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Return St. Blasien Cathedral Big and splendid The town of St. Blasien is located in the southwestern part of the Black Forest, in an area known as the Hotzenwald. Its western border is formed by the river Wehra, the eastern one by the river Schwarza, which also flows through the Schluchsee. In fact, St. Blasien is not far from this lake. St. Blasien is best known for its imposing cathedral, which dominates the townscape from afar. It has existed in its present form since 1783 and is modeled on the Roman Pantheon, reaching a total height of 62 meters. Its dome, which spans 36 meters and is the third largest in Europe, is outstanding. The master builder, the Frenchman Pierre Michel d'Ixnard, also had a well-known model for it, namely the Michelangelo dome of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. The dome in St. Blasien consists of two interlocking shells supported by twenty Corinthian columns. At its outer top is a golden sphere complete with a cross. There is also a gallery that runs along the twenty columns. A peculiarity: if the dome were to be completed in its curvature downwards, that is, if a round sphere were to be formed from it, its lowest point would be exactly on the floor of the church. The dome provides pleasant acoustics, so that the St. Blasien Cathedral is nowadays often used for concerts. At the front of the circular building, which the dome spans, six columns rise, as well as on its outer side two thirty-meter towers, which house a total of ten bells. The last one was added only in 2005. Already early there was a church on the same place. It is said to have been consecrated for the first time between 1088 and 1104. However, it was severely damaged by a fire in 1322 and during the Peasant Wars, so that it had to be rebuilt and consecrated a second time in 1538. But again there was destruction and fire, the last time in 1768, but since its last rebuilding in 1783 the cathedral has remained undamaged. The noble family of the Habsburgs has a crypt in the cathedral, where several bones are buried. The name of the place St. Blasien goes back to St. Blasius of Sebaste, who died as a martyr in 316. Also worth seeing is the courthouse of the village. There you can admire a sundial from the Baroque period.

Return Wildlife The animals of the region and a not always popular homecomer With its many forests, the Black Forest provides a habitat for a wide variety of animal species. Probably the most common are roes, wild boars and foxes. Roes are very numerous in the Black Forest. They grow to a maximum length of 1.30 meters and a height of 75 centimeters and, as can be easily determined to be related to deer, but smaller than them. Thus, the roebuck also has a kind of antlers, which is shed in the fall and grows back over the winter. It gets new forked ends every year, so that a roebuck has up to six tips on its horns, three on each side. Roes have reddish-brown fur in summer and more grayish-brown in winter. Young fawns are born in early June. They are hidden in the grass and left there in case of danger. So it can happen that you find such a fawn in the forest, because its mother has fled from you. In this case you must not touch the fawn, otherwise the mother will not accept it. Roes live mostly in small groups and are mainly nocturnal, as they are too often disturbed in the forest during the day. Foxes are distantly related to dogs and have reddish-brown fur, which is much lighter on the belly, and a bushy tail. They eat mice and birds' eggs, occasionally hares and fawns, besides rarely fruits or mushrooms. They inhabit underground burrows, which have several entrances, so that the fox can escape unnoticed in case of danger. As almost everywhere in Germany, there are wild boars in the Black Forest. There is a reason for this. These animals rarely shy away from a natural boundary in their search for new territories. If necessary, they will even swim through wide bodies of water. Even a highway is hardly an obstacle. Wild boars live in groups, called rods, of related females, who are joined by their young, called freshets. Male wild boars may approach the rods only during mating season. Wild boars can see poorly, but hear and smell well. With their noses they detect worms, insects and small animals, even under the surface of the ground. They often then rummage up the ground to get at their food. This causes displeasure among farmers when the wild boars dig up the fields, but it is very beneficial for the forest, because not only is the soil loosened, but root pests such as the white grub are also eaten. Wild boars love to bathe and then wallow in the mud. This helps them get rid of pesky insects. The lynx, which has spread from Switzerland to the Black Forest, and the beaver have immigrated again. The large, very busy rodent was first settled on the upper Danube, from where it has moved upstream into the Black Forest valleys. Apart from its considerable overall length of up to one meter and a weight of up to thirty kilograms, the beaver impresses above all with its building activities. In a body of water it builds a beaver's lodge out of brushwood and mud, i.e. a burrow in which it gives birth to its young and hides them. In order to protect the beaver's lodge, its entrance is always under water. However, since a body of water changes its water level depending on the season and the weather, the beaver itself intervenes in the course. To do this, it builds dams to dam up the water and regulate the water level. If the water level rises too high, the beaver opens the dam and releases water. This keeps its lodge inaccessible to other predators. The beaver is also a very good swimmer. Unfortunately, in some places it also causes trouble with its building activities, for example when it puts meadows under water because it has built a dam. It also needs trees, which it cuts down with its nail teeth. Most people in the Black Forest, however, are happy about the busy homecomer. Nowadays, the Black Forest is about 75% forested. That sounds like quite a lot, but is it true? In fact, there is a lot of forest area, but if you take a closer look at it, you will notice that it is very closely interrupted, mostly by roads. Thus, it can be said that there is only a limited amount of contiguous, large-scale forest in the Black Forest, a circumstance that limits and endangers native wildlife.

