Waldkirch () is a town in

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg ( ; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a states of Germany, 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 i ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, located 15 kilometers northeast of

Freiburg im Breisgau Freiburg im Breisgau or simply Freiburg is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fourth-largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart, Mannheim and Karlsruhe. Its built-up area has a population of abou ...

. While the English translation of its name is ''Forest Church'', it is known as the "town of mechanical organs", where

fairground organ A fairground organ is a musical organ covering the wind and percussive sections of an orchestra. Originating in Paris, France, these organs were designed for use in commercial fairground settings to provide loud music to accompany rides and a ...

s played on the streets were long manufactured by such well-known firms as

Carl Frei Carl Frei (4 April 1884 – 10 May 1967) was a German organ builder, composer and music arranger who founded a company that manufactured fairground and street organs. Born in Schiltach in the Black Forest, Frei studied music in his early y ...

(later of

Breda Breda ( , , , ) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the southern part of the Netherlands, located in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of North Brabant. ...

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

), Andreas Ruth and Son, and Wilhelm Bruder and Sons. The largest employers today are

SICK AG Sick AG (stylized in all capital letters), based in Waldkirch (Breisgau), Germany, is a global manufacturer of sensors A sensor is often defined as a device that receives and responds to a signal or stimulus. The stimulus is the quantity, ...

, which manufactures optical sensors, Faller AG, which prints pharmaceutical packages and inserts, and

Mack Rides Mack Rides GmbH & Co KG, also known simply as Mack Rides, is a German company that designs and constructs amusement rides, based in Waldkirch, Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg ( ; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a states of Ge ...

, which exports amusement park and water park rides worldwide. Cultural events include th
Klappe 11 Cinema festival
th
Organ Festival
and th
Peter Feuchtwanger Piano Masterclass
File:Draaiorgel-de-lekkerkerker.jpg,

File:Berger-markt-nacht002.jpg, A. Ruth & Sohn File:Wilhelm Bruder Söhne - 1, Museum Speelklok.jpg, Wilhelm Bruder Söhne

Geography

Geographic Location

The town lays by the Elz River, in the south-western part of the

Black Forest The Black Forest ( ) is a large forested mountain range in the States of Germany, 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 th ...

. The neighbouring municipalities in the Elz valley are Freiamt, Gutach im Breisgau and Simonswald, in the south-eastern branch of the Simonswälder valley. The district is bordered by Sankt Peter,

Glottertal Glottertal is a municipality in the district of Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. History From 1567 till the Napoleonic Wars the area was part of Further Austria and therefore part of the Habsburg monarchy. Alt ...

Denzlingen Denzlingen is a municipality in the district of Emmendingen, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated north of Freiburg. Geography Denzlingen is located in the Upper Rhine Valley (''Oberrheinische Tiefebene'') at the edge of the Black ...

and Sexau. Waldkirch is located directly at the foot of the Kandel mountain, which is 1241 m high. The lowest point of Waldkirch is 243 m high, the difference in altitude in the district is 998 m. Due to its location in the

Upper Rhine Plain 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 ...

occasionally there are some small earthquakes. The last major earthquake with a magnitude of 5.4 on the

Richter scale The Richter scale (), also called the Richter magnitude scale, Richter's magnitude scale, and the Gutenberg–Richter scale, is a measure of the strength of earthquakes, developed by Charles Richter in collaboration with Beno Gutenberg, and pr ...

occurred on December 5, 2004, with the

epicenter The epicenter (), epicentre, or epicentrum in seismology is the point on the Earth's surface directly above a hypocenter or focus, the point where an earthquake or an underground explosion originates. Determination The primary purpose of a ...

below the Kandel massif.

