The Black Forest certainly is one of the most popular travel destinations in Baden-Württemberg, Germany.

Black Forest/Schwarzwald © flickr/Stephan A.

The area in south-west Germany at the border to France and Switzerland is a wooded mountain range with the Feldberg being the highest peak with an elevation of 1,493 metres (4,898 ft). The region has a length of about 200 kilometres (120 miles) and width of about 60 kilometres (37 miles).

The forest mainly consists of pines and firs which to some extend are commercially used. The Black Forest is famous for its cuckoo clocks, the Black Forest gateau, Black Forest Ham and the Bollenhut hats which are part of the women’s traditional costumes and worn on special occasions only. People in more than 40 countries also know the TV-series “Black Forest Clinic” (Schwarzwaldklinik).

It is said that hiking was invented in the Black Forest, and here you find more hiking possibilities than anywhere else. There is a real network of hiking trails either in the high mountains or in the cosy forests and there are many typical “Vesteperstuben” – snack places – which await the visitors with a rustic snack. Often they are situated at mountain summits from where you have a great view over the region.

Black Forest/Schwarzwald © flickr/Allie_Caulfield

In winter the Black Forest is a real winter wonderland and you can of course go skiing in one of the numerous ski resorts. The Black Forest is also known as the birthplace of skiing in central Europe. Here the first ski club was founded and the first wooden skis were produced.

Visitors who seek relaxation should visit one of the thermal baths in Baden-Baden, Badenweiler or Bad Wildbad with their long tradition. No other German region has that many springs in such close proximity.
And there of course is the mythological side of the Black Forest with werewolves, sorcerers, witches and devils but also helpful dwarves.

Popular tourist destinations in the Black Forest are Freiburg with the famous minster, Titisee and Schluchsee lakes, where you can go diving and sailboarding, the Höllental (Hell Valley) with the statue of a jumping deer and the Triberg Waterfalls. And of course France, Switzerland and Lake Constance are not far.

Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg is a very young city founded in 1715.

It was built in the centre of a forest with a fan-shaped outline, and that is why it is called Fächerstadt (fan-city). All streets lead from the city centre right into nature.

Market Square ©flickr/KlausNahr

Along the more than 1300 kilometres of the Rhine River there are many beautiful cities but Karlsruhe is not only a city with a fairly young history but also beautiful and surrounded by nature.

Karlsruhe is suited for a city break and sporty visitors can discover the city and the surrounding Rhine area by bike. For those who aren’t that sporty there are of course Rhine ferries available.

If you purchase the Welcome Card you can travel for fee with the public transport not only in Karlsruhe but also in Ettlingen, and you pay reduced entrance fees in several museums, exhibitions, theatres and the zoo.

Interesting for gamblers probably is the fact that the city of Baden-Baden with the famous casino isn’t far away.

One of the most famous sights in Karlsruhe certainly is the Karlsruhe Palace located in the heart of the city. It is said that Margrave Karl Wilhelm has slept at this very place and dreamt of the foundation of the city. And that is the reason why the city is called Karlsruhe (Karl’s rest). 32 streets run out from here.

Castle/Schloss©flickr/KlausNahr

The palace is surrounded by a beautiful park and the vestibule too is quite imposing. The palace is home of the Baden State Museum (Badisches Landesmuseum). If you climb up the 158 steps of the palace’s tower you have a great view over the fan-shaped city.

Karlsruhe also is a city of fountains. There are 204 in the city and 46 of them with drinking water. Many of the fountains are located in the city centre surrounded by small parks.

The landmark of the city is the pyramid on the market square (Marktplatz) which was built in 1823 on the site of the Concordia Church. Underneath the pyramid in the crypt of the church the body of the founder of Karlsruhe lies.

Karlsruhe has been playing a key role in the modern, democratic state of Germany for more than 50 years, as here are the Federal Constitutional Court, the Federal Court of Justice and the Federal Attorney General.

