Achkarren is part of the town of

Vogtsburg im Kaiserstuhl Vogtsburg im Kaiserstuhl ( Low Alemannic: ''Vogtsburg im Kaiserstuehl''), often referred to as simply Vogtsburg (), is a town in the Kaiserstuhl, a volcanic region in the district Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald, Baden-Württemberg. It has a population ...

, a small town in the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

Kaiserstuhl region, and is located in the southernmost part of the town. It also borders the town of

Ihringen Ihringen is a town in the district of Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald in Baden-Württemberg in Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europ ...

. The valley of Achkarren faces west and is 5 km from the

Rhine ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , so ...

river and 7 km from

Breisach Breisach (formerly Altbreisach; Low Alemannic: ''Alt-Brisach'') is a town with approximately 16,500 inhabitants, situated along the Rhine in the Rhine Valley, in the district Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, about halfway b ...

. The German temperature hotspot (highest average temperature) is located between the center of Achkarren and the town of Ihringen.

History

The first documented reference of Achkarren happened in 1064 AD when the village was given to the

cloister A cloister (from Latin ''claustrum'', "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cathedral or church, commonly against a ...

of Ottmarsheim (a small Town in

Alsace Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ; la, Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland. In 2020, it had ...

) by King

Heinrich IV Henry IV may refer to: People * Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor (1050–1106), King of the Romans and Holy Roman Emperor * Henry IV, Duke of Limburg (1195–1247) * Henry IV, Duke of Brabant (1251/1252–1272) * Henryk IV Probus (c. 1258–1290), Du ...

. Based on archeological artifacts the village could have been settled as early as two thousand years ago. The omnipresent wine terraces might have first been established during the settlement by the

Alemanni The Alemanni or Alamanni, were a confederation of Germanic tribes * * * on the Upper Rhine River. First mentioned by Cassius Dio in the context of the campaign of Caracalla of 213, the Alemanni captured the in 260, and later expanded into pres ...

from 260 AD on. The name "Achkarren" is deduced from the old high German "haz karle" (Hate Charles), supposedly the name of an early settler from the neighboring village of Oberrotweil. Town folks tell a tale about the origin of the name of the village:
During the construction of the castle Hoehingen on the Schlossberg (Castle Mountain) high about the village an accident occurred. A cart full of building material was pushed up the mountain several times. Every time the cart was close to the summit it escaped and rolled back down into the valley. While watching this unfortunate spectacle the future lord of the castle shouted "Ach Karren!" (Oh Cart). A first destruction of the castle happened 1525 during the

German Peasants' War The German Peasants' War, Great Peasants' War or Great Peasants' Revolt (german: Deutscher Bauernkrieg) was a widespread popular revolt in some German-speaking areas in Central Europe from 1524 to 1525. It failed because of intense oppositio ...

. After rebuilding the final destruction happened during the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (80 ...

. The Kaiser's catholic troops destroyed it once they could not hold up the attack from the Swedes. Until today artifacts of ruins can be found. Three years after the 30-year-long war seized the village had only a population of 58 left. This means approximately 70% of population was killed during this war. In 1703 AD, during the siege of Breisach by French troops, the village was completely destroyed. This siege was part of the

War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict that took place from 1701 to 1714. The death of childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700 led to a struggle for control of the Spanish Empire between his heirs, Phil ...

. In the chaos of wars between the late medieval and modern times, Achkarren as well as its neighboring towns of Ihringen and Breisach were several times part of

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

for some years. A quarry is located between the Schlossberg mountain and the Buechsenberg mountain. For the construction of the St. Stephansmuenster (cathedral) in Breisach material from this quarry was used. Recently the quarry was revived in order to repair said cathedral.

