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Return Titisee Just jump into the cool water! Lake Titisee is located at 846 meters above sea level in the Bärental valley near Titisee-Neustadt. It is 750 meters wide and about 1.9 kilometers long. At its deepest point, the water level measures 39 meters. A small river flows through it, which is called Seebach at the confluence, but Gutach at the outflow. It is the later river Wutach, which falls into a breathtaking gorge behind Titisee-Neustadt. Lake Titisee was formed naturally, i.e. it was not dammed. It was formed by a moraine of the former Feldberg glacier during the last ice age and is the largest natural lake in the Black Forest. It is known for its excellent water quality. Numerous species of fish can be found in the lake, and you can even see a gray heron on the shores. Moraines, by the way, are deposits of debris and rubble that a glacier pushes along with its movement. In contrast to Schluchsee, you can ice skate on Lake Titisee in winter because the water here freezes. However, the winds in the valley keep it moving in such a way that a longer time is needed before it is safe to walk on. If it is not frozen, a boat trip is a good option. There is a very famous boat rental for that. And of course you can swim or even surf here. On the lake lies the town of Titisee-Neustadt, a spa town that is also widely known for its great importance in winter sports. Its territory extends over an altitude ranging from 780 to 1,197 meters, with the highest elevation being the peak of the mountain Hochfirst. The town has had its present name only since 1971, when the towns of Titisee and Neustadt and a number of smaller surrounding villages were merged to form the new municipality of Titisee-Neustadt. Titisee-Neustadt also includes the district of Waldau, the very Waldau where the Kreutz family built the first balance beam clock in the Black Forest in the seventeenth century. Titisee-Neustadt was also important for the further development of the Waldau clocks. You must have wondered where the unusual name of Lake Titisee comes from. In any case, it has nothing to do with Lake Titicaca. What it means exactly is not clear at all. It could come from a dialect word for "child" or from the name of the Roman commander Titus.

Return Costume pair Almost every place has its own traditional costume. In the Black Forest, costumes have a great tradition, which is still actively cultivated today. It is noticeable that the wealth of variations from place to place is quite high. In total, there are said to be 120 different traditional costumes in the Black Forest. Traditional costumes probably originated in the sixteenth century, as a result of various dress codes that were related to the respective social classes. The affiliation to religious denominations played an essential role, as well as the marital status. However, traditional costume areas are largely based on the dominions, as they were in pre-Napoleonic times. Nevertheless, the Black Forest traditional costumes are also part of the ecclesiastical tradition. In the Black Forest, the colors black, white and red as well as purple dominate the traditional costumes. The men usually wear a wide, white shirt, over it a black vest with red lining, and with it black pants and a hat of the same color. The stockings are either white or red, and the shoes are black. The women wear basically the same set, instead of trousers a long skirt in black, which is heavily pleated and therefore quite weighty. The white blouse has half-length puffed sleeves. Over it comes a velvet bodice embroidered with small floral motifs, especially tinsel on the collar. This is then accompanied by purple ribbons and white stockings and black shoes. In 1894, a first traditional costume association was founded in Hausach. Many other towns and communities followed this example. If you want to get an overview of all the traditional costumes known in the Black Forest, you should take a look at the Black Forest Costume Museum in Haslach, which was founded in 1980. More than a hundred life-size figures display a wide variety of traditional costumes. You can also buy original costumes from the Black Forest in some stores in the region. However, the pieces are not exactly cheap, because their production is expensive.

