Black Forest Our beautiful landscapes, romantic towns and villages, famous museums and great concerts, traditional spas and highly acclaimed cuisine are The Black Forest among the best reasons to visit the Black Forest. Traditionally hospitable. Visit the home of the convenient access to everything from Bollenhut and the Black adventure to enjoyment and nature Forest to culture. The most frequently visited high- How to get there Black Forest girls, farmhouses, Black lights of the Black Forest are towns By rail: The Black Forest holiday region is Forest cake and ham, the Bollenhut like Baden-Baden and Freiburg, the easy to reach by rail on various ICE, TGV, and the cuckoo clock – known the Triberg waterfall and the world fa- Intercity, EuroCity, and CityNight lines from world over, these traditional features mous Titisee. all over Europe. make for a storybook holiday in one For timetables, tickets etc: www.bahn.de of Europe’s most beautiful destina- Other attractions of the Black Forest tions. include impressively beautiful and By car: Reaching the Black Forest by car is historic towns, the traditional quick and easy: To the west is Autobahn A5/ The natural surroundings shift from half-timbered houses, romantic cas- E35; to the east is A81/E41; to the north A8/ sunny vineyards to shadowy forests. tles and palaces, unique churches E52; to the south A98 and B34. From Zürich, Upland moors and lakes, climbing and monasteries. take the Autobahn 3 toward Basel. On the rocks and orchards, the gentle hills in Invitingly charming French side of the Rhine, A35, E25, and N83 the east and the Kaiserstuhl in the run close to the Black Forest. west are all part of the Black Forest holiday experience, along with broad By plane: Southwestern Germany is also valleys, narrow gorges, sprawling easy to reach by plane. The closest airports mountains and towering summits. are : EuroAirport Basel (BSL), Baden Airport (FKB), Strasbourg Airport (SXB), Frankfurt More than 300 cities, towns and vil- Airport (FRA), Stuttgart Airport (STR), Zurich lages are situated in the region and Airport (ZRH), Friedrichshafen Airport (FDH) its surroundings, offering visitors 2 3 traditional „Bollenhut“ costume The Black Forest is a wonderful place to regenerate. In addition to a vacation and recreation destination, it is the economic and residential home to millions Black Forest Countryside of people. And that’s the way things should remain. Feel the difference. Wandering to discover The countryside that makes our region Nature Parks so revitalizing has been marked by More than two-thirds of the over centuries of intensive utilization and 11,000 sq km region has been designat- Nature Parks agricultural activity - now we need to ed as a nature park. At 3,940 sq km, the preserve it and adjust to modern life. „Southern Black Forest Nature Park“ is the largest in Germany. Together with Black Forest National Park the neighboring 3,750 sq km „Central/ www.naturpark-suedschwarzwald.de „A bit wilder“ - that‘s the Black Forest Northern Black Forest Nature Park,“ it National Park motto. Two regions of constitutes a preservation area that is 10,062 hectares were classified as a more than twice as large as Mallorca. National Park at the start of 2014: a www.naturparkschwarzwald.de northern park around Ochsenkopf, The Central/Northern Black Forest and a southern park around Ruhestein. Nature Park‘s guides offer adventure Nature calls the shots here, free to tours for groups. Particularly exciting: Nature Park Hotels and develop without human intervention. Families can sleep out under the open Restaurants A pristine world of flora and fauna is sky with their children, make camp The way to the heart is “through the belly” developing here to provide wilderness fires, count stars, and fall asleep to the - the same goes for the love of nature. That that nature freaks can discover on sounds of the night. 8- to 12-year-olds means agriculture is needed in the Black guided tours or out on their own. can actively learn about conservation- Forest. “Nature Park restaurants” procure ism as „Junior Rangers,“ or as „Feld- regional products, thereby supporting berg Trappers“ in the winter. local farmers. Hosts who are “Nature Park restaurants” and have their business EMAS Further information: certified carry the “Naturpark-Hotel” logo. Further information: www.naturparkschwarzwald.de www.schwarzwald-nationalpark.de www.naturpark-suedschwarzwald.de 4 5 near „Schauinsland“ Costumes, dances, traditions and craftsman- ship preserve the cultural heritage of the region. Nearly every valley contributes its own piece to the region’s cultural jigsaw puzzle. Tradition Right at the heart of it. Black Forest clock peddler The Swabian-Alemannic carnival, held Keeping old traditions based here. For example, organs used during the so-called “fifth season” and very alive at churches