The Black Forest National Park (german: Nationalpark Schwarzwald) is a national park in the state of
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg (; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million inhabitants across a ...
in the southwest of
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...
.
It has an area of and is located on the main crest of the
Northern Black Forest
The Northern Black Forest (german: Nordschwarzwald) refers to the northern third of the Black Forest in Germany or, less commonly today, to the northern half of this mountain region.
Geography
The Northern Black Forest is bounded in the north ...
, mainly between the
Black Forest High Road ''(Schwarzwaldhochstraße)'' and the valley of the
Murg. It comprises two separate areas, roughly 3.5 kilometres apart, around
Ruhestein
The Ruhestein is a mountain pass () between the Murg valley and the Acher valley in the Northern Black Forest. The border between the old Grand Duchy of Baden and the Kingdom of Württemberg ran over the pass, a large sandstone erratic markin ...
(7,615 ha) and
Hoher Ochsenkopf/Plättig (2,447 ha) and is part of the
Central/North Black Forest Nature Park
The Central/North Black Forest Nature Park (german: Naturpark Schwarzwald Mitte/Nord) is located in Baden-Württemberg in Germany. It covers an area of 3,750 square kilometre, km2 and was founded in December 2000. As of 2018, it is the third- ...
''(Naturpark Schwarzwald Mitte/Nord)''. The park was officially opened on 3 May 2014
History
The Black Forest National Park was created on 1 January 2014 and is the first
national park
A national park is a natural park in use for conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual ...
in
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg (; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million inhabitants across a ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...
. The
state parliament voted for its establishment on 28 November 2013.
The establishment of the first national park in the
Black Forest
The Black Forest (german: Schwarzwald ) is a large forested mountain range in the state of Baden-Württemberg in southwest Germany, bounded by the Rhine Valley to the west and south and close to the borders with France and Switzerland. It is ...
was politically controversial. In 2013, it was opposed by Baden-Württemberg's opposition parties (
CDU and
FDP), by representatives of the timber industry and by some of the affected population, whilst being supported by the
SPD and
Greens, the conservation associations and other parts of the populations of the
Northern Black Forest
The Northern Black Forest (german: Nordschwarzwald) refers to the northern third of the Black Forest in Germany or, less commonly today, to the northern half of this mountain region.
Geography
The Northern Black Forest is bounded in the north ...
.
Location and extent
The northern part of the area, the ''High Ochsenkopf / Plättig'' includes the upper Schwarzenbach valley and the regions around the
High Ochsenkopf () in the centre, the
Mehliskopf (1,008 m) in the west, the
Badener Höhe (1,003 m) in the north and the Nägeliskopf (994 m) in the east. The lowest and most easterly point of this park is at the confluence of the Schwarzbach and Raumünzach streams, at a height of just below 500 m. Excluded are the village of
Herrenwies as well as smaller areas around Plättig,
Sand
Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural class ...
and the youth hostel of ''Badener Höhe''. In the northeast, it borders to the
Schwarzenbach Reservoir, and in the west to the
Bühlerhöhe beyond the Black Forest High Road. Most of the
state forest
A state forest or national forest is a forest that is administered or protected by some agency of a sovereign or federated state, or territory.
Background
The precise application of the terms vary by jurisdiction. For example:
* In Australia, a ...
here belongs to the municipality of
Forbach
Forbach ( , , ; gsw, Fuerboch) is a commune in the French department of Moselle, northeastern French region of Grand Est.
It is located on the German border approximately 15 minutes from the center of Saarbrücken, Germany, with which it const ...
(in the county of
Rastatt
Rastatt () is a town with a Baroque core, District of Rastatt, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located in the Upper Rhine Plain on the Murg river, above its junction with the Rhine and has a population of around 50,000 (2011). Rastatt was a ...
). The towns of
Bühl (Rastatt) and
Baden-Baden
Baden-Baden () is a spa town in the state of Baden-Württemberg, south-western Germany, at the north-western border of the Black Forest mountain range on the small river Oos, ten kilometres (six miles) east of the Rhine, the border with Fra ...
own other municipal forests in the area around Plättig.