Return Charcoal burning Poor charcoal Peter … Charcoal burning also has a long tradition in the Black Forest. In many respects it behaved with it quite similarly as with the glassblowing. In the Black Forest, not only was quartz for glass production sought early on, but also copper, iron and even silver. For their further processing, great heat was needed, for which the burning of bare wood, as the glassblowers did, was no longer sufficient. For this purpose, there were charcoal burners, who prepared the wood in such a way that it was charred, its energy density was increased, so that it radiated higher temperatures when burned. The charcoal burner built a kiln from a cone-shaped pile of logs, which was then covered with brushwood and sealed with earth and moss. Only one opening remained, through which some embers were pushed into the interior of the charcoal kiln. This ember then had to gradually spread to the wood in the pile and smolder it. It was important that the temperature inside remained constant. The wood was not allowed to burn, but only to smolder in order to become coal. Since charcoal burning was a very dirty trade, charcoal burners usually enjoyed a rather bad reputation, for which, however, they could not help. This circumstance was taken up by the writer Wilhelm Hauff in his fairy tale "The Cold Heart". In this fairy tale, the poor charcoal burner Peter Munk has three wishes from the little glass man, a good forest spirit. He squanders two of them on wealth, which is why the third is initially denied him. Therefore, Peter turns to another, evil spirit, who grants him even more money, but puts a stone instead of a heart as the price. As Peter becomes increasingly stingy and callous, even neglecting his mother and killing his wife in anger, he wants his heart back, but does not get it back from the evil forest spirit. Instead, the good one helps him with some advice. So Peter seeks out the evil spirit again and accuses him that the cold stone heart is not working properly. The evil forest spirit does not want to believe this and gives him back his real heart as a comparison. No sooner has this happened than the good forest spirit grants Peter protection and reunites him with his mother and his revived wife. By the way, there is a Hauff Fairy Tale Museum in Baiersbronn, which is dedicated to this fairy tale and to the author himself. The charcoal burners soon had a similar fate as the glass blowers. Since they needed a lot of wood for their work, they had to clear more and more forests and adapt their charcoal kilns to the location of the available forest. Thus, they too caused the almost complete clear-cutting of the Black Forest towards the end of the nineteenth century.

Return Schauinslandbahn If you want to enjoy the view, you have to get to the top. Southeast of Freiburg lies the Schauinsland, a mountain with an altitude of 1,284 meters. It is about ten kilometers from the center of the city, which is why it is also called Freiburg's local mountain. It rises directly from the Upper Rhine Graben, which is why strong winds sometimes prevail, especially on its western side. Because of its height, it is of course a wonderful vantage point. From here you can see the Vosges and the Alps. The view of Freiburg is equally fascinating. To the north, you can also see the Hornisgrinde, the highest mountain in the Northern Black Forest. To make the climb easier, there is a cable car that is 3.6 kilometers long in total. This makes it the longest cable car in Germany. From the Horben valley station in Freiburg, it climbs a total of 746 meters. For this purpose, the lift has 37 cabins. In addition to people (700 per hour), the cable car also transports bicycles and ski equipment. If you don't want to take the cable car to the top, you can also hike the Schauinsland and enjoy the fantastic view of the Rhine Valley from the top. The top of the Schauinsland is unwooded, a fact that goes back to mining. In the Middle Ages, silver as well as lead and zinc were mined in this mountain, which is why wood was needed to stabilize the tunnels. The wood was taken directly from the top of the mountain, which led to a real clear-cutting. Mining was stopped here in 1954. Since 2002, the entire peak area has been under nature protection. What you don't see on the outside of the Schauinsland is what is inside, and that is quite a lot. First of all, there are the tunnels that originate from mining. There are twenty-two in total and together they have a length of about a hundred kilometers. Today, no more mineral resources are mined and the Schauinsland serves as an excursion destination. Here you can visit a part of the former mine since 1997. Even more interesting is what can be found in the so-called Barbarastollen, which is located in the Hörnergrund near Oberried. Namely, there are film reels. Yes, you haven't misread, the gallery is full of reels. In fact, since 1975, it has housed an archive of the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief, in which documents of the Federal Republic of Germany copied onto film reels are kept, which are of important significance for history and culture. They are recorded using a special, high-resolution technique on special polyester thin film that lasts for a very long time. Within Europe, the Barbarastollen is the largest archive of its kind and is under special international protection by UNESCO.