Subdivision on the town

The districts Buchholz, Kollnau, Siensbach including the road towards it ("Siensbacher Weg"), Suggental and Waldkirch belong to the town of Waldkirch. The boundaries of the districts are the same as those of the former independent municipalities. With the exception of the Waldkirch district, the official name of the districts is given by prefixing the name of the city and connecting it to the name of the respective district by a hyphen. The districts Buchholz, Kollnau, Siensbach as well as Suggental are localities ("Ortschaften") according to the Baden-Württemberg municipal regulations. The local councillor ("Ortschaftsrat") and the local head of town ("Ortsvorsteher") are directly elected by the eligible voters in local elections. In the villages there are administrative offices called "Stadt Waldkirch - Ortsverwaltung". The Buchholz district includes the village of Buchholz and the hamlet of Batzenhäusle. The Kollnau district includes the village of the same name and the farms Harnischwald, Kohlenbach and Übental. The Siensbach district, including the Siensbacher Weg, includes the hamlets of Obertal (Dobel), Untertal and Zinken, the Biehl and Mühletal farms as well as the residential areas Beim Rechen and Eichbühl. The Waldkirch district includes the town of the same name, the hamlet of Heimeck, the farms of Dettenbach, Eschbach, Petershöfe and Wegelbach as well as the residential areas of Altersbach, Forstsiedlung and Kandelrasthaus. The Waldkirch district also includes the hamlet of Stahlhof, which until 1936 was an independent district together with the districts of Dettenbach, Heimeck, Petershöfe and Wegelbach, the castles of

Kastelburg The Kastelburg is a ruined castle above Waldkirch in the district Emmendingen in Baden-Württemberg. It stands on a hill about above the center of Waldkirch in Breisgau. History The Kastel castle was built between 1260 and 1270 by the Lords of ...

and

Schwarzenburg Schwarzenburg is a municipality in the district of Bern-Mittelland in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. It was created on 1 January 2011 through the merger of the municipalities of Wahlern and Albligen. History Albligen Albligen is first ment ...

as well as the abandoned ruines of the castles of Küchlinsburg (of the Küchlin family) and Kyffelburg and the abandoned town of Weiler.

History

The earliest known mention of Waldkirch is the foundation of the Saint Margaret convent, by the Swabian duke Buchard II around the year 918. The settlement was later under the rule of the Schwarzenbergs, who built the

and the

alongside the settlement in the 13th Century, also adding a city wall. Schwarzenberg

governors A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

gave city law to Waldkirch on the 8th of August 1300. The von Rechbergs inherited the territory in 1457, followed by Sebastian von Ehingen in 1546 and Hans Raphael of Reischach in 1560. In 1567 Archduke Ferdinand of Austria gained rule over Schwarzenberg with the city of Waldkirch and from 1805 onwards, Waldkirch was the official city of

Further Austria Further Austria, Outer Austria or Anterior Austria (; , formerly ''die Vorlande'' (pl.)) was the collective name for the early (and later) possessions of the House of Habsburg in the former Swabian stem duchy of south-western Germany, includin ...

. The city then fell to the

Grand Duchy of Baden The Grand Duchy of Baden () was a German polity on the east bank of the Rhine. It originally existed as a sovereign state from 1806 to 1871 and later as part of the German Empire until 1918. The duchy's 12th-century origins were as a Margravia ...

, and was the official city of the district of Baden until 1936. Since then it has belonged to the district of

Emmendingen Emmendingen (; ) is a town in Baden-Württemberg, capital of the Emmendingen (district), district Emmendingen of Germany. It is located at the Elz (Rhine), Elz River, north of Freiburg im Breisgau. The town contains more than 26,000 residents, ...

. After

WW2 World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated, with many nations mobilising ...

, which the city survived largely undamaged, Waldkirch belonged to the federal state of (South) Baden and was made part of the newly built federal state of

in 1952. The present day city was reformed as part of the municipal reform on 1 January 1975. The reform was achieved through unification of the city of Waldkirch and the towns Buchholz and Kollnau. The city was renamed Waldkirch-Kollnau on the day of reform. On 1 July 1971 and 1 January 1973 respectively, Suggental and Siensbach were incorporated into Waldkirch. On 1 January 2009 Waldkirch was given the status of district capital.

Coat of arms

Description

The arms of Waldkirch is in the

canting arms Canting arms are heraldry, heraldic bearings that represent the bearer's name (or, less often, some attribute or function) in a visual pun or rebus. The expression derives from the latin ''cantare'' (to sing). French heralds used the term (), ...

style. The field of light blue has centered between supporters of lime (left) and oak (right) branches a silver church with a red roof and golden cross topping six hills in dark blue. The church refers to the name of the city. The six hills are based on the coat of arms of the Barrens of Swarzenberg. The arms is based on the oldest known seal from the 13th Century and was given to the city on 5 May 1976.

