The Black Forest

The Black Forest is a land of dark, wooded hills in the southwest corner of Germany, its name from the dense evergreen forests that cloak the slopes. A region of steep timbered farmhouses, waterfalls, cuckoo clocks and the famous cherry gateau, of elegant spa towns like Baden-Baden and winding scenic roads, it is fairytale Germany, wonderful for driving, walking and cosy country stays.

History

In antiquity the Black Forest was called Abnoba mons after the Celtic goddess Abnoba, and in late Roman times Silva Marciana, from the Germanic marka, "border", probably the frontier land of the Marcomanni beyond the limes. Some of the risings that led up to the Peasants' War of the 16th century, the Bundschuh among them, began here, and the saltpetre uprisings in the Hotzenwald followed over the next two centuries, while the passes still hold fieldworks of the 17th and 18th centuries such as the Alexanderschanze. By the middle of the 19th century intensive forestry had almost cleared the original mixed forest, which was replanted mostly with spruce, and windstorms in 1990 and Cyclone Lothar on 26 December 1999 did great damage, recorded on the Lothar Path at Ruhestein (Wikipedia, Black Forest).

Highlights

• The forest drives - the scenic roads winding through the wooded hills.
• Triberg - the waterfalls and the home of the cuckoo clock.
• Baden-Baden - the elegant spa town of grand baths.
• The gateau and clocks - the Black Forest cherry cake and cuckoo clocks.

When to go

Late spring to autumn for walking, driving and the spa towns; autumn brings colour, and December the Christmas markets. It is a region best explored slowly by car over a few days.

Practical notes

It is a broad region rather than a single sight, so a car and a few days do it justice; the cuckoo-clock and gateau side can feel touristy. The forest is dark and dense, more atmospheric than dramatic. Spa towns like Baden-Baden are a different, genteel experience.

Nearby

Freiburg and the Rhine plain are alongside; Strasbourg in France and Switzerland are close.

Key facts