the Danube to way." Brigach and Breg are two small rivers that join in the Donaueschingen district. From the point of their confluence, the Danube begins. In fact, the water that comes from the source of the Danube in the castle garden also flows underground as a so-called Danube brook into the Brigach, so it does not reach the beginning of the Danube by a direct route. Apart from that, the Brigach and the Breg each contain considerably more water than the Danube brook. The Brigach rises at 925 meters above sea level near St. Georgen, namely at the Hirzbauernhof farm. It is 40 kilometers long. The Breg, the longer of the two rivers at 46 kilometers, begins at the Martinskapelle chapel not far from the town of Furtwangen, with its source at 1,078 meters above sea level. At the confluence of the two, the Black Forest merges into the high plateau of the Baar, where the young Danube flows off to the east. In its further course, it flows for 2,857 kilometers through European metropolises such as Vienna, Budapest and Belgrade, before it flows from the Black Forest into the Black Sea. But the "black" in the names "Black Forest" and "Black Sea" is not the only correspondence in name between the beginning and the end of the Danube. As already mentioned, one of its headwaters begins at St. Georgen, while on the Black Sea coast the southernmost arm of the Danube delta is called St. George's Arm. It takes its name from a small place called Sfântu Gheorghe, which is the Romanian spelling for "Saint George". Thereby, the place is located at the outflow of the Danube arm into the sea. Because of this, Sfântu Gheorghe can be reached only by boat. To make the competition among the sources to the point, the source of the river Inn has also been called the actual source of the Danube, which is due to the fact that it is higher than those of Brigach and Breg. However, when it meets the Danube, the Inn is shorter than the latter and is thus considered its tributary. In any case, the Romans considered the Danube to be under the protection of the source goddess Abnoba, after whom they also named the Black Forest, namely "Abnoba mons", which, however, was not the only Latin name for the low mountain range. Even if the source of the Danube in Donaueschingen is not the actual source of the Danube according to common understanding, it is still worth a visit. In its present form by Adolf Weinbrenner, it has existed since 1828. The decorations on its enclosure are by the artist Franz Xaver Reich, who also created a sculpture that can be seen here. It bears the title "The young Danube in the bosom of the Baar". Another work of art is by Adolf Heer and shows the mother Baar with her daughter Danube. You can also visit the Fürstenberg castle.

Return Clock carrier On foot all over the world The profession of clock carrier developed in the Black Forest from that of glass carrier. It is documented for the first time around 1740. His trademark is also that of the glass carrier, namely the back carrier called "Krätze", woven from willow, in which the clocks were transported. The clock carriers were on foot, because means of transport such as railroads or cars did not exist at that time. Since Black Forest clocks were initially made in domestic workshops, the clock-makers themselves had little opportunity to sell their wares. At that time, however, there were the glass carriers who were already on their way to markets. Therefore, the clock-makers simply gave them their works. Thus, then developed its own association of merchants specializing in the sale of clocks, the clock carriers. They not only brought the world-famous cuckoo clocks among the people. In fact, other clocks were made in the Black Forest. The first wooden timepieces are said to have been made as early as the 17th century, the so-called "Waagbalkenuhren" ("balance beam clocks"). Somewhat better known were the lacquer shield clocks. Around 1843, there are said to have been about 750 clock carriers on the road. Some of them went far away, as far as Russia and Turkey. The clock carriers ensured not least that clocks were no longer just a luxury item. Due to the cheap wooden clocks from the Black Forest and the wandering clock carriers, many people could afford a clock. Schild-clock

