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Return Feldberg You can't get any higher here: The Feldberg. With an altitude of 1,493 meters, the Feldberg is the highest elevation in the Black Forest. At the same time, it is the highest mountain of all low mountain ranges in Germany and outside the Alps. It is located southeast of Freiburg in an area known as the Upper Black Forest. The Feldberg massif has a total of four peaks. Not far from the main peak, which is also called the "Höchste" ("highest"), is the Mittelbuck, with an altitude of 1,472 meters. To the north of it, 900 meters away from the Höchsten, is the Baldenweger Buck with 1,460 meters. About two kilometers southeast of the main peak rises the Seebuck, which at 1,449 meters forms a kind of foothill. Below it, at 1,109 meters, lies Feldsee, a glacial cirque lake. A total of five valleys are cut into the Feldberg, some of them very deep, especially those to the west. The Zastlertal and the St. Wilhelmer Tal open to the northwest, the Wiesental to the southwest. To the east extends the valley of the Seebach, the later river Wutach, which crosses the Feldsee. The St. Wilhelmer Tal offers a wonderful view of the Feldberg, which can be seen from there above the peaks of the surrounding mountains. Because of its height, the Feldberg is predestined for weather observation. Regular measurements have taken place since 1915, and a station with radar has existed since 1937. Visitors are also amazed by the fantastic and unrestricted distant view of the Vosges, Swabian Alb, Hegau and Alps. In favorable weather, you can even make out the Zugspitze, Germany' highest mountain. Especially in summer, a hike in the surroundings of the Feldberg is worthwhile. Then the diversity becomes clear, which results from the interaction of high forests and moors, the ice-age cirque lakes and the pastures and is unique in this form. It is worth mentioning that the Upper Black Forest is formed and influenced by ice-age glaciers. The Feldsee is thus a cirque lake, the largest of its kind in the Black Forest. It reaches a depth of up to 32 meters and is almost round. The Feldsee forest around it has been declared a ban forest on an area of 102 hectares. The Feldberg is also known for its skiing area. The offer there includes sixteen slopes of various degrees of difficulty as well as five chairlifts and nine lifts. In addition, there are six trails for cross-country skiing. It is amazing that the oldest still existing ski club in Germany was founded here on the Feldberg, the SC Todtnau of 1891. In 1897 the first women's ski race was also held here. The Feldberg can come up with even more special features. Around it lies a nature reserve of the same name, which was even the first in Baden-Württemberg and with 4,227 hectares is also the largest. And in an adjacent valley is Feldberg-Bärental, at 967 meters, Germany's highest standard-gauge railroad station, which is part of the Dreiseenbahn from Titisee to Seebrugg. On the Seebuck there is a tower that can be climbed as a lookout point. It was used as a radio tower, but since 2013 it has contained a museum dedicated to Black Forest ham and a wedding room, the highest in Baden-Württemberg. Not far from the tower is a monument in honor of the Chancellor of the Reich, Bismarck. In the Upper Black Forest there are other prominent mountains, for example the Herzogenhorn with 1,415 meters or the Belchen with 1,414 meters. The highest elevation in the Northern Black Forest is the Hornisgrinde at 1,164 meters. In the entire Black Forest, there are over a hundred mountains that exceed the one-thousand-meter mark. Particularly to the Black Forest Belchen there is a special feature. From its peak you can see in the distance two other mountains with the same name, one is in the Vosges, the other in Switzerland. If you stand on the Belchen in the Black Forest in the evening on March 21 as well as on September 23, i.e. at the equinox, you can see that the sun sets over the Belchen in the Vosges. If you are at the same place in the morning on December 21, at the winter solstice, the sun rises directly over the Belchen in Switzerland.

