SCHWARZWALD ~ The Black Forest

People all over the world have been enchanted for hundreds of years by the beauty of the Schwarzwald region and the local’s craftsmanship.The Black Forest is a international icon standing for traditional hand made products inspired by the local’s connection with their surrounding environment.

Influence on artists 

The Black Forest has influenced the work of many artists and engineers that grew up or passed through the Baden-Wüttemberg region. The native fauna and flora inspired wood carvers to showcase the natural wonder in wooden figurines or furniture.

The time keeping engineers in the Black Forest put their own unique twist on the weight driven clock movements, enhancing their bleak design with pine cone shaped waits and cuckoo bird calls on the hour. The German Clock Museum in Furtwangen showcases the history of the clock and watchmaker industry in Baden-Wüttemberg.

The forests in “Hansel and Gretel”, “Snow White”, and “Rapunzel” are based on the Black Forest. They are all German fairy tales. (more on this in another blog post next month!)

     

PRODUCTS – a tribute to The Black Forest.

Beer steins are carved with scenes depicting hunters in the Black Forest with their hunters pouch, horn and hounds. During the winter hunters were often found inside tending to their preferred trade of either wood carving or pottery. It is no wonder that many works that come from Germany still show scenes and designs depicting hunting. 

Cuckoo Clocks adorn wooden carved scenes of Chalets and life in the Black Forest during the 1700’s. Scenes of everyday life are carved exquisitely from native linden wood, the soft timber allowing wood carvers to obtain impressive detail in their work. Maidens ring bells, wood choppers cut wood and water wheels turn to the sound of the native song ‘Edelweiss’. It is truly remarkable how much of ones culture can be represented in a single product and piece of art.

   

The Black Forest ~ The Name

The Black Forest (Schwarzwald in German) was originally named by the Romans, who remarked at the natives forest dark green canopy. The romans originally called the forest “silva Nigra” which means “Black Forest” in Latin. The Black Forest region has snow capped mountains in winter, rivers and waterfalls flow during summer, Meadows filled with wild flowers in spring and the deciduous trees glow yellow, red and gold in autumn.

Sights and other famous mentions

There are many historic towns that draw tourist every year in the Black Forest region. These include Baden-Baden, Freiburg, Haslach and Altensteig. Some of these villages are hundreds of years old and have inspired many fantasy tales in stories.

Black Forest gâteau (British English) and Black Forest cake (American English) are the English names for the German dessert Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte, literally “Black Forest cherry-torte”, where it originated.