Return Capercaillie A quite rare bird, not only in the Black Forest A rather shy fellow is the capercaillie, the largest chicken bird found in Europe. It can be recognized by its typical gurgling mating sound as well as by its considerable size. It is native to the Black Forest, as it is generally found at high altitudes. The capercaillie is a so-called resident bird, which means that it remains in one region throughout the year, i.e. it is not a migratory bird. Unfortunately, the capercaillie is on the Red List of endangered animals in Germany. In the Northern Black Forest National Park, however, its population has been stabilized and preserved. This is no wonder, because it is primarily forestry that is changing the forests in such a way that they are unsuitable for the capercaillie. But why is this so? For one thing, the capercaillie needs lots of light, broken-up forest areas. Since it is very heavy, it needs some run-up to get off the ground. Secondly, its diet consists mainly of berries, although in winter, when there is snow, it has to resort to the needles or buds of trees. Unfortunately, forestry increasingly afforests small clearings where the berries can grow, so that the capercaillie no longer finds a suitable habitat. This is not the case in the Northern Black Forest National Park. Established in 2014, the forests here are largely left to their own devices over a total area of 10,062 hectares. This leads to the formation of small clearings, which are beneficial for the capercaillies. These are not only important for the birds, but also allow many plants to grow unhindered. As with many bird species, male and female capercaillie can be clearly distinguished from each other. A rooster can grow up to one meter tall and weigh five kilograms, the hen only about half that. The plumage of the cock is gray to brown and shimmering green on the breast. The hen has brown plumage on the back and wings, interspersed with silver and black stripes. On the underside of the animal the coloring is lighter and goes more into the yellowish. The chicks resemble the hen in appearance. By the way, a capercaillie egg looks almost like a hen's egg. However, it has distinct brown spots. Capercaillies leave clearly visible and typical tracks in the snow, because their feet are built similar to snowshoes and have horn pins that grow sideways to the toes. Thus, the animals have good footing even in the snow. This is especially important because capercaillies cannot fly very well and move primarily on the ground. The courtship display, during which the rooster makes its characteristic gurgling sound, takes place during the spring months. The dance that the rooster performs is complex, consisting of various processes. He has his feathers erected into a fan, similar to a peacock. The roosters also defend their territories against competitors, occasionally even against humans. There are usually four animals per hundred hectares. You can gather interesting information about the capercaillie while hiking on the Wichtelpfad Feldberg. In addition to the capercaillie, the Black Forest is home to the cuckoo and the crossbill. The red kite has also returned to the area. There are gray herons and cormorants, hawks and owls.

Return St. Peter Baroque Church The special thing here is the library. A wooden church was first built in St. Peter by the Benedictines in 1100. The baroque church with its two onion domes, which stands on this site today, dates from 1720 and was designed by Peter Thumb from Vorarlberg. Its interior design includes 55 frescoes by Franz Joseph Spiegler depicting scenes from the life of the Apostle Paul and several sculptures by Joseph Anton Feuchtmayer. The high altar has the peculiarity that its external appearance can be changed. To do this, various motifs are slid onto the altar from a holder that can be rolled off. In this way, the altarpiece can adapt to different occasions within the church year. The former monastery of St. Peter also includes a library, which was also planned by Peter Thumb. The special feature: It has a walk-in gallery on which twelve figures stood at the time. They symbolized the various fields of knowledge for which books were available here. Today, however, six of them no longer exist. By 1806, the library had more than 20,000 books. Among others, a Koberger Bible from 1483 was kept here, as well as a number of manuscripts, some of which dated back to the tenth century. However, the book collections were moved elsewhere in 1806, as the monastery was dissolved in that year. In the meantime, there is a virtual form of the St. Peter's library, which has been maintained by several libraries and archives since 2009. Otherwise, it is worth mentioning about St. Peter that it is located in the Glottertal. This valley is not only quite idyllic, but also very famous since the eighties, because the soap opera "Die Schwarzwaldklinik" was set here. The building that represented the hospital actually exists in the upper part of the valley. It is the so-called "Carlsbau" from 1914, which was then as now in use as a clinic. Worth mentioning is furthermore the mountain Kandel, which rises with a height of 1,242 meters between the Glottertal, the Simonswälder and the Elztal. In the Glottertal, the so-called "Glottertäler Weißherbst" is also pressed, a white wine made from red grapes. In general, the Glottertal has a favorable climate, so that fruit also grows well there.