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 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 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 Triberg waterfall Not the highest, but higher than Niagara Falls, although a thousand times less water. In Triberg you can visit the famous waterfalls. They are located near the center of the village and are very easy to reach via several footpaths at different heights. So you can experience a natural spectacle of the special class at close range. The Triberg waterfalls consist of several steps. The river Gutach, coming from Schönwald, passes at 872 meters above sea level first the so-called Upper Falls with a height of sixteen meters. Below follows a steep section in which the water loses another 51 meters in height. This is followed by the Main Falls, which are considered to be the actual well-known section. Here the water of the Gutach falls in seven steps from 805 to 713 meters above sea level. Thus, from the upper edge of the Upper Falls to the lower edge of the Main Falls, there is a total height difference of 159 meters. If you compare the height of the falls with other world-famous waterfalls, it becomes clear how worth seeing the Triberg Waterfall is after all. Niagara Falls on the border between Canada and the USA, for example, has a drop of only 57 meters, while Victoria Falls between Zimbabwe and Zambia has a drop of 110 meters. However, both Niagara and Victoria Falls carry significantly larger amounts of water. The Triberg waterfalls are also used to generate electricity. As this was already done at the end of the nineteenth century, Triberg had electric street lamps from the year 1884, the first town in Germany to do so. The town of Triberg is located at an altitude between 600 and 1,038 meters above sea level. It was first mentioned in a document in 1239. A characteristic feature of the town is the deep cut of the Gutach valley with its steep slopes, which means that the core town alone stretches over 250 meters in altitude. The town became famous primarily because of the waterfalls, but also because of its location on the Black Forest Railway and the formerly very active clock industry. Last but not least, the world's largest cuckoo clock is located here, with a total height of over fifteen meters, and its pendulum alone is eight meters long. You can even walk inside it. You may wonder what the name Triberg means. The first component comes from the number "three". "Triberg" therefore means "three mountain" and refers to the three mountains Kroneck, Kapellenberg and Sterenberg, between which the town lies. Also well worth seeing, although somewhat shorter with a total drop of 97 meters, is the Todtnau Waterfall in the Upper Black Forest. In addition, the Wutach Gorge also has a lot of wildly romantic waterfalls to offer.