Return Schäppel Does the bride have to wear it all day? The hat "Bollenhut" is without a doubt the most famous part of the women's costume from the Black Forest. However, there is a traditional headdress that is not only heavier, but also much more elaborate in its composition, namely the magnificent, round "Schäppelekrone". The largest version, weighing up to five kilograms and measuring almost 40 centimeters in height and diameter, is found in St. Georgen. It is documented there as early as 1517. In addition, Schäppels are found in St. Peter, St. Märgen, in the Elz and Wolftal valleys. Essentially, the Schäppelekrone consists of a wire frame. The individual decorations are attached to it, which are fabric roses, tinsel, tiny mirrors, coins, and glass balls or beads. A colorful decorative ribbon is also tied around the wire frame. Since the entire headdress is anything but light, it must be fastened several times to prevent it from slipping off the wearer's head. For this purpose, on the one hand, fabric ribbons are tied to the braids of the wearer. On the other hand, two ear bands are used, one meter in length and five centimeters in width, which are also decorated with beads and are wrapped around the ears before being connected to the braids in turn. But that's not all. The Schäppel costume also includes a so-called "Schurzbändel", which is usually a purple ribbon attached to a loop of the apron. In addition, purple hair strings are attached to the braids of the Schäppel wearer, which reach to the edge of the apron. Consequently, no woman could put on the Schäppelekrone alone, but always needed helping hands. The Schäppelekrone gets its name from the word "Schapel" from the Middle Ages. It meant "virgin's wreath" and thus it becomes clear that the Schäppelekrone is also primarily a bridal ornament. The headdress, also called "bridal crown" elsewhere, has developed from the simple maiden's wreath and varies greatly from region to region. In the Black Forest, with its early glassblowing workshops, a lot of glass in the form of small balls was incorporated into the Schäppelekrone. The Schäppelekrone was worn not only in St. Georgen but also in Simonswald. The girls received it for confirmation and put it on for the last time for their own wedding, a parallel to the Bollenhut. In St. Georgen, in addition to the Schäppelekrone, there is also the German Phonomuseum to marvel at. It is also interesting that the Brogen mountain in the northeast of the district forms a triple watershed, namely between the Rhine and the Danube on the one hand and between the Rhine and the Neckar on the other.

Return Hornberg Castle Ruin Always an adventure: knight's castles and palaces Who doesn't know the Hornberg shooting? It is not exactly clear what it was really about. The most probable incident is the following: In 1564, the then sovereign, the Duke of Württemberg, wanted to visit Hornberg. Therefore, the people of Hornberg wanted to pay tribute to him and fire salute shots from their castle upon his arrival. But since they did not know when exactly he would arrive, they started firing whenever they noticed something on the approach road. Thus two carriages and a herd of cows came along the way and each time the inhabitants thought it was the duke. The end of the story was that by the time he actually arrived, all the ammunition had already been shot. That was a long time ago and the former Hornberg Castle is now a ruin, the Hornberg shooting, however, is world famous. A fountain was built for it in the town. In addition, annual festivals are held to re-enact the mishap surrounding the squandered ammunition. After all, the town became famous because of this, since the Hornberg shooting also found its way into literature in the form of a saying. Another interesting feature of Hornberg is its location. The district is located at an altitude between 344 and 970 meters. There, the Reichenbach valley flows into the Gutach valley. The Reichenbach viaduct, on which the Black Forest Railways cross the side valley, is a landmark of the town. Hornberg is located on the river Gutach, a tributary of the Kinzig. There are several other castles in the Kinzig valley, such as Schenkenburg Castle in Schenkenzell, Willenburg Castle and Schiltach Castle in the town of the same name, Wolfach Castle and Fortress, and Husen Castle near Hausach. Hornberg has something else great to offer, namely the largest toilet in the world. You can't use it because it's about seven meters high, but it's worth a visit. Just imagine how wide the toilet paper must be. Photographer: B. Pieper

Return Bannwald Just let nature be nature Usually, forests in Germany are managed. This means that there are foresters who monitor the growth and condition of the trees and intervene if necessary by cutting down diseased trees or trees infested by pests such as the bark beetle. In addition, healthy trees are felled in order to process their wood. In a ban forest, things are different. Here, the forest can grow as it used to, that is, before human intervention. Consequently, there neither are foresters nor any management. This has several effects. Different tree species can grow unhindered. Old trees fall and rot, thus forming new nutrients for the soil. This also creates small clearings that provide habitat for other plants and animals. In the undergrowth, animals find hiding places and can create shelters. Some bird species prefer the broken trunks as nesting sites. In the Black Forest, several areas are considered ban forests, covering a total space of 4,600 hectares. The best-known ban forest is located in the core zone of the Black Forest National Park near Baiersbronn, but it has existed since 1911. It dates back to a 1908 recommendation by Christian Wagner, then a professor of forestry, to preserve the forest, which was already quite pristine at the time. Initially, the area amounted to about 86 hectares. Later, in 1998, the ban forest was expanded to 150 hectares. It is the oldest natural forest reserve in Baden-Württemberg. With 102 hectares, the Feldsee forest on the Feldberg massif is also considerable. If forests are only used economically to a very limited extent, they are referred to as protected forests. There are a total of 11,500 hectares of these in the Black Forest. The term "Bannwald" ("ban forest") is quite old. In the Middle Ages, the word "Bann" described the fact that only the respective sovereign had a right to use a place. All others, for example farmers, were "banished" from it. Thus, "Bannwald" has the meaning that no one has a right of use to the piece of forest. Especially in Baden-Württemberg, the "ban" applies completely; any kind of use is prohibited in a ban forest.