Return cow A few cows and a lot of effort: agriculture in the Black Forest When the Black Forest was settled from the eighth century onwards, it was mainly for the reason of opening up new areas for agriculture. In addition, various mineral resources were mined. However, agriculture was the element that visibly spread throughout the region. Since the invention of the plow at that time led to the practice of agriculture even on more difficult soils, from then on agriculture was able to expand into areas that had previously been denied to it, especially high altitudes, typical of the Black Forest. The farms in the Black Forest were not built on the mountain tops, but on the slopes, which had several reasons. On the one hand, on slopes the burden of storms and snowdrifts in winter was less, and on the other hand, the farm was thus closer to water, because there are often springs on the slopes. In the valley, on the other hand, it was too wet because a brook flows there, which often swells considerably when the snow melts. However, the stream does have one advantage. It irrigates the meadows in the valley, so that the farmers could obtain suitable hay from the lush grass. Characteristic for the agriculture in the Black Forest is above all the brown-white cattle of the variety "Hinterwälder", which is also called "Hirschvieh" ("stag cattle"). It can be recognized by its white head. This breed is well adapted to the conditions in the low mountain ranges and therefore copes well with the poor soils of the Black Forest. The animals have firm claws, which allows them to graze on steep slopes. Their intestines are relatively long, which enables the Hinterwald cattle to utilize their feed optimally. Their bodies are quite small compared to other breeds, a cow weighing up to 420 kilograms, a bull up to 800 kilograms. Surprisingly, this cattle breed had almost disappeared. It is only since the seventies that farmers in the Black Forest have been trying to increase the population again. Besides cattle, there were many other animals on the farms, namely pigs, chickens, goats and sheep. Horses were also kept, which were needed for the heavy field work. The pastures for the cows were mostly located at the top of the mountain. In fact, halfway up the mountain are the fields for arable farming. In the Black Forest, these were usually used in the so-called "crop rotation", which means that the same crops were not cultivated every year. So sometimes rye and other cereals were sown, sometimes potatoes. In some years the fields were used as pastures to let the cattle fertilize them. Among the cereals, rye dominated, as it was more resistant to cold than wheat or barley. The Black Forest farmers mostly worked for their own needs, so almost everything that was needed was made on one farm. There was a saw for wood processing, which was driven by water power, as was the grain mill. The grain was baked into bread, which was often done outside the main building in a separate baking kitchen. Since here, too, work had to be done sparingly, there was only one day a month when baking took place, and then also several loaves at a time, in order to make the best use of the firewood. Since agriculture did not yield any profit in earlier times, the peasants have always tried other work to earn a little money. Especially clock-making is one of these activities. In modern times, many farms rely on tourism. So you can make wonderful farm vacations in the Black Forest, mostly in outbuildings that have been specially developed for vacation guests.

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 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.

Lies in unserem großen Schwarzwaldlexikon viel Wissenswertes, Spannendes und manch Amüsantes über Deutschlands größtes Mittelgebirge, seine Menschen, Sehenswürdigkeiten und Spezialitäten sowie seine Tierwelt und einmalige Natur. Deine DEINDESIGNWERK GmbH In our large Black Forest lexicon, read a lot of interesting, interesting and sometimes amusing information about Germany's largest low mountain range, its people, sights and specialties as well as its animal world and unique nature. Find out more about the Black Forest by simply clicking on the individual motifs. MOTIVES Auerhahn Bär Bannwald Barockkirche St. Peter (Schwarzwälder-) Bauernstube Baumwipfelpfad Besucherzentrum Bierbrauerei (Gutacher-) Bollenhut Der Hof von innen Dom St. Blasien Donauquelle (Uhrmacher-) Drehbank Feldberg Flößerei (Gebackene Schwarzwald-) Forelle Freiburger Münster Gerberei Glasbläserei Hirsch Hochzeitspaar Kartoffeln und Bibeleskäs (Schwarzwälder-) Kirschtorte (Schwarzwälder-) Kirschwasser Köhlerei