Return Bibeleskäs It is eaten, what comes on the table. Bibeleskäs is a speciality from the Black Forest. It was prepared by farmers in the past. For this, a rather dry white cheese was mixed with herbs and spices. The ingredients can vary from place to place, but salt and pepper are generally included, along with onions, chives and garlic. Usually, Bibeleskäs is served with potatoes or bread. The term derives from the dry, crumbly consistency of the white cheese. The word "Bibele" in Alemannic dialects means something like "knob". Generally, in the Black Forest, "Bibeleskäs" is also understood to mean "curd cheese" in general. Like all dishes of the peasants, Bibeleskäs is rather simple and cheap to produce. In fact, in earlier times, cooking had to be as economical as possible, since agriculture was only sufficient for subsistence and did not yield profits. Nowadays, however, the Bibeleskäs is very popular among locals as well as tourists. Furthermore, the Black Forest cuisine is known for various soups, including the wedding soup and the pike dumpling soup or the Baden snail soup. The most popular is certainly the "Flädlesuppe", in which strips of pancake dough are pickled and seasoned heartily. But "Spätzle" and "Maultaschen" are also popular here, as are "Schäufele", "Leberle" and "Nierle". Since the Black Forest has a Baden and a Württemberg part, the transitions between traditional Baden and Swabian cuisine are rather fluid here, which is why Spätzle and Maultaschen are almost as popular as in Stuttgart.

Return The farm from the inside A very clear structure The special thing about the Black Forest farms is the fact that almost the entire farm economy was housed in one large building. Hence, there were not only living and sleeping quarters in the house, but also the working areas and even the stables for the animals. The latter were present on the upper floors. Above, that is, in the attic, hay was stored and threshed. It could then be thrown into the stables through a hatch when needed. Consequently, the interior of a Black Forest farm is arranged in a very specific way. The concept of having everything under one roof ensured short walking distances and encouraged cooperation between the generations, several of whom always lived on the farm. This is called a "single-roof farm". Only the oldest generation, when they were no longer able to actively help, moved to an outbuilding, the so-called "Libding". This means "something stipulated for the lifetime", thus in short "life annuity". The internal structure of the Black Forest farms was also conditioned by the fact that in most cases the peasants practiced subsistence farming. They produced all their own food and utensils (brooms, rakes, dishes, etc.), a circumstance that meant that the people earned next to nothing. So it is not surprising that the peasants tried to gain money by making clocks on the side. These activities were carried out in the living room, mainly in winter. Bathrooms, as we know them today, did not exist in the farms. People washed in a trough in front of the house, which was supplied with fresh spring water. In addition, the interior of the historic Black Forest farms differs from modern houses in that the ceilings of the rooms are relatively low. So if you are tall, you have to be careful not to bump your head when you visit an old farm.

Return (Black Forest) ham Very tasty, if you are not a vegetarian The Black Forest Ham is widely known. It can usually be recognized by its dark brown rind and unmistakable taste. However, its production is a science in itself, taking several weeks. Since the term "Black Forest Ham" is a protected geographical indication of the EU, it may only be produced in the Black Forest. So what it says is actually what's inside. The typical construction of farmhouses in the Black Forest contributed to the refinement of ham production. Since there was a smokehouse above the tiled stove, it was obvious to store food there, especially meat, since it could be preserved longer in the smoke. This gave rise to the tradition of smoking ham. Generally, the hind legs of pigs are used for Black Forest Ham, with the bones removed. The first step in the production is the so-called curing. Here, the meat is rubbed with a spice mixture whose ingredients include juniper, garlic, coriander and pepper, among other herbs. Curing helps to improve the shelf life of the ham, as the salt is distributed evenly throughout the meat. The meat juice, the brine, that escapes during this step is separated from the meat after about five weeks, after which the ham must first be re-baked and then smoked at a temperature of 18 to 20 degrees. Only branches of coniferous trees from the Black Forest are used for the smoke. In the last step, the ham is again kept in the dry at about 5 degrees for several weeks to mature. If you want to learn more about the ham during a visit to the Black Forest, you can do so in the Black Forest Ham Museum, which has been established since 2013 on the Feldberg in a former radio tower.