Return Wildsee What is a cirque lake and where does it come from? At 910 meters above sea level, lake Wildsee is located in the southern part of the Black Forest National Park, not far from the Seekopf mountain, which rises 1,055 meters. The Wildsee is about eleven meters deep. It is surrounded by a forest area that was already declared a ban forest in 1911, which means that it has not been cultivated since then and is completely left to itself. The cirque wall behind the Wildsee is 125 meters high. Its water drains off via the Schönmünz stream, which in turn flows into the Murg. The Wildsee is a glacial cirque lake, as they are often found in the highlands of the Black Forest. Cirque lakes were formed by glaciers that created depressions on mountain slopes. The ice of the glaciers slowly sinks downhill. Underneath, debris and rock is detached from the ground and carried along. This permanent pushing causes the underlying soil to deepen into a depression. This is the basin of the later cirque lake, which fills as the glacier gradually melts. It is interesting to note that cirques in the Black Forest formed mainly on northern to eastern slopes. This is due to the fact that more snow had accumulated there and thus the amount of ice carried downhill by the glacier was greater. The cirque lakes formed during the last ice age, when the Black Forest was glaciated. Other well-known bodies of water of this type are Feldsee (near Feldberg), Mummelsee (near Seebach in the Ortenau district) or Nonnenmattweiher (Kleines Wiesental). Typical for all of them is their shape with a relatively flat, deepened bottom and a mostly steep back wall. Cirque lakes do not only occur in the Black Forest, but in principle everywhere where there were glaciers before.

Return Children in traditional costume Children also wore traditional costumes in the Black Forest. However, in those days, childhood here was not an easy one, as the offspring had to actively help out on the family farm at a young age. Children eventually inherited the estate. However, the farm was not divided up when it was inherited. This was done to ensure that the farm could continue unimpaired and that the cattle were not taken to another farm. This affected the succession should there be more than one child. The farm was bequeathed either to the youngest son or the eldest daughter. Other children had to marry in order to be taken to another farm. If they were unsuccessful, they were left as servants or maids on their own estates. The traditional costumes for children can be admired in the Trachtenmuseum in Haslach. Here, more than a hundred traditional costumes are exhibited on life-size dolls, as well as everyday objects of the peasants of the Black Forest. Incidentally, the museum is housed in the old Capuchin monastery, which is the last remaining Capuchin complex in southern Germany.

Return deer Can it really jump that far? The stag is the king of the forest. In the Black Forest, as in other parts of Germany, lives the red deer. It can grow up to 1.50 meters tall and up to 2.50 meters long. It can weigh up to 250 kilograms. The typical feature of deer is their antlers, which, however, only the males wear. It is interesting to note that the antlers grow anew every year. It first falls off in spring and develops again until summer, with two more shoots growing each year. Thus, the age of a male deer can be determined by the number of antlers, although it cannot exceed twelve ends. Equally typical for deer are their roaring sounds during the rutting season, which takes place in late summer. Calves are born at the beginning of summer. They grow up in a group with several hinds, one of which leads the herd. The males live mostly solitary. However, the number of red deer in the Black Forest is no longer very high. On the other hand, it plays a not insignificant role in the culture of this region. In the valley Höllental there is the so-called "Hirschsprung" ("stag jump"), a narrow, rocky place where the mountain slopes rise 130 meters above the valley floor. At the base they were only nine meters apart, at the upper rocky edge close to fifty. There is a bronze stag figure with a height of two and a half meters, which reminds of a legend. Right here, a stag is said to have saved itself from a knight who was hunting for it with a mighty leap from one mountainside to the other. I wonder if this is true. In the course of time, however, the place was widened by man. Interesting is also the connection of the deer with the origin of the Danube source river Brigach near St. Georgen. The Brigach rises at the Hirzbauernhof. "Hirz" is the Old High German word for "stag", and indeed, not far from the source of the Brigach, there is a stone with the image of a white stag on it.

