Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [380]
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Gutach
07831 / pop 2300
Well worth the 4km detour south of the Kinzig Valley, the Schwarzwälder Freilichtmuseum (Black Forest Open-Air Museum; 935 60; www.vogtsbauernhof.org; adult/6-17yr/concession/family €6/3/5/13; 9am-6pm late Mar-early Nov, to 7pm Aug) spirals around the Vogtsbauernhof, a self-contained, early-17th-century farmstead. Farmhouses shifted from their original locations have been painstakingly reconstructed, using techniques such as thatching and panelling, to create this authentic farming hamlet and preserve age-old Black Forest traditions.
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BEHOLD THE SUPER BOG
If giant cuckoo clocks and Black Forest cherry cake no longer thrill, how about a trip to the world’s largest loo? Drive a couple of minutes south of Gutach on the B33 to Hornberg and there, in all its lavatorial glory, stands the titanic toilet dreamed up by Philippe Starck. Even if you have no interest in designer urinals or home jacuzzis, it’s worth visiting the Duravit Design Centre ( 07833-700; www.duravit.de, in German; Werderstrasse 36, Hornberg; 8am-7pm Mon-Fri, noon-4pm Sat) alone for the tremendous view across the Black Forest from the 12m-high ceramic loo.
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Explore barns filled with wagons and horn sleds, Rauchküchen (kitchens for smoking fish and meat) and the Hippenseppenhof (1599) with its eye-catching crucifix, chapel and massive hipped roof constructed from 400 trees. It’s a great place for families, with inquisitive farmyard animals to pet, artisans on hand to explain their crafts, and frequent demonstrations from sheep shearing to butter making.
The self-controlled bobs of the Schwarzwald Rodelbahn ( 965 580; www.schwarzwaldrodelbahn.de; Singersbach 4; adult/child €2.50/2; 9am-8pm Apr-Oct, 9am-5pm Nov-Mar), 1.5km north of Gutach, are faster than they look. Lay off the breaks for extra speed.
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Haslach
07832 / pop 7000
Back in the Kinzig Valley, Haslach’s 17th-century former Capuchin monastery lodges the Schwarzwälder Trachtenmuseum (Black Forest Costume Museum; 706 172; Im Alten Kapuzinerkloster; admission €2; 9am-5pm Tue-Sat, 10am-5pm Sun Apr–mid-Oct, 9am-noon & 1-5pm Tue-Fri mid-Oct–Mar), showcasing flamboyant costumes and outrageous hats, the must-have accessories for the well-dressed Fräulein of the 1850s. Look out for the Black Forest Bollenhut, a straw bonnet topped with pompons (red for unmarried women, black for married) and the Schäppel, a fragile-looking crown made from hundreds of beads and weighing up to 5kg.
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Gengenbach
07803 / pop 11,100
If ever a Black Forest town could be described as chocolate box, it would surely be Gengenbach, with its scrumptious Altstadt of half-timbered town houses framed by vineyards and orchards. It’s fitting, then, that director Tim Burton made this the home of gluttonous Augustus Gloop in the 2005 blockbuster Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, though less so that he called it Düsseldorf.
INFORMATION
The tourist office ( 930 143; www.stadt-gegenbach.de; Im Winzerhof; 9am-12.30pm & 1.30-5pm Mon-Fri Sep-Jun, no midday closure Jul & Aug, also 10am-noon Sat May-Oct), is in a courtyard just off Hauptstrasse.
SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES
The best way to discover Gengenbach’s historic centre is with a saunter through its narrow backstreets, such as the gently curving Engelgasse, off Hauptstrasse, lined with listed half-timbered houses draped in vines and bedecked with scarlet geraniums.
Between the town’s two tower-topped gates sits the triangular Marktplatz, dominated by the Rathaus, an 18th-century, pink and cream confection. The fountain bears a statue of a knight, a symbol of Gengenbach’s medieval status as a Free Imperial City.
Amble east along Klosterstrasse to spy the former Benedictine monastery. Right opposite, the stuck-in-time Holzofen-Bäckerei Klosterm