Return Black Forest town Villingen, founded by the Zähringers Villingen is a part of the district town of the Schwarzwald-Baar district Villingen-Schwenningen. Villingen is located at the source of the Danube river Brigach, at the eastern exit of the Black Forest, which gradually descends from here to the plateau Baar. Villingen was first mentioned in documents as early as 817. Later, around 1119, the Zähringers under Berthold II began a new development of the right bank of the river Brigach. Until then, only the left bank had been settled. Now, however, the Zähringers created a fortified city with two oval walls, completed in 1250, and a moat in between, as well as a center with the characteristic street cross. Of particular architectural value are the early Gothic cathedral and the town hall, built around 1534, which contains a museum of the town's history. Of the two fortifications, the inner wall is still preserved. This includes three still intact city gates and several towers. The Liebfrauenmünster church was built from 1130 to 1293. In 1271 the works had to be interrupted because of a town fire. Villingen is known not only for its well-preserved town center, but furthermore for the Franciscan Museum, also a historic building near the Riedtor gate, where a Celtic burial site bears witness to the earliest settlement in the Black Forest around the sixth century BC. Villingen has a legendary hero, called Romaeus (originally Romeias), after whom one of the towers in the old town is named. Unfortunately, however, it bears the name because Romaeus is said to have been once imprisoned in it. And this, although he performed several heroic deeds for Villingen, the most important of which was the theft of a city gate from Rottweil, which Romaeus could carry with one hand due to his considerable height. This scene is immortalized on the outer wall of the Romaeus Tower. Stupidly for the people of Villingen, he managed to escape from the tower. They threw an animal into his dungeon every day so that he would have something to eat. He took the bones from it and stuck them into the cracks of the masonry in order to climb out of the dungeon by them. Since he besieged Kusenberg Castle during his escape from Villingen and received a ransom, the people of Villingen took him in after all. That the people of Villingen were not exactly squeamish with their neighbors is also shown by the relationship with the monastery of St. Georgen, which was completely destroyed by the people of Villingen. It should be said that Rottweil is much older than Villingen, namely almost a thousand years. It was founded by the Romans already in the year 74 after Christ. In 1972, Villingen and Schwenningen were merged into one municipality, which has since then also been the district capital. The watershed between the Rhine and the Danube runs between the two sub-communities, with the Neckar rising near Schwenningen.