The greater part of the ''Ruhestein'' area extends reaches a height of approximately near Dreifürstenstein in the southeasternmost summit region of the
Hornisgrinde
The Hornisgrinde, 1,164 m (3,820 ft), is the highest mountain in the Northern Black Forest of Germany. The Hornisgrinde lies in northern Ortenaukreis district.
Origin of the name
The name is probably derived from Latin, and essenti ...
, the highest mountain in the northern Black Forest. Other summits are the bird's head (Vogelskopf) (1,056 m) and the
Schliffkopf
The Schliffkopf is a mountain in the Northern Black Forest between Baiersbronn, Ottenhöfen and Oppenau. It is . The Schliffkopf lies on the Black Forest High Road in the National Park and is the site of an eponymous four-star "wellness" hotel. V ...
(1,054 m) to the west, the
Seekopf (1,054 m) in the northwest, the Riesenköpfle (1,001 m) in the centre, the Leinkopf (992 m) in the north and the Großhahnberg (940 m) in the northeast. In this southern part of the National Park are the
tarns
A tarn (or corrie loch) is a proglacial mountain lake, pond or pool, formed in a cirque excavated by a glacier. A moraine may form a natural dam below a tarn.
Etymology
The word is derived from the Old Norse word ''tjörn'' ("a small mount ...
of
Wildsee,
Huzenbacher See
The Huzenbacher See ("Lake Huzenbach") is a tarn in the Northern Black Forest in southwestern Germany. It lies within the municipal territory of Baiersbronn around seven kilometres north of the village itself at a height of 747 metres in the ...
and
Buhlbachsee
The Buhlbachsee is a tarn (lake) in the northern Black Forest on the southwestern edge of the parish of Baiersbronn in the county of Freudenstadt in Baden-Württemberg. Since 1 January 2014 it has been part of the Black Forest National Park.
The t ...
and the upper Schönmünz valley and the headwaters of the Murg headstreams, the Rechtmurg and Rotmurg and other Murg tributaries. On the western slopes of the Schliffkopf this subregions extends down as far as the
All Saints Waterfalls
The All Saints Waterfalls (german: Allerheiligen-Wasserfälle) are located in the Black Forest on the territory of the town of Oppenau in the German state of Baden-Württemberg at an elevation of about . The Lierbach stream, also called the Gri ...
, where it reaches is lowest and most westerly point at a height of approximately 500 m. Excluded from the Ruhestein area are the Ruhestein itself with its two ski slopes and the
Great Ruhestein Ski Jump, the Darmstädter Hut, the Schliffkopf Hotel, the Rotmurg Hunting Lodge, the hamlet of Schonmünz (Volzenhäuser) and other small areas. The state forest land here belongs mainly to the collective municipality of
Baiersbronn
Baiersbronn is a municipality and a village in the district of Freudenstadt in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. It is situated in the Black Forest on the Murg river. Nearby is the mountain of Rinkenkopf (759.6 m) with its hillfort, t ...
(in the county of
Freudenstadt
Freudenstadt (Swabian: ''Fraidestadt'') is a town in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. It is capital of the district Freudenstadt. The closest population centres are Offenburg to the west (approx. 36 km away) and Tübingen to the eas ...
), other elements belong to
Oppenau
Oppenau () is a town located in the state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It has a population of 4,700 inhabitants.
Geography
Oppenau is situated in the Rench valley in the Black Forest. The nearest major cities are Offenburg and Freudenstadt.
...
,
Ottenhöfen and
Seebach (in the county of
Ortenaukreis).
Nationalpark Schwarzwald – Übersichtskarte
, Anlage 1 zu § 2 Absatz 1 NLPG (PDF; 2,56 MB), retrieved 8 December 2013
The park covers an area of 10,062 hectares, of which 2,447 hectares are within the ''High Ochsenkopf/Plättig'' and 7,615 hectares around the Ruhestein. The two areas are separated by the Forbach parish of Hundsbach.
References
External links
Official website of the Black Forest National Park
{{Authority control
Black Forest
The Black Forest (german: Schwarzwald ) is a large forested mountain range in the state of Baden-Württemberg in southwest Germany, bounded by the Rhine Valley to the west and south and close to the borders with France and Switzerland. It is ...
Protected areas of Baden-Württemberg
Black Forest
Protected areas established in 2014
2014 establishments in Germany