and fairs around the distinguishable from the much younger world are built in Waldkirch. Bernau Rhineland carnival, demonstrates just how The Black Forest has been a first-class was the site of the first mass produc- deeply rooted traditions are among the cultural landscape for centuries. tion of skis in 1892 and to this day, Timeless creations people of the Black Forest. The people of the Black Forest live Bernau woodworkers, known as their traditions with a great sense of “Schnefler”, are well-known for their The association of Swabian-Alemannic pride in their roots and their achieve- wooden houses, furniture, as well as fools’ guilds, founded in 1924 in the Black ments. This is also reflected in the home and restaurant amenities. Forest, is the oldest of its kind in Germany. more than one hundred different You can experience the history of the Swa- traditional costumes that are worn More than 350 years of clockmaking bian-Alemannic carnival and the various for special occasions and festivals. are kept alive at the German Clock fools’ guilds, their masks and “Häs” (cos- On almost every weekend of the year, Museum in the town of Furtwangen. tumes) throughout the year in the “Narren- you can experience live folk dance The Jewelry Museum in Pforzheim schopf Museum” in Bad Dürrheim. and music in any one of the villages. highlights Black Forest jewelry pro- Learn more at www.narrenschopf.de. duction. And the Dorotheenhütte in Tradition and progress, customs and Wolfach demonstrates how glass For more information, visit modern-day life are all closely tied production has changed over the www.blackforest-tourism.com. together here in the Black Forest. years. Visitors can create their own mouth-blown vase at one of the last From the 17th to the 19th century, the remaining glass manufacturers in production of glass, clocks, organs the region – or hearken back to the and brushes brought modest pros- Christmas ornaments and tinsel an- perity to the valleys. Today well- gels of their youth all year round. known high-tech, wood-processing, sanitary and industrial firms are 6 7 In Bernau A visit to one of the towns in this holiday re- gion is always worth the trip and the search Shopping for souvenirs can be a source of great fun. Discover and enjoy. Everything A short excursion or longer day trip to In small boutiques, large department the heart desires one of the attractive and eventful stores, specialty shops, design and towns or cities of the Black Forest jewelry studios, you can browse for Historic old city centers and modern should definitely be part of your itiner- hours, make a purchase or simply ask architecture are combined in a most ary. You won’t want to miss the chance for some advice. pleasant way in many places. Extraor- to take a leisurely stroll through these A trip around town dinary urban design and traditional towns and their historic centers. Once you’ve done, relax in one of our half-timbered houses, sunny squares many excellent inns, cozy restaurants and idyllic alleys invite visitors on a The shop windows are proof enough or romantic cafés, where you can en- journey through time. of the cultural openness of the region. joy the specialties of the region and In our towns and cities, you will not the typical hospitality of the Black Stroll through the Black Forest villages only find popular traditional products Forest in a nice and quiet setting. with their historic centers and breathe like the original Black Forest Bollenhut, in the history of their impressive mon- the cuckoo clock, Black Forest ham, our uments. The region has been a first- famous Black Forest cake and kirsch, class cultural landscape for centuries, but also fascinating and unusual prod- with its monasteries, palaces, church- ucts from all over the world. Not only es and castles. do guests from all over the world visit the Black Forest, but some have even Tradition and progress, culture and decided to call it home. nature, customs and modern-day life are all closely tied together here in the That is why you will find such a sur- Black Forest. prising variety of products when you shop in the towns of the Black Forest. 8 9 Cathedral market in Freiburg Highlights Unique experiences. STIMMEN-Festival in Lörrach Some of the most popular events and Revel, marvel and The warm and sunny region on the exhibitions held in the Black Forest include: be merry western edge of the Black Forest is the preferred area for wine growing in • Tent-Music-Festival, Freiburg In addition to the incomparable peace Baden. The autumn wine festivals in • Jazz Festival, Rottweil and serenity exuded by the people of Baden entice visitors to stay. • Festival of Voices, Lörrach the Black Forest, they are just as fa- • Carnival parade, Rottweil mous for their unique way of celebrat- In addition, the Black Forest is home to • Vitra-Design-Museum, Weil a.