Old coat of arms

Between 1634 and 1976 the city used a coat of arms without the six hills. This arms had a blue and green background above and below the depicted double towered church, the right and left lined with two silver trees. Shown at the bottom of the coat of arms were three more silver trees.

Sights

* The Catholic Church St. Magarethen * The ruin of the Kastelburg * The market place with the town hall * Elztalmuseum, many examples of the mechanical organs built in the town

Twin towns – sister cities

Waldkirch is twinned with: *

Charleroi Charleroi (, , ; ) is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It is the largest city in both Hainaut and Wallonia. The city is situated in the valley of the Sambre, in the south-west of Belgium, not ...

, Belgium *

Chavanay Chavanay () is a commune in the Loire department in central France. Population Twin towns Chavanay is twinned with Buchholz, Waldkirch, Germany, since 1994. See also *Communes of the Loire department The following is a list of the 320 ...

, France *

Liestal Liestal (, Standard ), formerly spelled Liesthal, is the capital of Liestal District and the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Basel-Landschaft in Switzerland, south of Basel. Liestal is an industrial town with a Cobbled street, cobbled-street ...

, Switzerland *

Sélestat Sélestat (; Alsatian language, Alsatian: ''Schlettstàdt''; German: ''Schlettstadt'') is a Communes of France, commune in the Grand Est region of France. An administrative division (Subprefectures in France, sous-préfecture) of the Bas-Rhin Depa ...

, France *

Worthing Worthing ( ) is a seaside town and borough in West Sussex, England, at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of Chichester. With a population of 113,094 and an area of , the borough is the second largest component of the Br ...

, England, United Kingdom

Economy and Infrastructure

Waldkirch has a long history of industry and craftsmanship. The tradition of gemstone cutting, which reaches back to the Middle Ages, is still upheld today by the Wintermantel company. Organ building in Waldkirch, first established by Matthias Martin in 1799, grew to include

barrel organ A barrel organ (also called roller organ or crank organ) is a France, French mechanical musical instrument consisting of bellows and one or more ranks of organ pipe, pipes housed in a case, usually of wood, and often highly decorated. The basic ...

s and

orchestrion Orchestrion is a generic name for a machine that plays music and is designed to sound like an orchestra or band. Orchestrions may be operated by means of a large pinned cylinder or by a music roll and less commonly book music. The sound is ...

s in the 19th century, gaining worldwide renown well into the 1920s. The organ builder
Jäger and BrommerPaul Fleck SöhneAchim Schneider
an
Wolfram Stützle
continue the tradition to this day. During the

industrial revolution The Industrial Revolution, sometimes divided into the First Industrial Revolution and Second Industrial Revolution, was a transitional period of the global economy toward more widespread, efficient and stable manufacturing processes, succee ...

, Waldkirch - along with the entire Valley of the Elz - was an important location of the

textile industry The textile industry is primarily concerned with the design, production and distribution of textiles: yarn, cloth and clothing. Industry process Cotton manufacturing Cotton is the world's most important natural fibre. In the year 2007, th ...

. Of this tradition, all that remains today is the ''Gütermann'' company in the neighboring community of Gutach. In contrast,

optical Optics is the branch of physics that studies the behaviour and properties of light, including its interactions with matter and the construction of instruments that use or detect it. Optics usually describes the behaviour of visible, ultravio ...

and

electrical Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter possessing an electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by Maxwel ...

manufacturing, represented in Waldkirch by the company

, has been enjoying steady growth since World War II, as has

paper manufacturing A paper mill is a factory devoted to making paper from vegetable fibres such as wood pulp, old rags, and other ingredients. Prior to the invention and adoption of the Fourdrinier machine and other types of paper machine that use an endless belt ...

represented by the company August Faller GmbH. Since 1877, a successful viticulture has been established in the district of ''Buchholz'', which is also known trans-regionally for its cultivation of

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants (angiosperms) that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which angiosperms disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particular have long propaga ...

and

berries A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone fruit, stone or pit (fruit), pit although many wikt:pip#Etymology 2, pips or seeds may be p ...

. In the district of ''Suggental'', several

silver mines Silver mining is the extraction of silver by mining. Silver is a precious metal and holds high economic value. Because silver is often found in intimate combination with other metals, its extraction requires the use of complex technologies. In ...

were in use during the Middle Ages. Some parts of the mines are being uncovered and made accessible again by the mining research team Suggental, and tourist visits can be arranged
"Silberbergwerk Suggental"
.

Tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...

is another important economic sector for Waldkirch, which is located alongside the ''

German Clock Road The German Clock Road () or German Clock Route is a holiday route that runs from the Central Black Forest through the Southern Black Forest to the Baar region and thus links the centres of Black Forest clock manufacturing. It is about long. T ...

''
"Deutsche Uhrenstraße"
, and is also a part of the ''Network of German Organ Road''
"Kulturnetzwerk Deutsche Orgelstraße"
. Friends of winter sports will enjoy the ski lifts on the local mountain, the

Kandel Kandel () is a town in the Germersheim (district), Germersheim district of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, near the border with France and approximately 18 km north-west of Karlsruhe, and 15 km south-east of Landau. Kandel is twinned wi ...

. The most challenging slope is the partial valley run "Nordhang" (''northern slope''). Since April 30, 2016, Waldkirch has a new public open-air swimming pool in the district of Kollnau.

Transportation

Waldkirch is located along the Federal Highway ("Bundesstraße") 294 between

Bretten Bretten (; South Franconian: ''Bredde'') is a town in the state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located on Bertha Benz Memorial Route. Geography Bretten lies in the centre of a rectangle that is formed by Heidelberg, Karlsruhe, Heilbron ...

and

. The road circumvents the town through the ''Hugenwaldtunnel'' to the south. The Kandel road ("Kandelstraße"), which starts at the northeastern edge of town, has connected Waldkirch to the

since its construction in the 1930s, and was extended in the 1950s to the village of St. Peter. Waldkirch train station can be reached by the '' Elz Valley Railway'' ("Elztalbahn"), which is serviced by the regional railway operator "

Breisgau S-Bahn The Breisgau S-Bahn, branded as Breisgau-S-Bahn 2020, is an S-Bahn network centered on Freiburg im Breisgau in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Lines The network comprises six lines, three operated by DB Regio Baden-Württemberg and three by SWEG ...

" and runs half-hourly between

and Elzach. In addition, Waldkirch is serviced by two regional bus lines. The nearest railway station with access to long-distance trains is "Freiburg Hauptbahnhof" (''Freiburg main station''). Waldkirch is part of the regional public transportation authority "Regio-Verkehrsverbund Freiburg". The nearest international

Airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial Aviation, air transport. They usually consist of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surf ...

s are the EuroAirport Basel/Mulhouse/Freiburg,

Zurich Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...

Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...

, the Airport Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden and

Strasbourg Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...

Local Businesses

Some of Waldkirch's businesses are well-known beyond the immediate area, and a few operate worldwide - even as global market leaders in their field. Organ building is still an active trade, conducted b
Jäger and BrommerPaul Fleck SöhneAchim Schneider
an
Wolfram Stützle

, a family business founded in Waldkirch in 1780, is one of the leading suppliers of amusement rides. Its former exhibition area in Rust is now home to the

Europa Park Europa-Park is a theme park in Rust, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Covering a total area of 95 hectares, twenty themed areas offer around a hundred attractions, including shows and fourteen roller coasters. The park also includes six hotels, a ca ...

, Germany's largest theme park. Another company located in Waldkirch is

, a manufacturer of industrial sensors and optical technology, with more than 8000 employees worldwide. The local compan
Ganter Interior
is an owner-operated family business with a global market presence in interior construction and shop fitting. August Faller GmbH is another family business with its headquarters in Waldkirch, which was founded in 1882. It is one of the market leaders in pharmaceutical secondary packaging in German-speaking countries.

Courts and Administration

Waldkirch is the seat of the Waldkirch

district court District courts are a category of courts which exists in several nations, some call them "small case court" usually as the lowest level of the hierarchy. These courts generally work under a higher court which exercises control over the lower co ...

("Amtsgericht Waldkirch"), which is part of the state court district of

, and the higher state court ("Oberlandesgericht, OLG") district of

Karlsruhe Karlsruhe ( ; ; ; South Franconian German, South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, third-largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, after its capital Stuttgart a ...

