DE-4186762 The Black Forest (Schwartzwald)

The Black Forest (Schwarzwald) is a great forested mountain range in the state of Baden-Württemberg in southwestern Germany. It is bounded by the Rhine valley to the west and south. Its highest peak is the Feldberg with an elevation of 1,493 metres (4,898 ft). The region is almost rectangular in area with a length of 160 km (99 mi) and breadth of up to 60 km (37 mi).

Large parts of the Black Forest today depend mainly on tourism. About 140,000 people work full-time in the tourism sector and tourists made around 34.8 million overnight stays in the region (2009).

In spring, summer and autumn an extensive network of hiking trails and mountain bike routes enable different groups of people to use the natural region. In winter, of course, it is the various types of winter sport that come to the fore. There are facilities for both downhill and Nordic skiing in many places.

The most popular tourist destinations and resorts in the Black Forest are the lakes of Titisee and Schluchsee. Both lakes offer water sports facilities such as diving and wind surfing.

One very popular urban destination is Baden-Baden with its thermal baths, casino and festivals. Other thermal baths include those at Badenweiler, Bad Herrenalb, Bad Wildbad, Bad Krozingen, Bad Liebenzell or Bad Bellingen.

This postcard shows 16 different places of interest in the Black Forest and it came from Sylvia (19 May 2015) Postcrossing.