The Black Forest (
) covers birch and pine studded hills along 100
miles (161km) of southwest Germany's border with France. The forest
is renowned as a popular holiday destination in Germany, featuring
picturesque fairy-tale villages, spa-bath resorts, hiking trails
and ski resorts.
The first famous holidaymaker to enjoy rest and recuperation in
the Black Forest was the Roman Emperor Caracalla who stopped to
sample the natural spring waters in what is now the town of
Baden-Baden, around 2,000 years ago. Since then the Black Forest
has been the chosen destination for the rich and famous. Everyone
who is anyone, from Napoleon to Mark Twain, has come to take to the
waters and enjoy the forest's natural beauty.
In medieval times the local people developed the traditional
skills of woodcarving, glass-blowing, jewellery-making and
clock-making, and these art forms are still cultivated in the
region today, to the delight of tourists with spending money in
their pockets. The clocks are particularly famous and there are an
amazing variety of them. The Black Forest has also become known for
its local food delicacies, like Black Forest ham and cherry
cake.
The most central town in the Black Forest is Freudenstadt, which
is the starting point for hundreds of miles of hiking and
ski-trails through the nearby hills. Most visitors, however, prefer
to find accommodation in guest lodges in the small villages
sprinkled throughout the region, exploring by car, on foot or by
bicycle.