, as well as the Notary's office for the municipalities of the ''Elztal''. The former court prison next to the district court building was used as a branch of the Freiburg Prison ("JVA Freiburg"), housing day release prisoners. Since the closure of the prison branch, the building has been used as an office complex. Up until 2007, the city also housed the seat of a deanery for the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Freiburg The Archdiocese of Freiburg im Breisgau (Latin ''Archidioecesis Friburgensis'') is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in Baden-Württemberg comprising the former states of Baden and Hohenzollern. The Archdiocese of Freiburg is led by a ...

Education

Schools located in Waldkirch include the ''Geschwister-Scholl- Gymnasium'', the ''

Realschule Real school (, ) is a type of secondary school in Germany, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It has also existed in Croatia (''realna gimnazija''), the Austrian Empire, the German Empire, Denmark and Norway (''realskole''), Sweden (''realskola''), F ...

Kollnau'', the

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

''Schwarzenbergschule'', the

and

Hauptschule A ''Hauptschule'' (, "general school") is a secondary school in Germany, starting after four years of elementary schooling (''Grundschule''), which offers Lower Secondary Education (Level 2) according to the International Standard Classification ...

''Kastelbergschule'', the

and

Buchholz, and the

and

Kollnau. It also houses a centre for

special education Special education (also known as special-needs education, aided education, alternative provision, exceptional student education, special ed., SDC, and SPED) is the practice of educating students in a way that accommodates their individual di ...

for students with learning difficulties, as well as a special needs school for students with

visual impairment Visual or vision impairment (VI or VIP) is the partial or total inability of visual perception. In the absence of treatment such as corrective eyewear, assistive devices, and medical treatment, visual impairment may cause the individual difficul ...

s, the ''"Staatliche Schule für Sehbehinderte St. Michael"'', and finally, the vocational school center ''"Berufliches Schulzentrum Waldkirch"''. Another important educational facility is the municipal music school (''"Städtische Musikschule"''). There is also a private school, the ''"Freie Schule Elztal"''. Additionally, the city runs a full-day program at the

and

''Kastelbergschule'', as well as a child day-care center. So childcare for all ages between 0–16 years is being provided all under one roof.

Culture and sights

Waldkirch is situated on the

, which passes many exhibition venues of ancient clocks and watch factories. The town is member of Cittàslow, a

Slow movement Slow movement may refer to: *Slow movement (music) A slow movement is a form in a multi-Movement (music), movement musical piece. Generally, the second movement of a piece will be written as a slow movement, although composers occasionally write ...

started in Italy in 1999 to increase the quality of urban life.

Monuments

* The town chapel of ''Our Lady'' is the oldest preserved building in town. The building dates back to 1336 and was established by the townspeople, so that they would not have to go to the St. Walburga Parish Church at that time outside the town walls, which was difficult in winter and dangerous in times of war. The chapel was rebuilt in 1931 and extended by the choir, in which the baroque high altar is placed. The side figures of this altar are attributed to Christian Wentzinger. In the church are images showing

Stations of the Cross The Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross, also known as the Via Dolorosa, Way of Sorrows or the , are a series of fourteen images depicting Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ on the day of Crucifixion of Jesus, his crucifixion and acc ...

, which were created by

Georg Scholz Georg Scholz (October 10, 1890 – November 27, 1945) was a German painter, member of the New Objectivity movement. Early life and education Scholz was born in Wolfenbüttel and had his artistic training at the Karlsruhe Academy, where ...

in the year 1938. He also briefly served as Mayor of the city after the end of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, before he died. The organ was built in 1894 by the organ builder Anton Kiene from Waldkirch and replaced an instrument from 1844. * The Catholic town church of St. Margarethen (former collegiate church of the Collegiate Abbey of the same name), built in 1732-1734 by the Vorarlberg Baroque architect Peter Thumb. * Church square with a completely preserved ensemble of baroque former canonist houses of the Collegiate St. Margarethen * Market square with historical buildings, including Waldkirch's town hall * Ruin of

* Ruin of

* Buchholz Castle

Museums

The Elztalmuseum, Kirchplatz 14, housed in the baroque former provost building, displays not only regional folk art and historical documents, but also important examples of Waldkirch barrel organ and musical instrument making. The latter is also shown at the Organ Builder's Hall, Am Gewerbekanal 1, which is run by the Waldkirch Orgelstiftung.

