Schiltach

Schiltach sits where the Schiltach meets the Kinzig, and both trades that made it lived on those rivers: tanners worked hides on the bank, and raftsmen lashed Black Forest timber into rafts that were floated down the Kinzig to the Rhine and on to the Netherlands, where the largest were assembled into enormous Dutch rafts carrying crews of hundreds. The market square climbs steeply with painted half-timbered houses on both sides and the town hall at the top, its front frescoed with scenes of the town's history. Museums cover the raftsmen and the tanners' craft in original buildings.

History

In Roman times the road through the Kinzig valley was already part of a route through the Black Forest from the Strasbourg area towards Rottweil. Schiltach was founded in the 11th century as a parish for the older farms around it, and a settlement named after the river grew around its church; the Dukes of Teck probably founded the town in the middle of the 13th century to secure their lands, building a wall with gates and a castle above it (Wikipedia, Schiltach).

What's there

• The sloping market square - painted timber houses on a steep incline.
• The rafting museum - the trade that floated timber to the Netherlands.
• The tanners' houses - working buildings on the riverbank.
• The frescoed town hall - a painted front recording the town's history.

When to go

April to October; museums keep seasonal hours and close in winter. The town is small and quiet, with a rafting festival held occasionally in summer.

Before you go

The town is small, an hour or two at most. Museums have limited opening. The market square is steep and cobbled.

Nearby

Gengenbach lies west down the Kinzig; Triberg is south.

Key facts