Our Favorite Town in the Black Forest - Gengenbach

Visiting the Black Forest turned out to be the best idea -- we had some of the most memorable times of our 24-day journey in this fairytale landscape of idyllic small towns, colossal farmhouses and an endless ocean of shadowy dark woods. After visiting the raucous medieval festival at Gernsbach, a traditional working dairy farm at Gutach and the photogenic Schiltach, we saved the best for our last night in Germany's remote southwest corner.



Introducing Gengenbach. I don't say this lightly but it was our favorite town in the Black Forest. We're talking about beautiful 18th Century townscapes crowned with towering medieval spires, a bustling farmer's market in a cobblestone town square, a little chapel on a hill overlooking the town and surrounded with lush vineyards, and most amazingly ... a pair of giant white storks nesting on the chimney across from our hotel room! That's a potent combination difficult for any town to beat.



The largest of the small towns on our Black Forest itinerary, Gengenbach is arguably the most popular stop in the region among independent travelers. Part of this has to do with accessibility -- it's a major station on the Black Forest Railway -- but mostly visitors are coming for a historic town widely reputed as one of the most picturesque in the entire Baden-Wurttemberg.



IMHO the Black Forest remains quite underrated as a tourist destination, and while Gengenbach is purported to be relatively well-known, we arrived without encountering any tourist hordes or multi-national fleets of tour buses. Most visitors we met seemed to be independent travelers from within Germany or from the French region of Alsace, merely 20km away to the west. The Americans haven't yet discovered this place en masse, let alone the Russians or the Chinese. It's a good time to come.



We arrived on a drizzly Wednesday in mid September, late enough in the summer to avoid the crowds and early enough in the autumn for a warm afternoon hike among the vineyards. The town itself was a maze of cobblestone lanes lined with medieval half-timber houses, and a romantic place to get utterly lost amidst the blooming flowers and old earthen walls.



Portions of the town's old defensive walls remain intact to this date, though much has been absorbed into neighboring peasant houses over the past centuries. Still owned by the township are the medieval gates which continue to function as the main routes into town, as well as offering excellent vantage points for photos.



As a vestige of medieval city planning, the town's three main streets all converge at a main square known simply as the Markt. On the side stands the 18th Century town hall best known for hosting the world's largest Advent calendar, and at the heart of the square is the 16th Century fountain that has supplied residents with drinking water for centuries.



Everyone's favorite photospot in town is a famously curved back-alley known as Engelgasse, a neighborhood of old timberframe houses adorned with colorful hanging flower beds and whimsical ornaments. Hearing about its popularity I half-expected a whole street of tacky souvenir shops swarmed with tourists, and was surprised to find neither. Apparently this town is still under the radar of mass tourism for the most part.



Wednesday also happened to be the day for the weekly farmer's market when the town square was transformed into an open-air bazaar selling everything from local organic squashes to genuine smoked Black Forest Ham. Arrive early though, as most vendors start to dismantle their stalls by noon.



For a light lunch we visited the locally famous Bäckerei Dreher and ordered some soup and dessert, including this local interpretation of the famed Black Forest Cake, or Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte. I must say that we were quite disappointed, as this was nowhere close to the magically delicious version we had the previous day at Schiltach's Kaffeebohne.

Bill for Two Persons

Black Forest Cake	2.6 Euros
Large Pea Soup	3.8 Euros
Kirschwasser	3.2 Euros
Fruit Juice	2.4 Euros
TOTAL before tips	12 Euros (CAD$16.8)

After days of overcast skies and enduring rain the sun decided to make a brief appearance, just in time for our early afternoon hike to the Jakobskapelle, a historic little chapel above the town. The 20 minute climb through local vineyards was rewarding enough, but even more breathtaking than the ascent itself was the gorgeous view at the top.



Stretching to the horizon is a magnificent landscape of Riesling vineyards, following the Kinzig Valley all the way to the French wine-producing region of Alsace. Alsace is of course world-famous for its Rieslings and Gewürztraminers, yet few know that you get a very similar terroir on this side of the German border, merely 30 km from the Alsacian capital of Strasbourg.



Here's the most reward part of the hike -- an unobstructed panorama of Gengenbach under the backdrop of the mystical Black Forest, surrounded by lush dairy pastures and frighteningly steep vineyards. Plus, we had this entire hilltop to ourselves during our visit! Apparently this hasn't become a popular attraction to most travelers yet, which was certainly fine with us.