Other sights

* The gemstone cutting company ''Wintermantel'', which is protected by the

cultural heritage management Cultural heritage management (CHM) is the vocation and practice of managing cultural heritage. Ann Marie Sullivan, Cultural Heritage & New Media: A Future for the Past, 15 J. MARSHALL REV. INTELL. PROP. L. 604 (2016) https://repository.jmls.edu/cg ...

, is one of the largest and oldest craft gemstone cutting shop preserved in the original and still in operation. It is the last remaining representative of a significant craft tradition in Breisgau. * The Black Forest Zoo in the immediate vicinity of the recreational facilities of the city lake is an attraction for children and families. * The medieval silver mine Suggental offers tours by appointment. * The treetop path.

Regular events

Every three years, the Waldkirch Organ Festival takes place. In the same interval, the historic marketplace festival takes place in Waldkirch in July. In addition, the tradition of the Swabian-Alemannic carnival is maintained in Waldkirch. It takes place in the week leading up to

Lent Lent (, 'Fortieth') is the solemn Christianity, Christian religious moveable feast#Lent, observance in the liturgical year in preparation for Easter. It echoes the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring Temptation of Christ, t ...

. The ''Narrenzunft'' "Krakeelia" Waldkirch, a carnival guild, is one of the oldest in the region. At the "''Schmutziger Dunschdig''" (Dirty Thursday) traditionally the opening of the carnival takes place with a subsequent traditional procession. Two days later, Saturday, the Witches Sabbath of ''Kandelhexen'' takes place. Furthermore, the carnival parade through the city takes place on Sunday. On Rose Monday there is the traditional ''Elfimess'' (carnival speeches and drinks) for men. Among the customs of the ''Fasnet'' in Waldkirch is also the "Kläppere" (a type of wooden musical instrument), in which two "Kläpperli" are used to make music by rhythmical flapping. There are regular cultural events in the AJZ Waldkirch e. V. as well as the municipal cinema of "Flap 11".

Sports

The SV Waldkirch is the largest sports club in the town. The first men's football team was Southern Baden Champion in 1969 and 1970 and Southern Baden Cup winner in 1972 and 2014 . The football department has been independent since 2016 as FC Waldkirch.

People

Honorary Citizens

* Maria Luise Frick (1926–2018) was made an honorary citizen in 1992

Notable residents

* ''Mathias Martin'' (1765–1825), founder of

building in Waldkirch * ''Ignaz Blasius Bruder'' (1780–1845),

builder *

Karl Jäger Karl Jäger (; 20 September 1888 – 22 June 1959) was a German mid-ranking official in the '' SS'' of Nazi Germany and ''Einsatzkommando'' leader who perpetrated acts of genocide during the Holocaust. Early life and career Jäger was born in Sch ...

(1888–1959), SS-''Standartenführer'' (a mid-ranking official of the SS in Nazi-Germany) and organiser of the Holocausts in LithuaniaWolfram Wette
Der Waldkircher Hitler

Spiegel Online ' () is a German news website. It was established in 1994 as ''Spiegel Online'' as a content mirror of the magazine ''Der Spiegel''. In 1995, the site began producing original stories and it introduced ''Spiegel Online International'' for artic ...

10 March 2008, retrieved 26 December 2014. *

(1890–1945), German realist painter, part of the

New Objectivity The New Objectivity (in ) was a movement in German art that arose during the 1920s as a reaction against German Expressionism, expressionism. The term was coined by Gustav Friedrich Hartlaub, the director of the ''Kunsthalle Mannheim, Kunsthalle' ...

art movement *

Wolfram Wette Wolfram Wette (born 11 November 1940) is a German military historian and peace researcher. He is an author or editor of over 40 books on the history of Nazi Germany, including the seminal '' Germany and the Second World War'' series from the G ...

(born 1940), historian * ''Richard Leibinger'' (born 1949), politician (

SPD The Social Democratic Party of Germany ( , SPD ) is a social democratic political party in Germany. It is one of the major parties of contemporary Germany. Saskia Esken has been the party's leader since the 2019 leadership election together wi ...

