Lenzkirch is a municipality 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 t ...

. It lies in the district of Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald 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 betwe ...

Geography

Lenzkirch is on the Black Forest plateau, in the valley of the river Haslach, which near the south east border of the municipality merges with the Gutach to become the Wutach. The Urseetal, a

glacial A glacial period (alternatively glacial or glaciation) is an interval of time (thousands of years) within an ice age that is marked by colder temperatures and glacier advances. Interglacials, on the other hand, are periods of warmer climate betwe ...

valley, falls from the southwest corner of the municipality. The highest point of the municipality is the 1192m Hochfirst peak, marked by the Hochfirst Tower, on the boundary with the neighbouring municipality of

Titisee-Neustadt Titisee-Neustadt () is a municipality in the district of Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. It is made up of the six communities of Neustadt, Langenordnach, Rudenberg, Titisee, Schwärzenbach and Waldau. The town ...

Neighbouring municipalities

Clockwise from the north, Lenzkirch borders on

, Friedenweiler,

Löffingen Löffingen is a town in the district Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated 14 km southwest of Donaueschingen, and 40 km southeast of Freiburg. Sons and daughters of the town * Rene D Egle (born 1963) ...

Bonndorf Bonndorf is a town in the Waldshut district in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated in the southern Black Forest, 14 km southeast of Titisee-Neustadt. It comprises the villages Boll, Brunnadern, Dillendorf, Ebnet, Gündelwangen, Ho ...

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 ...

and Feldberg. All are in the Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald district, except Bonndorf which is in Waldshut.

Constituent communities

The municipality is made up of the town of Lenzkirch (3,341 inhabitants, including about 50 in the adjacent village of Grünwald) and the villages of Saig (812 inhabitants), Kappel, (785), and Raitenbuch (152). Saig is a health resort on the southern flank of the Hochfirst, and at about 1,000m elevation is the highest community in the municipality. It has about 1,200 beds available for tourists. Kappel, at around 900m, is also a health resort, with about 600 beds. The '' Wutachschlucht'' begins in the outskirts of Kappel, and the Freiburg-Lake Constance Black Forest Trail runs through the village. On this path above the village to the north is a monument, the ''Franzoezische Kreuz'' commemorating the turning back of French troops by the Austrians during the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

. Raitenbuch is a farming settlement to the west of the town of Lenzkirch at about 940m elevation. Grünwald, the smallest of the communities in the municipality, and is at about 1000m altitude. It is the site of a former Monastery, founded in 1350, and the tiny village church has a late-Gothic sandstone relief of the life of Christ.

Climate

Because of its high altitude, Lenzkirch has a somewhat cooler climate than most places in Baden-Württemberg. The climate is claimed to be healthy, on the grounds of clean air, high oxygen content, and plentiful wind and sun. In consequence, Lenzkirch has the official status of a "climatic health resort", meaning that visitors can be recommended by their doctors (and supported by their health insurance) to "take the cure" there.

Politics

Mayor

since 2002: Reinhard Feser

Municipal Council

The local elections on 13 June 2004 resulted in a council with the following constitution:

Twin towns

* Jugon-les-Lacs in

Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica during the period ...

(

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

), since 1975

Economy and Infrastructure

Since its climate gives Lenzkirch the status of a health resort,

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mor ...

plays a significant role in the local economy; as well as the long-distance route passing through Keppel, there are numerous waymarked walking and cycling trails within the municipality.

Precision engineering Precision engineering is a subdiscipline of electrical engineering, software engineering, electronics engineering, mechanical engineering, and optical engineering concerned with designing machines, fixtures, and other structures that have exce ...

, developed from the traditional Black Forest industry of

clockmaking A clockmaker is an artisan who makes and/or repairs clocks. Since almost all clocks are now factory-made, most modern clockmakers only repair clocks. Modern clockmakers may be employed by jewellers, antique shops, and places devoted strictly t ...

, is also of importance.

Transport

Lenzkirch lies on the B315 Bundesstrasse from

Schaffhausen Schaffhausen (; gsw, Schafuuse; french: Schaffhouse; it, Sciaffusa; rm, Schaffusa; en, Shaffhouse) is a town with historic roots, a municipality in northern Switzerland, and the capital of the canton of the same name; it has an estimate ...

in Switzerland to Titisee; this is mainly used by summer tourist traffic. Two bus routes pass through the town: the 7257 from Neustadt via Titisee, Saig and Lenzkirch to Seebrugg on the

, and the 7258 from Neustadt via Kappel and Lenzkirch to Bonndorf. A railway branch line from Titisee and the Kappel-Gutachbrücke station on the Höllentalbahn to Bonndorf was built in 1907. This passed through Lenzkirch, where it made a

Zig Zag A zigzag is a pattern made up of small corners at variable angles, though constant within the zigzag, tracing a path between two parallel lines; it can be described as both jagged and fairly regular. In geometry, this pattern is described as a ...

to gain height in a short distance. The line was closed in 1976, and the tracks taken up. A cycle path now follows its route, providing a way of riding to Bonndorf without severe gradients.

The carved street signs

Carved street signs can be found all around the city center. File:Lenzkirch - The street signs I.jpg, File:Lenzkirch - The street signs II.jpg, File:Lenzkirch - The street signs III.jpg, File:Lenzkirch - The street signs IV.jpg, File:Lenzkirch - The street signs V.jpg,

References

External links

Google map showing LenzkirchMunicipal website
(the Tourism section has an English version) {{Authority control Towns in Baden-Württemberg Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald Baden