Black Forest Biosphere Reserve

Snow-covered hills in winter, gushing waterfalls in spring and magnificent blossoms in early summer: the Black Forest biosphere region in the far south-west of Baden-Württemberg offers a unique landscape with a great wealth of species and cultural diversity. Its most distinctive feature is the harmonious interplay of man and nature. The farmers maintain the meadows and pastures with their herds of cattle and goats, resulting in open areas alternating with mixed mountain forests in a kind of mosaic. This diverse cultural landscape, which has been shaped by man for centuries, also draws its charm from the great differences in altitude within a very small area - between 310 metres in the valley and more than 1,400 metres on the Belchen summit. Local residents of the Black Forest Biosphere Reserve, which was listed by UNESCO in 2017, have deep ties to their homeland and maintain old traditions such as the Swabian-Alemannic "Fastnacht" or Shrovetide carnival, and the 'Almabtrieb', the Alpine pasture harvest. Their motto is "Preserve the old while you break new ground" in order to maintain the character of the region while adapting it to the changing needs of the residents.