Up here one also gains a better appreciation for the town's numerous medieval spires, perhaps not quite in the same league as Prague but at least approaching San Gimignano. Witnessing such stunning cultural landscapes, history and traditions, I fail to understand why these Black Forest towns aren't yet considered by UNESCO for World Heritage Site recognition.



It was only upon descending that we finally ran into other hikers. The unadorned chapel is actually a local stop on the German section of the Camino de Santiago, some 1500 km away from the ultimate destination of Santiago de Compostela. Though I really doubt that, in these modern times, pilgrims would walk all the way to Spain from here.



An equally solemn and much grander place of worship is housed inside Kloster Gengenbach, a Benedictine monastery established way back around the time of Charlemagne. Even after 1200 years the abbey still asserts influence on the everyday lives of the townspeople, on an hourly basis as the beloved bell tower rings its trusty chime through the valley.



Aside from the Jakobskapelle on the hilltop, another spot for excellent panoramas is the medieval tower of Niggelturm, located near the southwestern corner of the old defensive walls. It may take a bit of luck though, as it's currently operated as a museum and is open only on Wednesdays and Saturdays.



The museum itself is an intriguing exhibition of the elaborate costumes and masks used in Gengenbach's own version of Fasnacht, an annual springtime carnival amalgamating ancient pagan practices with Christian beliefs. A spiral staircase gradually scales multiple levels of the tower, until the top level where a heavy door with a caution sign leads to the exterior ...



Here it is, a splendid vista of town's 18th Century timberframe houses and their ochre rooftops, along with the Jakobskapelle and its lovingly cultivated vineyards. The picture at the top of the article is also taken from this same spot, just to illustrate the beauty of this town even on a rainy day.



For dinner we consulted local advice as usual, and picked an authentic neighborhood tavern under the shadow of Niggelturm tower, aptly named Zum Turm.



The Black Forest is much better known for its hearty peasant fare than haute cuisine, and that's exactly what's served at this informal little eatery/watering hole. The ambience harks back at least a few decades ... as does the substantial portions ... and the prices have remained affordable enough for all the neighbors. We're talking 1.2 Euros for a Kölsch on Mondays, 1.7 Euros a bottled beer on Thursdays and 2.4 Euros the rest of the week. That is cheap.



What keeps the regulars coming is a small repertoire of simple and mouth-watering comfort dishes, namely Bratkartoffeln and the regional favorite of Flammkuchen. We followed the neighboring tables in ordering this crispily skillet-fried Bratkartoffeln with Speck, large enough as a light meal or just for nibbling with a beer in hand, for the unbelievably cheap price of 3 Euros. Adding a heaping plate of Bauernwursts and potatoes for 6.9 Euros would serve the two of us adequately for dinner.



But the best and most popular dish here was the oven-fired Flammkuchen, or Tarte Flambée if you're from the opposite side of the Rhine. Italians may even mistake it as their own until they taste the sour cream in the savory version and, even more strangely, the classic dessert version with apples and Calvados.



The last Flammkuche we had was a savory one with Speck and onions, and this time we opted for a sweet one with raisins, pineapple and spiced with cinnamon. What an excellent combination of flavors ... and a scrumptious crust as well! Overall we've eaten very well the past several days in the Black Forest, and this Flammkuche served us the perfect finale.

Bill for Two Persons

Bratkartoffeln with Speck	3 Euros
Creme of Salmon Soup	2.7 Euros
Bauernwurst Sausages	6.9 Euros
Flammkuche with Raisins, Pineapple and Cinnamon	5.6 Euros
Alpirsbacher Export (Small Bottle)	2.4 Euros
Alpirsbacher Weissbier (Large Bottle)	3.2 Euros
TOTAL before tips	23.8 Euros (CAD$33.3)

Here's another advantage of visiting on Wednesdays or Saturdays, at least from May till October: the town offers a free tour led by a nightwatchman in full medieval regalia, making stops around the old town and teaching everyone a traditional nightwatch carol. Our tour started in front of the Rathaus at 21:00, and it wasn't until almost another hour when we finally retired to our hotel room.



We stumbled upon a great little hotel in town, a family-run gasthof that has served visitors for generations at the heart of the old town. This gasthof was so enjoyable that, if we ever return to Gengenbach, I would book this same hotel and ask for the exact same room. And here's why ...



There's hardly a better location in town than the historic Hotel Sonne, housed in an 18th Century character building right next to the town square. Our double room on the top floor already took the title of the most spacious room in our 24-day trip, but there's more to it outside the front window.



