St.Blasien
St.Blasien has the 3rd largest dome in Europe and was founded in 858 AD by Benedictine monks.
The dome inside is decorated with beautiful white marble and is a must if you are visiting this area.
During the second world war the dome was used as a hospital.
International summer concerts are held from the end of June to the beginning of September and host well known choirs from all over the world.
Staufen
Staufen has one of the most beautiful town high streets you can imagine!
With it’s rich cultural programme there is something for everyone.
A walk through the alleyways or up to the castle ruins where the are wonderful views of Markgräflerland and Kaiserstühl (which are the two main wine producing areas of Baden ) the hours fly by, especially if you sample a glass on one of the traditional restaurant street terraces!
Staufen is a paradise for cyclists who prefer flat tours. From here it is also possible to cycle to France and into Switzerland.
Freiburg
Freiburg is a beautiful city with a real Tuscan flair. ( It is known as the only part of Tuscany outside Italy ).
It’s beautiful city centre is a delight to walk around with it’s colourful buildings and quaint side streets.
The daily market which takes place around the cathedral is awash with the colours of flowers, the smells of herbs and spices and the wonderful freshly grilled sausages and the hustle and bustle of general market life.
Freiburg cathedral is the only German cathedral finished in the gothic style and although currently undergoing a major face lift it is well worth vistiting.
Freiburg changed backwards and forwards from French to Austrian control during the 16 and 17 hundreds and before leaving at the end of the 18th century the French raised the fortifications to the ground. This has allowed Freiburg to architecturally develop in the best possible ways.
Soon 3 hi-speed rail links will connect in Freiburg which will make international travel faster and easier.
Holland, Germany, France, Switzerland, Italy and Spain can all be reached via the motorways Hamburg - Frankfurt – Basel – Milan ( passing through Freiburg ) and Mulhouse – Lyon – Marseille – Barcelona.
Münstertal
Münstertal is set in a long winding valley, with it’s centre undoubting being its cloister St.Truperts.
Münstertal is also the birth place of the prototype for the German Women’s Institute, which was founded in 1887 and was founded to care and nurse the elderly members of the village. It employed 2 nurses and this institute still exists today.
There is also Europe’s largest Nordic walking centre with hundreds of kilometres of tracks in the Black Forest Nature Park.
Münstertal is also famous for the television programme “ Portrate of a family 1902 & 2002”. This was watched by 35 million viewers and showed how a family ( selected from 700 ) was thrown into the life style of a family from 1902! The farmhouse used for the programme is now a museum.
Donaueschingen
The Danube Source
The source of the River Danube is a so-called "Karstaufstoßquelle". It has been as the historical source of the Danube ever since the Roman general Tiberius visited it in 15 BC. The source is framedin a romantic wrought iron basin, which lies in the palace groundsright next to the Prince of Fürstenberg's palace. The sculptured scene by Adolf Heer decipts "Mother Baar" with the young Danube.
The Danube Confluence
The two rivers, Breg and Brigach, unite to form the Danube at the baseof a marble sculpture from Franz Xaver Reich. The sculpture shows the "Mother Baar" holding the young Danube as a child in her lap. Close to the palace in the park, a small stream flows from the Danube spring into the Brigach.