), mayor of Waldkirch from 1983 to 2009,

Lord Mayor Lord mayor is a title of a mayor of what is usually a major city in a Commonwealth realm, with special recognition bestowed by the sovereign. However, the title or an equivalent is present in other countries, including forms such as "high mayor". A ...

from 2009 to 2015. *

Roland Mack Roland Mack (born 12 October 1949) is a German entrepreneur. Mack grew up as a son of the entrepreneur Franz Mack, in Waldkirch. In 1975, he became the founder of Europa-Park in Germany. Personal life Mack was born in Freiburg. He married M ...

(born 1949), entrepreneur and founder of the

Europa-Park Europa-Park is a theme park in Rust, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Covering a total area of 95 hectares, twenty themed areas offer around a hundred attractions, including shows and fourteen roller coasters. The park also includes six hotels, a c ...

* ''Alexander Schoch'' (born 1954), politician (

Bündnis 90/Die Grünen Alliance 90/The Greens (, ), often simply referred to as Greens (, ), is a Green (politics), green political party in Germany. It was formed in 1993 by the merger of the Greens (formed in West Germany in 1980) and Alliance 90 (formed in East Ger ...

), member of the

Landtag of Baden-Württemberg The Landtag of Baden-Württemberg is the diet (assembly), diet of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It convenes in Stuttgart and currently consists of 154 members of five political parties. The majority before the 2021 Baden-Württemberg ...

(State Parliament) since 2011 * ''Peter Weiß'' (born 1956), politician ( CDU), member of the

Bundestag The Bundestag (, "Federal Diet (assembly), Diet") is the lower house of the Germany, German Federalism in Germany, federal parliament. It is the only constitutional body of the federation directly elected by the German people. The Bundestag wa ...

(the German federal parliament) since 1998, chair of the working group ''Labor and Social Affairs'' of the CDU/CSU-Bundestagsfraktion since 2018. * ''Jürgen Mack'' (born 1958), entrepreneur *

Heiko Herrlich Heiko Herrlich (born 3 December 1971) is a German football manager and former player who played as a striker. Club career Herrlich played 258 matches (1989–2004) in the Bundesliga and scored 75 goals for Bayer 04 Leverkusen, Borussia Mönchen ...

(born 1971), former soccer player, now active as a coach and sports manager * ''Roman Götzmann'' (born 1982), politician (

of Waldkirch since 2015

Notable people born in Waldkirch

* ''Balthasar Merklin'' (1479 in Waldkirch - 28 May 1531 in Trier) was administrator of the former

Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

monastery ''St. Margarethen'' in Waldkirch, ''kaiserlicher Rat'' (advisor of the

Holy Roman Emperor The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans (disambiguation), Emperor of the Romans (; ) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period (; ), was the ruler and h ...

), ''Vizekanzler'' (vice-chancellor) of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

, and

Bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

of Hildesheim and Konstanz. * ''Ursula Gatter'' (died August 1603), washerwoman und mother of ''Agatha Gatter'' (born 1589), victim of the

witch-hunt A witch hunt, or a witch purge, is a search for people who have been labeled witches or a search for evidence of witchcraft. Practicing evil spells or Incantation, incantations was proscribed and punishable in early human civilizations in the ...

in Freiburg * ''Franz von Zwerger'' (1792–1856),

jurist A jurist is a person with expert knowledge of law; someone who analyzes and comments on law. This person is usually a specialist legal scholar, mostly (but not always) with a formal education in law (a law degree) and often a Lawyer, legal prac ...

, entrepreneur, politician ( Centre Party), Town Schultheiß of

Ravensburg Ravensburg ( or ; Swabian: ''Raveschburg'') is a city in Upper Swabia in Southern Germany, capital of the district of Ravensburg, Baden-Württemberg. Ravensburg was first mentioned in 1088. In the Middle Ages, it was an Imperial Free City and ...

from 1821 to 1856, and member of the ''Württembergischen Landtag'' ''Landtag'' of Württemberg from 1831 to 1844 * Ernst Friedrich Diez (1805–1892), actor and opera singer * ''Xaver Weiss'' (1811–1898), ''Oberamtman'' (administratorial post similar to a ''

Vogt An , sometimes simply advocate, (German, ), or (French, ), was a type of medieval office holder, particularly important in the Holy Roman Empire, who was delegated some of the powers and functions of a major feudal lord, or for an institutio ...