Miscellaneous

The

vineyards A vineyard (; also ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is known as viticulture. Vineyards ...

of Achkarren are considered part of the best in Germany. In particular the local

Ruländer Pinot Gris, Pinot Grigio (, ) or Grauburgunder is a white wine grape variety of the species ''Vitis vinifera''. Thought to be a mutant clone of the Pinot Noir variety, it normally has a grayish-blue fruit, accounting for its name, but the grap ...

or Grauburgunder (

Pinot grigio Pinot Gris, Pinot Grigio (, ) or Grauburgunder is a white wine grape variety of the species ''Vitis vinifera''. Thought to be a mutant clone of the Pinot Noir variety, it normally has a grayish-blue fruit, accounting for its name, but the grap ...

) respectively is famous. The vintners cooperative society of Achkarren and the wineries of the village have been receiving many prices for the quality of these wines. Besides the loess soil Achkarren has over 50% of volcanic soil. There are several trails dug into the soil in the Schlossberg as well as the Schneckenberg (Snail Mountain). In these trails one can witness the layers of volcanic rock that is covered with a thin layer of loess at the top. Achkarren contain the nature preserve called Buechsenberg which contains a collection of seldom plants and wildlife. A Museum about winemaking is also located in Achkarren. Further the village boasts a 2.4 km long trail that features the geology of winemaking, its soil, climate, grape variety and the history of winemaking of the Kaisersuhl. Besides wine making, tourism as well as small industrial park in the

Rhine Rift The Upper Rhine Plain, Rhine Rift Valley or Upper Rhine Graben (German: ''Oberrheinische Tiefebene'', ''Oberrheinisches Tiefland'' or ''Oberrheingraben'', French: ''Vallée du Rhin'') is a major rift, about and on average , between Basel in the s ...

are the main businesses of the village.

References

Gallery

Image:Achkarren 0044.800.jpg, Aerial view of Achkarren from the east with Breisach in the background. Image:AchkarrenRheinebene.jpg, Achkarren viewed from the West (Rhine Rift). Left to right: Summit of the Schlossberg, Schneckenberg and Totenkopf (Death Head) with its transmission tower (highest elevation of the Kaisertuhl) Image:SchlossbergAchkarren.jpg, Schlossberg mountain seen from the valley. Difference in elevation is about 150 m (500 ft). The steepest vineyards are bringing the best wines. Image:AchkarrerRebsorten.jpg, Overview of the grape variety. Left to right:

Riesling Riesling (, ; ) is a white grape variety that originated in the Rhine region. Riesling is an aromatic grape variety displaying flowery, almost perfumed, aromas as well as high acidity. It is used to make dry, semi-sweet, sweet, and sparkling wh ...

Gewürztraminer Gewürztraminer () is an aromatic wine grape variety, used in white wines, and performs best in cooler climates. In English, it is sometimes referred to colloquially as Gewürz (; although this is never the case in German, because "Gewürz" me ...

, Muskateller, Weisser Burgunder,

Müller-Thurgau Müller-Thurgau is a white grape variety (sp. ''Vitis vinifera'') which was created by Hermann Müller from the Swiss Canton of Thurgau in 1882 at the Geisenheim Grape Breeding Institute in Germany. It is a crossing of Riesling with Madeleine R ...

Spätburgunder Pinot Noir () is a red-wine grape variety of the species ''Vitis vinifera''. The name may also refer to wines created predominantly from pinot noir grapes. The name is derived from the French words for ''pine'' and ''black.'' The word ''pine ...

Silvaner Sylvaner or Silvaner is a variety of white wine grape grown primarily in Alsace and Germany, where its official name is Grüner Silvaner. While the Alsatian versions have primarily been considered simpler wines, it was included among the vari ...

and

Scheurebe Scheurebe or Sämling 88 is a white wine grape variety. It is primarily grown in Germany and Austria, where it often is called Sämling 88 (''English'': Seedling 88), and some parts of the New World. Scheurebe wines are highly aromatic, and the v ...

Image:Achkarren-Panorama.jpg, Panorama view of the village (shot in the spring). View from the top of the Schlossberg. Very high resolution - click to view. {{Authority control Former municipalities in Baden-Württemberg Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald Baden