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 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 (Baked Black Forest) trout This is how fish tastes especially good. When you visit the Black Forest, you will notice that hospitality is very important here. This is especially evident in the many great restaurants that can be found in all towns in the region. The Black Forest cuisine is known for its many trout recipes. There are said to be a total of 29 different ones, all prepared with this type of fish. This is no wonder, since trout is quite common in the narrow rivers and streams of the Black Forest, so it is primarily fished. It is not uncommon for trout to be the subject of elaborate breeding. In this process, the young fish created by artificial insemination are first kept and fed in ponds and finally released into flowing waters. The ponds must have fresh, oxygen-rich water and are usually specially constructed for this purpose. Trout are often boiled blue. This involves boiling the gutted fish whole in salt water, with vinegar added. During the process, the fish skin takes on a bluish color. In blue boiling, the trout is not scaled. It is different with the preparation according to "Müllerinart" ("the miller's way"). Here the fish is first soaked in salted milk, then in flour, and then fried. It is served with lemon juice and parsley. The name "Müllerinart" has probably spread because of the use of flour. Anyway, you don't have to be a miller to prepare such a dish. But not only fish dishes are typically Black Forest. Other recipes also come from here, although they originally came from the farmers, who had to be thrifty with the food they earned. This is how the "Bibeleskäs", a curd cheese, "Schäufele", "Leberle" and "Nierle" were created. Nowadays, the Black Forest is characterized by outstanding gastronomy, especially in Baiersbronn. This is due to the fact that it is home to two three-star restaurants. In fact, there are only ten of these in the whole of Germany. Enjoy your meal. But what are these stars and what do they mean? Basically, you can think of them as school grades, ranging from one to three stars, with "three stars" being the highest award. The stars are awarded in what is known as the "Guide Michelin", a guide published annually by the tire manufacturer of the same name. The Guide has been published since 1900, initially only for France, and since 1910 also for Germany and Switzerland. Finally, from 1926 onwards, stars were awarded to restaurants, which brought the Guide to high fame. However, it does not always have to be a star restaurant if you want to eat well. It also tastes delicious in a Versperbeiz, a kind of pub, and there are many of them in the Black Forest.

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 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 Rafting On round logs to the Netherlands: rafters in the Black Forest The rafting trade in the Black Forest is very old. It is documented as early as the beginning of the 14th century, especially on the Kinzig, a 93-kilometer-long river that forms the border between the northern and southern Black Forest with its striking valley and abundance of water. It rises near Lossburg in the Freudenstadt district, then flows through towns such as Alpirsbach, Schiltach and Wolfach before its valley becomes wide and deep from Hausach. It finally flows into the Rhine at Kehl. By then it has overcome a difference in altitude of 548 meters. There was also rafting on the Enz, the Murg and even on the Dreisam and Wiese. Especially in Schiltach and Wolfach, rafting was one of the most important economic activities from the 14th century on. Trees were felled in the Black Forest, where wood was plentiful. The delimbed, barkless trunks were either thrown into the river or, if there was no body of water nearby, they were let slide down into the valley on so-called "Riesen". These were slides that were also made of logs. In the heyday of rafting, the Riesen were very numerous. Today there is only one reconstructed one, and that is at the Glaswaldsee near Bad Rippoldsau. In the water, which was specially dammed for this purpose, the logs were joined together with the help of so-called "Wieden", wooden ropes, to form huge rafts, which then glided downstream, usually with the drained water. Their dimensions were not to be underestimated, up to six hundred meters long and six meters wide, and therefore anything but easy to steer. Especially at weirs and the whirlpools that occurred behind them, the rafts were heavily stressed and it was not uncommon for the rafters to get caught in the water. At that time, there was no alternative means of transport that could have carried so many logs at once. The rafts carried the wood along the Kinzig river to the Rhine, and there to Strasbourg, Karlsruhe, Mannheim and Mainz. The Rhine rafters even took it as far as the Netherlands. Especially in Amsterdam, the logs were used as foundation piles for house construction. A considerable part of the piles still existing today are former Black Forest trees. This is the origin of the name "Holländertanne" for fir trees, which were very strong. In the 15th century, rafting had its widest expansion on the river Kinzig to Alpirsbach, on the tributary Schiltach to Schramberg as well as on the Wolf to Bad Rippoldsau. It was not until the advent of railroad traffic at the end of the 19th century that rafting on the Kinzig lost its importance, mainly due to the construction of the line from Hausach to Freudenstadt, which was completed in 1886. But this is not the only reason for the disappearance of this craft. Rather, there was hardly any wood available at that time, as the Black Forest was mostly clear-cut. It was not until the beginning of the twentieth century that reforestation began. Nowadays, rafts still travel on the Kinzig, but they no longer transport wood. Rather, hobby rafters emulate the former activity. In addition, there are raft museums in Wolfach, Gengenbach, Calmbach near Bad Wildbad and Schiltach (Schüttesäge Museum), which recall this traditional craft, and a raft park in Wolfach.

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.