'') of the ''Oberamt Baden'' * ''Franz Ludwig Meyr'' (1826–1907), member of the Reichstag and the

Landtag A ''Landtag'' (State Diet) is generally the legislative assembly or parliament of a federated state or other subnational self-governing entity in German-speaking nations. It is usually a unicameral assembly exercising legislative competence ...

(State Parliament) *

Albert Koebele Albert Koebele (28 February 1853 - 28 December 1924) was an economic entomologist and a pioneer in the use of biological controls to manage insect pests. Early career Koebele was born in Waldkirch, Germany, in 1853. There are no details about ...

(1853–1924),

Entomologist Entomology (from Ancient Greek ἔντομον (''éntomon''), meaning "insect", and -logy from λόγος (''lógos''), meaning "study") is the branch of zoology that focuses on insects. Those who study entomology are known as entomologists. In ...

and pioneer on the area of

biological pest control Biological control or biocontrol is a method of controlling pests, whether pest animals such as insects and mites, weeds, or pathogens affecting animals or plants by using other organisms. It relies on predation, parasitism, herbivory, or ot ...

* ''Hermann Koelblin'' (1873–1943), publisher and member of the

(State Parliament) of Baden from 1919 to 1921 * ''Heinrich Baumer'' (1891–1962), local politician ( Centre Party, later CDU), part of the

German resistance to Nazism The German resistance to Nazism () included unarmed and armed opposition and disobedience to the Nazi Germany, Nazi regime by various movements, groups and individuals by various means, from assassination attempts on Adolf Hitler, attempts to ass ...

, member of the ''Kreistag'' (local parliament) and the

(State Parliament of Baden) from 1947 to 1952 * ''Rudolf Amendt'' (1895–1987), actor * ''Max Barth'' (1896–1970), pedagogue, political journalist, poet * ''Hans Reiner'' (1896–1991), philosopher * ''Paul Mauk'' (1900–1915), soldier 113 of the 5th regiment of the infantry of Baden, who was killed in the

Second Battle of Artois The Second Battle of Artois (, ) from 9 May to 18 June 1915, took place on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front during the First World War. A German-held Salient (military), salient from Reims to Amiens had been formed in 1914 which me ...

in France. He was the youngest German soldier to die in

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. 1* ''Hermann Rambach'' (1908–1992), ''Heimatforscher'' * ''Arthur Fauser'' (1911–1990), artist * ''Franz Mack'' (1921–2010), entrepreneur * ''Albert Burger'' (1925–1981),

Civil Servant The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil service personnel hired rather than elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leadership. A civil service offic ...

in administration and politician CDU, member of the

(State Parliament) (1964–1965), member of the

(the German federal parliament) (1965–1981) * ''Rudi Maier'' (1945–2017), Fencer * ''Axel Nitz'' (born 1957), composer and film director * ''Jo Hiller'' (born 1974), television reporter and journalist * ''Sven Tritschler'' (born 1981), politician

AfD Alternative for Germany (, AfD, ) is a far-right,Far-right: * * * * * * * * * * * * * * right-wing populist and national-conservative political party in Germany. The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), ...

, since 2017 member of the

Landtag of North Rhine-Westphalia The Landtag of North Rhine-Westphalia is the state parliament (''Landtag'') of the German federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia, which convenes in the state capital of Düsseldorf, in the eastern part of the district of Düsseldorf-Hafen, Hafen ...

(State Parliament) * ''Philip Rießle'' (born 1988),

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

player *

Daniel Schwaab Daniel Schwaab (born 23 August 1988) is a German former professional footballer who played for SC Freiburg, Bayer 04 Leverkusen, VfB Stuttgart and PSV Eindhoven, mainly as a centre-back. He represented Germany at U18, U19, and U21 levels, wi ...

(born 1988), soccer player

External links

Waldkirch: History & Images

Brief tourist overview of Waldkirch

Waldkirch on ''blackforest-tourism.com''
- tourist highlights and activities.
Virtual tour of Waldkirch's Treetop Path, and other information

Waldkirch zoo on ''outdooractive.com''

Tourism website of the ''ZweiTaelerland''
Google translation on website.
Official Website of the City of Waldkirch
.
Waldkirch on the ''allemannische Seiten''
.
Eintrag ''Waldkirch – Altgemeinde~Teilort''
''Historical Waldkirch in the Baden-Württemberg State Archive .

References

{{Authority control Emmendingen (district)