And here’s a useful tip: you can travel all over the region by bus and train free of charge with the Badenweiler Konus visitor card.

Photo credit: Badenweiler Thermen und Touristik GmbH (Photographer: Karin Schmeißer)

Energetic and sporty or revelling in relaxation

There is strict nature conservation within the core zones of the UNESCO biosphere reserve. The other areas are managed sustainably in a way that previously was a matter of course. So people in the southern Black Forest maintain the age-old traditions: they use hydropower and wood for resource-friendly energy generation, and thanks to local sustainable marketing of milk, cheese and meat, ancient, almost forgotten breeds of cattle are once again thriving.
There are hiking and adventure trails within this unique landscape waiting to be discovered. The biosphere reserve has its own calendar of events, offering dawn walks, walks to listen to songbirds, or working parties to repair some of the wonderful walkways. There is something for everybody. Watch the woodcarvers at work, visit old Black Forest houses, learn about the customs of the Black Forest in all their diversity.

Combine tradition and modern

Green energy above all stands for sustainable management. So for instance the waste heat from a traditional ham production facility in Bonndorf is fed into a purpose-made heat grid.

To preserve the special building culture particular to the Black Forest, the Federal State is promoting the conservation and renovation of traditional Black Forest farm buildings to make them fit for new purpose. So a dilapidated farm might become a community centre, a multifunctional hall or a market barn. These are interesting examples that are worth visiting. These projects very often reveal a lot about the history, traditions and original use of the state farms which without this programme would increasingly disappear from the countryside.