General

Location

The Black Forest (German name: Schwarzwald) is situated in the south-west corner of the Federal State of Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany. Bordered to the west by France, to the south by Switzerland.

Largest Towns

Karlsruhe (276,000), Freiburg (200,000), Pforzheim (116,000), Villingen-Schwenningen (82,000).

International Airports

EuroAirport (France), Flughafen Stuttgart, Flughafen Frankfurt.

Currency

Deutsche Mark (German mark). To be replaced by the euro as legal tender from 1 March 2002.

Economy

Tourism, clock-making (not just cuckoo clocks!), timber, wine-growing and various other forms of agriculture are important industries.

Hiking Trails

Approximately 22,880km (14,300 miles).

Geography

Total Area

6,000sq km (2,317sq miles)

Area Covered by Forest

Around two-thirds of the BLack Forest is covered by forest. It is Germany’s largest wooded region.

Highest Peak

Feldberg 1,493m (4,898ft)

Highest Waterfall

Triberg Falls 163m (535ft)

Longest Rivers

River Rhine has a total length of 1,320km (820 Statute miles) of which over 200km (124 miles) flow along the southern and western borders of the Black Forest. Found within the region are the River Kinzig 95km (59 miles) and River Nagold 92km (57 miles).

Largest Lake

Schluchsee 7.3km (4½ miles) long, maximum width 1.6km (1 mile), maximum depth 65m (213ft).

Most Sunshine Hours

Ihringen, near Freiburg, receives around 1,850 sunshine hours a year.