This has got to be one of the best views from any hotel room in town, overlooking the 16th Century fountain in the town square, the stately Rathaus, and the hallowed Jakobskapelle in the morning mist. But there's more ...



What is this ginormous nest right outside our window, at the top of the chimney across the street? I could hardly contain my excitement as I zoomed in with my camera lens ... this can't be ... a pair of the locally fabled white stocks!



This was my first time observing storks in their habitat, and I must have spent at least 15 minutes spying on these majestic birds, which were busy manicuring their velvety plumage and occasionally stretching their elegant wings. Then at the striking of the 07:00 church bells, the pair suddenly spread their gigantic wingspans, swooped across the air to the left of our window and disappeared in the direction of the wilderness. Just like watching National Geographic videos!

What a lovely little town Gengenbach is ... and what a fascinating region the Black Forest turned out to be! And did I mention that trains and buses within the entire Black Forest, all the way to the borders of France and Switzerland, are totally FREE for overnight guests (see KONUS Gästekarte)? As we checked out of Hotel Sonne in the morning, we would make good use of our free train ride to the Swiss city of Basel, to start the next segment of our long journey across 6 countries.

Black Forest's Romantic Small Towns - Schiltach, Wolfach, Triberg

As we based ourselves at a dairy farm in Gutach, we used the opportunity to explore the Black Forest's historic and unique little towns. In one day we visited the charming Schiltach, Wolfach and Triberg, taking advantage of FREE public transportation (see KONUS Gästekarte) for overnight visitors. We started in the mid-morning, taking the trusty Bus #7150 and the Kinzigtal Railway towards Schiltach.



Schiltach has long been heralded as one of the most visually stunning locales in the Black Forest, a medieval townscape nationally protected as a cultural heritage and a stop on the Fachwerkstraße, or German Timber-Frame Road. This was definitely among our favorite places in the Black Forest, along with Gengenbach and Gutach im Schwarzwald.



Meandering through the old town from all directions are beautiful cobblestone paths lined with half-timber houses dating as far back as the 16th Century, with all paths leading to an impressive town hall from the age of the Renaissance. And unlike the popular tourist destinations on the major rail corridors along the Rhine and the Neckar, much of the medieval quarter remains relatively untouched by modern tourism and many houses still serve as residences to the original families.



Schiltach had seen its golden age as a logistical hub for shipping valuable Black Forest timber down the Rhine to the Netherlands, until the arrival of railways brought about its decline ... and effectively conserved its townscape in the 1800's. Today it's a minor station on a minor rail line, remote enough to be hidden from mass tourism yet easily accessible for those who prefer a more intimate and romantic small town atmosphere.



The most impressive sight in town is an amusingly sloped town square, built on a hillside overlooked by a ruined castle from the 13th Century. To this date it remains the heart and soul of this tightly-knit community -- the entire town still congregates here for festivals and events, the most famous being a candlelit religious procession on New Year's Eve. On this day the Markt was mostly empty, and we probably saw less than 10 visitors in town the entire morning.



We arrived at around 10:45 and spent much of our time strolling along the picturesque riverbank and exploring the town's medieval cobblestone streets. We also visited a few museums in town, starting with a stop at the Museum am Markt. The exhibits on town history were nice, but my favorite part was ...



... this beautiful view of the Markt from the museum's top floor! The museum staff, and the townsfolk in general, were extremely friendly -- one of them even gave us a beautifully printed picture book (not a brochure!) as a present for us to take back to Canada.



Also worthy of a visit was the Schüttesage-Museum, a tribute to the town's medieval industries of lumber-rafting and leather tanning. Still standing guard at the confluence of the town's two rivers is the old waterwheel, powered by rapids at this narrowest point of the Kinzig river. Tradition still runs strong to this date and local tanneries such as Trautwein has kept Schiltach at the forefront of leather fashion in Germany. 1200 Euros for a jacket was a little steep for me though, but I did pick up a quality windbreaker at the Trautwein store, just in time for the inclement weather over the next two days.



There's one more reason why we loved Schiltach so much -- we had two of our favorite pieces of cake, anywhere in the world, at this remote little town in the Black Forest.



Quietly sitting under the shadow of Schiltach's 16th Century town hall, Konditorei Kaffeebohne is impossible to miss for any visitor passing through the Markt. Arriving before noon we weren't sure whether we wanted a proper lunch or just desserts, but that was all settled once we got to the cake display. We would have a proper lunch of nothing but desserts, starting with ... what else ... the famed Black Forest Cake, or Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte.



