Black+Forest

The Black Forest (Schwarzwald) gets its name from the dark canopy of evergreens. It’s also dotted with open slopes and farmland. And while some parts heave with visitors, a 20-minute walk from even the most crowded spot will put you in quiet countryside dotted with enormous traditional farmhouses and patrolled by amiable dairy cows. It’s not nature wild and remote, but bucolic and picturesque. It’s shaped like a bean, about 160km long and 50km wide. From north to south The Black Forest is east of the Rhine between Karlsruhe and Basel.

The black forest elevation is 1,493m or 4,898 ft The mountain called Feldberg is the tallest mountain there it stands (1,493 m (4,898 ft)) In addition to the towns and monuments noted below, the Black Forest is crossed by numerous long distance foot paths, including some of the first to be established.

Due to the rich mining history dating from medieval times (the Black Forest was one of the most important mining regions of Europe circa 1100) there are many mines re-opened to the public. Such mines may be visited in the Kinzig valley, the Suggental, the Muenster valley, and around Todtmoos Geologically, the Black Forest consists of a cover of sandstone on top of a core of gneiss. During the last ice age, the Würm glaciation, the Black Forest was covered by glaciers; several cirques such as the Mummelsee are remains of this period. Rivers originating in the Black Forest include Danube, Enz, Kinzig (Baden-Württemberg), Murg, Neckar, and Rench. The Black Forest is part of the continental divide between the Atlantic Ocean watershed (drained by the Rhine) and the Black Sea watershed (drained by the Danube). Administratively, the Black Forest belongs to the following counties; in the north: Enzkreis, Pforzheim, Rastatt, and Calw; in the middle: Freudenstadt, Ortenaukreis, and Rottweil; in the south: Emmendingen, Schwarzwald-Baar, Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald, Lörrach, and Waldshut. This forest has suffered serious damage from acid rain and is only a fraction of the size it used to be; however, the storm Lothar knocked down hundreds of acres of mountaintops in 1999, leaving some of the high peaks and scenic hills bare, with only primary growth shrubs.

“Black Forest.” //Lonely Planet.// Feb 17, 2009. Web February 3, 2012. http://www.lonelyplanet.com/germany/black-forest “Black Forest.” //Wikipedia//. 25 January 2012 Web February 3, 2012 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Forest “The Black Forest. “//Sheppard Software.// Web February 3, 2012 http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/Europeweb/factfile/Unique-facts-Europe27.htm