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The Black Forest is one of my favorite places in Germany!

The Black Forest, or Schwarzwald in German, is located in the south-west corner of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It covers an area of 12,000 sq. km. It gets its name for the dense conifers that block out a lot of light. Here’s why I love it so much:



It offers many easy hiking trails with idyllic scenery. Although if you’re looking for something more challenging there are plenty of several hundred km long hikes to choose from as well! I haven’t done any of the longer hikes here …yet!

The Black Forest does have a dark side though:

This is a henker site where women who were suspected of witchcraft were routinely beheaded. We came across it while hiking. That’s what I love about hiking here. You just never know what you will find. Minutes before, we had come across a Christmas Market in the nearby town of Calw.



A “romantic” waterfall, which is how most waterfalls in Germany are described.

A lot of people living there are Catholic and it’s not uncommon to see huge crosses like the one above or statues of the Virgin Mary in pastures.

We see several crosses every time we go hiking in the Black Forest.



While hiking I’ve frequently come across quaint farmhouses and pastures with either sheep or cows. I see them on almost every hike I have done.



It’s not just the Black Forest itself that I like, but also the half-timber houses that you see in small towns and villages. They look like something out of a Hans Grimm fairy tale.

If I had to sum up the Black Forest in one photo, it would the one above.

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