Black Forest highlights for 2012
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The "Vogtsbauernhof" within the green landscape
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Copyright 2003 by Erich Spiegelhalter-ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Hardly any other holiday region is as diverse as the Black Forest. 11,100 km² in the south west of Germany is home to a rapidly changing landscape, with forests in the north, the less dense middle Black Forest and the mountainous 1493m heights of the south leading down to the Rhine.
The Black Forest is part of Baden, the heart of the state of Baden-Württemberg, which was created in 1952, when American and French occupying forces merged the regions to form a single state. In 1848, the “Baden Revolution,” sparked here, swept across all of Central Europe as townsfolk and peasants fought for their rights against local rulers. The thirst for freedom is still found in the open-minded “model state” found in the southwest of Germany. Baden is to celebrate its 900th anniversary in 2012. To mark the event, the Badisches Landesmuseum (State Museum of Baden), in Karlsruhe, will be hosting a major exhibition on the state from June 16 to November 11. Many cities and towns are also getting involved, hosting their own events to celebrate the anniversary, an occasion that has even prompted the Staatsweingut Durlach winery to serve a very special wine: www.baden2012.de.
The Black Forest offers even more history surrounding the best-known Black Forest farmhouse of all: the Vogtsbauernhof. With its huge sloping roof, rustic living quarters, and wooden façade featuring lush flower boxes, it embodies the typical Black Forest. The farmhouse is now turning 400 years old. The surrounding area is now home to 6 other original farmhouse buildings, which together make up the Freilichtmuseum Vogtsbauernhof open-air museum. All of them feature historical furnishings, tools and implements, hay sleds, and carts. Museum visitors get to experience, up close and personal, how much has changed in the way we work, live, and keep house over the past 400 years. The anniversary will be celebrated from March 25 to November 4 with a big exhibit and a number of events: www.vogtsbauernhof.org.
Baden-Württemberg is marked by tremendous regional variety: Almost every valley has its own customs and traditional dress. To honor this variety and keep local traditions alive, the Heimattage (Homeland Days) event has been held since 1978. Each year, the event is hosted by a different city or group of towns. In 2012, it’s the turn of three towns on the eastern verge of the Black Forest: Donaueschingen, Hüfingen and Bräunlingen. Flagship events will be held all year. The high points of the Heimattage will be the Baden-Württemberg Day festivities, scheduled to run May 4–6, and the Landesfesstage (State Festival Days) on September 8 and 9: www.heimattage2012.de.
For more information, please contact Schwarzwald Tourismus GmbH, Ludwigstr. 23, 79104 Freiburg, Germany, Tel. +49 761 89646-93, www.schwarzwald-tourismus.info