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 Black Forest Railway Across the Black Forest: With the Black Forest Railway from Offenburg to Constance Do you know the Black Forest Railway? It is one of the most famous mountain lines in Germany and was put into operation in 1873, about 150 years ago. It runs from Offenburg via the Black Forest towns of Hornberg, Triberg, St. Georgen and Villingen to Constance on Lake Constance and is a total of 150 kilometers long. When you travel on the Black Forest Railway, it's quite a steep climb at first. Especially from Hornberg, the line winds its way over 447 meters in altitude until it reaches its highest point in the Sommerautunnel at just over 830 meters above sea level. Of course, a train cannot simply climb such a steep incline. Therefore, when the railroad line was built, care was taken to ensure that the gradient did not exceed 1:50 and that there were no curves with a radius tighter than 300 meters. This was planned so that even long and heavy trains could run on the Black Forest Railway without any problems. In addition, one has tried to lay the tracks always on the southern slope of the mountains, so that in winter the load of the snow is not too strong. Because the train line winds around the mountains several times, there is a place a little below Triberg station where you can see the Black Forest Railway three times on top of each other. The towns of Hornberg and St. Georgen are only twelve kilometers apart as the crow flies, but the railroad line between them is 29 kilometers long. This is due to the fact that it contains two large reversing loops. But probably the most famous thing about the Black Forest Railway is its 39 tunnels. The longest of them is the Sommerautunnel with 1,697 meters. It is located near the town of St. Georgen, which is the highest town on the railroad line. If you take all the tunnels together, they make up a length of 9.5 kilometers. St. Georgen is not only the highest place on the Black Forest Railway, but it also has something that is rare elsewhere: a fire engine that can also travel on rails. At first, of course, the good old steam locomotives ran on the Black Forest Railway. Later, they were replaced by diesel locomotives. In the seventies, the entire line was electrified. For this, the tracks in the tunnels had to be lowered so that they were not too high together with the overhead line. Today, steam locomotives can once again be admired on the line. They are harnessed in front of museum trains that can puff through the tunnels mostly on Sundays in summer. The Black Forest Railway is not the only railroad line that runs through the Black Forest. Besides it, the Höllental Railway from Freiburg to Donaueschingen, which was completed in 1901, is particularly worth seeing. Like the Black Forest Railway, it was planned by Robert Gerwig. At least on the edge of the Black Forest runs the very elaborately routed Sauschwänzlebahn ("sow's tail line"), whose trademark is a "Sauschwänzle" in the figurative sense, namely a tunnel that contains a complete switchback loop, so that the railroad line runs under itself. This really doesn't happen very often, only once in Germany. In addition, part of this line is operated as a museum railroad with steam locomotives.

Return (Black Forest) farmhouse parlor Only in one room it was really warm. The typical Black Forest farmhouse parlor has a central element, the tiled stove. It provided warmth not only in the parlor, but also in the adjoining kitchen, where the opening for firing was located. Other rooms on the upper floor could be heated through sliding doors in the ceiling. At the outlet of the stove there was a small chamber where meat could be smoked. The oven or the bench around it is called "Kunscht" or "Chust" in Black Forest Alemannic. The word actually agrees with the High German "Kunst" ("art"). What is meant is the so-called "Holzersparungskunst" ("art of saving wood") for using wood-fired stoves, which goes back to Konrad Zwick, who wrote it down in Constance as early as the sixteenth century. The parlor was not only a living area for comfort. Work was also done here. Thus, not only clock-making and other repair work took place here, but also spinning or making all kinds of utensils, such as brooms, rakes, dishes, buckets and more. For these activities the long winter evenings offered themselves, when the agriculture rested. The family altar was also not to be missed in the parlor. This was a corner, usually opposite the stove, in which Christian symbols were collected, on the wall a crucifix, in addition to a figure of Mary and images of saints. Consecrated candles were placed there and lit during prayer. Bible, hymnal and rosary were also found there. Thus, it can be said that the farmhouse parlor was a central place for the whole family and most of their occupations.

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 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 Milchhäusle Quite clever, the Black Forest people: A refrigerator without electricity Most of the Black Forest farmhouses are located on mountain slopes near springs. It is not uncommon for the farms to have a characteristic feature. From the spring, pipes made of wooden logs ran to a trough located not far from the main house. This trough has a wooden – rarely stone – superstructure that resembles a miniature house on stilts. In fact, it is a kind of refrigerator. It gets its cold from the flowing water of the spring, which has an almost constant temperature all year round. In this superstructure, called "Milchhäusle" ("little milk house"), the Black Forest farmers could store their milk in a cool place even on warm days. In addition to milk, other perishable goods were stored there. The farmers of those days washed in the trough, since there was otherwise no running water in the house. Last but not least, the trough had the advantage that fire-fighting water was available at a short distance from the farm in case a fire broke out. In addition to perishable food, grain also had to be stored in a protected manner. For this purpose, there were special granaries that protected it from moisture, especially from precipitation, as well as from pests. Such a granary must, on the one hand, ensure constant ventilation and, on the other hand, be built in such a way that the stored grain can be shifted as easily as possible.