Return Clock-maker's workshop The cuckoo clock was only the beginning. The beginnings of the clock-making trade in the Black Forest date back to the seventeenth century. It is said that a first clock was made around 1667, on the "Glashof" ("glass farm") in Waldau, which today belongs to Titisee-Neustadt. A Kreutz family lived there at the time, and although they did not invent the clock, they were the first in the Black Forest to build one on their farm. At that time, agriculture hardly brought any profit for the farmers, but served solely for their own survival. Since the evenings were long in the winter, they lent themselves to fiddling around. And because there was always plenty of wood, the clocks were also made from it. At first, these were quite simple, able to show only the hours. They consisted of three carved wheels, a dial with a single hand, and a horizontal bar. From this derives the name "Waagbalkenuhr" ("balance beam clock"). It was driven by a stone attached to a chain. The clock of the Kreutz family from Waldau was of this type. Around 1738, the first example of the clock that is associated with the Black Forest all over the world is said to have been created: the cuckoo clock. It is assumed that it goes back to Franz Anton Ketterer from Schönwald. Almost at the same time, around 1740, a first pendulum clock was built by Christian Wehrle from Simonswald. From about 1770, clocks were made with a wooden shield on which various motifs were painted with lacquer. They are called "lacquer shield clocks". In the following period, they were first the symbol of the Black Forest clock, before they were replaced in the middle of the nineteenth century by the cuckoo clock in the shape of a railroad guard's house. However, there were other types of clocks that originated in the Black Forest, such as the so-called "Männleuhr" ("man clock"), which can best be described as music boxes. They had small figures on them that moved on the hour. A clock-maker from Hinterzarten, Jakob Herbstrieth, built the "Jockeleuhr" named after him, which had the characteristic of being quite small. During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the craft developed into an important industry, mainly because Black Forest clocks were cheaper than those made of metal constructed by clock-makers in the cities, due to the fact that wood was the building material. In addition, the manufacturing process in the Black Forest became more and more sophisticated. Thus, until the middle of the nineteenth century, clocks were made in numerous small home workshops, mainly in the area between St. Georgen and Titisee-Neustadt. It is estimated that they numbered about a thousand in 1840. However, the clock-makers of those days did not work alone. A rather sophisticated division of labor already existed in the Black Forest towards the end of the eighteenth century. The clock-maker received prefabricated parts from other craftsmen, often blacksmiths, to build the clocks from. For example, he was provided with bells, frames and shields. Finally, they even received brass wheels for the movement. The finished clocks were sold at markets, to which they first arrived with the help of the glass bearers. As some of them specialized in marketing clocks, the profession of clock carrier was born. Subsequently, watch factories were established, especially from the middle of the nineteenth century. This happened first in Lenzkirch and Furtwangen, and later also in Triberg and St. Georgen, as well as in Titisee-Neustadt. At the end of the nineteenth century, Schramberg and Schwenningen followed. Of particular interest to visitors is the German Clock Museum in Furtwangen. It not only presents Black Forest clock-making, but also offers a cross-section that goes far beyond it, with about 1,000 exhibits and a total inventory of 8,000 pieces. Incidentally, it was founded by Robert Gerwig, the designer of the Black Forest Railway, who was also the first director of a clock-making school from 1850 to 1857, which was also located in Furtwangen. Through his influence, the so-called "Bahnhäusleform" ("shape of a railroad guard's cottage") of the cuckoo clock achieved its worldwide distribution. The concept of combining a railroad guard's cottage with a clock face goes back to Friedrich Eisenlohr. A clock-maker's workshop can also be visited in Triberg's local history museum, and a clock-maker's cottage dating from 1726 is located in Vöhrenbach. Another one is open to visitors in Titisee-Neustadt. The German Clock Route, a popular vacation route, connects the former centers of the clock-making trade along its course.

Return Forest Why is the forest actually black? You have surely asked yourself why the Black Forest is called black. It is no longer possible to determine exactly, but it is assumed that the naming is related to the impenetrability of the forest, which was often mentioned at that time and which made it "black", i.e. "not visible". Nowadays, spruce trees are the main species found here, although they were not always so common. In fact, this tree species has dominated the Black Forest only since the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Until then, the forest was much more mixed and the majority of spruces were only found on the higher peaks from about 1,000 meters. Otherwise, almost all tree species native to Germany occurred. Three economic activities in particular in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries led to almost blanket clearing of forests, namely rafting, glassblowing, and charcoal burning. While rafting transported logs across rivers to other towns and countries where they were needed as building materials, glassblowers and charcoal burners needed a lot of firewood for their furnaces and kilns. Apart from that, wood was also used by farmers as a source of energy for heating, as well as a basic material for house construction and utensils. The result of all this was that the Black Forest was almost bare by the end of the nineteenth century. It was obvious that this could not remain so, because the absence of trees has fatal consequences for the soil. The humus that forms the subsoil of any forest can no longer hold without the living root system of the trees and is eroded away. This allows water to run off the mountain slopes more quickly, leading to more flooding in the plains along the rivers. So something had to be done to reforest the Black Forest. The first reforestation law of the former Baden government to save the Black Forest was enacted in 1833. At the beginning of the twentieth century, there were increased efforts to reforest. Since the main aim was to plant trees that grew very quickly, spruce was chosen, which increasingly led to the development of monocultures. Since then, spruces form almost half of the tree population. They are followed by beech and fir, each with about one sixth. Today, three quarters of the Black Forest is forested and efforts are being made to reforest more mixed forests in order to cope with climate change. Spruces in particular do not tolerate prolonged periods of drought well because of their comparatively shallow roots, but increasing warming means that rain is failing more and more often, especially in the summer months. A mixed forest can better compensate for such dry periods. In addition, strong storms have been occurring much more frequently in recent years, which have a more drastic effect on a monoculture.