Chocolate, cream, cherries and brandy. That’s the cake, but the actual Black Forest itself, in the south-eastern tip of Germany, is much more than a way to indulge yourself dessert wise.
It’s arguably one of the most ancient areas of central Europe and what the entire region would have looked like when dinosaurs ruled the earth.
The forest
The area known as Schwarzwald is in the very south of Germany, in the Rhine Valley on the border with Switzerland and France, and is classified as a wooden mountain range. Everything is big, wet and a little bit scary. It’s aptly shaped like a sausage (or bratwurst, if you will) and covers an area of roughly 5000 square miles.
The wood is thick and dark (hence the name Black) and is largely pine and fir. Over the last few decades it has been suffering from mass logging and many authorities have been regulated to stop it from disappearing. The Forest is so vast it stretches across a dozen districts in the region, each taking charge of their own quarter with very different styles. There are seven rivers flowing in and around the Forest and the highest mountain is called Feldberg, which stands at a pretty impressive 1,493 metres high.
Baden Baden Spa
If you’re looking for a great place to use as a base whilst exploring some of the Forest look no further than the beautiful and ancient large town of Baden Baden (so good they named it twice). The word baden is German for bathe and when you find the natural springs at places such as the hugely relaxing Caracalla Spa you’ll know why they named the whole town after them. Located on the north-western side of the Forest, BB is famous for its grand casino and its 10th Century castle. Well worth a visit if you’re thinking about staying in a hotel or guest house.
The Mine Museum
Then there are the fabulous old mines of the Forest, which have been long since used for mining and are now opening up as tourist attractions. Silver, lead and zinc are some of the metals once extracted from below the trees and one of the best mines to swing by on your travels is the Mine Museum Schauinsland, which charges around 5 Euros for a tour of the lost underground world.
The German Clock Museum
You might be interested by the German Clock Museum too perhaps? The world-famous cuckoo clock might sound a bit Swiss, but it’s actually more likely to have been made in the Black Forest. The museum is to be found right in the middle of the Forest in a town called Furtwangen and it houses some remarkable additions to the world of time keeping, from the totally unique astronomical by Hans Lang to one of the world’s first pendulum-powered clocks.
Photo of wooden house in the Black Forest, Germany, originally posted by Fr Antunes
Topic: General Travel |
0 Comments
Tags: black forest, Germany
About the author
Phil is a freelance writer working on various writing and editing projects ranging from feature film scripts to travel writing. He enjoys writing from experience and sharing information on the many places he has visited over the years
Leave a comment