Between the palace and the market square you can find the Platz der Grundrechte (the Square of Fundamental Rights). On the square you find 24 double-sided street signs, each of them describing one aspect of right and wrong.

More historical places of interest are the Emperor’s Square (Kaiserplatz) with a statue of Emperor William I, the Square for Fredrick (Friedrichsplatz), where you can find the Chamber of Crafts and the Natural History Museum, and the Gottesaue Palace which was destroyed and rebuilt several times and now is home of the University of Music.

The Majolika Manufaktur Karlsruhe is a workshop where a variety of fine ceramic ornaments are made. About everything is produced here, from saucers to decorative elements on church roofs. A line of ceramic tiles runs from the workshop to the palace tower.

Lovers of Baden wine can have a good glass of local wine in the wine bars Heilige Sophie, LetscheBachus or any other in the city. The local cuisine is excellent too and influenced by the French cuisine as the French border is not far.

Baden-Württemberg

Friedrichshafen:

Zeppelin-Museum

The Zeppelin-Museum is home for the world’s greatest collection of the history of aviation. Besides the technical collection you will also find a large art collection of the Lake Constance region. www.zeppelin-museum.de

Furtwangen:

Deutsches Uhrenmuseum

In the museum with about 2,500 exhibits you can learn about the long tradition of clock-making in the Black Forest. www.deutsches-uhrenmuseum.de

Mannheim:

Landesmuseum für Technik und Arbeit

Here you can learn more about the industrialisation of the country and how scientific experiments can lead to technical inventions. www.landesmuseum-mannheim.de

Sinsheim:

Auto- und Technik-Museum

From the Concorde to locomotives, vintage cars and racing cars you can find about everything here. A visit is really worth it. www.technik-museum.de

Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen:

Porsche Museum

Here you can see 80 Porsche cars and experience the history of Porsche. www.porsche.com

Mainau is an island in Lake Constance not far from the city of Konstanz, Baden-Württemberg. The island belongs to the Lennart Bernadotte Foundation and used to be a park that had run to seed.

Tulpen in Mainau©flickr/Allie_Caulfield

The late Lennart, Count Bernadotte af Wisborg, formerly a Prince of Sweden and Duke of Småland transformed it into a park with many flowers and a park landscape with views on Lake Constance. In Mainau you can also find a greenhouse with tropical climate and many butterflies.

Now in spring it is just the right time to spend one or even several days on the island. Besides the flowers on plants in Mainau there always are changing exhibitions, courses and concerts.

• If you want to take part in the course on macrophotography you will have to be fast because it takes part 24-25 May, 2010.
• Until May 2, 2010 there will be an Orchid Exhibition in the Palm Tree House.
• Several times every year you can find a scent and seasoning herbs stand in Mainau.
• In May till October there will be the Show “Sensationelle Gärten” (Sensational Gardens) where you can see futuristic gardens created by university students.
• On May 8, 2010 there will be a concert called “Klingendes Mainau” with school students playing music.
• At the end of August there will be a dahlia show at the south side of Mainau.

Mainau©flickr/DHausBT

The first signs of settlement on the island can be dated back as far as 3000 BC. And even after that Mainau was very popular. For some time the island belonged to the Order of Teutonic Knights and even the Swedes made it till there.
The first exotic plants on the island date back to Prince Nikolaus Esterhazy. After that Frederick I, Grand Duke of Baden, built a summer palace there.
Count Lennart Bernadotte owned Mainau from 1932 to 1974 when he transferred the island into a foundation.

Especially for families the island is a great travel destination as there are many things to do for kids. There is the “Kinderland” with lots of attractions for the kids. There are a farm, a model railway, they can go pony riding, and play on the playground.

The island is open from dawn till dusk between March and October. You can either get there by boat or walk over the bridge from the mainland.
On the island you also find a distillery, a vineyard and you can also buy self made honey.