And it was one of the best cakes I've ever had. Unlike the bastardized versions of Black Forest Cakes sold elsewhere in the world, this was the perfect balance of the softest cream, the lightest cake and most importantly, the most generous infusion with genuine Black Forest cherry liquor. We tried Kirschtorte at other Black Forest towns but none came remotely close to this magical piece of cake here. I would go back to Schiltach given the chance, just for this Kirschtorte alone.



To be honest we half-expected miracles out of the traditional Black Forest Cake -- we're in the Black Forest after all. But what really surprised us was the heavenly creaminess of this Frankfurter Kranz, enveloped in crushed roasted hazelnuts and brittle nuts, and made absolutely melt-in-the-mouth smooth with generous layers of delectable buttercream. If you're wondering how good this was ... my wife actually loved this even more than the Kirschtorte.



Having full confidence now in the skillful hands of the Konditor in house, we returned to the cake display and ordered yet another piece, this one a delicately light cake of white chocolate mousse. I probably could have had another piece (or two), and I don't know how my wife found the discipline to stop. This little cafe was definitely my favorite eatery in the Black Forest ... if I don't count the once-a-year pig roast at the medieval festival at Gernsbach.



And last but not least, served with these wonderful cakes was a gorgeous view of one of the Black Forest's most enchanting medieval town squares. We stayed until early afternoon before we finally said goodbye to lovely Schiltach, and took the train to our next stop of Wolfach.

Bill for Two Persons

Black Forest Cake	2.7 Euros
Frankfurter Kranz	2.7 Euros
White Chocolate Cheesecake	2.7 Euros
Radler	2.5 Euros
Black Currant Juice	1.9 Euros
TOTAL before tips	12.5 Euros (CAD$17.5)

Yet another characterful town along the Kinzig Valley, Wolfach is only marginally better-known than Schiltach due to its former glory as one of Germany's top resorts in the late 1800's. Today's visitors come mostly for its 17th Century castle (Schloss Wolfach) and a glass-blowing museum (Dorotheenhütte). We planned to visit neither, though our hostess at the our farm stay recommended the Dorotheenhütte as a worthy attraction. In my opinion though, there are no better attraction nearby than the Vogtsbauernhof, and the medieval townscapes of Schiltach and Gengenbach.



For us Wolfach was simply the most sensible stop between Schiltach and our latter destination of Triberg, as this was where trains from Schiltach made a stop and Bus #7150 to Triberg picked up. Having just a little over an hour, we looked around the exterior of Schloss Wolfach then spent most of our time exploring the shops on the aptly named Marktstrasse.



We finished our quick stop with a stroll along the scenic riverfront, then hurried back to the train station to catch Bus #7150. Little did we know that the bus actually has a stop on Marktstrasse and we could have spent another 10 minutes in the shops. A 30 minute bus ride would take us straight to the centre of Triberg, which was way more convenient than taking the train to Triberg Station then walking 10 minutes uphill.



And finally we've arrived -- Triberg, the clock capital of Germany, and the most famous of Black Forest's collection of whimsical little towns. The spectacular Black Forest Railway runs through the lower town, and one of Germany's tallest waterfalls is just a 15 minute walk from the town square. But these all pale in comparison to the one genuinely German fascination no visitor would miss ...



Cuckoo Clocks! These handcrafted mechanical wonders are synonymous with the Black Forest and arguably Germany in general, as demonstrated by Chancellor Merkel's choice of them as diplomatic gifts to visiting foreign leaders. At the centre of this whole industry is the town of Triberg, featuring a whole street of clock merchants from kitschy souvenir shops to master clock makers.



Some of the most impressive samples can be found at the Schwarzwaldmuseum, a rambling but fascinating collection of all things Black Forest from 200-year-old clock mechanisms to 19th Century barrel organs to retired equipment from the old Black Forest Railway. And if you intend on purchasing a genuine Black Forest Cuckoo Clock for the living room (and I was somewhat tempted myself), we compared several shops and found Oli's Schnitzstube across from the museum to feature the best hand-carved quality.



This large wall-mounted clock in the middle would cost a cool 1498 Euros, though smaller and simpler models can be had for less than 200 ... plus another 60 Euros or so for overseas shipping. We ended up not finding anything we absolutely can't leave without, and took the last bus at 18:15 back to our farm stay in Gutach. This would be our last night in Gutach as we would be moving onward to yet another Black Forest town, the incredibly photogenic Gengenbach, the next morning.