Cuckoo Land in the Black Forest

The Black Forest (Schwarzwald) lies in a sparsely populated, hugely forested area of south western Germany.  Wooden farmhouses and simple villages are characteristic elements of this extremely beautiful part of the world.  The western area, towards the French and Swiss borders in the Rhine River Valley is dominated by vineyards.  Glass blowing and cuckoo clock making are also characteristic of the region.  Cuckoo clock making dates back to 1667.  Almost 60 million clocks are made each year.

Two of the highest peaks in the area are Feldberg which has excellent ski facilities and Belchen with wonderful views.  Todtmoos is a small resort town surrounded by mountains covered in forests of Pine trees, and a destination for sled dog championship meets.

Ski area at Feldberg.

The town has a little Holy history too in that apparently a town priest had a vision of the Virgin Mary in 1255 in which she instructed him to build a wooden chapel.  Miraculous hearings were experienced here and pilgrims still make trips to the Pilgrimage Church, built in 1632.

Frozen Black Forest Fun !