Return lathe Precision engineering at its best The Black Forest was already known for its clocks in the eighteenth century. At that time, these were made on the farms and sold by the clock carriers at markets in different parts of the world. In the nineteenth century, the production of clocks shifted more and more to factories established for this purpose, such as those in Triberg, St. Georgen or Schramberg. They also changed the method of production. Until then, the farmers had primarily used wood as a material, but industrial production now used metal. In addition, from now on, highly specialized timekeepers such as alarm clocks or control clocks were also developed. However, there were some companies in the Black Forest, especially in St. Georgen, that already in the nineteenth century produced simple lathes and sold them to the clock-makers on the farms. These companies were initially blacksmiths, which subsequently grew steadily. In the beginning, in addition to the lathes, they also manufactured other components for the clocks, so they were a link in the division of labor in clock-making in the Black Forest. Thanks to the lathe, the individual parts of the clocks could be worked on more quickly and easily by the farmers. The principle of this tool is to clamp a component in such a way that it is fixed but can be rotated around its own axis. Thus, it is possible to machine the workpiece from different sides and even rotate it while it is being machined. In addition, clamping leaves both hands free, allowing for more accurate tool guidance. The use of a lathe, provided that the clamped workpiece is one made of metal, is also called "metal cutting". The former blacksmiths mentioned above grew in the course to become specialists in lathes, which they manufactured not only for clock-making, but also for other fields. They built milling machines and industrial tools. Based on this orientation, in the twentieth century other companies in the field of precision engineering were established, specifically dedicated to the field of consumer electronics, especially in St. Georgen and Villingen. Brands such as Dual, PE and SABA are well known, although they no longer exist. These companies manufactured record players, cassette recorders and tape recorders. Today, the German Phonomuseum in St. Georgen is a reminder of that era. There is also the Hotel Federwerk in St. Georgen, which is set up in a former factory building and brings the industrial history of the place to life. Each room is dedicated in its design to a company or a technical innovation. Thus, the house contains a total of 51 different episodes about the inventors of the city.

Return Tannery Today only street names remind of this craft Tanning is a very old craft that can be traced back to the Stone Age. This is not surprising, because even then there were simple stone tools for scraping and cutting, as well as skins that were pulled from hunted animals. The tannery processes the animal skins and makes leather from them. Especially in the Middle Ages, leather was very important for making clothes, which is why tanning was a common craft. Just as old as tanning is the use of wool from domesticated sheep. Cotton, which is widely used today, is also old, but did not spread globally until the beginning of the nineteenth century. Tanning was a matter of strengthening the animal skin so that it became leather. If it was peeled off, it quickly dried out, and if it came into contact with water, it even threatened to rot. To prevent these processes, tanning agents were used. In the beginning, these were fats or oils, and later on, they were also used in the form of oil of tran or tree bark extracts. However, tanners suffered from a bad reputation, because those who worked with animal hides ran the risk of catching diseases such as anthrax through the decomposition process or via the pathogens contained in the hides. In addition, the hides and the tanning agents sometimes spread very bad odors, which is why the tanners were shunned. In Schiltach, there is the Schüttesäge Museum, which is dedicated not only to rafting but also to the historical development of tanning in the Black Forest. Apart from that, this traditional craft has been preserved in several names. Villingen, for example, is not the only town to have a "Gerberstarße" ("tanner's street").

Return Glassblowing The Black Forest was once almost gone. The glassblowing craft in the Black Forest is very old. Its beginnings probably date back to the twelfth century. Glass was produced along several river courses such as the Kinzig and the Murg. The first glassworks were established on the Feldberg around 1579, mainly due to the nature of the soil with its high content of quartz, a raw material indispensable for glass production. Originally, glassworks were not tied to a fixed location. They were usually leased by a landowner to the master glassblowers. Since a lot of wood was needed for their work, the forest around a glassworks was quickly cleared and the workshop had to be moved to another location. The exact knowledge for the production of the glass was kept secret by the master glassblowers. Moreover, it is rumored that the master glassblowers all came from a single widespread family that was only intermarried. Since the glassworks of the Black Forest were very far from the actual place of use of the glass produced, it had to be transported there. This was done by glass carriers who brought the material on their backs with a large stretcher, the so-called "Krätze", to the towns where it was sold at markets. Glassblowing then changed significantly in the eighteenth century. As the demand for glass increased enormously, especially for windows, larger factories sprang up in various places, around which entire villages were settled to accommodate and supply the needed labor. Together with rafting and charcoal burning, glassblowing also led to the almost complete deforestation of the Black Forest. Incidentally, this was originally a mixed forest and not a coniferous one as it is today. The fact that there are many spruce trees today is primarily due to their rapid growth, which predestined them for reforestation. Nevertheless, the industry of glass production has survived to the present day. Traditionally working glassblowing factories still exist today. You can watch the glassblowers at work in various places, such as Alpirsbach, Altglashütten near the Feldberg, Buhlbach near Baiersbronn or Herrischried. This is also possible in the Dorotheenhütte in Wolfach, where there is even a glass museum. In addition, many place names with the component "glass" remind of the long tradition in the Black Forest. There is often a "Glashalde" ("glass dump") or a "Glasbach" ("glass brook") and the Black Forest Railway even has three "Glasträgertunnel", which means "glass carrier tunnels". Click here to go to the Dorotheenhütte in Wolfach.