Markgräflerland () is a region in the southwest of

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 ...

, in the south of the German federal state of

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 ...

, located between the Breisgau in the north and 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 ...

in the east; adjacent to west with

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

and in the south with

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

History and geography

The name translates to ''Margraves' Land'', in reference to the

Margrave Margrave was originally the Middle Ages, medieval title for the military commander assigned to maintain the defence of one of the border provinces of the Holy Roman Empire or a monarchy, kingdom. That position became hereditary in certain Feudal ...

s of

Baden Baden (; ) is a historical territory in southern Germany. In earlier times it was considered to be on both sides of the Upper Rhine, but since the Napoleonic Wars, it has been considered only East of the Rhine. History The margraves of Ba ...

. They ruled the area from the 12th century as a margraviate 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 ...

until its elevation 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 ...

in 1806, following the Empire's dissolution. Markgräflerland is the combination of three lordships: Badenweiler, Rötteln and Sausenburg. In 1556 the Markgraf (

) became

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

following the actions of the German monk

Martin Luther Martin Luther ( ; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, Theology, theologian, author, hymnwriter, professor, and former Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinian friar. Luther was the seminal figure of the Reformation, Pr ...

. The river

Rhine The Rhine ( ) is one of the List of rivers of Europe, major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Austria–Swit ...

marks the frontier to

in the west and

in the south. Markgräflerland is considered to be part of the transnational metropolitan area that includes

Freiburg 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 ...

Basel Basel ( ; ), also known as Basle ( ), ; ; ; . is a city in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine (at the transition from the High Rhine, High to the Upper Rhine). Basel is Switzerland's List of cities in Switzerland, third-most-populo ...

, and

Mulhouse Mulhouse (; ; Alsatian language, Alsatian: ''Mìlhüsa'' ; , meaning "Mill (grinding), mill house") is a France, French city of the European Collectivity of Alsace (Haut-Rhin department, in the Grand Est region of France). It is near the Fran ...

. This region of Germany, also called the ''Dreiländereck'' (three-country corner), includes many towns, but it is generally accepted that the center of the region is the town of Müllheim. Historically the region was a bit smaller, only reaching to Heitersheim in the north. The largest mountain in the region, the Blauen, lies on the outside border.

Viticulture

The region is known for its vineyards. A unique grape variety is the Gutedel grape, also known as

Chasselas Chasselas () or Chasselas blanc () is a wine grape variety grown mainly in Switzerland, France, Germany, Portugal, Hungary, Romania, New Zealand, Croatia and Chile. Chasselas is mostly vinified to be a full, dry and fruity white wine. It is ...

, which probably made its way into the region in 1780 from

Vevey Vevey (; ; ) is a town in Switzerland in the Vaud, canton of Vaud, on the north shore of Lake Leman, near Lausanne. The German name Vivis is no longer commonly used. It was the seat of the Vevey (district), district of the same name until 200 ...

in Switzerland; this grape is also used in some of the viticulture on the northern shore of

Lake Constance Lake Constance (, ) refers to three bodies of water on the Rhine at the northern foot of the Alps: Upper Lake Constance (''Obersee''), Lower Lake Constance (''Untersee''), and a connecting stretch of the Rhine, called the Seerhein (). These ...

. Other popular varieties in the region include

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 Made ...

, Grau Burgunder (

Pinot gris 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 pinkish-gray hue, accounting for its name, but th ...

), Weiss Burgunder (

Pinot blanc Pinot blanc () or Pinot bianco is a white wine grape. It is a point genetic mutation of Pinot noir. Pinot noir is genetically unstable and will occasionally experience a point mutation in which a vine bears all black fruit except for one cane wh ...

), Spätburgunder (

Pinot noir Pinot noir (), also known as Pinot nero, is a red-wine grape variety of the species ''Vitis vinifera''. The name also refers to wines created predominantly from Pinot noir grapes. The name is derived from the French language, French words fo ...

) and Weissherbst. Other agricultural products include Spargel (white asparagus) and cherries. The region is often called by Germans the

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence. Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...

of Germany, referring to the Tuscan region of Italy, due in part to its climate, milder than the rest of the nation.

Language

This region is home to the German dialect known as Alemannisch. The most famous writer of ''Alemannisch'' literature is Johann Peter Hebel.

Cities and towns

Markgräflerland includes (among others) the following locations: Auggen, Badenweiler, Ballrechten-Dottingen, Betberg, Binzen, Bollschweil, Britzingen, Buggingen, Dattingen, Dossenbach, Efringen-Kirchen, Eimeldingen, Gersbach, Hach, Hartheim am Rhein, Hammerstein,

Hausen im Wiesental Hausen im Wiesental (, ) is a village in the Lörrach (district), Lörrach district of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is famous for the dialectal poet Johann Peter Hebel who lived in Hausen for many years. The eminent expressionism, expressionis ...

, Heitersheim, Hügelheim, Inzlingen,

Kandern Kandern () is a city in southwestern Germany in the state of Baden-Württemberg, in the '' Kreis'' (district) of Lörrach. During the Battle of Schliengen, in which the French Revolutionary army fought the forces of Austria, the battle lines ...

, Kleinkems,

Lörrach Lörrach () is a city in southwest Germany, in the valley of the Wiese, close to the French and the Swiss borders. It is the district seat of the district of Lörrach in Baden-Württemberg. It is the home of a number of large employers, inclu ...

, Malsburg, Marzell, Müllheim, Neuenburg, Neuenweg, Riedlingen,

Schliengen Schliengen is a municipality in southwestern Germany in the state of Baden-Württemberg, in the ''Districts of Germany, Kreis'' (district) of Lörrach (district), Lörrach. Schliengen's claim to international fame is the Battle of Schliengen (24 ...

Schopfheim Schopfheim () is a town in the Lörrach (district), district of Lörrach in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated on the river Wiese (river), Wiese, 10 km north of Rheinfelden (Baden), Rheinfelden, and 13 km east of Lörrach. The ...

, Seefelden, Steinen, Sulzburg, Tegernau, Vögisheim,

Weil am Rhein Weil am Rhein (, ; High Alemannic German, High Alemannic: ''Wiil am Rhii'') is a German town and commune. It is on the east bank of the River Rhine, and extends to the tripoint of Switzerland, France, and Germany. It is the most southwesterly tow ...

, Wies, Wieslet, Weitenau, Wollbach.

External links

* Map: https://web.archive.org/web/20051222203414/http://www.geschichtsverein-markgraeflerland.de/
Markgräflerland: pictures & history
{{DEFAULTSORT:Markgraflerland Geography of Baden-Württemberg Regions of Baden-Württemberg