Feldberg is a municipality in the district of

Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald (french: Arrondissement de Brisgau-Haute-Forêt-Noire) is a (district) in the southwest of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Fifty towns and municipalities with 133 settlements lie within the district. The district itself belon ...

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 southern

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 betwe ...

. It is located near the Feldberg, the highest summit in Baden-Württemberg. It comprises the settlements of Altglashütten, Neuglashütten, Falkau, Bärental, and Feldberg. At an elevation of 1,277 m, the last is considered the highest village in Germany.

Geography

The Feldberg municipality has the slogan "The highest in the Black Forest" and is located in the

Southern Black Forest Nature Park The Southern Black Forest Nature Park (german: Naturpark Südschwarzwald) is located in Baden-Württemberg in Germany and covers an area of 394,000 hectares. As of 2018, it is Germany's largest nature park. History The Southern Black Forest Nat ...

at the

Feldberg Pass The Feldberg Pass (el. 1231 m.) is a high mountain pass in the Black Forest in the state of Baden-Württemberg and the second highest in Germany. It is south of the Feldberg peak, and the road runs through the town of Feldberg. The B ...

. It is located between Wiesental (to the south) and Gutachtal (to the north). The largest section of the municipality is the "Falkau" area, where the town hall is located.

Community structure

The current Feldberg municipality includes the three former municipalities of Feldberg, Altglashütten, and Falkau and consists of 30 villages, sections, farms, and cottages and houses.

Climate

Feldberg has a

subarctic climate The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of an ocean, ge ...

('' Dfc'') due to its high altitude with short, cool summers and long, cold winters. Precipitation is very high and frequent year round.

History

The first mention of Feldberg was made in 983, but there was a separate municipality with the same name until January 1, 1939, when isolated pastures were combined with the municipality Bärental (970 m above sea level). They were previously owned by the municipalities Bernau, Brandenberg, Hinterzarten, Menzenschwand, St. William, Todtnau and Zastler. What was left of Brandenberg after incorporation to Feldberg became a new district in Todtnau.

Politics

Local council

The general election on May 25, 2014 resulted in the following allocation of seats within the local council:

Administration

There is an inter-municipality agreement with the neighbouring

Schluchsee The Schluchsee is a reservoir lake in the district of Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald, southeast of the Titisee in the Black Forest near Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany. Name In the Alemannic dialects of the region the name of the lake is the ''Schluec ...

municipality.

Coat of arms

In 1974, the ministry of the interior granted Dr. Alfred Simon permission to design the following crest: a red plate head holding two crossed silver snowshoes lies above a split silver and blue area. The blue section, on the left, holds three silver discs, and the silver section, on the right, holds a green fir tree. The founder municipalities Feldberg, Bärental, and Altglashütten are represented by the three primary colours red, white, and blue. The blue also most likely represents the connection to the former

House of Fürstenberg (Swabia) The House of Fürstenberg is the name of an old and influential Swabian noble house in Germany, based primarily in what is today southern Baden-Württemberg near the source of the Danube river. Numerous members of the family have risen to promine ...

. The meaning of the three discs leaves room for speculation. They are either reminiscent of glass spheres and

glazier A glazier is a tradesman responsible for cutting, installing, and removing glass (and materials used as substitutes for glass, such as some plastics).Elizabeth H. Oakes, ''Ferguson Career Resource Guide to Apprenticeship Programs'' ( Infobase: ...

s or of the three lakes that meet within the boundary of Feldberg:

Titisee The Titisee is a lake in the southern Black Forest in Baden-Württemberg. It covers an area of and is an average of deep. It owes its formation to the Feldberg glacier, the moraines of which were formed in the Pleistocene epoch and nowadays for ...

, Windgfällweiher und

. They could also symbolize the unity of the three communities.

Twin towns

Feldberg has a sister city agreement with the municipality of

La Clusaz La Clusaz (; frp, La Klyuza, ) is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. Overview It is a ski resort in the Alps near the Swiss border. The commune of La Clusaz is part of the Haute ...

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 ...

im Département

Haute-Savoie Haute-Savoie (; Arpitan: ''Savouè d'Amont'' or ''Hiôta-Savouè''; en, Upper Savoy) or '; it, Alta Savoia. is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Southeastern France, bordering both Switzerland and Italy. Its prefecture is ...

, which is, like Feldberg, a winter sport centre.

Transport

Federal highways 500 and 317 intersect in Bärental. The construction of the Dreiseenbahn, which runs from

to Seebrugg, was completed in 1926 and in Bärental, it is Germany's highest railway on a standard gauge track.

Education

Altglashütten has a

primary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary e ...

and a

kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cent ...

Sightseeing

Nature monuments

The sponsoring association of the

has its seat in Feldberg. * ''

Feldsee The Feldsee (also ''Feldbergsee'') is a lake in southern Baden-Württemberg at the foot of the Feldberg east of Freiburg im Breisgau in Germany. It is part of the Southern Black Forest Nature Park. Geology and earth history The Feldsee ...

'', a tarn excavated by the Feldberg glacier below the summit * ''

Zastler Loch The Zastler Loch or Zastler Cirque (german: Zastlerkar) on the northern side of the Feldberg summit in the Black Forest is the highest cirque in the German Central Uplands. It forms the head of the Zastler valley, through which the Zastlerbach s ...

'', formed as the Feldberg glacier excavated valleys in the former village of Zastler * ''Bärhalde'', a botanically interesting forest summit with rocks and small moors * ''Rotmeer'', a swampy area * ''Seebach'' waterfall, near the town of Behabühl * ''Falkau waterfall'' in Haslach * Headwaters of the Wiese,

Alb (Upper Rhine) The Alb is a river in the Northern Black Forest in Germany. It is a tributary of the Rhine, and flows through the cities of Karlsruhe, Ettlingen and Bad Herrenalb. Geography The river Alb begins about from Bad Herrenalb. From its source it flow ...

, and Wutach rivers

Culture

The

Lawrence of Rome Saint Lawrence or Laurence ( la, Laurentius, lit. " laurelled"; 31 December AD 225 – 10 August 258) was one of the seven deacons of the city of Rome under Pope Sixtus II who were martyred in the persecution of the Christians that the Roman ...

festival occurs yearly on the Feldberg in addition to the nearby annual Altglashütten town festival.

Notable people

* August Euler (1868–1957), pioneer aviator, lived in a house on the

Seebuck At a height of the Seebuck is the second highest mountain the Black Forest after the Feldberg It is located in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. Geography The mountain rises in the Southern Black Forest immediately southeast of the ...

mountain until his death

Literature

* August Vetter: ''Feldberg im Schwarzwald'', Selbstverlag der Gemeinde Feldberg (Schwarzwald), 1982/1996

References

External links

Feldberg: pictures
{{DEFAULTSORT:Feldberg, Baden-Wurttemberg Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald Baden